Bobby Nardella earned Hockey East Rookie of the Week honors for the second time this season.

#13 Irish Return to Hockey East Play by Hosting Merrimack

Jan. 14, 2016

Game Notes vs. Merrimack Get Acrobat Reader | Merrimack Week Podcasts: Coach Jackson & Cal Petersen

DETAILS — GAME 22
Match-up: Merrimack at Notre Dame
Date: Friday, Jan. 15, 2016
Time: 7:40 p.m. (ET)
Site: Notre Dame, Indiana
Arena: Compton Family Ice Arena (5,022)
Television: NBC Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Steve Schlanger
Analyst: Anson Carter
Live Streaming: NBC LiveExtra
Live Radio: New Country 99.9 FM
Play-by-Play: Darin Pritchett
Live Audio: WatchND App (www.watchND.tv)
Play-by-Play: Darin Pritchett
Live Stats:
Live Updates: @NDHockey
All-Time Series: ND leads 5-4-1 (10 games)

DETAILS — GAME 23
Match-up: Merrimack at Notre Dame
Date: Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016
Time: 7:10 p.m. (ET)
Site: Notre Dame, Indiana
Arena: Compton Family Ice Arena (5,022)
Television: NBC Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Steve Schlanger
Analyst: Anson Carter
Live Streaming: NBC LiveExtra
Live Radio: New Country 99.9 FM
Play-by-Play: Darin Pritchett
Live Audio: WatchND App (www.watchND.tv)
Play-by-Play: Darin Pritchett
Live Stats:
Live Updates: @NDHockey

OVERVIEW
— Notre Dame returns to Hockey East play by hosting the Merrimack College Warriors for a pair of games this weekend (Jan. 15-16).

UNBEATEN STREAK AT EIGHT
Notre Dame carries an eight-game unbeaten streak (5-0-3) into Friday night’s game, marking its longest unbeaten stretch since going 7-0-1 from Feb. 2 – March 14, 2014.
The current unbeaten streak dates back to a 3-1 win over Western Michigan on Nov. 28 (consolation game of the Shillelagh Tournament).
The eight-game unbeaten streak is tied with North Dakota (8-0-0) for the longest active mark in the country (NCAA DI).
Sophomore goaltender Cal Petersen, who has started all 21 games for the Irish this season, has posted a 1.61 goal-against average and a .951 save percentage during the unbeaten streak.
— Sophomores Anders Bjork (4-3-7) and Jordan Gross (1-6-7) lead the team with seven points apiece during the streak.
During the streak, Bjork (+10), senior defenseman Andy Ryan (+8) and sophomore defenseman Luke Ripley (+8) lead the team in plus/minus rating, while freshman defenseman Dennis Gilbert’s 20 blocked shots lead the team.
Notre Dame’s last nine-game unbeaten stretch came cane during the CCHA Championship run of 2013 when it went 7-0-2 from Feb. 15 – March 24 (a 3-1 CCHA Championship game win over Michigan).

MERRIMACK AT A GLANCE
— The Warriors (7-9-5, 2-3-5 HEA) started the season with a 6-1-4 record, but have gone 1-8-1 since Nov. 28 and are on a five-game losing streak since returning from winter break (Dec. 29).
Last weekend, Merrimack fell in back-to-back games at Cornell (Jan. 8-9), losing 3-0 on Friday night and then falling 5-2 on Saturday.
Senior forward Brian Christie leads the team with 15 points (4-11-15), followed by senior forward Ben Bahe (7-7-14) and junior forward Hampus Gustafsson (5-9-14).
Merrimack is averaging 2.29 goals per game, which ranks 48th in the country, while its power play ranks 57th (7/76, 10.4%).
Sophomore Colin Delia has played 79% of the team’s minutes in goal, posting a 6-6-5 record to go along with a 2.30 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.
Delia started both games at Cornell last weekend.

