Tag: NCAA Hockey

Notre Dame Hockey Removed From NCAA Tournament

Well that didn’t last long…

Notre Dame’s NCAA Tournament appearance done before it begins

ALBANY, N.Y. — Due to positive COVID-19 test results within its Tier I testing group and in accordance with University of Notre Dame policies, the NCAA and the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee, the Notre Dame hockey team will no longer participate in the 2021 NCAA Championship. This decision was made in consultation with the Albany County Public Health Department and the NCAA Medical Advisory Group.

As the No. 4 seed in the Albany Regional, Notre Dame was slated to take on No. 1 seed Boston College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 27 at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. The game will now be ruled a no contest.

“It’s an unfortunate situation and I feel for our guys, especially our seniors,” Head coach Jeff Jackson said. “The team was excited about returning to the NCAA tournament and ready to continue competing after earning the opportunity. But with the multiple positives and subsequent contact tracing it became clear that for the safety of our team and the others in the tournament we could not proceed.”

After losing in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament (March 14), the Irish remained in Big Ten testing protocols through Saturday, March 20. The team then began additional PCR testing on campus. All told, the team went through seven rounds of testing in the seven days leading up to its departure for Albany on Wednesday, March 24.

It marked Notre Dame’s fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship field, which is the second-longest active streak in the country. It was the 12th time overall the Irish made the NCAA tournament and the 11th under Jackson.

Notre Dame, which went 14-13-2 on the season against a difficult schedule, was one of four Big Ten teams to make the field, joining No. 1 seed Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as No. 2 seed Michigan. The Irish tied for the regular-season NCAA lead with 28 games played.

Former Notre Dame Goaltender Cale Morris Signs With Rockford IceHogs

The Chicago Blackhawks really seem to like Notre Dame products.

The Chicago Blackhawks really seem to like Notre Dame products. Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen them sign Cam Morrison and draft Landon Slaggert. Now, former Irish goaltender Cale Morris is joining the organization. More specifically, he has signed his first professional contract with the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

Morris was Notre Dame’s starting goaltender for three of his four seasons. He played 105 games and earned a 58-35-10 record with a 2.17 GAA, a .932 save percentage and 11 shutouts. He was between the pipes when the Irish made the national title game in 2018. Two years in a row, he was the Most Outstanding Player in the Big Ten tournament.

During the 2019-20 season, Morris earned his third consecutive Academic All-Big Ten selection. He was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten, a Senior Class Finalist and a unanimous selection to the First Team Preseason All-Big Ten. He was one of the conference Three Stars of the Week three times and an NCAA Star of the Week once.

Notre Dame in NHL: Anders helps lead Islanders to Game 3 win

Former Notre Dame hockey captain Anders Lee helped the Islanders to a game three victory over Philadelphia on Saturday evening.

For the sixth time this NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, former Notre Dame captain Anders Lee found the back of the net for the New York Islanders.

Lee and the Islanders won Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals on Saturday night, putting the Islanders ahead 2-1 in the best-of-seven game series.

Lee scored early in the third period to put the Islanders up 3-1 on the night which wound up being the final score.

Lee added an assist earlier in the contest.

The New York Islanders are two wins away from advancing to the NHL’s Eastern Conference Final for the first time since the 1992-93 season.

Game Four of their series with the Philadelphia Flyers takes place on Sunday night.

Buckeyes on the Bubble: Men’s Hockey current holds final tournament spot

With just a few games left in the season, Ohio State’s Men’s Hockey team has the final of the 16 NCAA Tournament spots.

Only 60 schools play Division I Men’s Ice Hockey. While there actually is an interesting backstory as to why there are so few top-level hockey schools, we’ll leave that aside for now. What is important is that 16 of the 60 teams make the NCAA Tournament, and Ohio State currently sits in the 16th spot.

How do I know that?

Well, unlike the vast majority of other NCAA sports, there is no real drama for the ice hockey tournament selections. The NCAA, like in all sports, releases its rankings criteria. The USCHO (United States College Hockey Online) mimics those criteria and releases the “PairWise rankings.” The most important thing about the rankings is that it is always correct as to which teams the selection committee picks. So while there is a selection committee and a selection show, the at-large teams are known in advance.

For most of this season, the Buckeyes were easily inside the Top 10 and well in the tournament. However, Ohio State has hit a bit of a skid, going 1-4-1 in its last six games. Three of those losses came to Minnesota and Michigan, two teams well outside the Top 16. That’s not a good stretch, and the Buckeyes currently sit at No. 15 in the PairWise rankings.

There are six men’s hockey conference, each of which receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Atlantic Hockey champion is well outside the Top 16, and will remain that way through the end of the season. That puts the No. 15 team in the final bubble spot. The top team from every other conference is ahead of No. 15 Ohio State at the moment.

However, this is a very precarious situation for the Buckeyes to be in. A single bid thief would bump Ohio State out of an at-large spot. The Big Ten (Penn State) and WCHA (Minnesota State) each only have one Top 15 team. Each of those conferences is ripe for a bid thief.

