KALAMAZOO -- Western Michigan opened up 2015 in fashion with a 4-2 win over Notre Dame in front of 3,017 fans at Lawson Ice Arena on Friday night.
WMU's senior class was well represented on the night with two key third-period goals by Matt Stewart and Justin Kovacs. Colton Hargrove and Willem Nong-Lambert also tallied with Lukas Hafner make 18 saves to pick up his seventh win of the season.
Western Michigan (8-9-2) took a 1-0 lead at 8:33 in the first period on a highlight-reel goal by Hargrove. Neal Goff started the breakout in the WMU zone and found Hargrove across the home blue line. Hargrove chipped it across the ice to Nolan LaPorte and the junior captain took it into the ND zone. LaPorte tossed a saucer pass to Hargrove, who batted it out of mid-air and into the net while on his stomach on the ice for his fifth goal of the season. The assist was LaPorte's ninth and second for Goff on the season.
The Fighting Irish were limited to just four shots on goal but the fourth and final of the period found the back of the net to tie the game 1-1. Vince Hinostroza fired a no-look centering pass from the bottom of the right circle and Mario Lucia came streaking into the crease to tip it in for his 12th of the season.
Notre Dame took a 2-1 lead very early in the second period on a shot by Jordan Gross. Gross let a shot go form the right point that found its way through traffic and between Hafner's legs for his fourth of the season. Connor Hurley and Robbie Russo each picked up assists on the goal.
Western Michigan tied it up with a late goal of its own at 16:19 in the second period. During a spell of four-on-four Will Kessel won a faceoff back to Stewart and the lone senior on the blue line fired it through a screen by Aidan Muir and into the net for his second of the season.
Kovacs gave WMU its second and final lead of the game at 4:06 in the third period. After taking a pass from Taylor Fleming the senior forward worked his magic and pushed the puck through the legs of a ND defender and then fired the puck past Cal Peterson for his second goal of the season.
Nong-Lambert picked up a loose puck in the ND zone and charged the net, firing it past Peterson for his first collegiate goal at 8:11 to push the Bronco lead to 4-2.
Both teams were held scoreless on the power play with WMU going 0-for-3 and the Fighting Irish going 0-for-2.
The two teams square off again on Saturday at Notre Dame. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. with a national broadcast on NBC Sports Network.
