How Matt Galajda’s Big Ten honor shows Notre Dame hockey versatility at goalie
Two weeks ago, there was no question who held the title of Notre Dame’s No. 1 goalie at the time.
Junior Ryan Bischel.
Bischel took over mid-game for graduate senior Matthew Galajda, who allowed three goals on five shots against Minnesota, on Jan. 28. Bischel stopped 17 of 19 shots in relief duty. Then he won three games in a row as a starter and was masterful in every outing, stopping 91 of 95 shots against Minnesota once and Penn State twice. He shut the Nittany Lions out in a 35-save performance.
Then the roles reversed.
Bischel gave up three goals on five shots against Wisconsin on Feb. 12. Galajda stopped eight of the nine shots that came his way when he replaced Bischel. He started Notre Dame’s three games thereafter, all victories, and turned away 93 of 98 shots in that span. His .950 save percentage and 1.50 goals against average in two wins at Michigan State this past weekend earned Galajda Big Ten Second Star of the Week honors.
Bischel was the Big Ten First Star of the Week two weeks ago. Coincidental? Incredibly. A sign of inconsistency? Hardly.
PROMOTION: Sign up for just $1 for first year at Blue & Gold
It’s hockey. Goalies go through hot streaks. Those can come crashing down in an ugly manner. Notre Dame lost 5-1 in the game Galajda was yanked from, and the Irish fell 5-3 in the one Bischel couldn’t complete. The most important takeaway from those results, though, was that Notre Dame turned to the other between the pipes without continuing the slide.
Imagine going from Galajda to a goalie who played just as poorly as Galajda did on his off night all the time. Notre Dame probably would not have rebounded to beat Minnesota. And vice versa when the Irish were in the same situation against the Badgers when they had to go away from Bischel. In college hockey, a team with only one goalie it can count on or goalies that have concurrent periods of struggles do not win.
Notre Dame is proving it doesn’t have that problem.
Notre Dame football
• Why Nick Lezynski leaving for Vanderbilt was bittersweet for Notre Dame players
• A complete history of the 2022 Notre Dame coaches’ FBS and NFL stops
Bischel is 10-4 with a 2.08 GAA and .924 save percentage. Galajda is 13-5 with a 2.02 GAA and .927 save percentage. Those are both more than acceptable numbers for a No. 1 goalie, so you might as well call them 1A and 1B. That’s what they are. Two weeks ago, Bischel was 1A. Now he’s 1B to a guy who who is tied for 13th all-time in NCAA Division I goaltender victories.
Galajda’s ranks eighth and ninth nationally in save percentage and GAA, respectively. Bischel ranks 13th and 12th in the same statistics. Per those two ultra important figures, Notre Dame has two of the top 15 goalies in the country on the same roster. That’s unheard of.
Head coach Jeff Jackson might have to use both goalies against the No. 1 team in the country this weekend. Michigan has the firepower to chase Galajda from the crease. Can Bischel pick up the slack if he needs to? That’s what has kept Notre Dame afloat this season from a net-minding perspective. The ability to back up the starter and stay stout in subsequent games is vital.
And it’s more important now, with the postseason looming, than ever.
Big Ten hockey standings
| TEAM | POINTS | OVERALL | CONFERENCE |
| 1. Minnesota | 49 | 21-11-0 | 16-6-0 |
| 2. Michigan | 48 | 25-7-1 | 16-0-0 |
| 3. Ohio State | 43 | 21-11-2 | 13-9-2 |
| 4. Notre Dame | 38 | 22-8-0 | 14-6-0 |
| 5. Wisconsin | 18 | 9-20-3 | 6-15-1 |
| 6. Penn State | 17 | 14-17-1 | 5-16-1 |
| 7. Michigan State | 15 | 11-20-1 | 5-17-0 |
Notre Dame hockey schedule
Feb. 25: vs. Michigan, 7:30 p.m. ET, Compton Family Ice Arena (South Bend, Ind.)
Feb. 26: vs. Michigan, 6 p.m. ET, Compton Family Ice Arena (South Bend, Ind.)
March 4-6: Big 10 Tournament quarterfinals, TBD, Compton Family Ice Arena (South Bend, Ind.)
