Everyone who follows Notre Dame’s exploits on the gridiron knows that some wins contain a touch of magic — wins that transcend the box score. But few could have predicted that a November victory against Pitt six years ago could have national championship implications for their hockey squad today. Let’s break it down.

On the first Saturday in November in 2012, Notre Dame football was undefeated and ranked No. 1 nationally, hosting a dangerous Pitt Panther squad. Thirteen-year-old Bostonian Cameron Burke squeezed into the stadium next to his older brother Cal, who was on a recruiting visit. Little did Cam Burke know that he was about to lose his heart and mind to the golden domers under the long shadow of Touchdown Jesus. 

In one of those classic Fighting Irish Fairy Tales, Notre Dame battled back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game, and trailed twice in overtime before sending the delirious throngs home with a scintillating 29-26 win, preserving the national championship dreams of the Irish. Young Cam had his memory seared for life.

“Unbelievable,” said the younger Burke six years later. “It was a fantastic game, triple overtime or something like that. It was freezing out, but everyone was so into the game, unforgettable.” 

Cam was a New England prep school kid on the hockey fast track, so playing college hockey was a realistic goal. If he were to realize that distant dream, South Bend would forever be the frontrunner.

“It was love at first sight,” said Cam, now a freshman prospect for the Irish. “I visited some other schools, but in my mind, none of them even compared to Notre Dame.” 

Older brother Cal Burke, now a junior scoring star for the Irish, was being actively recruited by Notre Dame back in 2012, but he hadn’t made up his mind. No one disputes that it was younger brother who influenced big brother to come to South Bend, contrary to the stereotype of the elder being the pathfinder. 

“He was the first one interested in it,” said Cal, two years older than his freshman sibling. Because Cameron had spent several years playing travel hockey with ND assistant coach Andy Slaggert’s son Graham, he had become engrossed with the Notre Dame mystique long before his older brother. “Because he played with coach Slaggert’s son Graham, he really liked it, and then just by coincidence, they started talking to me.”

“That was where I wanted to go to college, I knew that before Cal knew that,” Cam said. “We went through the process knowing that Cal and I were different people; if we ended up at different places, then that’s fine. But it just so happened that he fell in love with the school just like I did. I think he owes a bit of gratitude to me,” said Cam, chirping his big brother. “We’re both lucky enough to end up there.” 

Notre Dame, a single goal short of a national championship this past spring, lost a total 85 points of offense from two players signing pro contracts: Andrew Ogelvie and Jake Evans. Freshmen Cam Burke and Graham Slaggert hope to fill that void. Young Burke does not hesitate to voice his ambitions. 

“The team goals are pretty obvious . . . to win the Triple Crown: win the Big Ten regular season again, the playoff championship, and this time take home the Frozen Four,” Cam said. “That’s what I’m going to be shooting for.” 

This will not be the first time Cal and Cam Burke have teamed up on title runs; the two brothers played for Noble and Greenough prep in Boston and challenged for the most prestigious titles in New England. Four years ago Cal was a senior and Cam was a freshman at Nobles, mirroring today’s scenario at Notre Dame. They shared power play minutes and advanced to the Independent League regular season title, but fell short in excruciating fashion in both the Flood – Marr holiday tournament, and the season-ending New England Championships (NEPSAC). At the time, they thought they wasted their best chance to win a meaningful title together, because Cal was off to the USHL the next season.

“If we had won the NEPSAC that year, Cam and I always would have something to look back on and say we accomplished together,” Cal said. His younger brother will never forget the pathos of that missed opportunity. 

“I remember being devastated,” said the younger Burke. “To be able to share a championship with my brother would have been something special. I wanted to win so badly. It was a quiet ride home once we headed back to our house. The thought of that season being over was crushing.”

But thanks to an unforeseen series of events, the Burkes are back together on the ice, immersed in some unfinished business, chasing an elusive championship together, but this time on a far grander scale. NCAA hockey titles are traditionally won on an incremental ladder, one that Notre Dame hockey has adhered to in classic fashion: An early exit from the NCAA semis in Cal’s freshman year in 2017 to a heartbreaking title-game loss as a sophomore this past spring. 

As Cal said through misty eyes in St. Paul last April, “We lost in the Frozen Four last year, made a step further . . . it’s just one more step to go.”

Cal and Cam won’t be able to make the Pitt-Notre Dame football game this Saturday in South Bend, because they’ll be five hours east at the Ice Breaker tournament in Erie, Pennsylvania, starting the five-month climb back to Cal’s third consecutive Frozen Four and a shot at Notre Dame’s first NCAA hockey championship. If they manage to crest that mountain, they might look back at an inspirational football game half a mile north of the hockey facility on the Notre Dame campus, a contest that not only woke the echoes of past championships but inspired two young hockey hopefuls to turn their eyes west, to fulfill their hockey dreams at Notre Dame.

Tim Rappleye is the author of "Jack Parker's Wiseguys" and the forthcoming book: "Hobey Baker, Upon Further Review," set for release in November. He can be reached @TeeRaps.