Michigan Tech takes on Notre Dame today at 3 p.m. in the NCAA tournament. (David Archambeau/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — The Huskies know it won’t be easy; being an underdog never is.

But it’s a role they’ve become comfortable with down the stretch, and comfort was hard to come by earlier in the season.

When expectations around the program were high, Tech (22-16-5) faltered, struggling to string together wins as the season wore on. But when the team entered the WCHA playoffs with a seemingly impossible stretch of games, the Huskies emerged on the other side.

Expectations were low and they found success, something they hope continued when they take on Notre Dame today at 3 p.m. in Bridgeport Connecticut. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN2.

“Right now we, are playing well and earning everything we are getting,” Jake Lucchini said. “You don’t get this opportunity very often.”

One of the challenges of the NCAA tournament is the unfamiliarity of opponents. Game planning for an entirely new team in a short amount of time certainly isn’t easy. But this time, the Huskies have a bit to go on.

They played Notre Dame on the road last season, splitting the two-game series. And while both teams are different this time around, it gives them something to go on.

“They are a skilled team and they play with a lot of pace,” Brent Baltus said. “They are obviously very skilled offensively, so I think for us, we played a couple teams recently with a lot of offensive firepower. So going into a tournament like this, you have to prepare, watch video, see their tendencies.”

Tech and Notre Dame also have three common opponents from the regular season: Alabama-Huntsville, Wisconsin and Michigan State.

Tech split with Alabama-Huntsville, while Notre Dame won both games, Tech lost its lone contest with Wisconsin and Notre Dame was 3-1 against the Badgers, and Tech beat Michigan State in their meeting, while Notre Dame was also 3-1 against the Spartans.

“You see who they play, the scores, and are able to watch some of those games and take a little bit away from that,” Jake Lucchini said.

The common opponents serve as another piece to the puzzle for a Tech team trying to solve a talented Fighting Irish squad, but they can only learn so much.

“It is all team to team,” coach Joe Shawhan said. “There are teams that we match up better with, and teams that some people feel are lesser teams give us more problems than teams that are better, just because of the way they play.”

Instead, the Huskies are doing what they’ve done over the past six games: focusing on themselves.

Tech is playing its best hockey of the season, and it’s not even close. Something the team wants to hold onto when it battles Notre Dame.

“The biggest thing is just focusing on us and what we are doing, making sure we are executing the way we want to play,” Baltus said.

The approach has worked so far, as the Huskies have fought their way out of the WCHA, despite facing three heavily-favored opponents. It will be more of the same today against a 25-9-2 Notre Dame team that boasts one of the best goaltenders in the country in Cale Morris (94.6 save percentage) and a strong defense in front of him. The Fighting Irish allow just 2.2 goals a game.

“They are aggressive on the puck and they are a defensive-oriented team,” Shawhan said. “Their goaltenders are always very good, but very protected.”

They are also equipped with a strong power-play unit, scoring on 22.5 percent of their chances, while limiting opponents to just 11.4 percent.

Tech will need to stay out of the penalty box while finding a way to score on its own power-play opportunities.

This is Tech’s 13th NCAA tournament appearance, and third in the last four years. Last season the Huskies lost to Denver in the first round.