WHO: #8/8 Notre Dame (11-4-0, 5-3-0-2-0-0 B1G/13 pts.) vs. Michigan State (9-6-1, 4-4-0-0-0-0 B1G/12 pts. )
WHEN: Friday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET // Saturday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. ET
WHERE: Compton Family Ice Arena
WATCH: NBCSN and the NBC App (Friday and Saturday)
LISTEN: 94.3 FM | UND.com
NOTES (PDF)
SETTING THE STAGE
- The Irish close out the first semester with a weekend home series against Michigan State at the Compton Family Ice Arena (Dec. 10-11).
- Notre Dame is coming off a weekend split with Ohio State, including a 5-1 game two win (Dec. 4), while the Spartans split a road series at Penn State including a 4-3 game two win (Dec. 4).
- Notre Dame is fourth in the Big Ten standings (5-3-0-2-0-0/13 points in 8 GP), while Michigan State is fifth (4-4-0-0-0-0/12 points in 8 GP).
- Ryder Rolston had a goal and an assist in each game versus the Buckeyes en route to being named the Big Ten’s Second Star of the Week (Dec. 8).
- In the game two victory, Rolston netted his team-leading third game-winning goal of the season (his three game winners rank tied for sixth in the NCAA).
- The Irish have won seven of their last games dating back to the beginning of November.
- Max Ellis has an active career-long, nine-game point streak (8-5-13) and he has at least one point in 13 of Notre Dame’s 15 games this season.
- Rolston has an active career-long, seven-game point streak (5-6-11).
- Nick Leivermann has an active career-long, six-game point streak (2-7-9).
- In addition, Graham Slaggert has a three-game point streak (1-2-3), while Landon Slaggert has a two-game point streak (1-1-2).
- In 15 games, Ellis leads the team with 11 goals and 20 points and is tied for second on the team lead with nine assists.
- Ellis’ 11 goals rank tied for sixth in the NCAA, while his 20 points are tied for 17th (15th in points per game at 1.333) and he is tied for the NCAA lead with two shorthanded goals this season.
- Rolston ranks second on the team with six goals, followed by Trevor Janicke (5) and Graham Slaggert (5).
- Rolston leads the Irish with 10 assists, followed by Ellis (9) Adam Karashik (9) and Nick Leivermann (9).
- All told, 13 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’s penalty kill is 54-for-59 on the season (.9153), which ranks second in the NCAA.
- The Irish are averaging 3.62 goals per game, which ranks ninth in the NCAA (second in the Big Ten) and are also holding opponents to 1.97 goals-against per game, which ranks sixth nationally (first in the Big Ten).
- 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.
ALEX STEEVES MAKES NHL DEBUT
- Former Irish forward Alex Steeves (2018-21) made his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Dec. 7 against Columbus (and former Notre Dame teammate Andrew Peeke) in a 5-4 Toronto win.
- Peeke and Steeves played together during the 2018-19 season.
- Steeves, who earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 2020-21, had 12 points in 12 games with the Marlies this season – his first as a professional.
- Steeves 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.
- 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.
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.
SLAGGERT ON USA’s PRELIM ROSTER
- Sophomore forward Landon Slaggert has been named to the 2022 U.S. National Junior Team Preliminary Roster (Team USA’s training camp at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan will start on December 12).
- The 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship will take place in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta from Dec. 26, 2021- January 5, 2022.
- Slaggert will be looking to make Team USA for the second consecutive season as he was part of last season’s gold medal winning Team USA.
- 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.
THE NOTRE DAME – MSU SERIES
- Former CCHA rivals, the Irish and Spartans have met 131 times dating back to their first meeting in 1926, which was played at the University Rink in East Lansing, Michigan (Notre Dame won the first game, 3-1).
- All-time, the Spartans lead the series 69-47-15.
- The first meetings as a Notre Dame varsity sport were in the 1970-71 season when the Spartans came to South Bend and split a weekend series: Michigan State took the first game 10-5, before the Irish bounced back for a 4-3 victory the second night.
- Since the turn of the century (2000-01 season), the Irish hold the advantage as Notre Dame is 24-21-10 against Michigan State since 2000.
- Of those 55 games, 12 have gone to overtime and 17 have been decided by a single goal.
- Since joining the Big Ten, Notre Dame is 10-4-4 against Michigan State.
- The teams most recently met on Feb. 26-27, 2021 at Michigan State with the Irish posting back-to-back 2-0 shutout victories to sweep that road series.
- In game one, Landon Slaggert and Alex Steeves score, while Dylan St. Cyr made 27 saves.
- Then in game two, Landon Slaggert scored again as well as Colin Theisen, and St. Cyr stopped all 29 shots he faced.
- Irish head coach Jeff Jackson is 33-19-12 all-time against his alma mater Michigan State (including his time at Lake Superior State).
- Jackson graduated from Michigan State in 1978 with a degree in communications, followed by an education degree in 1979.
- Jackson coached current Michigan State head coach Danton Cole and current Spartan assistant Chris Luongo during their junior hockey days with the Detroit Falcons and then Jackson also coached Cole during the 1983-84 season with the Fraser Flags of the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League (GLJHL).
- The current Notre Dame roster features Michigan natives: Max Ellis (Canton, Michigan) and Ryder Rolston (Birmingham, Michigan).
- Notre Dame’s career offensive leaders against the Spartans include Graham Slaggert (14 GP, 3-5-8), Spencer Stastney (14 GP, 0-4-4) and Nick Leivermann (13 GP, 1-3-4).
- In net, Ryan Bischel is 0-1-1 with a 2.37 goals against average and a .896 save percentage against the Spartans.
— ND —