WHO: #11/13 Notre Dame (14-8-3, 7-6-2-2 B1G) at Ohio State (15-5-4, 8-3-3-2 B1G)
WHEN: Friday, February 1 – 7 p.m. ET | Saturday, February 2 – 8 p.m. ET
WHERE: Value City Arena
WATCH: Saturday – Big Ten Network
LISTEN: Friday Radio Broadcast | Saturday Radio Broadcast
THE SERIES VS. OHIO STATE
- The top two teams in the Big Ten standings meet for a weekend series at the Value City Arena on Friday and Saturday night (Feb. 1-2).
- After splitting the weekend series versus Ohio State at home earlier this season, the teams are tied all-time with 35 wins each (35-35-10).
- At Ohio State, the Buckeyes lead the series 17-16-6 while the Irish have a chance to take the lead with a series sweep this weekend.
- In their inaugural season in the Big Ten, the Irish and Buckeyes met five times, with Notre Dame skating away with a 4-1-0 record including a 3-2 overtime victory in the Big Ten Championship Game.
- Last fall, the two teams met in Columbus where the Irish opened their time as members of the Big Ten in their first conference series. Notre Dame swept the weekend with 4-1 and 3-2 victories.
- The sweep sparked the first of six-straight weekend sweeps over conference foes.
- Notre Dame’s current offensive leaders against the Buckeyes include Cam Morrison (7 GP; 3-2-5), Cal Burke (7 GP; 2-3-5), Dylan Malmquist (7 GP; 2-2-4), Andrew Peeke (7 GP, 0-4-4) and Colin Theisen (7 GP, 2-1-3).
- In seven starts against the Buckeyes, Cale Morris is now 5-2-0 with a 1.73 goals against average and a .948 save percentage.
- Notre Dame Associate Head Coach Paul Pooley is a 1984 graduate of Ohio State where he earned All-American honors and graduated as the program’s all-time leader in goals (114), assists (156) and points (270).
- Pooley, who wore No. 22, became the first Ohio State hockey player to have his number retired on November 4, 2006 during a game between Notre Dame and Ohio State
- Pooley’s nephew, Austin Pooley, is a sophomore forward with the Buckeyes.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 50 – Notre Dame is in the midst of its 50th season of varsity hockey at the University.
- 42 – Over the last two seasons to date, the Fighting Irish have racked up 42 wins, which ranks third in the NCAA, trailing only Minnesota State (49) and St. Cloud State (43). Ohio State ranks fourth with 41.
- 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.
- 10 – On Jan. 4, former Notre Dame All-American Erik Condra made his season debut for the Dallas Stars, becoming the 10th former Irish player to appear in the NHL this season, tying the program record (also done in 2016-17).
- 9 – Michael Graham has nine points (6-3-9) over the last two weeks to tie for the NCAA lead during that stretch with Tyler Sheehy of Minnesota (1-8-8). Graham’s six goals in the last two weeks leads the country.
- 8.0 – At 8.0 penalty minutes per game, the Irish are the second-least penalized team in the country behind only Princeton (6.1).
- 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).
- 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 (7-6-2-2 // 25 points) are coming off a second consecutive five point weekend, beating Michigan State 6-3 in game one (Jan. 25) and then skating to a 1-1 overtime tie (shootout win) in game two (Jan. 26).
- Cale Morris was named the Big Ten’s Second Star of the Week for his performance against the Spartans, finishing the series 1-0-1 with a 1.92 goals against average and an impressive .951 save percentage as well as making two saves in the game two shootout victory (saves were on MSU’s Mitchell Lewandowski and Taro Hirose).
- Missing Cal Burke, Cam Morrison and Joe Wegwerth (season ending) due to injuries, the Irish have found a way to climb back up the Big Ten standings with back-to-back five-point weekends against Wisconsin and Michigan State and are now 2-0-2 over their last four games.
- During Notre Dame’s current four-game unbeaten streak, the Irish power play is 6-for-13 (.462).
- Michael Graham has nine points (6-3-9) over the last two weeks to tie for the NCAA lead during that stretch with Tyler Sheehy of Minnesota (1-8-9).
- Graham’s six goals in the last two weeks leads the country.
- Bobby Nardella has a four-game-point streak (2-5-7) and he is now one of just seven defenseman nationally to be averaging at least one point per game (1.00).
- When scoring at least four goals this season, the Irish are 8-0-1.
- After Ohio State (29), the remaining six Big Ten teams are separated by just five points in the league standings.
TRIO UP FOR HOBEY VOTE
- It was announced on Jan. 16 that forward Cal Burke, goaltender Cale Morris and defenseman Bobby Nardella have each been selected to Phase One of the Hobey Baker Award’s fan ballot (vote at www.hobeybaker.com).
- Awarded annually to college hockey’s top player, the Hobey Baker award includes candidates exhibiting the exceptional character traits of the award’s namesake, Hobey Baker, with consideration given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.
- Morris, who was awarded the 2018 Mike Richter Award as college hockey’s top goaltender, was named a Top-10 Finalist for the Hobey Baker Award last season.
- Morris was the fourth player in Notre Dame history to be among the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker, joining Anders Bjork (2017), David Brown (2007) and Dave Poulin (1982).
- Morris, a Larkspur, Colorado native, was also the first player from the Centennial State to play his way into the Hobey Top 10.
- The Fan Balloting (Phase I) of the Hobey Baker award calendar will continue until March 10.
- On March 20, the Top 10 Finalists will be announced, at which time Phase II Fan Balloting will begin and run through March 31, 2019.
- The Hobey Hat Trick Finalist Announcement will be made on April 4.
- The 2019 Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced from a field of three Hobey Hat Trick finalists on Friday, April 12, 2019 during the NCAA Frozen Four Championship in Buffalo, New York.