Jeff Jackson: “This group was unbelievable"

Notre Dame gave up two first period goals on Saturday night and couldn’t find one more goal to tie it after Andrew Oglevie scored a power-play goal in the second period and fell 2-1 to Minnesota Duluth in the 2018 National Title game 

Head coach Jeff Jackson knew when his team was in trouble when the Irish failed to tie it in the second period. 

“We needed to try and tie the game in the second, because once you get to the third period, they're a shut-down team,” Jackson said. “They shut you down and don't allow much through the neutral zone.



“We had at least some juice in the second period, especially after we scored that goal. 

“We needed to try and tie it in the second. Third period was just a shut-down period. They didn't give us much.” 

Oglevie provided momentum for the Irish in the second period, and he knew he had to change it as the Bulldogs opened the second period on a power play. 

“We knew we had to kill that one off and try and get some momentum going our way,” stated Oglevie. “I thought we did a good job killing that one off and trying to get our feet moving and get pucks deep.”

Captain Jake Evans put Notre Dame in the final with a goal against Michigan, but he couldn’t quite get the Irish offense over the hump on Saturday night. 

“They're working well together right now,” Evans said of Minnesota Duluth. “They're doing all the little things right. They got some quick D and really good gaps. If you're not chipping pucks by them and you're turning the pucks over, bad things are going to happen as a result of one goal. And they're just a really good team, and they did a really good job.” 

The Bulldogs blocked 21 shots on the night and played a disciplined zone defense. 

“That's becoming more common across all of hockey now, with teams playing zones,” explained Jackson. “We actually prepared a little bit for that in preparation for Michigan. But we didn't execute as well tonight as -- plus they do a really good job of putting pressure on you. So even your shots are contested.



“They're defensemen, they front you, they get body position on you, and it's hard to get pucks through. We really needed to try to do more to make the ice longer. We shortened the ice way too much with turnovers and some of that was from blocked shots.” 

The Irish might have fallen short of capping a dream season, but it was a remarkable season when push comes to shove. 

“This group was unbelievable,” stated Jackson. “They were relentless. They were resilient. We had great leadership. I feel awful for our seniors. They did a heck of a job all season long.



“We still walked away with two trophies and played in the national championship game. So there's a lot to be said for what they accomplished this year. They had a 16-game winning streak. We had a great year in the Big Ten. And we ran into a better team tonight. So we have to respect that.” 

The Big 10 championship, Big 10 Tournament Championship and a Frozen Four appearance will give Notre Dame momentum for the offseason. Jackson knows his team will have different identity next year, but the bar has been set for the program. 

“We'll get back at 'er,” Jackson said. “Take some time to reflect, got a big senior class to replace, and a big freshman class coming in. It'll certainly be a different look in our team, but we've got a lot of good players and a fairly good group of leadership coming back.



“So we'll get started all over again. It's a continuous cycle for us as coaches. It's just sometimes it's different people. But I'm not going to look that far in the future right now. I want to embrace these kids that we have here and what they accomplished.” 

For Evans, his career at Notre Dame ended in front of a ruckus Minnesota crowd. 

He led the Irish to a historic season, but it will take some time for the magnitude of the season to sink in. 

“We've been a good road team the whole year,” said Evans. “I think we just -- I don't know, that's it.”