Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 NOV. 16, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS BY TODD D. BURLAGE W hat better way to escape the daily demands of playing big- time college hockey than going back home for a few days to unwind, get away, visit with family and, well, play some more hockey. Such was the situation for Notre Dame senior forward Mike O'Leary about this time last year when he found himself at a crossroads with the sport he always loved. The Irish forward had bided his time as a bit player during his first two seasons at Notre Dame, but finally as an up- perclassman last year it was his time to shine — or so he thought. "I was so focused on being that point guy, and being the guy that could score," O'Leary recalled, "that my habits went in the wrong direc- tion and I got scratched in a game." The Canada native said this was the first time since early in his fresh- man season that he didn't even dress for a game. Watching underclassmen behind him dress and play didn't exactly serve as a confidence or ego boost for a college junior. "That honestly took me a long time to get over, the first half of last year wasn't a lot of fun for me," he said. "You kind of get lost when that type of thing happens to you." With a couple weeks off last year for Christmas break, O'Leary went back home to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to decompress with family and have some fun with friends by playing a little care-free pond hockey. "It was there I kind of re-found my love of hockey again, in a differ- ent sense, as opposed to it being a job when you're here," O'Leary said. "When I came back to school, I really just focused on working hard and whatever happens, happens. "But whatever that is, I'm going to try and have fun and embrace where I am." With a fresh personal commitment and an opportunity for more ice time through injuries to teammates, O'Leary excelled upon his return af- ter winter break. He played his way up the depth chart, became a rotation regular, finished 2018-19 with 21 points (six goals and 15 assists) and was named Notre Dame's Most Improved Player. And through the first six games of this season, O'Leary led the Irish with five goals — and was named the Hockey Commissioners Association Player of The Month for October. "Mike came into this year with a lot of confidence after the second half of last year," Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson said. "And he had a great work ethic in training camp and it's showed up in how he's played thus far. "The biggest thing for him is to make sure that doesn't drop off now because once you have a little suc- cess, it's easier to take shortcuts." ✦ Irish Roundup CROSS COUNTRY Notre Dame notched a pair of top-three finishes at the ACC Championships Nov. 1 in Blacksburg, Va. The 20th-ranked Irish men finished second, five points behind No. 28 Syracuse, while the No. 17 women came in third behind No. 6 NC State and No. 10 Florida State. The Irish totaled six All-ACC honorees between the two teams — junior Yared Nuguse (second-place individual finish), sophomore Dylan Jacobs (fifth) and junior Andrew Alexander (14th) for the men, plus freshman Maddy Denner (third), fifth-year senior Anna Rohrer (seventh) and sophomore Jackie Gaughan (18th) for the women. Both squads will participate in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Nov. 15 in Madison, Wis. HOCKEY (5-0-1 OVERALL, 1-0-1 BIG TEN) The No. 5 Irish registered four points at Minnesota during the opening weekend of Big Ten play Nov. 1-2. They battled the Golden Gophers to a 2-2 tie in the opener, then notched a 5-3 victory the follow- ing night to take the series. Notre Dame hosts Ohio State Nov. 8-9 and then travels to Wisconsin Nov. 15-16. MEN'S SOCCER (10-6-1 OVERALL, 3-5-0 ACC) Notre Dame closed out the regular season with a 1-0 victory versus Pittsburgh Nov. 1. The win gave Notre Dame the No. 8 seed and a first-round home date with No. 9 seed Boston College in the ACC Championship Nov. 5. The Irish outlasted the Eagles in a 2-1 double-overtime thriller to advance to the quarterfinals. The Irish travel to face top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Clemson Nov. 10. WOMEN'S SOCCER (10-7-2 OVERALL, 4-4-2 ACC) The Irish suffered a 3-0 loss at top-seeded and No. 3-ranked North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship Nov. 3. The 64-team field for the NCAA Championship will be announced Nov. 11. MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (2-3 OVERALL, 1-1 ACC) No. 18 Notre Dame fell 168-132 at Louisville Nov. 1. Next up for the Irish is a tri-meet with Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech Nov. 8-9 at Pittsburgh. WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (2-3 OVERALL, 1-1 ACC) The No. 23 Irish lost 162-138 at Louisville Nov. 1. Notre Dame has a tri-meet with Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech Nov. 8-9 at Pittsburgh. VOLLEYBALL (16-6 OVERALL, 9-3 ACC) Notre Dame fell 3-1 at Syracuse Nov. 1 before rebounding with a 3-2 victory at Boston College Nov. 3. The Irish go back on the road for contests at Florida State Nov. 8 and at Miami Nov. 10. — Steve Downey Time Away Brought Hockey's Mike O'Leary Back O'Leary, who was named Notre Dame's Most Improved Player in 2018-19, led the Irish with five goals and was second on the team with 12 points through six games this season. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA