Notre Dame Hockey New Year's Eve Extravaganza

Fans of Notre Dame Hockey rejoice! Today marks the beginning of what will certainly be a lucrative opportunity for Notre Dame Hockey as they begin their partnership with Versus (soon to be NBC Sports Network come Monday, January 2, 2012).

First up for the Fighting Irish is a matchup against Boston University at 7:05p EST from the beautiful new Compton Family Ice Arena. It will mark the first college hockey game to be televised by the fledgling sports network.

Notre Dame beats Rensselaer 5-2 in innaugural game at Compton Family Ice Arena

Both teams are nationally ranked in both the USA Today/America Hockey Magazine and USCHO.com polls. Respectively, Notre Dame (11-6-3) is #6/#5 while Boston (10-5-1) is #9/#9.

After the game, Fighting Irish fans should stay tuned to Versus for a one hour documentary called 'Onward to Victory: Notre Dame Hockey.' The documentary followed the Fighting Irish as they prepared to play rival Boston College on November 18, 2011.

Preview of 'Onward to Victory: Notre Dame Hockey'

It was a pivotal game for the Irish as it served as an early measuring stick for the 2011-12 hockey season and was the official dedication game of their new hockey home. In a thrilling game that lived up to the pre game hype, the Irish emerged victorious thanks to a goal from Bryan Rust with 1.1 seconds left in overtime.

Notre Dame beats Boston College 3-2 in OT

BONUS:

Compton Family Ice Arena dedication video

New Notre Dame Hockey Rink - Progress Updates

Over the course of the past year we have followed the development of the new home to the Fighting Irish hockey program, the Compton Family Center.

Progress has certainly been made from the groundbreaking ceremony on September 11, 2010.

There is a live webcam available for those of you with nothing better to do. Below you will find a recent still image of the state of the construction from the outside as well as a couple inside pictures. We eagerly anticipate the completion of the project, which is expected for December 2011.

Notre Dame hockey has long since deserved a new place to call home. Next season that dream will finally become reality.

Outside View

Inside the Main Rink, Charles W. Left Smithy Jr. Arena

Future Site of Locker Rooms?

Notre Dame Hockey Arena Groundbreaking

It's been awhile since the latest update on the hockey arena but rest assured progress has been made.

On September 11, 2010 Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. commenced the groundbreaking ceremony for the Compton Family Center, Notre Dame's new home ice arena.

Kevin and Gayla Compton, owners of the San Jose Sharks of the NHL, were the generous donors of the lead gift that helped make a dream come to reality for one of the many Notre Dame programs basking in the shadows of the football program.

The arena is scheduled to open its doors in October 2011. Stay tuned for further updates.

Construction To Begin On New Notre Dame Hockey Rink

The University of Notre Dame recently sent out a release with construction plans for the Charles W. "Lefty" Smith, Jr. Rink, Notre Dame's state-of-the-art hockey arena set for completion December 2011.

Click on the image above for a closer look as to where the building will be located. According to the University, the ice arena will be constructed in section 6H on the map, between Joyce Drive and Leahy Drive just north of Angela Blvd.

This coming Monday, March 15, will mark the first day of construction on the project. Over the span of the project new underground utilities infrastructure will also be added.

For a more detailed view of the affected construction areas and fencing confinements please refer to the official university release.

After a disappointing end to the 2009-2010 regular season the Fighting Irish icers will welcome the beginnings of their new home.

Embattled with injuries throughout the course of the year the Irish never managed to gel consistently. They were effectively on the NCAA "bubble" for most of the season but a string of late losses combined with an early exit from the CCHA tournament sealed their fate and absence from any further post season play.

Check back here frequently for progress updates on the construction project.

Renderings of the New Notre Dame Hockey Rink

Several months ago I posted a rendering of the future home for Notre Dame hockey, which is scheduled to debut in 2011/2012.

Groundbreaking for the Charles W. "Lefty" Smith Jr. Rink is set for spring 2010 with a rather swift expected turnaround time. Rumors have it that Irish head coach Jeff Jackson presented athletic director Jack Swarbrick and the Board of Trustees with an ultimatum to build the Irish icers a new home or find a new coach.

Such a request was not too surprising as the Irish have a rink no better suited for play than a small municipal venue. Until Jackson arrived there was not much excitement, or merit, to build a new home for the Irish.

Under Jackson's tutelage, however, the Irish program has soared to heights never before seen by the blue and gold including the University's first ever appearance in the National Championship game in the 2007/2008 season.

With a much needed facilities upgrade in the near future Jackson and the Irish faithful are hopeful that Notre Dame will create its own footprint in collegiate hockey in competition to Michigan, Michigan State, Boston College, Minnesota, and North Dakota among others.

What follows are additional renderings of the proposed 5,000 seat arena.

Future ND Hockey Home

The future home of the Notre Dame Hockey team was previewed just a few weeks ago. Obviously the rendering shown here is not too descriptive but it looks mighty fine. Regardless, I think all ND hockey fans can say they are glad that Irish will finally be getting what the team has deserved for far too long: a brand new rink.