WHO: Notre Dame (0-2-0, 0-2-0-0-0 B1G) at #4/3 Michigan (4-0-0, 1-0-1-0-0 B1G)
WHEN: Friday, November 27 & Saturday, November 28 – 7 p.m. ET
WHERE: Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan
WATCH: Friday & Saturday – BTNPlus.com
LISTEN: 94.3 FM | UND.com
GAME NOTES (PDF)
FOR STARTERS
- The Fighting Irish hit the road for the first time this season to play at No. 3/4 Michigan (Nov. 27-28), marking its only road contests of the first portion of the schedule as released by the Big Ten Conference.
- After opening the year with a pair of losses at home to Wisconsin (Nov. 13-14), Notre Dame had last weekend off following final exams.
- In game two against the Badgers, a 5-3 loss, senior forward Colin Theisen notched his first career hat trick and he now has 28 career goals (tops among active Notre Dame players).
- It marked the first Notre Dame hat trick since October 12, 2018 when Cal Burke scored three goals assistant Mercyhurst in an eventual 6-6 tie at the Ice Breaker Tournament.
- The Fighting Irish are in the early stages the 52nd season of NCAA Division I hockey for Notre Dame and the 16th under head coach Jeff Jackson.
- Defensemen Spencer Stastney (Second Team) and Matt Hellickson (Honorable Mention) each earned preseason All-Big Ten honors.
- Junior forward Alex Steeves led the Fighting Irish with 28 points last season (11-17-28).
- Theisen and Hellickson enter the Michigan series with matching 119-consecutive games played streaks (each game of their Irish careers).
- With last season being cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Notre Dame remains the only team with multiple Big Ten Tournament Championships (2018 and 2019).
- Key departures from 2019-20 (all were graduating seniors): goaltender Cale Morris, defenseman Tory Dello, forwards Cam Morrison, Mike O’Leary and Cal Burke.
THE SCHEDULE
- With a delayed start to the season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, each Big Ten team will play a 24-game conference schedule, plus an additional four games per school against Arizona State University hosted at Big Ten venues.
- After playing at Michigan this weekend, the Irish will then host Arizona State (Dec. 3-4), Ohio State (Dec 12-13) and Michigan State (Dec. 19-20) before the winter break.
- The remainder of the schedule will be announced by the conference at a later date.
- Outside of immediate family members of the participating student-athletes, there will be no spectators in attendance for Notre Dame home games.
- As the season progresses, the ability to host fans will be informed by the University’s health and safety guidelines along with the guidance of local health officials and the Big Ten Conference.
THE NOTRE DAME-MICHIGAN SERIES
- All-time, Michigan leads the series 80-63-5, however, since their final season in the CCHA (2012-13), the Irish hold the edge with a 12-7-0 record.
- Notre Dame recognizes the first official meeting as a 3-2 overtime win by the Fighting Irish on Jan. 17, 1922 at the Weinberg Coliseum in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- The Irish and Wolverines met each season from 1991-92 to 2012-13.
- During the 2012-13 season, Notre Dame went 5-0-0 against the Wolverines, including a 3-1 victory in the championship game of the final CCHA tournament.
- In Notre Dame’s inaugural season in the Big Ten (2017-18), the Irish and Wolverines met five times, with the Irish claiming three victories, including a last second win at the 2018 NCAA Frozen Four.
- As time ran down in the 2018 NCAA Frozen Four semifinal (April 5), Cam Morrison slid the puck back to Jake Evans in the slot, who shot it five-hole for the game-winner with five seconds remaining – sending Notre Dame to the national championship.
- Notre Dame and Michigan’s other Frozen Four meeting came at the 2008 Frozen Four (Denver, Colorado) when the Irish posted a 5-4 overtime win to advance to the NCAA championship game for the first time in program history.
- Calle Ridderwall scored the game-winning goal in that contest at the 5:44 mark of overtime.
- Head Coach Jeff Jackson is 33-32-8 all-time against Michigan (including his time at Lake Superior State), while he is 12-6-0 all-time against the Wolverines in the playoffs.
- Jackson named current Michigan head coach Mel Pearson as one of his Team USA assistant coaches for the 1997 IIHF World Junior Championship.
- Jackson and Pearson helped lead USA to the silver medal in that tournament in Switzerland.
- The current Notre Dame roster features four Michigan natives: Dylan St. Cyr (Northville, Michigan), Max Ellis (Canton, Michigan), Ryder Rolston (Birmingham, Michigan) and Colin Theisen (Monroe, Michigan).
—ND—