Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

#10 Irish Return From Break To Host Niagara

WHO: #10/10 Notre Dame (12-5-0) vs. Niagara University (4-10-2)

WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. ET // Sunday, Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. ET

WHERE: Compton Family Ice Arena

WATCH: Peacock

LISTEN: 94.3 FM | UND.com

NOTES (PDF)

SETTING THE STAGE

  • The Irish return from winter break to kick off a busy opening few weeks of 2022 with a pair of non-conference games against Niagara on Jan. 1-2 (5 p.m. ET) at the Compton Family Ice Arena.
  • Notre Dame is 6-1-0 outside of the Big Ten this season, with the series against the Purple Eagles and a Jan. 19 home game versus Boston College remaining on the schedule.
  • The Irish are slated to play seven games in the first 19 games of January, including Big Ten series at Penn State (Jan. 7-8) and Ohio State (Jan. 14-15).
  • Notre Dame is fourth in the Big Ten standings (6-4-0-2-1-0/17 points in 10 GP).
  • Senior captain Jake Pivonka returned from injury to play a limited role in the Michigan State series after missing the first 15 games of the season.
  • Sophomore forward Landon Slaggert is playing with Team USA in the World Junior Championship.
  • Max Ellis leads the Irish with 20 points on a team-high 11 goals and nine assists.
  • Ellis’ 11 goals rank tied for 11th in the country (tied for first in B1G), while his 0.647 goals per game ranks 10th in the NCAA (first in B1G).
  • Ellis is also tied for the NCAA lead with two shorthanded goals this season. 
  • Sophomore Ryder Rolston is second on the team with 16 points on six goals and a team-best 10 assists.
  • Rolston also leads the team with three game-winning goals, which is tied for seventh in the country (tied for second in the B1G).
  • All told, 14 Notre Dame players have scored so far this season, while 18 have at least one point.
  • The Irish are 8-1-0 when scoring first this season.
  • Notre Dame is also 8-3-0 at home this season.
  • Notre Dame’s penalty kill is 59-for-64 on the season (.9219), which ranks second in the NCAA.
  • Notre Dame has made each of the last five NCAA Tournaments, the longest streak in program history, and eight of the last 11 NCAA Tournaments overall.

THE NOTRE DAME – NIAGARA SERIES

  • Notre Dame and Niagara will be meeting for just the fourth and fifth times overall and for the first time since a two-game series on Oct. 24-25, 2014 at the Compton Family Ice Arena. 
  • The Fighting Irish took game one of that series 6-3 and followed with a 7-0 game two victory.
  • In game one, Sam Herr and Robbie Russo each scored twice, while Jake Evans had three assists.
  • In game two, Notre Dame boasted seven different goal scorers and Cal Petersen turned in a 23-save shutout to earn the win.
  • The only other meeting between the two teams came on Oct. 14, 2000 when the teams skated to a 3-3 overtime tie in Omaha, Nebraska in the Maverick Stampede tournament.
  • The Irish won the shootout to finish third at the four-team event.

ALEX STEEVES MAKES NHL DEBUT

  • Former Irish forward Alex Steeves (2018-21) made his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 7 against Columbus (and former Notre Dame teammate Andrew Peeke) in a 5-4 Toronto win.
  • Steeves, who earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 2020-21, became the 25th former Irish player under head coach Jeff Jackson to reach the NHL and the Notre Dame program’s 39th NHL player overall. 
  • Prior to Steeves, the most recent Notre Dame players to make their NHL debuts were Jordan Gross, Peeke, Jake Evans and Thomas DiPauli during the 2019-20 season

SLAGGERT WITH TEAM USA 

  • Sophomore forward Landon Slaggert has been named to the U.S. National Junior Team, USA Hockey announced (Dec. 16). 
  • Slaggert was named an alternate captain for Team USA and scored the game winner in Team USA’s tournament-opening 3-2 win over Slovakia (Dec. 26).
  • The 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship is taking place from Dec. 26, 2021 – Jan. 5, 2022 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. 
  • Slaggert is one of six players from the 2021 U.S. National Junior Team that won a gold medal in Edmonton.
  • Slaggert is the seventh Notre Dame player to take part in two World Junior Championships.
  • At last season’s World Junior Tournament, Slaggert skated in all seven games for Team USA and became the first Fighting Irish player to medal at the event since 2018 – when current Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Andrew Peeke helped the U.S. secure the bronze in Buffalo. 
  • Slaggert’s gold marked the eighth medal by a Notre Dame player at the event as he also joined Anders Bjork (bronze in 2016), Mario Lucia (gold in 2013), Kyle Palmieri (gold in 2010 and bronze in 2011), Kyle Lawson (bronze in 2007) and Ben Simon (silver in 1997). 
  • Slaggert was the 23rd Notre Dame player to take part in the World Junior Championship and the South Bend, Indiana native will look to join Palmieri (2010/11), Ian Cole (2008/09), Rob Globke (2001/02), Connor Dunlop (2000/01), Simon (1997/98) and Jack Brownschidle (1977/79) as two-time Irish participants.

SENIORS WITH CLASS

  • Forward Graham Slaggert and defenseman Spencer Stastney have been named two of the 20 candidates for the 2021-22 Senior CLASS Award®.
  • The Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete, who must have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The Notre Dame hockey program consistently produces finalists for the national award, including past winners David Brown (2007) and Jake Evans (2018). 
  • The 20 candidates will be narrowed to ten finalists later in the season. Those ten names will then be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character, and competition.
  • The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four® in April. 

THE BIG TEN STANDINGS

  • This season, teams are awarded three points in the conference standings for a win in regulation. 
  • If the game is tied following regulation, both teams will receive one point, with a second point being awarded to the team that wins in either the 3-on-3 overtime period or the shootout.
  • The conference standings now match a national standard: W-L-T-OTW-OTL-SOW.

 

— ND —