Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 OCT. 17, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS BY DAVID MCKINNEY L ast year the Fight‑ ing Irish hockey team posted a 19‑11‑7 record and earned a berth to the 16‑team NCAA Tourna‑ ment. Notre Dame suf‑ fered a 3‑2 overtime loss to Michigan in its first‑ round matchup, though, leaving the program hun‑ gry for its first Frozen Four berth since 2011. To do that, the young Irish players will have to grow up in a hurry, ac‑ cording to head coach Jeff Jackson. "We said it last year, and I'll say it again: we've got a young group," Jack‑ son said. "We've got a big freshman class again, and the junior class is basically our upper class. We have nine of them." With that youth will come growing pains, but Jackson said from early practices, he can tell the Irish possess one skill that may have been lacking in the past. "I think we're faster," said Jackson. "The young guys, especially on the back end, are pretty mobile. Up front, it seems we have better team speed." An integral part of any success will be junior goaltender and 2015 team MVP Cal Petersen, who started all 37 games for Notre Dame last season and led the nation in per‑ centage of team minutes played (98.6). He finished the year with a 2.20 goals‑ against average, 1,049 saves, and a .927 save percentage, which ranked 12th in the country and was the third‑best single‑ season mark in program history. On Aug. 31, Petersen was named team cap‑ tain for 2016‑17 season. Jackson said Petersen earned the honor not only through his play on the ice, but also his leadership in prac‑ tice. "He probably has the best temper‑ ament of any of our juniors," Jackson said. "I felt that Cal best represented every aspect of what we do. He's probably as respected as any player on our team, and he's probably as good a communicator as we have on our team." The Buffalo Sabres selected Pe‑ tersen with the 129th pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, so he's a pro talent. But Jackson said his captain still has goals to accomplish in South Bend. "He feels like there is unfinished business left here," Jackson said. "I think he's primed to have another great year. Of all the returning goal‑ ies in out conference and in the coun‑ try, he's got to be considered one of the best. "He's got to be a top‑five guy in the country this year and a potential All‑American. That's how he's got to play." Petersen, Jackson and the rest of the Irish started the season with a two‑game weekend series with visit‑ ing Arizona State Oct. 7‑8. During the 2016‑17 campaign, the Irish will host 21 home games, in‑ cluding the Shillelagh Tournament Nov. 25‑26, which will include Holy Cross, Clarkson University and Harvard. ✦ Petersen, a junior, was named the team MVP last year after compiling a 19‑11‑7 record, a 2.20 goals‑against average and a .927 save percentage. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA Cal Petersen Looks To Lead Hockey To Successful Campaign Irish Roundup CROSS COUNTRY The Irish hosted the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational Sept. 30 with mixed results. Sophomore Anna Rohrer led the women to an eighth-place showing out of 23 teams by crossing this finish line first, while the men's team placed 25th out of 25 teams. Both squads return to action Oct. 14, with the women competing in the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational in Madison, Wis., and the men taking part in the Bradley Classic in Peoria, Ill. MEN'S SOCCER (9‑1‑0, 3‑1‑0 ACC) No. 2 Notre Dame blanked Pittsburgh 2-0 Sept. 30 and then knocked No. 6 Indiana from the ranks of the unbeaten with a decisive 4-0 victory Oct. 4. Junior forward John Gallagher led the way for the Irish against the Hoosiers with two goals, while senior midfielder Oliver Harris and junior midfielder/ defender Blake Townes added one goal each. The Irish hosted Wake Forest Oct. 8 before heading to Michigan Oct. 11. WOMEN'S SOCCER (9‑1‑3, 4‑0‑1 ACC) The Irish, ranked No. 22, defeated Louisville 2-1 in double overtime Oct. 1 when junior midfielder Megan McCashland's header found the back of the net in the 105th minute for her first career tally. Notre Dame then defeated No. 12 Clemson 1-0 Oct. 6 when senior forward Kaleigh Olmsted scored on a header off a corner kick in the 70th minute. Notre Dame was next slated to host No. 8 Virginia Oct. 9. VOLLEYBALL (13‑3, 4‑0 ACC) Notre Dame downed Duke 3-1 Sept. 30 and knocked off Wake Forest 3-1 Oct. 2 to achieve its best- ever start in ACC play at 4-0. The Irish had won five straight and nine of 10 heading into their matches at Syracuse Oct. 7 and at Boston College Oct. 9. — David McKinney