Oct. 25, 2016
By Dan Colleran
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The No. 6/7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish hockey team returns to action on Thursday night when it plays host to Connecticut for a two-game series.
It will mark the first Hockey East series of the season for both teams.
OVERVIEW | GAMES 7 & 8
Matchup: Connecticut at Notre Dame
Date: Thursday, Oct. 27 | Friday, Oct. 28
Time: 7:35 p.m. (ET) | 7:35 p.m. (ET)
Site: Notre Dame, Ind.
Arena: Compton Family Ice Arena (5,022)
Television (Thursday): CSN Chicago
Play-by-Play: Mike Monaco
Analyst: Conor Clingen
Live Streaming: NBC Sports App (both games)
Live Radio: WZOC 94.3 FM
Play-by-Play: Darin Pritchett
Live Audio: WatchND App (watchND.tv)
Live Stats:
Live Updates: @NDHockey
Series History: Tied, 3-0-1
Tickets: UND.com/BuyTickets
AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS
— Anders Bjork has 11 points this season on five goals and six assists. His 11 points rank third in the country, while his five goals are tied for fifth.
— Jordan Gross has eight points on the season (3-5-8), which ranks second in the country in points by a defenseman.
IRISH POINT STREAKS
— Andrew Oglevie has a career-long, four-game point streak (3-3-6).
— Jordan Gross has a three-game point streak (2-2-4).
— Jake Evans has a two-game point streak (1-2-3).
HOCKEY EAST OPENERS
— The Irish will open Hockey East play this weekend against UConn.
— Notre Dame is 2-1-0 in its previous three Hockey East openers, including a 2-1 loss at Vermont on Nov. 1, 2013, a 3-2 home win over the Catamounts on Oct. 31, 2014 and a 2-1 win at UConn on Oct. 31.
THE UCONN – NOTRE DAME SERIES
— The Irish and Huskies will meet for a third consecutive season this week, marking the fifth and sixth meetings in series history.
— Last season, the Fighting Irish opened Hockey East play with a pair of wins over UConn, including a 2-1 win at the XL center, followed by an 8-2 victory at the Barclays Center,
— In the win at the Barclays Center, then senior Thomas DiPauli led the offense with a goal and three assists.
— In 2014-15, Notre Dame and Connecticut met for the first and second times in program history, with the Irish posting a 1-0-1 mark in those two games.
UP NEXT
— After a busy October, the Irish have a weekend off (Nov. 4-6) before continuing Hockey East play at Northeastern on Saturday, Nov. 12 (7:00 p.m.) and Sunday, Nov. 13 (3:05 p.m.). — Notre Dame will have a quick turnaround following the Northeastern series as it will return home to play host to UMass Lowell on Thursday, Nov. 17 (7:35 p.m.) and Friday, Nov. 18 (7:35 p.m.).
— ND —
Dan Colleran, associate athletics communications director at the University of Notre Dame, has been a part of Fighting Irish Media since August 2015 and coordinates all media and publicity efforts surrounding the Notre Dame hockey and golf programs. A native of Walpole, Massachusetts, Colleran spent the previous three years working with the men’s hockey and soccer programs at Providence College. Colleran also spent two years as an Assistant Executive Director of Communications & Championships at the Ivy League and is a graduate of Providence College (’06 & ’08G).