Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson said his team has to stay out of the penalty box if they want to beat Michigan State this weekend.

“We’re a team that’s prided ourselves on being a minimally penalized team,” Jackson said. “Right now we’re sitting close to 10 minutes per game where in the past we’ve done under six minutes per game. We have to get back to that level of discipline.”

The comments come after a 3-2 loss to Ohio State in which all three Buckeye goals came on the power play. The first goal was a result of a Max Ellis hooking penalty. The final two came during a Ryder Rolston five minute major penalty for hitting-from-behind. Even though Jackson expressed his frustration about the penalties after the game, he felt his team could have avoided the situation altogether.

On the Ellis penalty, the Fighting Irish trapped themselves in their own zone after a long offensive shift. Ellis then took the hooking penalty, which Jackson felt shifted the flow of the game in the Buckeyes’ favor. “When we put ourselves in that situation, that’s not on the officials, that’s on us,” Jackson said. “That’s discipline.”

But Jackson made sure that won’t happen again. “The statement has been made to the guys that that’s just not going to be acceptable,” he said.

Jackson said he feels his team plays best at even strength. “Our game is all about playing five on five,” Jackson said. “If we’re a good puck possession [and] transition team, then we can’t have guys sitting on the bench the whole game because of penalties.”

Jackson noted the first period Sunday against Ohio State was a model period for him. “We were skating, we were moving the puck, we were in the offensive zone, we were working hard without the puck defensively, we were working as a unit of five and that’s what I consider Irish hockey.”

However, he said the team’s special teams and goaltending need to improve in order to be more successful. The Fighting Irish have a roughly 12.5% power-play conversion percentage, 76.9% penalty kill and .882 save percentage. All three stats are below average numbers in the NCAA.

Jackson had high praise for Michigan State, saying they’re a hard team to play against.

“I’m impressed when I watch them play,” Jackson said. “I see a lot of tendencies that are a result of good coaching. I think they’re one of the hardest teams to play against in the [Big Ten] Conference and maybe even nationally.”

Jackson highlighted Mitchel Lewandowski (1-2-3) and Dennis Cesana (1-1-2) as talented players on Michigan State’s roster. He was impressed at Lewandowski’s offensive prowess and Cesana’s puck skills.

The two teams face off in a two-game series this weekend. Game one is Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. on NBCSN and Game two is on Sunday at 5 p.m. on NBC Sports Chicago, NBC Sports Philadelphia, and on the NBC Sports App. The games will conclude each team’s first-half schedule.

Ben Baruch

Born and raised on Long Island. Isles fan since 2009. Studying journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.