The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team pummeled the previously undefeated Michigan Wolverines 16-5 on a cold afternoon at Arlotta Stadium.  As we had hoped, the Fighting Irish did #Rememberthe6, and added five more for good measure.  We can now stop hearing the gobbledygook about the B1G and Michigan being undefeated.

Before we get to the highlights, the most important news of the day was that the tradition continues and we have a bagpiper!

 

Now to the highlights:


A fantastic performance by the Irish, with 10 different goal scorers.  Ryder Garnsey led the point scoring with 2g, 2a, and Mike Wynne gets credit for another hat trick.  Brendan Gleason, Timmy Phillips and Pierre Byrne had two goals apiece, and Sergio Perkovic, Drew Schantz, as well as freshman Bryan Constabile, Jack Kielty and Brian Willets also scored goals.  Eight of these goals were assisted!

The defense started well and finished great. A few communication errors in the first half led to a few goals that let Michigan think they were in the game, but the defense clamped down for a scoreless final 29 minutes and reminded everyone of the Notre Dame defensive tradition. Michigan was held to 21 shots (14 on net) compared to 54 for ND.

The ride broke up an excellent 6 of 23 Michigan clear attempts.  The faceoff wings and defensive midfield were sensational.   To our calculation, the group had 11 gb, 4 ct, 2 goals, 2 assists and 6 shots.  Owen Molloy was given the last seven minutes in goal and did not need to move.

Special note must be given to Michigan goalie Tommy Heidt who stood on his head for an incredible 17 saves, including standing tall and frustrating Sergio Perkovic for most of the game. We believe this game would have gotten completely out of hand had it not been for Heidt.

Some criticism: clears were occasionally sloppy and offensive discipline started to break down late in the game.  These things can have a big impact in close games, and with #1 Maryland coming to town next week, focus for the full 60 minutes will be critical. Also, EMO only connected on 2 of 7.  The ball moved well but the shots taken were decent but not great.  Very big missed opportunities.

Our pregame questions:

–How will the midfield lines develop? Irish started with Perkovic/Byrne/Costabile again, but Phillips, Brendan Collins, Willets, Gray and Pridemore got a lot of time in settled situations.  It did not appear there was a true third line, just a lot of combinations put out there when the starters took a break.  However, our suspicion that there would be a lot more offensive push from the defensive midfield held very true.  As noted above, the defensive midfield regularly pushed into the offensive zone and generated all kinds of scoring opportunities.

–Can the defense hold Michigan to single digits?  Umm, yes.  A few communication errors early gave Michigan some scoring chances, and it took a few minutes for Doss to get into his groove, but there were few problems here.  They were a well-oiled machine in the second half, good stuff.

–What happens when Sergio regains his radar?  We don’t know. Sergio was 1 for 8 or 1 for 12, depending on who’s stats you use.  A lot of this was Tommy Heidt having a great day in the crease.  Perkovic, to his credit, just kept shooting even with Heidt making save after save.  This was important and a reason why we think his scoring will ultimately be additive.  So long as Perkovic kept shooting, Michigan had to keep a pole on him, and this kept a shorty on Pierre Byrne who repeatedly abused his defender.  Costabile and Willetts, too, benefited from all the attention on #16.  The only down side is something noticed by Patrick McEwen @LaxFilmRoom, that making an early save off a Perkovic shot is a huge confidence booster for the opposing goalie and often means he will have a good day.

FUN FACT:    The Fighting Irish used a huge chunk of their roster against Michigan.  States represented by Notre Dame student-athletes on Sunday:  Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon, Colorado, California (to our count, three players!) and Georgia (#Hotlanta’s Charlie Trense).

We can’t say this enough, the 2017 Fighting Irish are a much different team than the 2015 and 2016 versions, especially on offense.  This unit has depth and firepower to put up many more points that we’ve grown accustomed to, and to do it in a more team-oriented, assist rich, fashion.

Now it is time to separate the men from the boys.  The Inside Lacrosse/Maverik Media Poll this week has co-#1 teams, Maryland and Denver.  The Irish will play them back-to-back, with Maryland visiting Arlotta Stadium next week, then the Irish traveling to Denver the following weekend.  Bring it on, we say!