LAST WEEKEND: 1-0-1 AGAINST WESTERN
— Goals for the Notre Dame hockey team came fast and furious against regional foe Western Michigan as the Irish scored three goals in the first period and four in the second to cruise to a commanding 7-1 home victory over the Broncos (Jan. 8).
Seven players scored for the Irish, while each forward in the lineup finished with at least one point. Dylan Malmquist led the Irish with a goal and two assists for a career-high three points, while Steven Fogarty added a goal and an assist, and freshman Dennis Gilbert and sophomore Jake Evans totaled two assists each.
The following night at Western Michigan (Jan. 9), Notre Dame built a 3-0 lead on goals by Malmquist, Anders Bjork and Jake Evans, but the Broncos rallied in the third period to force an eventual 3-3 overtime tie.

STARTING FAST
— Notre Dame scored first in both games against Western Michigan last weekend (Jan. 8-9) and it has now taken a 1-0 lead in 17 of 21 games this season.
The Irish are 10-2-5 when scoring first.
The 17 first goals are tied with Quinnipiac for the most in the country, followed by North Dakota (16), Robert Morris (16) and St. Cloud State (16).
Notre Dame’s percentage of first goals (17/21, .810) leads the country, while Quinnipiac is second (.739).

PETERSEN CARRYING THE MAIL
— Sophomore goaltender Cal Petersen has started each of Notre Dame’s first 21 games of the 2015-16 season.
Dating back to last season, he has started each of Notre Dame’s last 34 games.
His 603 saves this season rank as the second most nationally, trailing only Colton Phinney of Princeton (649).
In Hockey East play this season, Petersen is 6-1-2 with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
Petersen is also one of only three Hockey East goaltenders to have played at least 90 percent of their team’s minutes in goal (as of Jan. 14):
1. Kevin Boyle, UML — 99.1%
2. Cal Petersen, ND — 98.3%
3. Nick Ellis, PC — 92.4%

ACTIVE NOTRE DAME POINT STREAKS
— Anders Bjork has a six-game point streak (4-3-7).
Bobby Nardella (0-4-4) and Sam Herr (2-1-3) have three-game point streaks.
Jake Evans (1-2-3), Dylan Malmquist (2-2-4) and Andrew Oglevie (1-1-2) each have two-game point streaks.

BJORK & SUPPORT STAFF WIN BRONZE
— Sophomore forward Anders Bjork scored a pair of goals to help lead Team USA to an 8-3 win over Sweden in the bronze medal game at the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Helsinki, Finland on Tuesday (Jan. 5).
Bjork scored his second and third goals of the tournament in the win, including the game’s first goal at 11:59 of the first period as well as a highlight reel tally to put Team USA up 5-2 late in the second period.
Bjork went on to be named Team USA’s Player of the Game.
Bjork played all seven games in the tournament for Team USA, finishing with three points on three goals.
It marked team USA’s first medal at the annual event since 2013, when current Notre Dame senior forward Mario Lucia and Team USA won gold. Ã… In addition to Bjork, Notre Dame coordinator of hockey operations, Nick Siergiej, and Irish equipment specialist, Dave Gilbert, also won bronze medals serving in the same capacities with Team USA.
Dating back to 1997, Bjork was the 19th Notre Dame player to take part in the IIHF World Junior Championships. Most recently, Thomas DiPauli and Vince Hinostroza were members of the 2014 U.S. Junior National Team that finished fifth in Malmo, Sweden.
Bjork also became the fifth Notre Dame player to win a medal at the World Junior Championship, joining Lucia (gold in 2013), Kyle Palmieri (gold in 2010 and bronze in 2011), Kyle Lawson (bronze in 2007) and Ben Simon (silver in 1997).

HERR COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH
— Four of Sam Herr’s five goals this season have proved to be important third-period tallies.
He scored the game winner against Western Michigan (Nov. 28) with just under five minutes to play in the third period in Notre Dame’s 3-1 victory.
Herr’s other game winner this season came at 12:36 of the third period in Notre Dame’s 2-1 win at UConn (Oct. 31).
Herr’s other two goals this season are third period, game-tying tallies: he scored at 7:32 of the third in a 3-3 tie with Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 23) and then netted the game-tying, power-play goal with 30 seconds remaining in the third period in a 2-2 tie at Denver (Jan. 2).
The Irish are 6-0-3 this season when Herr registers at least one point.

