Including the Hockey East league slate from its conference, the Irish will play seven of the 16 teams which qualified for last year’s NCAAs. This includes visits from NCAA quarterfinalist Minnesota-Duluth and Big Ten champion Minnesota. Defending ECAC champion Harvard will also return to South Bend for the Shillelagh Tournament after coming to the Compton Family Ice Arena for the NCAA regionals this past March.
Add in road trips to face 2015 NCAA quarterfinalist Denver and Big Ten member Penn State, along with its annual home-and-home series with regional rival Western Michigan.
The Hockey East schedule pits the Irish against both the defending national champion (Providence) and the 2015 national runner-up (Boston University) the year after an all-Hockey East Frozen Four championship game, fittingly played at TD Garden in Boston. Notre Dame will also bring 2015 NCAA participant Boston College to the Compton Family Ice Arena as a part of its Hockey East slate.
The 2014-15 Irish were one of the nation’s top teams down the stretch, claiming a top 10 win three weeks in a row during the month of February. The downfall of a young team a year ago came in its slow start, keyed by a 5-9-0 record for the season in non-conference play, and just an 8-9-3 regular season home record.
Notre Dame returns 15 of the 19 players who saw action in at least 20 games last winter. Mario Lucia, the fourth-leading goal scorer in Hockey East, returns for his senior season and will help guide the Irish attack. Notre Dame will be backstopped again by sophomore goalie Cal Petersen who tied for the Hockey East lead with four shutouts last year as a freshman and picked up a spot on the league’s all-rookie team. In front of Petersen, a maturing blueline corps will include sophomore Jordan Gross who led all freshmen nationally with both his 21 assists and 28 points in 2014-15.
The team returns to the ice in September with the first true glimpse of the 2015-16 Irish coming on Oct. 9 when the team welcomes the University of Guelph to the Compton Family Ice Arena for a preseason exhibition contest.
DATE OPPONENT SITE TIME
Oct. 9 GUELPH (Exhibition) NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Oct. 11 at U.S. National Team Development Program (Exh.) Plymouth, Mich. 4 p.m.
Oct. 16 at Penn State University Park, Pa. 7:05 p.m.
Oct. 17 at Penn State University Park, Pa. 7:05 p.m.
Oct. 23 MINNESOTA-DULUTH NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Oct. 24 MINNESOTA-DULUTH NOTRE DAME, IND. 6:35 p.m.
Oct. 31 at Connecticut* Hartford, Conn. 2:05 p.m.
Nov. 1 vs. Connecticut* Brooklyn, N.Y. 2:05 p.m.
Nov. 6 MINNESOTA NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 7 MINNESOTA NOTRE DAME, IND. 6:35 p.m.
Nov. 12 NORTHEASTERN* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 13 NORTHEASTERN* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 20 at UMass Lowell* Lowell, Mass. 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 21 at UMass Lowell* Lowell, Mass. 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 27 HARVARD# NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 28 WESTERN MICHIGAN OR RPI# NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Dec. 4 MASSACHUSETTS* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Dec. 5 MASSACHUSETTS * NOTRE DAME, IND. 6:05 p.m.
Dec. 10 at Boston College* Chestnut Hill, Mass. 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 1 at Denver Denver, Colo. 7:05 p.m. MT
Jan. 2 at Denver Denver, Colo. 7:05 p.m. MT
Jan. 8 WESTERN MICHIGAN NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Jan. 9 at Western Michigan Kalamazoo, Mich. 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 15 MERRIMACK* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Jan. 16 MERRIMACK* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 22 at New Hampshire* Durham, N.H. 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 23 at New Hampshire* Durham, N.H. 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 29 BOSTON COLLEGE* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Feb. 5 at Vermont* Burlington, Vt. 7:35 p.m.
Feb. 6 at Vermont* Burlington, Vt. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 12 MAINE* NOTRE DAME, IND. 6:35 p.m.
Feb. 13 MAINE* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 19 at Providence College* Providence, R.I. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 20 at Providence College* Providence, R.I. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 26 BOSTON UNIVERSITY* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Feb. 27 BOSTON UNIVERSITY* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:05 p.m.
March 4-6 Hockey East Playoffs First Round Campus Sites
March 11-13 Hockey East Quarterfinals Campus Sites
March 18-19 Hockey East Championship Boston, Mass.
