Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey

Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey
Current season
Notre Dame Fighting Irish athletic logo
UniversityUniversity of Notre Dame
ConferenceBig Ten
Head coachJeff Jackson
18th season, 376–231–66 (.608)
ArenaCompton Family Ice Arena
Capacity: 5,022
LocationNotre Dame, Indiana
ColorsBlue and gold
 
NCAA Tournament Runner-up
2008, 2018
NCAA Tournament Frozen Four
2008, 2011, 2017, 2018
NCAA Tournament appearances
2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
Conference Tournament championships
CCHA: 2007, 2009, 2013
Big Ten: 2018, 2019
Conference regular season championships
CCHA: 2006–07, 2008–09
Big Ten: 2017–18
Current uniform
CCHA-Uniform-ND.png

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team of the University of Notre Dame, competing at the NCAA Division I level as an associate member of the Big Ten Conference. The Irish play their home games at Compton Family Ice Arena. The head coach of the Fighting Irish is Jeff Jackson, and his assistant coaches are Paul Pooley, Andy Slaggert, and Max Mobley.

Conference history

Prior to the 2013–14 season, the team competed in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and also won its last ever conference championship. In the 2013–2014 season, the team began to play in the Hockey East conference, where it played until the conclusion of the 2016-2017 season. Beginning in the 2017–2018 season, the team joined the Big Ten Conference.

History

Ice hockey has existed on and off as both a club and varsity sport at Notre Dame since 1912. The modern era of Notre Dame hockey began in 1968, when the Fighting Irish began to play as a Division I independent. In 1971, the team joined its first conference, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The team continued playing in the WCHA for a decade until moving to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) with the conference's three Michigan schools in 1981.

Notre Dame hockey player in an away uniform (2010).

The Fighting Irish lasted only two years in the new CCHA, when ice hockey was downgraded to a club sport for the 1983–1984 season. During that season, the Fighting Irish played in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL). Notre Dame finished that season second in the CSCHL with a record of 13–2–0. In 1984–1985 Notre Dame Hockey was once again elevated to varsity status with the team playing as a Division I independent. In 1992 Notre Dame rejoined the CCHA. The Irish struggled to remain competitive in the CCHA, but began to improve under head coach Dave Poulin. In 2004, Poulin led the team to its first ever NCAA Tournament. However, the following season was dramatically different. They only won five games, the worst season in school history. Poulin resigned after the season.

Jeff Jackson era

Jeff Jackson and coaching staff look on as Notre Dame celebrates a goal (2010).

In 2005, Jeff Jackson took over as head coach. Jackson, who had already won two national championships at Lake Superior State University, had an immediate impact at Notre Dame. In his first season with the Irish, the team greatly improved upon the five-win season, boosting its record to 13–19–5. 2007 was even more successful. The Irish achieved their first ever number one ranking in both the Uscho.com and USA Today Polls and their first number one seeding for the NCAA Tournament. The following year, the Irish finished fourth in both the CCHA's regular season and playoffs, and again made the NCAA Tournament. Once there, the Irish went on to beat top-seeded New Hampshire 7–3 and third-seeded Michigan State 3–1 to advance to the Frozen Four for the first time in school history. From there, they defeated first-seeded Michigan in overtime to advance to the national title game, ultimately losing to Boston College 4–1. Notre Dame also became the first four-seed to advance to the national semi-finals, and eventually to the national title game since the new 16-team format was introduced in 2003. In the 2008–2009 season, the Irish added another CCHA regular season title and a CCHA Tournament title, defeating Michigan 5–2 in the title game. Notre Dame advanced to the 2009 NCAA Tournament where the Irish was upset by 16th seeded Bemidji State 1–5.

The following season, Notre Dame finished with a record of 13–17–8 and ended the season after being swept by Ohio State two games to none in the three game opening round series of the CCHA Playoffs. The Irish rebounded in the 2010–11 regular season at 23–13–5, and clinched their second trip to the Frozen Four in program history by defeating New Hampshire 2–1 in the Northeast Regional Final. The Fighting Irish faced the East Regional Champion Minnesota-Duluth in the national semi-finals. The Irish fell to the eventual national champion 3–4.