BALANCED ATTACK
— The balanced Irish attack features 11 players with at least 10 points on the season, while 19 players have scored at least one goal this season.
Notre Dame’s 19 goal scorers are the most in Hockey East, followed by Merrimack (18).
Thomas DiPauli (8-10-18), Anders Bjork (7-11-18) and Jake Evans (3-15-18) lead the team in scoring.
DiPauli’s eight goals are tied with freshman Dylan Malmquist for the team lead.
Jake Evans leads the team with 15 assists.
In the 7-1 win over Western Michigan (Jan. 8), seven players scored and each Notre Dame forward finished with at least one point.

GROSS OFFENSE
— Sophomore defenseman Jordan Gross is providing an offensive spark for the Irish, ranking fourth on the team with 16 points (6-10-16).
The six goals are one off his freshman season pace (42 GP, 7-21-28).
Gross’ six goals rank fifth on the Irish (all skaters) and are also tied for third in the country for goals by a defenseman.
Gross’ 16 points rank tied for fifth in the country among defensemen.

IN THE POLLS
— In the rankings for a ninth consecutive week, the Irish moved up to No. 13 in both national polls (USCHO.com & USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine) after the 1-0-1 weekend showing against Western Michigan.
It is the highest the Irish have reached in each respective poll this season.

APPROACHING 100
— Senior forward Mario Lucia (53-45-98) is approaching the 100-career points milestone.
He would become the 49th Notre Dame player to reach 100 career points and the first since the 2012-13 season when both Anders Lee (61-55-116) and T.J. Tynan (54-107-161) reached 100 points.

TOP MARKS IN THE COUNTRY
— Released on Nov. 4, the Notre Dame is first in NCAA Div. I hockey in the latest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) rankings with a perfect 100 score (tied with Bowling Green).
The Irish also rank first in NCAA Div. I hockey in the Federal Rate (measured by the federal government in its Department of Education report) with a score of 94.
Miami finished second in the Federal Rate with a score of 73.
University wide, Notre Dame claimed a share of the 2015 national championship for graduating student-athletes in all sports – in the process posting the top NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figure (98) for its student-athletes for the ninth straight year.

IN OVERTIME: FIT TO TIE
— The Irish are 0-0-7 in overtime this season,, marking the most ties by anyone in the country so far this season (Northern Michigan and Wisconsin are second with six each).
The last time Notre Dame had at least seven ties in a season was the 2009-10 season when it finished with a 13-17-8 record.
Two players on the current roster have overtime, game-winning goals:
Jake Evans in a 3-2 win vs. Miami on Dec. 28, 2014 in the Florida College Hockey Classic.
Connor Hurley in a 3-2 win at Merrimack on Nov. 14, 2014.

YOUNG GUNS
According to research conducted by College Hockey Inc. (@Collegehockey), entering the 2015-16 season, the Notre Dame roster is the fifth-youngest in the country (as of Oct. 1, 2015).
The top-five youngest teams entering the season include Boston College (20 years, 169 days), Boston University (20 years, 179 days), Michigan (20 years, 235 days), Wisconsin (20 years, 320 days) and Notre Dame (20 years, 333 days).
Notre Dame’s roster includes 15 underclassmen (nine sophomores and six freshmen).

MALMQUIST MAKING THE JUMP
— Freshman forward Dylan Malmquist is one of 17 NCAA Div. I players who played high school hockey last season.
Additionally, he is one of just six players to arrive on campus straight from playing public high school hockey.
Malmquist became the first player straight from public high school to score a goal this season (Oct. 17 at Penn State) and just the second of the 17 players straight from high school to score (BC’s Miles Wood scored at Army on Oct. 9).
His eight goals are tied for the team lead and he ranks tied for eighth nationally in goals scored by a freshman.