NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- After posting a road sweep at Wisconsin for the first time in program history and extending its winning streak to 13 games, the University of Notre Dame hockey team moved up to No. 3 in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls (Dec. 11).
In game one of the weekend series against the Badgers (Dec. 8), Notre Dame trailed by two goals with just under 13 minutes to play in the third period, but rallied to score three straight goals en route to a 3-2 victory at the Kohl Center. Dylan Malmquist scored two goals, including the game winner to lead the Irish.
Then in game two of the series (Dec. 9), Cal Burke scored a hat trick and Dennis Gilbert netted two goals, including his first career shorthanded tally, as the Irish blew past Wisconsin 6-2. For Burke, it marked Notre Dame’s first hat trick since Steven Fogarty found the back of the net three times against Penn State on Oct. 16, 2015.
For the weekend, Notre Dame outscored Wisconsin 6-0 in the third period, while sophomore goaltender Cale Morris stopped 73 of the 77 shots he faced for a .948 save percentage.
After leading the third-ranked Fighting Irish to a weekend sweep at Wisconsin by registering a hat trick in the 6-2 game two victory (Dec. 9), Cal Burke was named the Big Ten’s Third Star of the Week on Tuesday morning (Dec. 12).
Burke’s hat trick was the first of his career and the first by an Irish player since Steven Fogarty found the back of the net three times against Penn State on Oct. 16, 2015.
Burke is having a breakout year offensively for the Irish. He leads the team with 12 goals and also has three assists for 15 points. He is tied for the team lead with three game-winning goals. Last season in 35 games as a freshman, Burke scored three goals and added eight assists for 11 points.
With the sweep of the Badgers, Notre Dame extended its winning streak to 13 games, which is the longest active winning streak in the country and the longest Irish streak under head coach Jeff Jackson.
Notre Dame returns from break for a Big Ten matchup against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 5. The game will air live on BTN.
Notre Dame’s 2017-18 B1G Stars of the Week
Cal Burke: Third Star (Dec. 12)
Jake Evans: Second Star (Oct. 10), Third Star (Oct. 31)
Jordan Gross: Third Star (Oct. 10)
Cale Morris: First Star (Nov. 14, Nov. 21, Nov. 28, Dec. 5), Second Star (Nov. 7)
Big Ten Stars of the Week -- Dec. 12
First Star: Sean Romeo, Jr., G, Ohio State
Second Star: Denis Smirnov, So., F, Penn State
Third Star: Cal Burke, So., F, Notre Dame
Notre Dame is also 10-0-0-0 in conference play this season, making it the first Big Ten team ever to win its first 10 conference contests of the season.
-- ND --