Notre Dame hockey head coach Jeff Jackson got a glimpse into what his team is made of this past weekend. His team split a two-game series with visiting Clarkson to inaugurate the new season at Compton Family Ice Arena. Yes, the weekend was a glimpse of what’s to come — but it wasn’t a long look.
“I didn’t know what to expect going in, really,” Jackson said after Saturday’s 3-1 loss, noting that the game marked the first full day of ice time for his team. Prior to the season-opener, Notre Dame (and all college hockey teams) were limited to just four hours a week of ice time.
As a result, there’s a lot still to learn about this year’s team for Jackson and his staff. That said, the 19-year Irish head coach did see one noticeable improvement in his team’s game after they rebounded Sunday with a 3-0 win.
“The biggest thing for me is, after all the headaches we had last year about getting out of our zone, I think we are doing a much better job of that," he said. "The back end guys are so critical, not just to our defensive side, but getting out of the zone, and getting up the ice offensively. It’s been exciting. We spent a lot of time working on it, but it’s still a lot better than what we were dealing with last year.”
The Irish were consistently smooth on the breakout throughout the weekend, and it impacted their success at both ends of the rink. On the defensive side of the puck, the Irish spent less time in their own zone, giving up fewer shots on goal. In Sunday’s win, Notre Dame held Clarkson to 22 shots and no goals.
“I think that was a big emphasis for us this whole training camp, getting the puck out of our end and playing in the offensive zone,” graduate student netminder Ryan Bischel said postgame Sunday. “I guess the shots were telling of that this weekend, it was a little different than the shots against in past years, so that’s nice for me.”
Building upon their play against Clarkson will be the focus for Notre Dame as they prepare for their first road test this coming weekend. The Irish will pack their bags and travel to Rochester, NY, for a Saturday night matchup against the RIT Tigers. Road games are an area in which Notre Dame struggled last season, winning only 5 times in 17 tries away from Compton.
They’ll face an RIT team that dominated Atlantic Hockey last year, winning the conference’s regular season title by 10 points. Despite the success, their season ended in disappointment, as the Tigers failed to reach the AHA championship game and were upset by eventual champion Holy Cross in game three of the semifinal series.
RIT returns leading scorer Carter Wilkie, who produced at a point-per-game rate last season and was named conference player of the year as a sophomore. Wilkie was named to the preseason all-Atlantic Hockey team last week, along with teammates senior defenseman Gianfranco Cassaro and junior goaltender Tommy Scarfone.
The Tigers were also in action over the weekend, opening their season with a 4-3 loss at St. Lawrence on Saturday. Wilkie scored once for RIT, who took six penalties and were outshot 34-29 in the contest.
In their second game of the extended weekend, RIT defeated the University of Guelph (Ont.) 6-4 in an exhibition game on Monday.
Saturday’s game between the Irish and Tigers can be streamed, for a fee, on FloHockey.com. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
Series History
RIT and Notre Dame have met six times over their hockey histories, with four games played while RIT was a member of NCAA Division III. The series is split three games apiece, the latest game being a 6-0 win for the Irish in October 2021. This weekend will mark the first time the schools have matched up on RIT’s home ice.Around the Nation
The first weekend of college hockey went off without a hitch this past weekend. Well, there may have been a bit of a hitch for a few teams, including the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines, who were upset by No. 18 Providence 4-2 on Saturday. Boston Bruins prospect Philip Svedebäck kicked out 30 of 32 for the Friars in the win. Michigan rebounded on Sunday, throwing 40 shots at Svedebäck and taking a 5-1 lead before Providence roared back. The Friars made it to 5-4, but no closer.Defending national champions and No. 2 Quinnipiac also hit a road bump on Saturday. They were toppled in overtime by #8 Boston College on their banner-raising night. The Bobcats lost two of their best players early in the 2-1 loss. Collin Graf exited with an injury and Sam Lipkin left due to a game misconduct.
Of note to Irish fans, Big Ten opponents No. 9 Michigan State and Wisconsin recorded sweeps of Lake Superior State and Augustana, respectively. No. 13 Ohio State and No. 16 Penn State picked up single game wins on Saturday night over Mercyhurst and LIU.
Looking ahead, the Ice Breaker tournament headlines this weekend's college hockey slate. The tournament this year features hosts North Dakota and Bemidji State, as well as Air Force and Wisconsin.