In October 2011, Notre Dame announced the team will join Hockey East starting in the 2013–14 season, in response to the conference realignment. The university also announced an expanded television broadcast deal with NBC. The Fighting Irish Hockey began the 2011–12 season in the Edmund P. Joyce Center and played the last hockey game at the Joyce Center on October 15, 2011 against Ohio State. The team opened the university's new 5,000-seat Compton Family Ice Arena on October 21, 2011 against Rensselaer. Following the move into the new arena the Irish improved to a 7–3 home record in the new facility that included wins over future Hockey East rivals, Boston University, ranked 3th[clarification needed] in the NCAA, Boston College, ranked 4th, and 8th ranked Western Michigan. On January 4, 2012, former coach and long-time Notre Dame Athletic Department employee, Charles "Lefty" Smith died. Smith coached the team from 1968 to 1987 as the first varsity ice hockey after helping the program transition from club to varsity status. Following his coaching career, he continued at Notre Dame in the athletic department until retiring just three days before his death. The Fighting Irish finished the regular season with an overall record of 17–16–3 and a conference record of 12–13–3. The team defeated Ohio State in the opening round of the 2012 CCHA Tournament, sweeping the Buckeyes in two games by scores of 2–0 and 4–2. In the second round of the CCHA Tournament, the team was defeated by the Michigan Wolverines in two games in a series that saw the first game go into a double overtime. The team was defeated in the first round of the NCAA regional playoffs in 2013 and 2014, both times by the St. Cloud State Huskies.

Season-by-season results

Source:

Head coaches

All-time coaching records

As of completion of 2021–22 season

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
2005–present Jeff Jackson 17 376–231–66 .608
1995–2005 Dave Poulin 10 139–197–50 .425
1987–1995 Ric Schafer 8 112–152–15 .428
1968–1987 Lefty Smith 18† 285–314–30 .477
1926–1927 Benjamin Dubois 1 3–7–1 .318
1923–1926 Tom Lieb 3 3–9–3 .300
1919–1923 Paul Castner 4 19–5–1 .780
1912–1913 G.R. Walsh 1 1–2–0 .333
1911–1912 No Coach 1 1–0–0 1.000
Totals 8 coaches 63 Seasons 939–917–166 .505

† The Program was dropped to club status for the 1983–84 season.

Postseason

NCAA Tournament Results

The Fighting Irish have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 13 times.

Year Seed Round Opponent Results
2004 No. 4 Midwest Regional semifinal #1 Minnesota L 2-5
2007 No. 1 Midwest Regional semifinal
Midwest Regional Final
#4 Alabama-Huntsville
#3 Michigan State
W 3-2
L 1-2
2008 No. 4 West Regional semifinal
West Regional Final
Frozen Four
National Championship
#1 New Hampshire
#3 Michigan State
#1 Michigan
#2 Boston College
W 7-3
W 3-1
W 5-4
L 1-4
2009 No. 1 Midwest Regional semifinal #4 Bemidji State L 1-5
2011 No. 3 Northeast Regional semifinal
Northeast Regional Final
Frozen Four
#2 Merrimack
#4 New Hampshire
#3 Minnesota-Duluth
W 4-3
W 2-1
L 3-4
2013 No. 1 Midwest Regional semifinal #4 St. Cloud State L 1-5
2014 No. 2 West Regional semifinal #3 St. Cloud State L 3-4
2016 No. 3 Midwest Regional semifinal #2 Michigan L 2-3
2017 No. 4 Northeast Regional semifinal
Northeast Regional Final
Frozen Four
#1 Minnesota
#2 UMass-Lowell
#1 Denver
W 3-2
W 3-2
L 1-6
2018 No. 1 East Regional semifinal
East Regional Final
Frozen Four
National Championship
#4 Michigan Tech
#2 Providence
#2 Michigan
#3 Minnesota-Duluth
W 4-3
W 2-1
W 4-3
L 1-2
2019 No. 3 Northeast Regional semifinal
Northeast Regional Final
#2 Clarkson
#1 UMass
W 3-2
L 0-4
2021 No. 4 East Regional semifinal #1 Boston College No Contest - Covid Cancellation
2022 No. 3 East Regional semifinal
East Regional Final
#2 North Dakota
#1 Minnesota St.
W 2-1 OT
L 0-1

Statistical leaders

Source:

Career points leaders

Player Years GP G A Pts PIM
Brian Walsh 1973–1977 140 89 145 234 273
John Noble 1969–1973 123 81 145 226 159
Eddie Bumbacco 1970–1974 133 103 117 220 71
Ian Williams 1970–1974 126 92 119 211 239
Mike McNeill 1984–1988 124 83 115 198 80
Dave Poulin 1978–1982 135 89 107 196 175
Greg Meredith 1976–1980 149 104 88 192 72
Paul Regan 1969–1973 125 89 97 186 272
Clark Hamilton 1973–1977 145 70 113 183 231
Dave Bankoske 1988–1993 141 73 109 182 86

Career goaltending leaders

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

minimum 30 games played

Player Years GP Min W L T GA SO SV% GAA
Jordan Pearce 2005–2009 94 5506 59 26 7 182 12 .918 1.98
Cale Morris 2016–2020 73 4299 46 21 4 148 8 .938 2.07
Steve Summerhays 2010–2014 106 5909 57 38 5 216 13 .914 2.19
Cal Petersen 2014–2017 110 6499 55 39 15 249 11 .924 2.31
David Brown 2003–2007 111 6326 55 38 11 245 8 .916 2.32

Statistics current through the start of the 2019–20 season.

