Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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increase the broadcast exposure for our program and allow us to take advantage of the natural rivalries that exist with the Big Ten schools that participate in hockey." It is a reunion of sorts. From 1971‑81, Notre Dame was a member of the 10‑team Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), which included four Big Ten members: Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Since then, Ohio State and Penn State also have formed hockey programs, and the addition of Notre Dame in 2017‑18 will make it a seven‑team league. Prior to joining Hockey East, Notre Dame was in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) from 1981‑83 and then 1992‑2013, with the program falling to club status in between. In the CCHA, the Irish competed against Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State, while Wisconsin and Minnesota remained in the WCHA until 2013, when the Big Ten hockey league was formed. Under current head coach Jeff Jackson — a 1978 Michigan State graduate — Notre Dame won both CCHA regular‑season and post‑ season tournament titles in 2007 and 2009, and won the last CCHA tourney in 2013. Notre Dame played two‑game regular‑season series against Minnesota and Penn State in 2015‑16. "Just like last time when we made a move I'm going to be sentimental in some ways just because you develop relationships," Jackson said. "It's also a great opportunity for our team. It's going to be great for our fans. "Every opponent coming in our building conference‑wise, they're going to know." While Jackson contends that Hockey East has been the nation's best conference for a number of years — Boston College is an annual superpower, and Providence defeated Boston U. in an All‑Hockey East national title showdown last year — there is a better and more natural fit for the Fighting Irish in the Midwest, including being able to recruit more effectively in the Big Ten states. Plus Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin have won 17 national titles since 1964 among each other, each with at least three. They provide name recognition to Notre Dame followers (as do Ohio State and Penn State) that Hockey East schools such as Merrimack, UMass Lowell, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, among others, do not. "At times, that's been a factor over the last several years, even in the CCHA," Jackson admitted. "There's just name identification with our fans. "And frankly, more importantly, as fortunate as we are being at Notre Dame and being able to travel first class — it still wears on you as the season progresses when you're traveling out East several times a year." The Irish head coach added that he doesn't anticipate having to alter the recruiting blueprint significantly while transitioning from different league styles. "I think it's going to help our recruiting," Jackson said. "The only thing we did differently [after joining Hockey East] is we changed our philosophy on the type of defensemen we were recruiting, and I don't think that's going to be a factor as we move into the Big Ten. … They still have to have good grade‑point averages." — Lou Somogyi UNDER THE DOME Head coach Jeff Jackson believes the move to the Big Ten will aid his program in a recruiting and make for an easier travel schedule. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND