NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame hockey team returns to Compton Family Ice Arena Jan. 13-14 as they host No. 2/2 Minnesota for the regular season series finale with the Golden Gophers.
With a 7:05 p.m. puck drop set for night one, Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks’ game DJ Lee Michaels will make a guest appearance for 80’s night, pumping up the crowd with classic 80’s hits. Fans are encouraged to arrive early for a rally towel giveaway (while supplies last).
The two teams return to the ice Saturday night for a 6:05 p.m. faceoff on First Responder Night. Prior to the start of the game, a ceremonial puck drop will take place at center ice with members from the the St. Joseph County Police Department K-9 unit.
QUICK HITS
- Notre Dame most recently split on the road at Wisconsin, dropping game one before bouncing back to a 6-4 victory Saturday night.
- Their six-goal performance was a team best in 2022-23, with Drew Bavaro, Trevor Janicke, Jesse Lansdell, and Jack Adams lighting the lamp in Saturday night’s road win.
- Three individuals boasted three points in the Wisconsin series, including Bavaro and T. Janicke with two goals each. Lansdell also tallied a goal Saturday night along with two assists for a career-high night.
- Ryan Bischel picked up his nation-leading fourth shutout of the season in the team’s first game of the calendar year, defeating Alaska, 2-0, stopping all 25 shots faced in the contest.
- The Irish closed out the first half of their season with an 8-8-2 record following a split with No. 5 Penn State at home to enter the holiday break.
- In game two of that series, Bischel stopped a career-high 47 saves as the Irish picked up a 5-3 win, and amassed 81 saves over the two game weekend.
- With 672 total saves this season, Bischel currently ranks second nationally in the category.
NOTRE DAME vs. MINNESOTA
- All-time, Notre Dame trails Minnesota in the series, 25-40-5.
- Earlier this season the Irish fell at the hands of the Gophers in Minnesota. Ryan Bischel set a then-career high 45 saves on night one in Minneapolis as the Irish dropped a 4-1 decision. Jack Williams also saw time between the pipes in the contest, registering five saves in the third period in 7:10 played.
- Justin Janicke net the lone Irish goal on the weekend, finding twine at 19:14 of the third to ward off the Gophers’ shutout bid.
- The last time the two teams met in Indiana, the Irish split the series with a 3-2 overtime victory on night two. Landon Slaggert scored the game-winner in the contest, taking just 32 seconds of the overtime period to net the sudden death goal.
TEAM LEADERS
- Ryder Rolston and Trevor Janicke boast six goals a piece, nine assists and 15 points total, all team highs.
- Jack Adams, who scored the eventual game-winner on night two with the Badgers leads the team with three game-winning goals. His other two came against Penn State and Ohio State.
- Three individuals boast multiple powerplay tallies, with Primeau, T. Janicke and Rolston all having a pair.
- Ryan Bischel recorded 47 saves on the weekend against Alaska, bringing his 2022-23 season total to 672 which ranks second nationally.
- With his fourth blanking of the season Sunday night against the Nanooks, the senior leads the nation in shutouts in 2022-23.
- Always willing to jump in front of a shot, Jake Boltmann’s 40 blocks leads the team and is 14th nationally.