Holy War on Ice
| First meeting |
December 20, 1969 Boston College 7, Notre Dame 3 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting |
January 28, 2017 Boston College 6, Notre Dame 4 |
| Next meeting | TBA |
| Trophy | Lefty Smith – John "Snooks" Kelley Memorial Trophy |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 43 |
| All-time series | Boston College leads 22–19–2 |
| Largest victory | Notre Dame, 14–3 (1971) |
| Longest win streak | Boston College, 4 (1977–1991) |
| Longest unbeaten streak | Boston College, 8 (1995–2002) |
| Current win streak | Boston College, 1 (2017–present) |
| Current unbeaten streak | Boston College, 1 (2017–present) |
The Holy War on Ice refers to the college ice hockey series between Boston College and Notre Dame. Boston College is a member of the Hockey East conference, while Notre Dame is a member of the Big Ten for ice hockey. The two teams first met in 1969, predating the football rivalry from which the hockey series gets its name.
The teams play for the Lefty Smith – John "Snooks" Kelley Memorial Trophy.
History
The men's ice hockey series between the two schools originated in 1969, predating the football rivalry. Since Jerry York began his tenure as coach at BC in 1994, the series has been played regularly, receiving the moniker "Holy War on Ice," a reference to the football rivalry.[1][2][3]
Boston College leads the all-time series 22–19–2, with the last meeting resulting in a 6–4 Eagles victory on January 28, 2017 in Chestnut Hill.
The victor of the annual game between the Eagles and Irish is awarded the Lefty Smith – John "Snooks" Kelley Memorial Trophy, named for the teams' coaches when the series began in 1969.[4]
In 2008, the two schools met in the 2008 Frozen Four final in Denver, CO, the first time the Eagles and Irish have met in the NCAA Tournament. Boston College skated to a 4–1 victory, claiming their third national championship and denying Notre Dame, a four-seed, the program's first.[5][6]
Notre Dame joined Boston College in Hockey East in 2013.[7] At the same time, the school's other non-football sports joined Boston College's primary conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference, expanding the 2-sport rivalry into an all-sports one.[8]
The two teams met in the 2014 Hockey East Tournament, in the first year of Notre Dame's league membership, playing in the best-of-three Quarterfinals at BC's Kelley Rink. The Eagles were the top seed of the tournament, having won the conference's regular season title, whereas the Irish, who defeated Boston University 3–2 in the Opening round, were seeded 8th. The Irish defeated the Eagles in three games, winning the first and third game, with the Eagles winning the second game. This marked the first time since 2004 that BC had lost in the quarterfinal round of the Hockey East tournament, as well as the first time they were knocked out of the tournament by an 8th seeded team, also in 2004. The Irish's first advancement in the Hockey East tournament was met by a loss to the eventual winners UMass Lowell in the semifinal.
Game results
| Boston College victories | Notre Dame victories | Tie games |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series facts
| Statistic | BC | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Games played | 43 | |
| Wins | 22 | 19 |
| Home wins | 9 | 6 |
| Road wins | 10 | 11 |
| Neutral site wins | 3 | 2 |
| Most goals scored in a game by one team | 11 ('72) | 14 ('71) |
| Most goals in a game by both teams | 17 (1971 – ND 14, BC 3) | |
| Fewest goals in a game by both teams | 1 (2003 – ND 1, BC 0) | |
| Fewest goals scored in a game by one team in a win | 2 ('15) | 1 ('03) |
| Most goals scored in a game by one team in a loss | 5 ('75) | 5 ('78, '89, '95) |
| Largest margin of victory | 7 ('72, '91) | 11 ('71) |
| Smallest margin of victory | 1 ('73, '97, '09, '14) | 1 ('75, '94, '03, '04, '10, '11, '14, '16) |
| Longest winning streak | 4 ('77–'91) | 3 ('70–'71, '74–'76, '03–'06) |
| Longest unbeaten streak | 8 ('95–'02) | 4 ('02–'06) |
See also
References
- ↑ Holy War on Ice Continues Archived 2012-03-26 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ 2008–09 NCAA Preview
- ↑ "HockeyBuzz.com – Julie Robenhymer – Holy War".
- ↑ "Rivals.com – Old rivalry gets fresh look".
- ↑ "Page not found – The Heights".
- ↑ "Gerbe Leads Eagles To Third National Championship". USCHO.com College Hockey Game Recaps.
- ↑ "HockeyEastOnline.com – NOTRE DAME TO JOIN HOCKEY EAST IN 2013–2014 SEASON".
- ↑ "Notre Dame, Big East agree on Irish exit 2 years early to join ACC". ESPN.com.