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Merrifield Park ice rink, Mishawaka (mishawaka.in.gov) (January 6, 2013) |
MISHAWAKA – The Notre Dame hockey team opened the 2013 portion of its schedule Saturday by moving practice from the Compton Family Ice Arena outside to Merrifield Park in Mishawaka for the sixth annual “Practice on the Pond.”
The popular outdoor practice gave fans a chance to meet the Irish hockey team and get autographs from their favorite players.
For local fans, it was an opportunity to spend time with the ND hockey team since they don’t play at home until January 18 against Alaska.
Free hot chocolate was provided to all the fans who attended, and Sunny 101.5 FM and Real Country 99.9 FM were on hand for the event.
The Irish are currently ranked second in the nation in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll and third in the USCHO.com rankings. For the year, Notre Dame is 14-4-0 overall and 10-1-0-0 in the CCHA, good for a first-place tie with Miami (OH). The Irish, who have been on break since December 15, have won six straight games and eight of their last nine games dating back to November 15. They have also won eight games in a row in CCHA play.
Notre Dame’s “Practice on the Pond” helped prepare the Irish for their next contest on Tuesday against No. 1 Minnesota. Game time is 7:07 p.m. at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis.
