As the regular season nears its end, Notre Dame travels to face Ohio State for the second time this season. Puck drops for Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6 are both at 6:30 p.m. at Value City Arena. The conference matchup concludes regular season play for both teams as the fifth- and seventh-place teams in the Big Ten look to make a playoff push.
Last weekend, Notre Dame hosted No. 5 Penn State for its last home series of the regular season. The Irish emerged with a tie in the first game on Friday, Feb. 27, with a final score of 3-3. The following night, Notre Dame was electric at Compton Family Ice Arena on its senior night. Once again, the Irish took the Nittany Lions to overtime before senior defenseman Axel Kumlin scored for the picture-perfect ending to bring home the win.
The victories were aided greatly by sophomore goaltender Nick Kempf, who returned to the starting lineup after an injury against No. 1 Michigan State on Friday, Feb. 19. He started both games versus Penn State, recording a combined 51 saves and keeping the Nittany Lions out of the win column.
The Irish victory was not the only buzz in the Big Ten conference last weekend as the Buckeyes beat No. 1 Michigan State at Michigan State. On Friday, Feb. 27, the Buckeyes swept the top-ranked team in a 5-1 victory before recording a tie the following night.
In late January, Ohio State traveled to Notre Dame as the teams met for the first time this season. The Buckeyes won the first game 4-2 on Friday, Jan. 23, but the Irish secured a 6-1 win the next night, resulting in a split series.
As both teams are more confident after their upset victories last weekend, tensions will undoubtedly be high as each team looks to keep itself in serious playoff competition. In the Big Ten, all teams are guaranteed a playoff spot; however, each team must tighten its play to contend with heavy hitters like No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Michigan State, No. 6 Penn State and No. 11 Wisconsin, the top teams in the Big Ten.
On the Irish offensive line, junior forward Evan Werner leads the team with 15 goals on the season. Similarly, junior forward Cole Knuble holds the team-high of 21 assists. Co-captain junior forward Danny Nelson was named this past week’s Big Ten Second Star of the week, and it appears as if the Irish are finally getting more recognition for their improvement this season.
Ohio State is led by junior forward Max Montes with 14 goals and freshman forward Jake Karabela with 14 assists. Although the numbers are lower than those of the Irish leaders, the Buckeyes have displayed a well-rounded style of play that is less reliant on star players and skill.
Ohio State is steadily climbing the conference rankings as regular season play concludes, and this series is the Buckeyes’ last opportunity to earn additional wins. However, Notre Dame has rekindled its fight, and there is nothing more dangerous than a team with nothing to lose but everything to gain.
