Notre Dame blew a three-goal lead early on, and squandered another lead in the third period against Michigan in the Frozen Four on Thursday night. But the Irish, with Naperville's Teddy Ruth, got an overtime goal from Calle Ridderwall for a 5-4 victory to reach the national championship game for the first time.
In becoming the first No. 4 seed to advance this far, the most recent Irish victims have been Michigan State (3-1 in the regional final) and the Wolverines. Now they face Boston College in the final at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.
Perhaps the Notre Dame football team should take notice. The football Irish went 0-3 against those schools last fall, losing by a combined 96-28.
But as much fun as Ruth and the hockey Irish are having, they are still a long way from turning the campus from a renowned football school into a puck haven.
"We're changing the hockey culture here, which is great," said Ruth, who started Thursday night, but did not figure in the scoring. "I've had a lot of people coming up to me, congratulating me."
That should only increase if Ruth returns to South Bend carrying a national championship trophy.
