CHN Staff Report
Jeff Jackson (r.) shakes hands with Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale after coaching his final game for Notre Dame. (photo: William Miecuna)
Of the four coaches who already announced their retirement this year, Notre Dame’s Jeff Jackson was the only to have national championships under his belt.
Those two came at Lake Superior State in the early 1990s, and none were at Notre Dame, despite 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and four Frozen Fours. Either way, he left an indelible legacy in South Bend, turning a so-called “sleeping giant” into an actual giant of college hockey, and helping oversee the creation of a new arena, the Compton Ice Arena, which opened in 2011.
Now that ride has come to and, after 601 wins, including last weekend’s upset pair at Minnesota.
It came to an end at his alma mater, Michigan State, against a relative young head coach on the other bench, one who original went to Lake Superior State before transferring to Michigan State. Adam Nightingale, who originally went to Lake State partially because of the legacy Jackson left in Sault Ste. Marie, has now turned around a program of his own in his three seasons. And here he was now, with his top-seeded Spartans, putting them in position for a second straight Big Ten Tournament championship, after a 1-0 win.
“Jeff’s resume speaks for itself, but how much his players enjoy playing for him, and obviously a heckuva career,” Nightingale said.
Owen Say did everything he could in the Notre Dame net to try to pull off another upset, and keep Jackson’s run going. Michigan State had a 36-14 shot edge through two periods but the game was scoreless.
But a hooking call late in the second carried over into the third, and just 19 seconds in, Isaac Howard scored his 24th goal of the season. It was the game’s only goal.
“The roof was kinda coming off the building,” Howard said. “I just love when that place gets so loud and exciting. It was so fun.
“We were definitely ready to play hockey. We knew Notre Dame was getting hot, they’d come in and be a good challenge. Everyone just loves stepping on the ice and seeing the building rocking. It’s what college hockey is all about.”
The energized crowd seemed to get MSU through the frustration of not being able to pull away.
“We…
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