The 1st period between Providence and Notre Dame delivered on a tightly contested game as there was very little time and space to be had on the ice by either team.
The only difference maker in this game, so far, was the excellent speed play by Friars’ Defenseman Tommy Davis. Davis took the puck on the right wing and put on the jets to wheel around the net and test ND’s Cale Morris on a wrap-around. Morris managed to get to the post just in time but failed to prevent a rebound allowing Kasper Bjorkqvist to be “Johnny on the Spot” as he chipped the puck past the goal line 2:02 into the period.
The Fighting Irish didn’t not play phased as they held Providence in check for the remainder of the of the 20 minutes and even made a push of their own towards the end of the period. That late push propelled the Irish to a 10-5 shots on goal advantage but that’s no consolation for any ND fan as they trail Providence by 1 after 1!