SOUTH BEND, Ind. – As Syracuse made its push in the final quarter to turn a six-goal deficit into a one-goal lead over Notre Dame on Saturday, it was Bobby Wardwell that did everything he could on the defensive end to make that happen.

First he saved a Nick Ossello shot with 13:20 to play in the fourth quarter. Forty-one seconds later it was a save off a Conor Doyle shot. Two minutes after that, Sergio Perkovic tried, and failed, to get it past Wardwell.

Eleven seconds later, Dylan Donahue was celebrating his fifth goal of the day, and the Orange had cut its deficit to one.

Wardwell has made a business of playing well late in games. He made eight of his 11 saves on Saturday in the second half or overtime, just two weeks after making three of five total saves in the fourth quarter to help SU pull away from Johns Hopkins. Still, he let a Jack Near shot get past him in the second overtime to give No. 2 Notre Dame (6-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) a 13-12 win over No. 1 Syracuse (7-1, 2-1).

“I thought Bob played very good today,” SU head coach John Desko said.

He’ll get a chance to continue his strong play when Syracuse faces No. 9 Albany and its top-ranked scoring offense. How he limits the Great Danes’ 18.4 goals per game will play a crucial role in SU’s chance to win.

Desko said he thought Near’s game-winning shot on Saturday — an unassisted liner that whizzed to the left of Wardwell’s helmet — was actually another save until he saw the Fighting Irish celebrating a thrilling victory.

But UND’s No. 1 ranking, which it’s expected to take over on Monday in the latest poll, was hard earned.

With 5:37 left in regulation, a rocket shot from Trevor Brosco ricocheted off Wardwell and popped high in the air. On SU’s next possession, Tim Barber tied the game for the first time since the first quarter with an unassisted goal.

It was a game that Desko said either team could have won, largely in part to the play of Wardwell who helped propel the comeback on the defensive end.

Said Donahue: “I thought Bob played unbelievable.”

Published on March 30, 2015 at 12:05 am

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3