Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men ' s ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team at the University of Notre Dame . The team competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association at the NCAA Division I level . History . Ice hockey has existed on and off as both a club and varsity sport at Notre Dame since 1912 . In 1968 , the Fighting Irish started playing again at the Division I level as an independent . In 1971 , the team joined its first conference , the Western Collegiate Hockey Association ( WCHA ) . The team continued playing in the WCHA for a decade until moving to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association ( CCHA ) with the conference ' s three Michigan schools in 1981 . The Fighting Irish lasted only two years in the new CCHA , after designating Ice Hockey as a club sport for the 1983 - 1984 season the team played in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League ( CSCHL ) . Notre Dame finished that season second in the CSCHL with a record of 13 - 2 - 0 . In 1984 - 1985 Notre Dame Hockey was once again elevated to varsity status with the team playing as a Division I independent . In 1992 Notre Dame rejoined the CCHA . The Irish struggled to remain competitive in the CCHA , but began to improve under head coach Dave Poulin . In 2004 , Poulin led the team to its first ever NCAA Tournament . However , the year after was drastically different . 2005 was the worst season in Notre Dame history . The five - win campaign resulted in the resignation of coach Poulin . Jeff Jackson Era . In 2005 , Jeff Jackson took over as head coach . Jackson , who had already won two national championships at Lake Superior State University , had an immediate impact at Notre Dame . In his first season with the Irish , the team greatly improved upon the five - win season , boosting its record to 13 - 19 - 5 . 2007 was even more successful . The Irish achieved their first ever number one ranking in both the Uscho . com and USA Today Polls and their first number one seeding for the NCAA Tournament . The following year , the Irish finished fourth in both the CCHA ' s regular season and playoffs , and again made the NCAA Tournament . Once there , the Irish went on to beat top - seeded New Hampshire 7 - 3 and third - seeded Michigan State 3 - 1 to advance to the Frozen Four for the first time in school history . From there , they defeated first - seeded Michigan in overtime to advance to the national title game , ultimately losing to Boston College 4 - 1 . Notre Dame also became the first four - seed to advance to the national semifinals , and eventually to the national title game since the new 16 - team format was introduced in 2003 . In the 2008 - 2009 season , the Irish added another CCHA regular season title and a CCHA Tournament title , defeating Michigan 5 - 2 in the title game . Home ice . The Irish currently play their home games under the North Dome of the Edmund P . Joyce Center . With a hockey capacity of just 2 , 857 , it is the second smallest home rink in the CCHA . All seats are benches without chair backs , and most of the seating consists of temporary bleachers . In 2007 , the Irish compiled an impressive 14 - 2 - 2 home record at the Joyce Center . Charles W . " Lefty " Smith Jr . Rink . In February 2009 , The University of Notre Dame announced it will begin construction next year on a new , freestanding , on - campus ice arena designed to meet the needs of both the nationally ranked Irish hockey team and the local community . Construction will begin on March 15 , 2010 on the projected 5 , 000 - 6 , 000 - seat arena - with the venue ready for play on October 1 , 2011 . The new ice arena will be located south of the Joyce Center , just north of Edison Road , and just west of where the new Irish track and field facility is being constructed . The majority of the general public arena seating will be of the chair - back variety .