WHO: #16/15 Notre Dame (20-13-3, 11-11-2-2 B1G) vs. Minnesota (18-15-4, 11-10-3-0 B1G)
WHEN: Saturday, March 16 – 7 p.m. ET
WHERE: Compton Family Ice Arena
WATCH (TV): Big Ten Network (BTN)
WATCH (STREAMING): BTN2Go & the Fox Sports App
LISTEN: 94.3 FM (South Bend) & UND.com
TICKETS: Click here
B1G Bracket
FOR STARTERS
- For the second consecutive season since joining the league, Notre Dame will play host to a Big Ten Tournament semifinal game at the Compton Family Ice Arena.
- Notre Dame advanced to Saturday night’s semifinal by sweeping Michigan State, blanking the Spartans in back-to-back quarterfinal games by scores of 1-0 and 2-0 (March 8-9).
- Cale Morris stopped all 55 shots he faced over the weekend en route to earning NCAA First Star of the Week honors (March 12).
- It marked the first two playoff shutouts of Morris’ Notre Dame career and he now has an active shutout streak of 134:05.
- Mike O’Leary had the game winner on Friday night versus the Spartans, while Pierce Crawford (GWG) and Graham Slaggert (SHG) scored on Saturday night.
- With the game two win over Michigan State, Notre Dame reached 20 wins on the year marking the second time Notre Dame has recorded at least 20 wins in three consecutive seasons (2006-07 – 2008-09 marked the other time).
- Notre Dame is now 4-0-0 on Big Ten Tournament games.
- The Fighting Irish are 41-29-0 all-time in the playoffs under 14th-year head coach Jeff Jackson, including a 30-20-0 mark in conference tournament playoff games (includes games in the CCHA, Hockey East and Big Ten).
- Notre Dame’s active career leaders against the Gophers include Cam Morrison (8 GP, 0-6-6), Dylan Malmquist (11 GP, 3-2-5) and Cal Burke (7 GP, 2-2-4).
- Over the last two seasons, Cale Morris is 4-3-0 against Minnesota with a 1.72 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.
- Now in eight career playoff games, Morris is 7-1-0 with a .969 save percentage and a 1.02 goals-against average.
- In four career Big Ten tournament games, Morris is 4-0-0 with a 1.04 goals-against average and a .972 save percentage.
- The Irish are 15-0-1 this season when scoring at least three goals.
TRIO OF B1G AWARD FINALISTS
- Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson, freshman forward Michael Graham and junior goaltender Cale Morris were each named top-three finalists for 2018-19 Big Ten Hockey awards, the conference announced Tuesday (March 12).
- Jackson is up for Coach of the Year honors, while Graham remains in the running for Freshman of the Year and Morris for Goaltender of the Year.
- Among his many accolades from a season ago, Morris earned 2017-18 Big Ten Goaltender of the Year honors.
- The 2018-19 winners will be announced on Tuesday, Mach 19.
B1G PLAYOFF OVERVIEW
- As the top-seeded team, Ohio State had a bye to the single-elimination semifinals and will play host to Penn State on Sunday, March 17.
- No. 4 seed Penn State defeated No. 5 seed Wisconsin in three games to advance to the semifinals.
- No. 3 seed Minnesota dispatched No. 6 Michigan in two games to advance to Saturday night’s semifinal game at the Compton Family Ice Arena.
- The highest-seeded team remaining after the semifinals will host a championship game on either March 23 or 24.
- The semifinal rounds will be televised live on BTN and streamed on the FOX Sports app and BTN2Go, along with the championship game.
PROVEN PLAYOFF PERFORMERS
- Several players on the Irish roster have extensive playoff experience after back-to-back Frozen Four runs.
- Junior Cam Morrison leads the active roster with 10 career playoff points on five goals and five assists in 14 games.
- Morrison notched the overtime game-winning goal in last season’s Big Ten Tournament championship victory over Ohio State.
- Senior Dylan Malmquist has skated in 17 career playoff games, posting four goals and four assists for eight points.
- Malmquist scored the game-winning goal in the final minute of play in last season’s NCAA East Regional Final against Providence to send the Irish to the Frozen Four.
- Senior Jack Jenkins has three goals and five assists for eight points in 17 career playoff games (20% of his 15 career goals have come in the playoffs).