The Buckeyes are off this weekend, and have four regular-season games remaining. Two are on the road against Michigan State, followed by the season-ending home series against Wisconsin. The Spartans are currently a respectable No. 19 in the PairWise rankings, but the Badgers are down at No. 37. Ohio State can probably maintain its ranking–or maybe even move up a spot or two–even if it splits the series with Michigan State. But a home loss to Wisconsin would all but end any at-large hopes. The Buckeyes need to sweep that series over the final weekend in February.

The Big Ten tournament has a best-of-three first-round series. Depending on what seed the Buckeyes get (it looks like it will be No. 3 or No. 4, but they’re still in the mix for the No. 2 spot), they could also need a sweep there to avoid a bad loss.

Of course, more will affect the at-large picture than just Ohio State’s remaining games. There are several teams right near the Buckeyes in the rankings, including Maine–who has a series against No. 38 UConn this weekend. A loss there, like for Ohio State against Wisconsin in a few weeks, is awful for the resume.

There are only three weekends of regular-season hockey left, and a lot can happen. It’s both exciting and nerve-wracking for Ohio State fans, as the Buckeyes sit right on the bubble. We’ll check back in with the bubble situation after this weekend’s games as the season enters crunch time.

Notre Dame Hockey: Burke, Morris Nominated for Senior CLASS Award

Twenty NCAA men’s ice hockey student-athletes were named candidates for this year’s Senior CLASS Award. Two of them, Cal Burke and Cale Morris, represent Notre Dame. The Senior CLASS Award is given annually to an NCAA Division I senior who has …

Twenty NCAA men’s ice hockey student-athletes were named candidates for this year’s Senior CLASS Award. Two of them, Cal Burke and Cale Morris, represent Notre Dame.

The Senior CLASS Award is given annually to an NCAA Division I senior who has notable achievements in the following areas: competition, classroom, community and character.

The field of 20 candidates will be cut in half to 10 in February, and those 10 finalists will be on the official ballot. Fans, media and coaches all will have the opportunity to vote. The winner will be announced at the Frozen Four in April.

Burke, the Irish’s captain, has been very active in the community at-large and won the Compton Family Leadership in Service Award last year.

Morris, a rare goaltender who serves as alternate captain for the Irish, is involved along with the rest of the team in the Fight for Life program and also volunteers with the Indiana Youth Hockey League.

Both Morris and Burke earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in each of the past two years.

Ohio State men’s hockey a No. 2 seed in latest NCAA Ice Hockey Bracketology

Ohio State men’s hockey is projected as a No. 2 seed in the latest NCAA.com bracketology.

The Ohio State men’s hockey program has turned itself into one of the best in the country. It has made Frozen Fours, contended and won the Big Ten Championship, and made several NCAA Tournaments. In case you haven’t been paying attention, the team is at it again in 2020.

The Buckeye hockey team had been a mainstay in the top ten of the men’s ice hockey rankings this season, and is in shouting distance of first place Penn State in the Big Ten.

Everyone is used to the bracket projections for college basketball, but there’s a few out there for hockey as well. The latest of those is an ice hockey bracketology done by NCAA.com, and it has Ohio State as a No. 2 seed, and the seventh seed overall if things were to end today.

Of course it’s still early on in the season and a lot to be determined, but this team has great goaltending, solid defense, and an opportunistic offense that should translate well the rest of the way.

So where and who does the latest projection have OSU playing? How about out west in Denver, Colorado? The only other Big Ten team projected in the field right now is Penn State, but that could all change as we motor on throughout the rest of conference play.

On that note, Ohio State has a big two-game set at home against Notre Dame this weekend. Go out and cheer the Buckeyes on.

Notre Dame: Di Lauli to Make NHL Debut Saturday Night

Di Pauli will become the 13th former Notre Dame player to appear in the NHL this season

Former Notre Dame forward Thomas Di Pauli  will make his National Hockey League debut on Saturday night for the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre (Jan. 4). 

Di Pauli was recalled for a second time this season and is in his fourth professional season after playing with Notre Dame from 2012-16. He joins former Irish teammate (and roommate) Bryan Rust on Pittsburgh’s forward lines. 

Di Pauli will become the 13th former Notre Dame player to appear in the NHL this season, joining: Anders Bjork (Boston Bruins), Ian Cole (Colorado Avalanche), Steven Fogarty (New York Rangers), Dennis Gilbert (Chicago Blackhawks), Jordan Gross (Arizona Coyotes), Vinnie Hinostroza (Arizona Coyotes), Anders Lee (New York Islanders), Kyle Palmieri (New Jersey Devils), Andrew Peeke (Columbus Blue Jackets), Bryan Rust (Pittsburgh Penguins), Riley Sheahan (Edmonton Oilers) and T.J. Tynan (Colorado Avalanche).

A former alternate captain with the Irish, Di Pauli joins Gross and Peeke in making his NHL debut this season. He will become head coach Jeff Jackson’s 23rd former Notre Dame player to play an NHL game and the program’s 37th overall. The 13 former players to appear in the NHL this season marks a record high total for the Notre Dame program.   

In 145 career games for the Fighting Irish, DiPauli totaled 30 goals and 48 assists for 78 points. He served as an alternate captain as a senior. 

Di Pauli graduated from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business as a marketing major.