After nearly three weeks away from game action, No. 15 Notre Dame (9-7-2) will return to the ice Friday and Sunday for a home-and-home series against No. 19 Western Michigan (7-7-2). Though the Irish won their last game Dec. 14 over Penn State, it came on the heels of a seven-game winless streak, including six consecutive losses. These next two games will be the final tuneups before finishing the regular season with the remainder of their Big Ten schedule.
Despite the long layoff, Michael Graham, Matt Hellickson and Alex Steeves will look to continue their point streaks of three, two and three games, respectively. They’ll have to do it in Notre Dame’s seventh consecutive game against a ranked opponent Friday, one it has a long history with. The Irish and Broncos used to be rivals in the CCHA, and Western Michigan leads the all-time series, 43-37-11.
The Irish will be without center Jake Pivonka and defenseman Spencer Stastney. Both sophomores are members of Team USA at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Ostrava and Trinec, Czech Republic.