WHO: #9/9 Notre Dame (12-6-1, 5-4-0-0 B1G) vs. Minnesota (7-8-4, 4-3-3 B1G)
WHEN: Friday, January 11 – 7 p.m. | Saturday, January 12 – 7 p.m.
WHERE: Compton Family Ice Arena
WATCH: Friday – NBCSN | Saturday – SNY
LISTEN: Friday Radio Broadcast | Saturday Radio Broadcast
TICKETS: Click here
Jeff Jackson Press Conference (1/10)
THE SERIES VS. MINNESOTA
- Minnesota leads the all-time series 27-18-3 dating back to 1924-25 when the Irish lost 2-1 in overtime.
- Notre Dame recognizes its first win over Minnesota in 1926-27 when the Irish shutout their opponent, 2-0, in Minneapolis.
- Nineteen contests between the two teams have been decided by a single goal, with the Irish leading that category, claiming 11 wins.
- Since Notre Dame joined the Big Ten prior to the start of last season, the Irish lead the series with Minnesota 3-1-0.
- The Irish outscored the Gophers 10-4 in 2017-18, including a 1-0 shutout victory to open action as conference foes (Nov. 24, 2017).
- Cale Morris earned his third career shutout and second in as many games in that 1-0 victory (44 saves).
- In their most recent meeting, the Irish converted on three of their six power play chances en route to a 4-1 road victory (Jan. 27, 2018).
- Dylan Malmquist tallied the final power-play goal in that win, following earlier power-play goals by Jordan Gross and Jake Evans.
- Malmquist also tallied an unassisted even strength goal in the 4-1 win for a two-goal game from the Minnesota native.
- All-time, the Irish hold the narrow edge over the Gophers at home, leading the series 7-6-1.
- In their last meeting at Compton Family Ice Arena, Notre Dame won 5-2 behind goals from current team members Cal Burke, Tory Dello and Mike O’Leary (Nov. 25, 2017) to complete the weekend series sweep.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 308 – In his 14th season, head coach Jeff Jackson now has 308 career wins at Notre Dame (308-183-55), breaking Lefty Smith’s longtime record of 307 wins behind the Irish bench.
- 50 – Notre Dame is in the midst of its 50th season of varsity hockey at the University.
- 40 – Over the last two seasons to date, the Fighting Irish have racked up 40 wins which ranks second in the NCAA behind only Minnesota State’s 45 (as of Jan. 8)
- 19 – Former Fighting Irish goaltender Cal Petersen, who led Notre Dame to the 2017 Frozen Four, made his NHL debut for Los Angeles on Nov. 13, becoming the 19th player to reach the NHL after skating for Jeff Jackson at Notre Dame.
- 9 – On Jan. 4, former Notre Dame All-American Erik Condra made his season debut for the Dallas Stars, becoming the ninth former Irish player to appear in the NHL this season.
- 7 – With the 2018 Big Ten tournament and regular season-titles, Notre Dame has now won seven conference championships in program history, each under Jeff Jackson (three regular-season).
- 6 – Cale Morris recorded his second shutout of the season and the sixth of his career in the Dec. 31 win over Boston College. He now boasts a .940 career save percentage.
- 2 – Against Mercyhurst on Oct. 12, junior Cal Burke notched a third period hat trick – the second of his career. He became the first Irish player since Anders Lee with multiple career hat tricks.
OTHER TIDBITS
- The Fighting Irish and Golden Gophers will be meeting for the first time this season, with Notre Dame slated to make the return trip to Minneapolis for a weekend series on Feb. 22-23.
- Last season, Notre Dame went 3-1-0 against Minnesota, including a 2-0-0 mark at the Compton Family Ice Arena.
- The Irish (5-4-0-0 // 15 points) and Gophers (4-3-3-0 // 15 points) enter the weekend tied for third in the Big Ten standings along with Michigan (3-4-4-2 // 15 points), though Notre Dame has played one fewer conference game than Minnesota and Michigan (9).
- Notre Dame is coming off an outdoor game against Michigan at Notre Dame Stadium that ultimately saw the visitors post a 4-2 win (Jan. 5)
- After the Wolverines jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead, goals by Cam Morrison and Alex Steeves made it a one goal game before Michigan sealed the win with an empty net goal late in the third period.
- The outdoor game took place four days after the Boston Bruins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 in the 2019 Bridgestone Winter Classic ® at Notre Dame Stadium.
- The game against the Wolverines marked Notre Dame’s third outdoor match-up in modern history, including previous games at Wrigley Field (vs. Miami; W, 2-1) and Fenway Park (vs. Boston College; L, 4-3).
- Dylan Malmquist (1-1-2) and Andrew Peeke (0-2-2) carry two-game point streaks into the weekend series versus Minnesota.
- Cal Burke continues to lead the team in goals (9) and points (20), while Bobby Nardella has a team-best 13 assists on the season.
- In 16 games played in 2018-19, Cale Morris has a .931 save percentage, which ranks eighth in the country (third among goaltenders with at 80% of their teams’ minutes played).
- In Notre Dame’s 4-0 New Year’s Eve win over Boston College, head coach Jeff Jackson passed legendary Irish coach Lefty Smith in all-time wins at Notre Dame with his 308th victory behind the Irish bench.
- Notre Dame has played seven games this season in which the Irish and their opponent have both been ranked inside the top-10 at the time of puck drop (ND is 3-4-0 in those contests).
- The Irish head into the weekend with the sixth-hardest strength of schedule (College Hockey News).