Michigan
Notre Dame
Michigan to Host No. 6 Fighting Irish in Frozen Four Rematch
11/7/2018 5:42:00 PM | Ice Hockey
THIS WEEK
Friday, Nov. 9 -- vs. Notre Dame (Yost Ice Arena), 7:30 p.m.
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Saturday, Nov. 10 -- vs. Notre Dame (Yost Ice Arena), 7:30 p.m.
Live Stats | Listen | Watch | PARKING ALERT
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team (4-3-0) is set to host No. 6-ranked Notre Dame (4-3-1) on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 9-10) at Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena in the opening weekend of Big Ten play for both teams.
The Notre Dame Series
Michigan and Notre Dame meet for the 140th time in program history, with the series dating back to 1923. The Wolverines hold a 77-57-7 lead in the all-time series against the Irish, with a 43-25-3 record at home. The teams last faced each other was April 2 in the Frozen Four, where the Wolverines fell to the Fighting Irish, 4-3, in heartbreaking fashion.
Scouting the Irish
Finishing at 28-10-2 (17-6-1 B1G) last season, the Irish finished their season as the Big Ten regular-season and tournament champions. They earned a berth in the NCAA national championship game where they lost to Minnesota Duluth, 2-1.
Notre Dame's roster graduated two top goal scorers from last season, but returning are All-American goalie Cale Morris and three of their top-six point scorers: Cal Burke, Bobby Nardella and Cam Morrison.
Notre Dame This Season
The Irish take on the Wolverines after starting their season 4-3-1. The Irish got off to a strong start (3-0-1) but were swept by Minnesota Duluth and split their series with Ohio State, which led to three straight losses.
Senior defenseman Bobby Nardella leads the team in points (11) and assists (seven) through eight games. Forwards Cal Burke and Joe Wegworth lead the team in goals (five). Junior netminder Cale Morris (.924 save percentage) has started all but one of Notre Dame's games and is 3-3-1. Sophomore Dylan St. Cyr (.952 save percentage) has started one game and earned the victory.
Last Weekend
The Wolverines went on the road and earned a split with Lake Superior State. Michigan got off to a slow start dropping the first game, 5-2, on Friday (Nov. 2), before they bounced back to take the finale, 5-3, on Saturday (Nov. 3) to hand the Lakers their first loss of the season. Freshman netminder Strauss Mann recorded 28 saves for his second victory.
Josh Norris recorded three goals to give him the team lead (six), while also being the team's point leader (12). Jake Slaker recorded four points over the weekend with two goals and two assists. In total, nine different Wolverines (Slaker, Norris, Joseph Cecconi, Nick Pastujov, Nick Blankenburg, Quinn Hughes, Will Lockwood, Jack Becker, Garrett Van Wyhe) recorded points over the weekend.
Hugh-mongous Impact
Sophomore Quinn Hughes has seven points in the last six games, after logging an assist in Saturday's 5-3 win. Hughes has tallied at least one point in five of the Wolverines' seven games.
No Joshin' Around
Josh Norris has recorded points in all seven games thus far, including last weekend, when he scored three goals and added an assist. He now has goals in five straight games to leads the team with six goals and 12 points. Norris' point total is tops in the Big Ten and tied for sixth nationally and he leads the B1G in goals and is tied for fourth in the nation.
Captain's Confidence
Joseph Cecconi had an assist in both games against Lake Superior State to bring his season total to eight, which is tied for first in the Big Ten and ties him for eighth in the nation.
Slake and Bake
Jake Slaker tallied four points last weekend notching two goals and two assists to give him six points in the last four games.
The "SNL" Line
Michigan's top line of Jake Slaker, Josh Norris and Will Lockwood have accounted for 52 percent (13-of-25) of the team's goals and have recorded a combined 25 points.
Mann Handling Opponents
Freshman netminder Strauss Mann earned his second win on Saturday, and did so by making 28 saves for an .878 save percentage while holding Lake Superior State scoreless through six penalty kills.
Suffocating the Competition
Michigan heads into the weekend holding opponents to an average of just 24.43 shots per game, the lowest average in the B1G and the 10th lowest in the country. Offensively, Michigan is peppering opponents with 35.29 shots per game, the fifth most in the country. That combination has led to Michigan outshooting their opponents by 76 shots this season -- the fourth highest margin in the country.
Sharing the Wealth
Michigan continues to show its scoring depth this season as 11 different Wolverines have scored the team's 25 total goals.
Up Ahead
Friday, Nov. 16 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 17 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), TBA
