Starting the season with two straight wins, No. 2 Notre Dame will host Dartmouth at Loftus Sports Center on Saturday.
It will be the first time the Irish (2-0) have hosted the Big Green (0-1) since Notre Dame's 19-7 win Feb. 28, 2009, six years ago to the day of Saturday's game.
The Irish have outscored their opponents, 31-20, in their first two contests, and a lot of the scoring has come freshman attack Mikey Wynne, who is second in the nation in scoring at five goals per game. In his collegiate debut against Georgetown on Feb. 14, Wynne tallied six goals and then another four against Michigan a week later.
In addition to Wynne’s offensive dominance, the Irish also have junior attack Matt Kavanagh, who helped lead Notre Dame to a national championship appearance last season, leading the team with 42 goals and 33 assists. With all the talent on the team, Notre Dame is excited with what this group can accomplish this season, sophomore goaltender Shane Doss said.
“It’s really exciting to know we have the opportunity to do something great this year and in the future, and I try not to take playing at this level for granted,” Doss said. “We don't really set goals like winning the national championship, but just from looking at the talent we have on our team and the culture that's been created here, I'm definitely excited to see what happens this season.”
Doss played at the end of the game against Georgetown and made three saves. Against the Wolverines, Doss earned the win with a career-high 13 saves. Coming off a national championship loss against Duke last season, Doss said Irish coach Kevin Corrigan and the team are setting high expectations for this season but want to remember that taking things one game a time is imperative. This is especially true with Doss’s personal development, he said.
“There's definitely always high expectations when you're playing at this level, but I try to just focus on doing my job and helping the team win the next game,” Doss said. “The coaches and more experienced players have been great about helping me feel comfortable and confident on the field, and I think that’s been a major factor in the way I've been playing recently.”
Dartmouth has only played one game, a 15-5 loss to Ohio State, and the program is coming off two straight seasons of three wins or less. However, Doss said the team has focused on keeping its preparation for the Big Green the same as for every game.
“We started the week off by watching film of our last game against Michigan and trying to adjust the things that we need to work on," he said. "After that we turn our focus to Saturday, watching film of Dartmouth and trying to get a feel for what they do and where we can be successful against them. This early in the season, our team is really focused on just getting better every day, and I think we've been doing a good job of that this week.”
Notre Dame’s fifth-ranked scoring offense has led it to a quick 2-0 start, and Doss said with the necessary adjustments, the team is confident it can come away with another strong performance Saturday against Dartmouth.
The Irish will continue their path to a return to a national championship Saturday as they host the Big Green at Loftus Sport Center at 1 p.m.
