Notre Dame wins pair to take early lead

A wild weekend of action kicked off CCHA play, with Notre Dame grabbing two victories to take early possession of the top spot in the conference.

After defeating Lake Superior at home Friday, 4-2, the Fighting Irish finished the homestand 2-0 with a 7-1 drubbing of Western Michigan.

The beleaguered Broncos, recovering from a wave of suspensions related to a hazing incident, could manage little offense in South Bend. Notre Dame's Brian Urick, a highly touted forward before the season began, continued his hot start with his fourth goal of the young season against Western Michigan.

Bowling Green surprised critics with three points in its first two games. After a hard-fought 4-2 road victory over Miami on Friday night, Bowling Green bounced back in come-from-behind fashion to pick up a tie against the RedHawks on Saturday.

While Bowling Green was able to fire 41 shots on Miami's Ian Olsen, the RedHawks were unable to oblige, putting only 17 attempts on goal.

The Falcons benefitted from a late goal, with just 11 seconds to play, to lift them to the tie. After winning 10 games last season, Bowling Green's young squad is enjoying early success.

Miami, on the other hand, is sliding backward. After graduating 10 players from last season, including three who were signed to NHL contracts, the transition has been rough for Miami coach Mark Mazzoleni and his young team.

After tying No. 1-rated Boston College Friday night, Ohio State was unable to pull out a victory on the road at unranked Minnesota, dropping the decision 4-3.

Ohio State goaltender Ray Aho stopped 38 shots, but it was not enough as the Golden Gophers came away with the victory.

10-12-98