WHO: #3/4 Notre Dame (7-0-1, 3-0-1-0 B1G) at Wisconsin (5-5-0, 0-2-0-0 B1G)
WHEN: Friday, November 15 & Saturday, November 16 – 7 p.m. CT/ 8 p.m. ET
WHERE: Kohl Center, Madison, Wis.
WATCH: Friday – Fox Sports Wisconsin | Saturday – BTN+
LISTEN: 94.3 FM | UND.com
GAME NOTES (PDF)
FOR STARTERS
- The Fighting Irish head to Madison for a two-game series against Wisconsin riding the nation’s longest unbeaten streak after starting the season with a 7-0-1 record (3-0-1-0 B1G).
- Notre Dame has opened the season unbeaten through eight games for the first time in program history while competing as a varsity team (opened 1983-84 with a 15-0-0 mark as a club team).
- Last weekend (Nov. 8-9), the Irish swept a pair of tightly contested games with Ohio State by erasing one-goal third period deficits in both games, wining game one 3-2 in overtime and game two 2-1.
- With the weekend sweep, the Irish extended their winning streak at Compton Family Ice Arena to 10 games dating back to the start of the 2018 Big Ten Tournament (March 9, 2018).
- It also marked Notre Dame’s first sweep of a top-10 opponent since Nov. 24-25, 2017 when the Irish topped sixth-ranked Minnesota 1-0 and 5-2.
- Cale Morris earned both wins against the Buckeyes, with Saturday night’s 2-1 victory proving to be his 50th-career win.
- Morris posted a posted a .942 save percentage and a 1.46 goals against average in the series and was named the Big Ten’s Third Star of the Week (Nov. 12), which marked his 13th career Big Ten weekly honor.
- The Fighting Irish penalty kill went 7-for-7 last weekend against Ohio State and is now 23-for-24 on the season (95.8%), which ranks second in the NCAA behind only Army (30-for-31/96.8%).
- Senior Mike O’Leary ranks second in the Irish with 12 points (5-7-12) and dating back to last season’s series at Wisconsin on Jan. 18-19, 2019, O’Leary has 28 points (9-19-28) in his last 27 games played (career: 122 GP, 16-30-46).
- O’Leary was named the Hockey Commissioners Association’s Player of the Month for October (Nov. 8) after leading the Irish to a perfect 4-0-0 record while sharing the national lead in points per game (2.75) and assists per game (1.75) with linemate Cal Burke.
- At 4.12 goals per game, the Notre Dame offense ranks fifth in the NCAA (and third among teams with at least five games played).
- Current Irish point streaks include Matt Steeves (two games; 0-2-2) and Jake Pivonka (two games; 1-1-2).
- Senior goaltender Cale Morris is now 50-21-5 in his Irish career.
THE NOTRE DAME – WISCONSIN SERIES
- Former opponents in the WCHA, Notre Dame and Wisconsin have met 71 times in program history with Wisconsin leading the all-time series 41-23-8.
- The first meeting between the two teams came during the 1921-22 season when the Irish skated away with a 3-0 victory at Badin Rink (outdoors at Notre Dame).
- The teams met once more, in 1925-26, before taking a 40 year hiatus and returning to competition when Notre Dame earned varsity status.
- At Wisconsin, the Badgers lead the series 20-11-2.
- Since Notre Dame joined the Big Ten, the Irish lead the series with Wisconsin 5-2-1 including a 2-1-1 mark in 2018-19.
- As a head coach, Jeff Jackson is 6-3-1 all-time against the Badgers (1-1-0 at Lake Superior State).
- The one win Jackson had over the Badgers at Lake Superior State came on April 4, 1992, in Albany, New York, as the Lakers defeated Wisconsin 5-3 to win the NCAA Championship (the first of Jackson’s two NCAA Championships at Lake State).
- During the 2017-18 season in game two at Wisconsin (Dec. 9), Cal Burke recorded his first career hat trick en route to a 6-2 Notre Dame victory to extend Notre Dame’s winning streak to 13.
- That winning streak eventually reached a program-best mark of 16 before Wisconsin defeated the Irish at the United Center on Jan. 21 by a score of 5-0.
- Last season current sophomore forward Michael Graham had a breakout weekend against the Badgers during their January series as he posted five points through two games with four goals and an assist, three of which came with the man-advantage.
- Graham earned both conference and national recognition following the weekend series against the Badgers, being named the Big Ten First Star of the Week and NCAA Second Star of the Week (Jan. 22).
- Notre Dame’s active career offensive leaders against the Badgers include Michael Graham (4 GP, 6-1-7), Cal Burke (6 GP, 4-3-7), Mike O’Leary (8 GP, 2-5-7), Cam Morrison (6 GP, 0-4-4) and Colin Theisen (8 GP, 1-4-5).
- In net, Cale Morris has played seven games against Wisconsin over the last two seasons, posting a 4-2-1 record to go along with a 2.69 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.
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