In their first ever Big East conference victory, the Irish cashed in on goals from eight different scorers for an 11-3 rout of Providence Saturday in Arlotta Stadium.
Both Providence (0-10, 0-3) and Notre Dame (6-5, 1-3) came into Saturday's matchup winless in the conference, and the Friars left still looking for their first Big East win, which would also be their first win overall this season.
Irish coach Kevin Corrigan attributed the win to Notre Dame's ability to dictate the flow of the game.
"We tried to play very aggressively," Corrigan said. "We 10-man rode them and we didn't let [Providence] dictate the tempo, and we got a lot of easy turnovers."
Goals came from junior Zack Brenneman, who had a game-high four points with two goals and two assists, sophomores Nicholas Beattie and Sean Rogers, seniors Neal Hicks, Grant Krebs, Colin Igoe and freshman Ryan Foley and Steve Murphy.
Assists came from Krebs, sophomore Max Pfiefer and junior David Earl.
The Irish defense was led by freshman goalie John Kemp, who had five saves and stifled the Friar attack, allowing their lowest goal total of the season.
Senior goaltender Brendan Moore relieved Kemp for the final minutes, but did not face a shot on goal.
Senior Trevor Sipperly won 13 of his 15 faceoffs, allowing the Irish to dominate the time of possession battle.
Notre Dame's recent struggles have not been to a lack of heart, hustle or effort, according to Corrigan.
"We've practiced pretty well for the last three weeks," Corrigan said. "If we continue to do that, then I believe that's going to show up on the field."
The win meant the end of a three-game losing streak that nearly knocked the Irish out of the running for an NCAA Tournament bid. Early on in the season, the Irish had climbed all the way to No. 3 in the polls. After the skid, they fell out of the rankings completely.
The change in the outcome Saturday was a certain boost to the confidence of the Irish.
"We're not used to losing three games in a row," Corrigan said. "Winning certainly beats the heck out of losing."
Now, the Irish have a fresh start and can try to make their way back into the rankings with their final two games against St. John's and No. 3 Syracuse.
"If we win those two games, we have a great argument for a spot in the NCAA Tournament," Corrigan said.
Notre Dame will go to St. John's to begin their quest to boost their tournament résumé Saturday.