Players

Current roster

As of August 25, 2022.

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2 Minnesota Ben Brinkman Graduate D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2000-10-04 Edina, Minnesota Minnesota (Big Ten) DAL, 173rd overall 2019
3 Quebec Mike Mastrodomenico Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2004-04-19 Kirkland, Quebec Lincoln (USHL)
4 Minnesota Nick Leivermann (A) Graduate D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 1998-09-14 Eden Prairie, Minnesota Penticton (BCHL) COL, 187th overall 2017
5 Wisconsin Chase Blackmun Graduate D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-04-02 Hudson, Wisconsin UMass Lowell (HEA)
6 Minnesota Jake Boltmann Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2001-10-19 Edina, Minnesota Lincoln (USHL) CGY, 80th overall 2020
8 Minnesota Justin Janicke Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 2003-06-30 Maple Grove, Minnesota NTDP (USHL) SEA, 195th overall 2021
9 Minnesota Grant Silianoff Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 2001-01-04 Edina, Minnesota Cedar Rapids (USHL)
10 Alaska Hunter Strand Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 2002-11-13 Anchorage, Alaska Tri-City (USHL)
11 Indiana Jackson Pierson Graduate F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 171 lb (78 kg) 1999-09-10 Zionsville, Indiana New Hampshire (HEA)
12 Michigan Ryder Rolston Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-10-31 Traverse City, Michigan Waterloo (USHL) CHI, 139th overall 2020
13 New Jersey Chayse Primeau Graduate F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1997-09-15 Margate City, New Jersey Omaha (NCHC)
14 British Columbia Jesse Lansdell Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1998-08-05 Surrey, British Columbia Vernon (BCHL)
17 British Columbia Ryan Helliwell Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 191 lb (87 kg) 2002-08-05 Burnaby, British Columbia Trail (BCHL)
19 Indiana Landon Slaggert Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-06-25 South Bend, Indiana NTDP (USHL) CHI, 79th overall 2020
20 British Columbia Niko Jovanovic Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 216 lb (98 kg) 2002-06-13 West Vancouver, British Columbia Spruce Grove (AJHL)
21 British Columbia Fin Williams Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 2003-04-21 North Vancouver, British Columbia Penticton (BCHL)
22 Massachusetts Jack Adams Graduate F 6' 6" (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1997-02-05 Boxford, Massachusetts Providence (HEA) DET, 162nd overall 2017
23 Wisconsin Brady Bjork Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 1999-05-17 Mequon, Wisconsin St. Cloud (NAHL)
24 Florida Drew Bavaro Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 2000-06-10 Lakewood Ranch, Florida Bentley (AHA)
25 Texas Solag Bakich Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-01-08 Dallas, Texas Waterloo (USHL)
26 Alaska Zach Plucinski Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 204 lb (93 kg) 2000-07-26 Eagle River, Alaska Omaha (USHL)
27 Minnesota Trevor Janicke Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-12-25 Maple Grove, Minnesota Central Illinois (USHL) ANA, 132nd overall 2019
28 Illinois Tyler Carpenter Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 2000-08-27 Palatine, Illinois Omaha (USHL)
29 Missouri Jack Williams Freshman G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2001-06-21 St. Louis, Missouri Waterloo (USHL)
30 Minnesota Ryan Bischel Senior G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-07-05 Medina, Minnesota Fargo (USHL)
32 Illinois Hunter Weiss Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2001-03-29 Lake Forest, Illinois Minnesota Magicians (NAHL)
33 New York (state) Josh Graziano Junior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2000-03-22 Buffalo, New York Johnstown (NAHL)
34 Illinois Brayden Napoli Junior G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2002-06-19 Lake Villa, Illinois Highland Park (Midget AAA)

Awards and honors

United States Hockey Hall of Fame

Source:

NCAA

Individual awards

All-Americans

AHCA First Team All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

WCHA

Individual awards

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-WCHA

Second Team All-WCHA

CCHA

Individual awards

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-CCHA

Second Team All-CCHA

CCHA All-Rookie Team

Hockey East

Individual awards

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-Hockey East

Second Team All-Hockey East

Third Team All-Hockey East

Hockey East All-Rookie Team

Big Ten

Individual awards

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-Big Ten

Second Team All-Big Ten

Big Ten All-Freshman Team

  • 2018–19: Michael Graham, F

Fighting Irish in the NHL

As of July 1, 2022.

= NHL All-Star team = NHL All-Star = NHL All-Star and NHL All-Star team = Hall of Famers

WHA

Several players also were members of WHA teams.


This page was last updated at 2023-03-15 14:39 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari