By: Connor Toomey
Columbus, Ohio – The University of Notre Dame Hockey team hits the road one final time this regular season to travel to Columbus for a rematch with Big Ten opponent Ohio State. The rematch series between the Irish and Buckeyes is slated for this Thursday and Friday at the Schottenstein Center, March 5-6. Both contests are scheduled for a 6:30 pm start on B1G+.
The mid-week hockey matchup marks the 109th & 110th times these two programs have squared off against each other after previously clashing in South Bend back in January. The series resulted in a split with each squad taking a victory in the two-game series, Ohio State on Friday night and Notre Dame on Saturday.
Beginning in 1968-69, the Irish are currently in a deadlock through the all-time series with Ohio State in which both teams hold 48 wins along with 12 ties. The last time Notre Dame visited Columbus in the 2024-25 season they were bested in both games despite a pair of hard fought efforts each night. Owning 21 wins on the road in Columbus, the Irish look to take their previous performance against the Buckeyes in South Bend on the road with them this week.
When these teams last met, Notre Dame secured its first conference win of the season with a 6-1 final after dropping a heartbreaker in the Friday night tilt with a pair of last minute goals by the Buckeyes. Graduate forward Sutter Muzzatti set a new career high in points during Saturday’s contest, notching four points on two goals and two assists (2-2-4) in the Irish victory, earning him conference honors as the Third Star of the Week following the weekend of play. In the two games played against the Buckeyes this season, seven different skaters for Notre Dame have recorded multiple points, and 12 have recorded at least one point on the score sheet.
Coming off of an upset win over the then-fifth ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, the Irish skated to a tie and an overtime victory over the course of the weekend. Thanks to his strong play over both games, including two goals in Saturday’s overtime win, junior captain Danny Nelson earned Big Ten honors as the Second Star of the Week. In addition to his goals, Nelson was a force to be reckoned with in the face-off circle winning over 57.9-percent of his opportunities with 33 of 57 draws from the dot, ranking first in the Big Ten and second in the nation on the weekend. Senior alternate captain Axel Kumlin recorded his third goal of the season to secure the Irish victory in overtime to earn a senior night victory. The goal was set up by Muzzatti as he and Kumlin rushed the net from each side forcing the goalie to make a move. Muzzatti’s pass across the crease caught the senior’s stick before being launched past the diving body of the PSU netminder to end things just 47 seconds into the overtime period by a score of 4-3.
As Notre Dame heads southeast for the final series of the regular season with Ohio State, the Irish aim to carry the explosiveness and hard hitting action from their recent series with Penn State into Columbus. Entering the final meeting with Ohio State, Notre Dame is prepared to add another installment of excitement to this 58 year-old rivalry and close out Coach Sheahan’s first regular season at the helm of Irish Hockey.
SERIES OVERVIEW
Opponent: Ohio State (March 5-6)
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Schedule: Thurs. 6:30 PM | Fri. 6:30 PM
TV/Streaming: B1G+
Live Stats: FightingIrish.com
Radio: fightingirish.com/radioaffiliates/
Game Notes: Notre Dame