Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/216396
ND Sports hard no matter what, no matter what else is going on." Costello has tried to keep his team loose during the recent stretch of injuries that could potentially suck some life out of the Irish, who entered mid-November with an 8-3-1 record and ranked sixth in the nation. Notre Dame has not swept a weekend series in more than a month after starting the season 4-0 and climbing to No. 2 in the national polls. The captain and his head coach said spirits have remained high in practice because the missing front-line players have opened up opportunities for others to prove themselves early in the season. "Maybe I find things out about those guys that, hey, maybe they deserve a bigger look to play in a more important role," Jackson said. "This is a big opportunity for some guys." Thomas and Ostlie, both freshmen, got their first chance at significant ice time on the fourth line. Against Merrimack, Thomas scored his first career goal, and Ostlie played shifts on both offense and defense. Junior wing Garrett Peterson and sophomore defenseman Andy Ryan started the season as players on the bubble to suit up for games, and both have taken advantage of a major increase in minutes. Senior center David Gerths, typically the middle of the Irish checking line, gets a chance to become a more prominent offensive weapon without Fogarty, DiPauli and Hinostroza in the lineup. Even Notre Dame's well-tested veterans get a chance to test their mettle early in the season. Starting goalie Steven Summerhays, who currently leads the nation in shutout wins (three) and is in the top 10 in save percentage and goals-against average, said he's happy to be playing a bigger role as the offense tries to adjust. Costello has stepped into a new role as a penalty killer. The Irish remain the best team in the country at killing penalties, allowing just four goals on 57 chances. The biggest opportunity seized, however, belongs to Aiken. After three years of work, he followed in his family's footsteps this month to become a college hockey player. "It's been a long road," he said. "It was just, I guess, staying disciplined and keeping my goals in mind the whole time. That's what I was working toward the whole time. I knew there were no guarantees ever, but I had the self-confidence that if I worked hard enough I could do it." ✦ Irish Roundup Men's Soccer (12-1-6, 7-1-3 ACC) Notre Dame earned a first-round bye and the No. 3 overall seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, just a slight step back from the No. 1 spot they took in 2012. The Irish won the ACC regular-season title early in November, but came up short in their bid to win the conference's postseason tournament.