NOTRE DAME, Ind. — After an undefeated weekend in which he posted a 1-0-1 record in the crease, and amassed 54 saves over 125:00 minutes played, Nicholas Kempf has been named the Big Ten Conference Second Star of the Week. The Notre Dame sophomore backstopped the Irish to a 2-2 Friday night before rounding out the weekend with a 3-2 win over the Gophers of Minnesota.
After allowing two early goals for the Gophers Friday night, Kempf went on to stop all 26 shots faced in the final two periods plus overtime to close the night out with a tie. The 26 saves count includes an astonishing 17 stops in the third period as the Irish fought back to overcome a two-goal third period deficit.
On Saturday night, Kempf kept the Irish hopes alive with 23 saves as Notre Dame defeated the conference foe, 3-2. Additionally, he served as the last line of defense against the nation’s then-top ranked powerplay unit, holding the Gophers scoreless on their five opportunities on the man-advantage. Prior to the weekend against the Irish, the Gophers’ special teams had been operating at a rate of 31.3-percent.
The sophomore netminder’s 54 save total on the weekend ranked second among all Big Ten goaltenders. Meanwhile, his .931 save percentage against the visiting Gophers ranked first among all Big Ten netminders who faced 15 or more shots on the weekend.
Kempf becomes the third Irish individual to pick up conference Star of the Week recognition this season, joining Sutter Muzzatti and Evan Werner as previous honorees in 2025-26.