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Both coming off close wins in the semifinals, Notre Dame and Minnesota-Duluth will meet in the men’s ice hockey national championship on Saturday night.
The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be on ESPN. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch all of the action live on your computer, phone or other streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
Hulu With Live TV: In addition to their extensive Netflix-like streaming library, Hulu now also offers a bundle of live channels, including ESPN. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
DirecTV Now: ESPN is included in all of DirecTV Now’s four main channel packages. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial no matter what package you choose, plus you can get an Amazon Fire TV if you prepay two months. Once signed up, you can watch the game live on your computer via the DirecTV Now website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app.
Sling TV: ESPN is included in the “Sling Orange” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and you can then watch the game live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
Note: You can also watch the game on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the WatchESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have cable, you can use your Hulu, DirecTV Now or Sling TV credentials to do that.
Preview
In the first Frozen Four matchup, Louie Roehl and Jared Thomas scored within the first three minutes against Ohio State, and Minnesota-Duluth were able to hold off the Buckeyes, 2-1, to advance to the national championship for the second consecutive year.
“When you’re fighting for your life to get into the tournament, you’re kind of playing playoff hockey a couple weeks earlier than everyone else, and you get on a run and keep it going and find out how to play tough, close games like that,” Thomas said. “I think the fact that we had to crawl and scratch our way from the bottom from the start of the season to where we are now, it’s been a heck of a run.”
Notre Dame has a similar affinity for winning close games. The Irish beat Michigan Tech in overtime, got a goal from Dylan Malmquist with 27 seconds remaining to beat Providence, and then got a goal from Jake Evans with five seconds left to take down Michigan in the Frozen Four semis on Thursday night. Overall, they’ve scored in the final minute or OT in five straight postseason games.
“We’ve got so much confidence right now that when we’re down one, down two or they get a late goal we’re a calm team,” Evans said.
It all sets up a fascinating matchup in the national championship, as UMD will be looking for their second title after winning it all in 2011, while the Irish’s only other trip to this game resulted in a loss to Boston College in 2008.