ND hockey brings momentum into NCAA Tournament

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MANCHESTER, N.H. - It's been nearly a week since Notre Dame hockey captured a second Big Ten Tournament championship in front of a record home crowd in South Bend.

That victory vaulted the Irish to their fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, which begins Friday against Clarkson in New Hampshire.

Though it's been an up-and-down season, the past few weeks have built a familiar confidence in the Irish at this time of year.

“Obviously winning the Big 10 championship was great, and for us it has been do-or-die every playoff game we’ve had so far," said Irish junior defenseman and captain Andrew Peeke. "Having that mentality gives us a different type of way we play more hungry and more determined to get the prize so it’s leading us to where we are now and we’re excited about it.”

“We’ve been playing with this mindset of hockey for the last six or eight weeks here, so I don’t think the mindset has changed that much," added goaltender Cale Morris. "But it’s just taking every opportunity we step on the ice to get better and I think we’re still doing that every day.”

Puck drops between 3-seed Notre Dame and 2-seed Clarkson at 6:30 pm on Friday. If the Irish win, they'll play at the same time on Saturday against the winner of UMass and Harvard for a trip to the Frozen Four.

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