SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame hit the ice for the first time this season, playing its first of two exhibitions of the 2026-27 campaign inside Compton Family Ice Arena on Friday evening. The Irish defeated the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) by a score of 4-2 in the first tuneup of the year.
Eight different Notre Dame players registered at least one point in the victory. Will Belle led the offense with two goals, both coming in the first period. Evan Werner and Sammy Nelson each added a goal in the win.
Nicholas Kempf finished the contest with 28 saves while allowing two goals to get the win between the pipes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Fighting Irish wasted little time getting on the board, as Belle scored the opener within the first five minutes of play off a rebound in front of the crease off a shot from Beckham Edwards from just inside the zone.
Less than five minutes later the USNDTP leveled the score at 1-1off a deflection from Sam Pandolfo.
Notre Dame went back on top at the 14:01 mark. Werner collected a loose puck in the offensive zone and used a backhand shot in front of the crease to beat the goalie to give the Irish a 2-1 lead.
The Irish closed the period strong, scoring twice in the final two minutes to take a three-goal lead at 4-1 into the first intermission. Paul Fischer fed Sammy Nelson, who blew by the defenseman and scored with a highlight finish past the goalie.
Less than a minute later Belle scored his second goal of the first period, as Pano Fimis won a faceoff and Henry Nelson’s shot from the blue line was redirected into the back of the net by the sophomore.
The Fighting Irish maintained their three-goal lead throughout the second period, as neither team was able to add to their tally over the 20 minutes of play. Notre Dame outshot the USNTDP by a margin of 14-10 in the second period.
Notre Dame went on the power play early in the third and were unlucky not to add to its lead, as it hit the post twice during the man advantage.
The USNTDP pulled one back at 11:03 of the third period, scoring on a power play to make the score 4-2 in favor of Notre Dame.
The Irish held the USNDTP scoreless over the final nine minutes of play to secure the 4-2 victory.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame is back in action at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 3 for its second and final preseason tuneup, as it takes on the University of Toronto in Compton Family Ice Arena. The contest will be streamed live on YouTube and fans can purchase tickets for the game here.