The Week in Notre Dame Athletics: Hockey Falls, Fencing Fares Well

Without further ado, we bring you the results of the last week's Irish match-ups.

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Irish hockey (10-13-3, 5-4-3) dropped both of their weekend road matches against Northeastern, first 3-2 in Friday's series opener, then 4-2 in Saturday's finish. After falling behind, 2-0, on Friday night, the Irish rallied to tie the game in the 3^rd period with goals from Mario Lucia and Sam Herr. With just a minute and a half to go, a missed slash against the Irish led immediately to Northeastern's game-winning goal and the 3-2 final score. Northeastern outshot Notre Dame, 40-25, who had Cal Peterson in net.

Saturday, the Irish scored 1^st, but they wouldn't hold on after a strong opening period: despite making the most of their power play opportunities, going 2-for-3 on them, Notre Dame was only able to net 2 goals on the night and Northeastern put together a 3-goal final period to claim the 4-2win. Peterson was once again in net for the Irish and the Irish were just barely outshot, 26-23.

Notre Dame next hosts New Hampshire on Friday (7:35 p.m. ET, WatchND). The teams play again on Saturday (6:35 p.m. ET, NBCSN, WatchND).

In case you missed it, be sure to check out ndroyalsfan's update on how former ND hockey players are currently faring in the NHL right here.

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Irish fencing began a new season of collegiate competition over the weekend at two road tournaments. At the St. John's Invitational on Saturday, the no. 1 women's squad (13-2) earned victories in 4 of 5 team matches. The men's team (8-6) struggled a bit to start the season, notching just 1 win in 5 team matches, against Ohio State, Penn State, Harvard, St. John's, and Columbia. The women's squad fell only to Penn State, and the men beat out St. John's.

Sunday, the Irish competed in the NYU Duals against Yale, Columbia, Northwestern, St. John's, and NYU. The women's squad earned wins in 4 or 5 team matches and the men's team won 3 out of their 4, turning things around after a difficult day on Saturday. The women's squad lost only to Columbia, and the men, to St. John's.

The team travels to Evanston, IL, to face Northwestern this Saturday.

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No. 14 men's tennis notched a strong (if close) win over no. 24 Oklahoma State this past weekend, 4-3, as they hosted the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. On Sunday, the Irish fell in another close set of matches to no. 16 Columbia, 4-2.

The Irish next welcome Northwestern this Friday evening. They then face Illinois at home on Monday evening.

The no. 20 women's squad was idle this past week. They next host Michigan this Sunday afternoon.

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Track & field hosted the annual Notre Dame Invitational this past weekend. The women's squad earned an impressive 2^nd-place finish in a field of 5. They had event victories in the 400m and the shotput.

The men's squad earned a 5^th-place finish overall, but Chris Giesting set a school record in the 600m (and claimed 1^st in the event), knocking nearly 2 seconds off of the previous best time. The Irish also had an event victory in the men's mile. Both squads had another handful of top-five event finishes.

This Friday, the Irish head to Bloomington, IN, for the Indiana Relays, and to Fayetteville, AR, for the Razorback invitational.

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No. 6/5 women's basketball (19-2, 6-1 ACC) earned two very clear wins over the past week. The Irish first slid by Georgia Tech, 89-76, on the shoulders of Jewell Loyd's 29 points and Taya Reimer's 19.

Then on Saturday, Notre Dame dominated Clemson, 74-36, and Brianna Turner notched a double-double while the team returned to the strong defensive play they lacked vs. the Yellow Jackets.

This Thursday, the Irish visit Virginia Tech (7:00 p.m. ET, WatchND, ESPN3). They host Wake Forest on Sunday (1:00 p.m. ET, WatchND, ACC-RSN).

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No. 8 men's basketball (19-2, 7-1 ACC) continued their explosive (and quite enjoyable) season with 2 road wins over the past week: first, they blew out Virginia Tech, 85-60, then they claimed a comeback win over North Carolina State, 81-78, in overtime (despite trailing by 18 at one point).

Our basketball coverage is performing about as well as the team this season. Check out our analysis of the Virginia Tech win here and of the win over NC State here. And just in case you missed it, be sure to educate yourself about ND's use of defensive change-ups right here.

The team next plays no. 4 Duke at home this Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2, WatchND), then faces Pittsburgh on the road this Saturday (12:00 p.m. ET, WatchND, ESPN3).

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Both men's and women's swimming and diving were idle this past week. The teams will host the Shamrock Invitational this Friday and Saturday.

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Men's lacrosse began exhibition play at home this past Sunday against Bellarmine. The team hosts a second exhibition match this Saturday vs. Air Force (12:00 p.m. ET). Be sure to study Paul Rigney's preseason primer for the reigning ACC champion and national runner-up Irish, who have a no. 2 preseason ranking.

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Men's golf gets back to it this week at the Notre Dame Alumni Match in Orlando, FL, starting on Friday.

We'll bring you updates again next week on how Notre Dame's Olympic sports are faring. For now, go Irish. Beat everybody.