Head Coach Jeff Jackson Head Coach Eighth Season at Notre Dame Michigan State ‘78 The 2012-13 campaign marks Jeff Jackson’s eighth season guiding the University of Notre Dame’s hockey fortunes. In his first seven years behind the bench, the program has enjoyed many of its greatest moments. The Jackson Era began in 2005 when the University searched for a man who could move the program among the elite hockey schools in the country. That search took them in one direction - Jeff Jackson. The veteran coach owned a resume packed with success at the collegiate, junior hockey, professional
Jeff Jackson is the fourth head coach in the 45-year modern history of the Notre Dame hockey program. In 13 seasons as a Division I head coach, Jackson owns a 342-149-55 career record and his .677 winning percentage is the best among active coaches.
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and international levels. Throughout his coaching career, Jackson’s teams had been successful both on and off the ice and the hope was that he could deliver those same qualities for the Irish. After seven seasons as the guiding force behind Notre Dame hockey, it’s safe to say that the Irish hit a home run with the selection of the highly popular coach. In that span, Notre Dame has become one of the nation’s top teams, winning the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s (CCHA) regular-season and tournament titles twice - taking both titles in 2006-07 and 2008-09 - and has made four trips to the NCAA Tournament (2006-09, 2010-11), advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four twice, playing in the 2008 title game and the 2011 semifinals. Over the past six seasons, Jackson’s icers are among the winningest programs in the nation in wins and winning percentage, going 147-78-26 (.637) since the start of the 2006-07 campaign. Between ‘06-’09, the Irish turned in win totals of 32, 27 and 31 for three-consecutive seasons of 25-or more wins and three-consecutive NCAA tournament appearances for the first time in the program’s 45-year history. Jackson’s success on the ice also has had a major impact off the ice for the Irish. With the wins came a commitment from the University that led to the new home of Irish hockey - The Compton Family Ice Arena - one of the finest college hockey facilities in the nation. The new venue opened for business on Oct. 21, 2011. Jackson and his team experienced a wild rollercoaster ride of a season in 2011-12. Notre Dame entered the year ranked No. 1 in the preseason rankings - another first for the program. An 11-game unbeaten streak (8-0-3) through the early part of the schedule gave the Irish a 10-2-3 record at the end of November. In December, the wild ride began as the team started the month with four straight losses. They ended the 2011 portion of the schedule with three consecutive wins against Ferris State, Boston University and Minnesota, all top-10 teams at the time. Notre Dame would go just 4-10 over its final 14 games to finish the regular season tied for eighth in the CCHA with a 12-13-3 league mark. The Irish defeated Ohio State, two games to none, in the first round of the playoffs before dropping a pair at Michigan in the second round to finish 19-18-3 overall. In 2010-11, Notre Dame went on a magical run to the Frozen Four. The Irish went 25-14-5 overall while leading the CCHA until the final week of the season. They finished 18-7-3-2 in the conference and finished second to Michigan by two points. After dropping both games in the CCHA Tournament, the Irish got hot in the NCAA’s, winning the Northeast Regional with wins over Merrimack (4-3 in overtime) and New Hampshire (2-1) to advance to the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn. There, Notre Dame fell in the semifinals to eventual champion, Minnesota Duluth, with a 4-3 loss. For his efforts, the veteran coach was selected as the CCHA’s coach of the year for the third time (‘90-
UNIVERSITY of NOTRE DAME®
Jackson at a glance Full Name • Jeffery L. Jackson Hometown • Roseville, Michigan Education • Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Michigan State ‘78 • Bachelor’s Degree in Education Michigan State ‘79 Collegiate Coaching Experience • Assistant Coach, Lake Superior State (198690) • Head Coach, Lake Superior State (1990-96) Record: 182-52-25 (.751); two NCAA titles, two CCHA regular-season titles, four CCHA tournament championships • Head Coach, University of Notre Dame (2005-) Record: 160-97-30 (.610); two CCHA regular- season titles, two CCHA tournament championships International Coaching Experience • National Coach and Senior Director, U.S. National Developmental Program (1996-2000) • Head Coach, U.S. Junior National Team (1996-97) – Won silver medal at World Junior Championships • Assistant Coach, U.S. Olympic Team (1998) Junior Hockey Experience • Head Coach, Guelph Storm (2000-03) Record: 87-67-24 (4) Professional Experience • Assistant Coach, New York Islanders (200305) Coaching Honors • Spencer Penrose Award (2007) • CCHA Coach of the Year (1990-91, 2006-07, 2010-11) ’91, ‘06-’07 and ‘10-’11) and was a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award as the national coach of the year. The Frozen Four run in 2011 served as a bounceback year for Notre Dame as the Irish struggled the prior season, battling injuries and a scoring slump on the way to a 13-17-8 overall record and a 9-12-7-2 mark in the CCHA that put the Irish ninth in the conference. The ‘08-’09 campaign was a year to remember as Notre Dame won its second conference and playoff title in three years. A slow start left the team with a 2-3-0 record. It would then be three months before the Irish would lose again as they went on a 20-game unbeaten streak (17-0-3) from Oct. 31 to Jan. 17, while being number one in the nation for seven consecutive weeks for the second time in the program’s history. After seeing the streak stopped, Notre Dame would lose just one more time during the ‘08-’09 regular season. The Irish ended the regular season