March 25-27 NCAA Regionals Neutral Sites
April 7-9 NCAA Frozen Four Tampa, Fla.
Add in road trips to face 2015 NCAA quarterfinalist Denver and Big Ten member Penn State, along with its annual home-and-home series with regional rival Western Michigan.
The Hockey East schedule pits the Irish against both the defending national champion (Providence) and the 2015 national runner-up (Boston University) the year after an all-Hockey East Frozen Four championship game, fittingly played at TD Garden in Boston. Notre Dame will also bring 2015 NCAA participant Boston College to the Compton Family Ice Arena as a part of its Hockey East slate.
The 2014-15 Irish were one of the nation’s top teams down the stretch, claiming a top 10 win three weeks in a row during the month of February. The downfall of a young team a year ago came in its slow start, keyed by a 5-9-0 record for the season in non-conference play, and just an 8-9-3 regular season home record.
Notre Dame returns 15 of the 19 players who saw action in at least 20 games last winter. Mario Lucia, the fourth-leading goal scorer in Hockey East, returns for his senior season and will help guide the Irish attack. Notre Dame will be backstopped again by sophomore goalie Cal Petersen who tied for the Hockey East lead with four shutouts last year as a freshman and picked up a spot on the league’s all-rookie team. In front of Petersen, a maturing blueline corps will include sophomore Jordan Gross who led all freshmen nationally with both his 21 assists and 28 points in 2014-15.
The team returns to the ice in September with the first true glimpse of the 2015-16 Irish coming on Oct. 9 when the team welcomes the University of Guelph to the Compton Family Ice Arena for a preseason exhibition contest.
DATE OPPONENT SITE TIME
Oct. 9 GUELPH (Exhibition) NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Oct. 11 at U.S. National Team Development Program (Exh.) Plymouth, Mich. 4 p.m.
Oct. 16 at Penn State University Park, Pa. 7:05 p.m.
Oct. 17 at Penn State University Park, Pa. 7:05 p.m.
Oct. 23 MINNESOTA-DULUTH NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Oct. 24 MINNESOTA-DULUTH NOTRE DAME, IND. 6:35 p.m.
Oct. 31 at Connecticut* Hartford, Conn. 2:05 p.m.
Nov. 1 vs. Connecticut* Brooklyn, N.Y. 2:05 p.m.
Nov. 6 MINNESOTA NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 7 MINNESOTA NOTRE DAME, IND. 6:35 p.m.
Nov. 12 NORTHEASTERN* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 13 NORTHEASTERN* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 20 at UMass Lowell* Lowell, Mass. 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 21 at UMass Lowell* Lowell, Mass. 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 27 HARVARD# NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Nov. 28 WESTERN MICHIGAN OR RPI# NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Dec. 4 MASSACHUSETTS* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Dec. 5 MASSACHUSETTS * NOTRE DAME, IND. 6:05 p.m.
Dec. 10 at Boston College* Chestnut Hill, Mass. 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 1 at Denver Denver, Colo. 7:05 p.m. MT
Jan. 2 at Denver Denver, Colo. 7:05 p.m. MT
Jan. 8 WESTERN MICHIGAN NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Jan. 9 at Western Michigan Kalamazoo, Mich. 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 15 MERRIMACK* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Jan. 16 MERRIMACK* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 22 at New Hampshire* Durham, N.H. 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 23 at New Hampshire* Durham, N.H. 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 29 BOSTON COLLEGE* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Feb. 5 at Vermont* Burlington, Vt. 7:35 p.m.
Feb. 6 at Vermont* Burlington, Vt. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 12 MAINE* NOTRE DAME, IND. 6:35 p.m.
Feb. 13 MAINE* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 19 at Providence College* Providence, R.I. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 20 at Providence College* Providence, R.I. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 26 BOSTON UNIVERSITY* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:35 p.m.
Feb. 27 BOSTON UNIVERSITY* NOTRE DAME, IND. 7:05 p.m.
March 4-6 Hockey East Playoffs First Round Campus Sites
March 11-13 Hockey East Quarterfinals Campus Sites
March 18-19 Hockey East Championship Boston, Mass.
March 25-27 NCAA Regionals Neutral Sites
April 7-9 NCAA Frozen Four Tampa, Fla.