- Jenkins scored the game winner with under a minute remaining in regulation in last season’s Big Ten Tournament semifinal win over Penn State.
- In 15 career playoff games, Bobby Nardella has a game-winning goal and four assists for five points.
- In nine career playoff games, Cal Burke has a goal and three assists for four points.
- In net last season during the playoffs, Cale Morris went 5-1-0 while posting a 2.03 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage in Notre Dame’s six games.
- Now in eight career playoff games, Morris is 7-1-0 with a .969 save percentage and a 1.02 goals-against average.
- In four career Big Ten tournament games, Morris is 4-0-0 with a 1.04 goals-against average and a .972 save percentage.
THE MINNESOTA SERIES
- Minnesota leads the all-time series 30-19-3 dating back to 1924-25 when the Irish lost 2-1 in overtime in the first meeting.
- Notre Dame recognizes its first win over Minnesota in 1926-27 when the Irish shutout their opponent, 2-0, in Minneapolis.
- Twenty-two contests between the two teams have been decided by a single goal, with the Irish narrowly leading that category, 12-10.
- All-time, Minnesota holds a narrow 8-7-1 series lead at Notre Dame.
- The teams have played each of the last seven seasons, largely overlapping with Mario Lucia’s time at Notre Dame from 2012-16 (Mario is the son of former Minnesota head coach Don Lucia – a 1981 Notre Dame graduate/former defenseman).
- Minnesota took this season’s regular-season series with a 3-1-0 record with the three most recent meetings being decided by a goal apiece.
- At the Compton Family Ice Arena, the Gophers put together a weekend sweep, taking game one 5-1 and then posting a 2-1 win in game two (Jan. 11-12).
- Then in game one at Minnesota (Feb. 22), Notre Dame erased a two-goal deficit to post a 3-2 comeback win, including a pair of Colin Theisen goals and a Cam Burke tally.
- In game two at the 3M Arena, the Gophers held on of a 2-1 win (Feb. 23).
- In net this season against Minnesota, Cale Morris is 1-2-0 with a 2.73 goals-against average and an. .875 save percentage, while Dylan St. Cyr went 0-1-0 in one start (24 saves).
- Notre Dame’s offensive leaders this season against the Gophers include Cal Burke (4 GP, 0-2-2), Jack Jenkins (4 GP, 1-1-2), Colin Theisen (4 GP, 2-0-2), Dylan Malmquist (4 GP, 0-2-2) and Cam Morrison (3 GP, 0-2-2).
- Over the last two seasons, Cale Morris is 4-3-0 against Minnesota with a 1.72 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.
- Notre Dame’s active career leaders against the Gophers include Cam Morrison (8 GP, 0-6-6), Dylan Malmquist (11 GP, 3-2-5) and Cal Burke (7 GP, 2-2-4).
VS. MINNESOTA IN THE PLAYOFFS
- Notre Dame and Minnesota have met three times in the playoffs in four total playoff games against each other (overall playoff series is tied, 2-2-0).
- During the 2016-17 season, No. 4 seed/12th-ranked Notre Dame came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the top-seeded/fifth-ranked Golden Gophers, 3-2, in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Northeast Regional at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H.
- Anders Bjork scored a pair of goals, including the game winner at the 8:42 mark of the third period to help lead the Irish to the win.
- Notre Dame played Minnesota in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament as part of the Midwest Regional at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich.
- The Gophers came away with a 5-2 win in what marked the first NCAA tournament game in program history for the Irish.
- The teams also met in the 1976-77 WCHA Championship Series (total goals),with Notre Dame taking game one 5-1 before the Gophers came back with a 9-2 game two win.
- Head coach Jeff Jackson is 2-0-0 all-time in the playoffs against Minnesota (including his time at Lake Superior State).
THE CLASS OF 2019
- The 2018-19 Notre Dame senior class has played in three NCAA Tournaments and is only the second class in program history to reach two NCAA Frozen Fours (Class of 2011 played in the 2008 and 2011 Frozen Fours).
- The quartet also played a central role in Notre Dame’s 2017-18 Big Ten Regular Season and Tournament Championships.
- The group has totaled 90 wins in four seasons which ranks as the fifth-most in program history.
- No class in program history has made four consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
— ND —