Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich.-- Riley Gill tied a career high with 42 saves and earned his first shut out of the season as Western Michigan downed No. 11 Notre Dame, 3-0, on "Senior Night" in front of 2,456 fans at Lawson Ice Arena.
Gill stopped all 42 shots by Notre Dame to give the Broncos (8-24-3, 4-21-2 CCHA) their first shut out of the season, first win over a ranked opponent this season and first win in the month of February.
"I think on a night you are going to play your last home game here of the season and with it being senior night recognizing the five seniors, it is a nice memory for those guys to have to go out with a 3-0 shut out against a nationally ranked opponent," said head coach Jim Culhane.
After a scoreless first period in which WMU killed four power plays, Western Michigan drew first blood midway through the second period. Chris Clackson fired a shot on net and Notre Dame goaltender Jordan Pearce made the initial save.The puck bounced right of the net and was picked up by Cam Watson and he threaded the needle to get the puck past Pearce for his team-leading ninth goal of the season. Clackson and Jeff Pierce each picked up assists on the goal and the Broncos went up 1-0.
"Everyone knew that this was a special night and the guys really stepped up for us," said senior Jonathan Lupa. "It was a great team effort all around and everyone wore their hearts on their sleeves."
The Broncos pushed their lead to 2-0 with 57 seconds remaining in the second period on a short-handed goal by freshman center Patrick Nagorsen. Watson pushed the puck out of the Bronco zone and Nagorsen and a Notre Dame player went scurrying for the puck. Nagorsen made a fancy move to free the puck from the ND player and skated in one-on-one to beat Pearce for his first collegiate goal. Watson picked up his fifth assist of the season on the team's second short-handed goal of the season.
The Broncos defense held strong, killing two power plays in the third period and Gill stopped 15 shots in the third, before Jeff LoVecchio added an empty-netter with 16 seconds remaining in the game to put WMU up, 3-0. Patrick Galvian picked up his team leading 22nd assist on the goal.
Western Michigan's defense blocked 14 shots on the night, with sophomore Tyler Ludwig picking up five on the night to lead the team. WMU's special teams also performed well, killing all eight Notre Dame power plays, including a four-on-three and a five-on-three opportunity.
The Broncos will head to South Bend tomorrow night to take on the Fighting Irish at 7:05 p.m. for their last regular season game.
