SOUTH BEND, Ind. - A week after downing Nebraska-Omaha with a flurry of power play goals, the men ’s ice hockey team overwhelmed Notre Dame the same way Thursday night, thumping the Irish 5-1.

Sophomore left winger Steve Jackson, freshman center Jeremy Jackson and sophomore center Steve Clark all scored with the man advantage, pacing the Spartans to the win in their first CCHA road game of the season.

Prior to two last-minute Spartan goals, MSU had scored its last eight goals on special teams - seven power play and one short-handed. The Spartans have scored on six of their last 14 power play chances.

“We have a lot of skilled guys out there and that’s been our key,” sophomore defenseman John-Michael Liles said. “It hasn’t been really pretty, but we’re getting our shots on net and our guys in front are doing a great job.”

Jackson opened the scoring at 14:01 of the first period, taking a pass from senior right winger John Nail in front of Notre Dame’s net and sliding the puck through the legs of Irish goalie Jeremiah Kimento.

“Getting ahead on the road is key,” MSU head coach Ron Mason said. “That first goal was critical. Notre Dame played hard tonight - it wasn’t a five-to-one game.”

Jeremy Jackson put MSU up 2-0 after corralling the rebound from Liles’ point shot and lifting it over a helpless Kimento. The goal was Jackson’s second of the season.

Sophomore left winger Brian Maloney assisted on the goal, for his team-leading fifth assist and seventh point.

Clark notched his first goal of the season at 8:42 of the second period by slamming senior left winger Damon Whitten’s centering pass into a wide-open net.

“It was a great play by my roommate Damon Whitten to get it in front of the net,” Clark said. “I just had to stand there and knock it in. We’re due for a couple of breaks now and then.”

Senior defenseman Jon Insana added an empty-net goal and freshman defenseman Aaron Hundt also tallied in the final seconds to complete the Spartan’s scoring.

The Spartan defense stifled the Irish attack, allowing few quality scoring chances against sophomore goaltender Ryan Miller in the first two periods.

Miller earned the win, stopping 25 shots. He was forced to make several acrobatic saves from point-blank range in the third period to preserve the lead.

MSU outshot Notre Dame 31-26 for the game.

Notre Dame only managed to beat Miller once, scoring a power play goal of its own 15 seconds into the third period. But it wasn’t enough.

Although MSU seemed to out-muscle the Irish throughout the night, two Spartans had to be helped off the ice after checks.

Liles was drilled shoulder-first into the boards by Irish defenseman Brett Lebda early in the second period. Lebda received a five-minute major penalty and a game-misconduct for the hit.

Noticeably woozy after the hit, Liles returned to the game and assisted on the goal scored during Lebda’s penalty. Liles said Lebda is a former teammate of his and that the hit probably wasn’t intentional.

Jeremy Jackson was also rattled by an Irish hit, but he returned to the game as well. Both he and Liles are expected to play tomorrow.

MSU was already playing without senior center Andrew Bogle and junior center Joe Goodenow, who are out with shoulder injuries.

The two squads will skate against each other again Friday night at 8:05 at the Joyce Center in South Bend.

“We have to play harder tomorrow,” Liles said. “We beat them in their own building in their first CCHA game. They’re going to come out gunning.”