The Notre Dame hockey team has been a member of the Big Ten Conference for two seasons. In both of those seasons, they have made an appearance in the conference championship game.
To earn a spot in the championship game, the Irish beat Michigan State (in two games) in the quarterfinals and Minnesota in the semifinals. Penn State defeated Michigan (in three games) in the quarterfinals, and then knocked off top-seeded Ohio State in the semifinals.
A win over Penn State on Saturday would give the Irish their second Big Ten Title in two years. It would also probably result in the other schools in the conference starting a petition to have Notre Dame kicked out of the Big Ten.