WHO: Notre Dame (3-0-0) vs. RIT (2-1-1)
WHEN: Thursday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET // Friday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: Compton Family Ice Arena
WATCH: NBC Sports Chicago, NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus, SNY & NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
LISTEN: 94.3 FM | UND.com
SETTING THE STAGE
- The Fighting Irish return home after earning a pair of road wins last weekend, including a 2-1 overtime win at Michigan Tech (Oct. 15) and a 5-2 win at Northern Michigan (Oct. 16).
- Notre Dame has started the season with a 3-0-0 record for the first time since starting the 2019-20 season 4-0-0 (also started 7-0-1 that year).
- The Fighting Irish are averaging 3.89 goals per game, which ranks 10th nationally (fourth in the Big Ten).
- Notre Dame’s penalty kill has started the season with a perfect 17-for-17 showing over the first three games.
- Max Ellis (1-4-5), Ryder Rolston (1-2-3) and Spencer Stastney (0-3-3) have each posted three-game point streaks to start the season.
- Ellis leads the Irish with five points followed by Trevor Janicke (2-2-4), while Cam Burke leads the team with three goals.
- All told, eight Notre Dame players have scored so far this season, while 15 have at least one point in the first three games.
- The 2021-22 season marks Notre Dame’s 17th under head coach Jeff Jackson and its fifth season in the Big Ten.
- Overall, it is the 53rd season of NCAA Division I hockey for Notre Dame.
- Notre Dame returns four of its top-five point scorers from 2020-21, including Graham Slaggert (7-18-25), Landon Slaggert (8-14-22), Nick Leivermann (5-12-17) and Max Ellis (5-11-16).
- The Irish welcome four graduate transfers into the fold for the 2021-22 campaign, including forward Jack Adams, defenseman Chase Blackmun, goaltender Matthew Galajda, and defenseman Adam Karashik.
- Five freshmen also join the Irish this season in forward Tyler Carpenter, defenseman Ryan Helliwell, forward Justin Janicke, forward Hunter Strand and defenseman Hunter Weiss.
- Goaltender Josh Graziano also transferred into the program as a sophomore, having last played collegiately at Union.
- Notre Dame has made each of the last five NCAA Tournaments, the longest streak in program history, and eight of the last 11 NCAA Tournaments overall.
THE RIT SERIES
- Notre Dame and the Rochester Institute of Technology have only met four times, all of which came in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.
- The Irish split the series both of those years, with all four meetings taking place at the Joyce Center.
- The Tigers played at the Compton Family Ice Arena when they were the No. 4 seed in the 2015 NCAA Midwest Regional.
- RIT downed top-seeded Minnesota State 2-1 in the opening round before falling to Omaha in the Regional Final by a score of 4-0.
525 FOUNDATION
- The University of Notre Dame hockey team is once again partnering with the 525 Foundation’s Drop 2 Stop program to help raIse awareness about opioid misuse and abuse and provide a pill drop location.
- This season’s event will take place at 7:30 p.m. on October 22 as the Fighting Irish host their second of two games against RIT at the Compton Family Ice Arena.
- There will be an information table set up just inside the main entrance at the Compton Family Ice Arena where fans will be able to drop off expired or unneeded pills as part of the Drop 2 Stop “pill drop” program.
- The partnership between the 525 Foundation and Notre Dame hockey was spearheaded by senior captain and South Bend native Graham Slaggert, who grew up playing youth hockey with the late Savage brothers, Nick and Jack, in honor of whom the foundation was established.
- The number “2” in Drop 2 Stop represents the two lives the Savage family lost due to opioid misuse and abuse.
- The Fighting Irish also teamed up with the 525 Foundation during the 2019-20 season and raised funds via a jersey auction.
LAST WEEKEND
- Notre Dame posted a pair of road wins, defeating Michigan Tech in overtime, 2-1, on Oct. 15 and following up with a 5-2 win at Northern Michigan on Oct. 16.
- Senior forward Cam Burke scored both goals in Notre Dame’s win over the Huskies, marking his first career two-goal game.
- Burke’s second goal of the night came with just 5.3 second left in overtime, with the assists going to Max Ellis and Spencer Stastney.
- Ryan Bischel made his first start of the season, earning the win with 16 saves.
- Against Northern Michigan, Notre Dame started fast with a three-goal first period en route to the 5-2 victory.
- Max Ellis finished with a goal and two assists, while Trevor Janicke had a pair of goals to lead the Fighting Irish offense.
- Notre Dame also turned in another strong showing on the penalty kill, going 6-for-6 against the Wildcats to improved to 17-for-17 on the season.
- In net, Matthew Galajda made 29 saves to earn his second win of the season.
— ND —