March 3, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After earning one of Hockey East’s three weekly awards each of the past four weeks, Notre Dame freshman Cal Petersen kept his honors streak going on Tuesday when he was named the league’s Goaltender of the Month. Yesterday, Petersen was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Week. During February he was also named the league’s Defensive Player of the Week twice (Feb. 9 and Feb. 16) and the league’s overall Player of the Week once (Feb. 23).
Petersen led the nation with a .962 save percentage during the month of February, stopping 279 of the 290 shots thrown his way. He also posted a 1.48 goals against average in February, fourth nationally and tops in Hockey East. Petersen made at least 32 saves in each of his seven starts while also stopping all 10 shots he faced in his one relief appearance, Feb. 6 at Maine.
He helped the Irish to a 4-2-2 month that included wins over each of Hockey East’s top three teams; a 2-0 shutout of No. 10 Providence College (Feb. 13), a 3-2 win at No. 2 Boston University (Feb. 21) that temporarily kept the Terriers from clinching the league title, and a 3-1 win over No. 9 Boston College (Feb. 28).
The coda to Petersen’s remarkable February was a 55-save performance on Feb. 28 in a 3-1 win over No. 9 Boston College at the Compton Family Ice Arena on Senior Night. It marked the most saves by a Notre Dame goalie since Nov. 12, 1988 when Lance Madson made 57 saves in a 6-3 loss to Air Force. It also marked the most saves in a Hockey East regular season game since at least 2005. Petersen held the Eagles to just a single goal in a game, their lowest offensive output since Jan. 9.
Petersen made 44 saves in the team’s 3-2 win over No. 2 Boston University on Feb. 21 at the Terriers’ Agganis Arena, including 18 in the third period as the Terriers furiously tried to secure the Hockey East championship with at least a tie against the Irish that never came. Petersen stopped all 38 shots he faced in a 2-0 shutout of Providence on Feb. 13, his third shutout of the year. The three shutouts are the most by a Notre Dame freshman since David Brown also had a trio in 2003-04.
For the season, Petersen ranks fourth nationally, and first in Hockey East, among freshmen with his .923 save percentage. He stands sixth nationally, and first in Hockey East, among freshmen with his 2.39 goals against average this season.
Petersen is the first person to win the Hockey East player, rookie and defensive player of the week accolades during the regular season since Dan Sullivan of Maine claimed all three during the 2010-11 season.
The Irish will be at home this weekend as they welcome Massachusetts to the Compton Family Ice Arena for a Hockey East playoffs first round series. The Irish and Minutemen will faceoff in a best-of-three format with games being played at 7:35 p.m. EST on Friday, 7:05 p.m. EST on Saturday and, if necessary, 7:05 p.m. EST on Sunday. Tickets are available either online at UND.com/BuyTickets, over the phone at 574-631-7356 or in person at the Murnane Family Ticket Office in the front lobby of Purcell Pavilion during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.).