By: Connor Toomey
Notre Dame, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish Hockey team squares off against the Falcons of Bowling Green State University in their final home-and-home series of season. On Friday night, the team will welcome youth hockey fans of Notre Dame to be a part of Next Gen Night with puck drop set for 7pm. Young Irish hockey lovers will help assist with the in-game activities and fun through various “department roles” as they gain hands-on experience behind the scenes of a Notre Dame hockey game. Saturday, the two teams close out the series at BGSU with puck drop slated for 6pm inside Slater Family Ice Arena.
This series will mark the 103rd & 104th meeting all-time between both programs. Dating back to 1969-70, Notre Dame and Bowling Green add to their long running crusade this weekend after last clashing with one another during the 2019-20 season. The Falcons got the better of their former CCHA foe in the Irish during that home-and-home weekend with a pair of 5-2 victories.
In the series all-time history, Notre Dame holds a 59-40-8 record against the Falcons, with 33 of those wins coming on home ice. On the road, the Irish and Bowling Green have crossed paths 55 times, with the series held in a deadlock at 26-26-3 overall.
Notre Dame looks to carry their momentum from Saturday evening’s 6-1 victory over the Buckeyes of Ohio State University. Graduate forward, Sutter Muzzatti tallied a four-point night in the win, earning him his second Big Ten honor of the season as the conference’s Third Star of the Week. Junior forward Evan Werner added to the victory, recording three points of his own in the contest. Both Irish skaters eclipsed 20 point milestones on Saturday in their first seasons with the team. Sophomore goaltender Nicholas Kempf, will look to build off a strong effort against the Buckeyes where he made highlight-reel saves while allowing one goal on 25 shots.
As the Irish prepare for this home-and-home series, they will look to increase their home all-time record against the Falcons and rewrite 2019-20’s outcome. Notre Dame will enter the weekend primed to add another strong chapter to this half-century-old rivalry with Bowling Green.
SERIES OVERVIEW
Opponent: Bowling Green (Jan. 30-31)
Location: South Bend, Ind. (Fri.) | Bowling Green, Ohio (Sat.)
Schedule: Fri. 7pm ET | Sat. 6pm ET
TV: Peacock (Fri.) | MidcoSport+ (Sat.)
Live Stats: FightingIrish.com
Radio: fightingirish.com/radioaffiliates/
Game Notes: Notre Dame