Kyle Lawson and Notre Dame successfully killed all 12 Sacred Heart power-play opportunities in last weekend's sweep of the Pioneers.

After a disappointing opening weekend in which Notre Dame dropped a 5-2 decision to Denver in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game, the Fighting Irish defensive corps knew it was time to buckle down heading into this past weekend’s series with Sacred Heart. And while the oft-inconsistent Irish offense seemed to find its stride in 3-0 and 7-0 victories on Friday and Saturday, respectively, Notre Dame’s stellar defensive play is another block the team looks to build on heading into this weekend’s CCHA-opening series against Miami.

“We definitely saw improvement this past weekend,” Irish junior blueliner Kyle Lawson said. “We played well for the first two periods against Denver, but took a lot of penalties and got worn out. I wouldn’t say we were perfect this weekend, but we played well and got some good goaltending. We’ve still got a few things to tighten up, especially with Miami coming in.”

Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson has put his team through the defensive paces in the first two practices of the week, hoping to help a young defensive group which has already seen three freshman take the ice. With a talented Miami team coming to the Joyce Center, the Fighting Irish are hoping to prove their blueline mettle against a top-tier team.

“I definitely think we are headed in the right direction,” sophomore Teddy Ruth said. “We again have a pretty young defensive corps, but we’re coming along. We’re doing a lot of different work in practice with in-zone defensive drills and rushes. Miami is definitely very skilled up front. They have a lot of talent, so we have to eliminate turnovers, make smart decisions with the puck and put pressure on them.”

One important aspect of Notre Dame’s defense will be the continued success of its penalty kill while facing a high-octane Miami offense. The Irish shut down Sacred Heart in each of the Pioneers’ 12 opportunities on the power play, but allowed two goals on eight attempts against Denver.

In the early stages of this season, Jackson has been implementing a new penalty-killing system that focuses on dictating the tempo of the opponents’ power plays by applying pressure at times and in places specially tailored to each opponent’s strengths.

“We’re learning a new system, so there’s some transition and Denver was able to pop a few in on us,” Lawson said. “(The penalty kill) is a big part of our team and something we put an emphasis on, and it’s not where it’s at while I’ve been here - it’s always been a strength of this team. We’ll keep working on it these next couple of days to get it down to an exact science, and it comes down to how bad you want it.”

Heading into the weekend, Miami is tied with Western Michigan as the league’s second-most prolific power play unit. The RedHawks have scored eight goals on 32 attempts, and lead the league in offense, averaging four goals per game.

In addition to extra work put in during practice, Notre Dame should also be able to count on a boost from a full weekend’s play from Ruth, who missed the team’s first two games due to injury. Jackson told IrishIllustrated.com that he is hoping Ruth will be ready to skate both nights after playing one game last weekend and practicing all week.