Jan. 6, 2016
DETAILS — GAME 20
Match-up: Western Michigan at Notre Dame
Date: Friday, Jan. 8, 2016
Time: 7:40 p.m. (ET)
Site: Notre Dame, Indiana
Arena: Compton Family Ice Arena (5,022)
Television: NBC Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Steve Schlanger
Analyst: Brian Boucher
Live Streaming: NBC Sports Live Extra
Live Radio: New Country 99.9 FM
Play-by-Play: Darin Pritchett
Live Audio: WatchND App (www.watchND.tv)
Play-by-Play: Darin Pritchett
Live Stats:
Live Updates: @NDHockey
All-Time Series: WMU leads 43-36-10 (89 games)
DETAILS — GAME 21
Match-up: Notre Dame at Western Michigan
Date: Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016
Time: 7:05 p.m. (ET)
Site: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Arena: Lawson Ice Arena (3,667)
Television: CBS Sports
Play-by-Play: Ben Holden
Analyst: Dave Starman
Rink-side: Shireen Saski
Live Streaming: None
Live Radio: New Country 99.9 FM
Play-by-Play: Darin Pritchett
Live Audio: WatchND App (www.watchND.tv)
Play-by-Play: Darin Pritchett
Live Stats: hockeyeastonline.com
Live Updates: @NDHockey
OVERVIEW
— Notre Dame and Western Michigan each close out their respective non-conference schedules with this weekend’s home-and-home series.
— Notre Dame carries a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2) into Friday night’s game, its longest unbeaten stretch since going 5-0-1 from Oct. 17 – Nov. 1, 2014.
— The Irish are now 3-3-4 in non-conference play this season and 1-0-4 against the NCHC. Ã… Notre Dame’s last seven-game unbeaten stretch came during the stretch run of the 2013-14 season when it went 7-0-1 from Feb. 2 – March 14.
UNBEATEN STREAK AT SIX
— Notre Dame is unbeaten in its last six games (4-0-2), dating back to a 3-1 win over Western Michigan on Nov. 28 (consolation game of the Shillelagh Tournament).
— The Irish last put together a six-game unbeaten stretch from Oct. 17 – Nov. 1, 2014 (5-0-1).
— During Notre Dame’s current six-game unbeaten streak, sophomore goaltender Cal Petersen has posted a 1.47 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage.
— Over the six-game unbeaten streak, the Irish penalty kill has gone 21-for-23 (.913).
— Jordan Gross (1-5-6) is the leading point scorer in the six games, followed by Thomas DiPauli (3-2-5), Anders Bjork (2-3-5) and Andy Ryan (0-5-5).
NOTRE DAME vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN
— Old CCHA rivals, the Broncos and Irish have played 89 times dating back to the 1977-78 season.
— The Irish defeated the Broncos 3-1 on Nov. 28 in the consolation game of the 2016 Shillelagh Tournament to kick off its current six-game unbeaten streak.
CAREER STATS vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN
Thomas DiPauli 9 GP, 3-1-4
Sam Herr 8 GP, 2-1-3
Mario Lucia 7 GP, 2-1-3
Andy Ryan 6 GP, 0-3-3
Steven Fogarty 9 GP, 1-1-2
Jordan Gross 3 GP, 1-1-2
Connor Hurley 3 GP, 0-1-1
Anders Bjork 3 GP, 0-1-1
Dawson Cook 3 GP, 1-0-1
Luke Ripley 3 GP, 0-1-1
Joe Wegwerth 1 GP, 0-1-1
Jake Evans 3 GP, 0-0-0
Justin Wade 3 GP, 0-0-0
Tony Bretzman 2 GP, 0-0-0
Ben Ostlie 2 GP, 0-0-0
Bo Brauer 1 GP, 0-0-0
Dennis Gilbert 1 GP, 0-0-0
Dylan Malmquist 1 GP, 0-0-0
Bobby Nardella 1 GP, 0-0-0
Andrew Oglevie 1 GP, 0-0-0
Cal Petersen 3-2 (GP-GS), 1-2-0, 2.61 GAA, .910 Sv.%
Chad Katunar 1-1 (GP-GS), 0-0-0, 4.50 GAA, .800 Sv.%
NOV. 28, 2015: NOTRE DAME 3, WMU 1
— Tied 1-1 with under five minutes to play in the third period, senior forward Sam Herr redirected a Luke Ripley drive from the point past Western Michigan goaltender Lukas Hafner to score what proved to be the game-winning goal for the Irish at the Compton Family Ice Arena (5,022).
— Thomas DiPauli added an insurance tally at 19:01 of the third period for the final 3-1 margin of victory as Notre Dame placed third in the 2015 Shillelagh Tournament.
— Western Michigan’s Frederik Tiffels scored a power-play goal late in the second period to make it a 1-1 game after Dawson Cook put the Irish ahead 1-0 earlier in the second period.
— Cal Petersen also had a strong game in the Notre Dame net, stopping 31 of the 32 Western Michigan shots he faced.
— In the Western Michigan net, Hafner finished with 39 saves.
— Western Michigan finished 1-for-6 on the power play, while Notre Dame was 0-for-3.
BY THE NUMBERS (NOTRE DAME | WMU)
— Goals per game: 3.05 | 2.44
— Points per game: 8.37 | 6.72
— Shots on goal per game: 31.4 | 28.4
— PIM per game: 12.2 | 11.5
— Power play: 12/64 (.188) | 12/60 (.200)
— Penalty kill: 66/81 (.815) | 63/86 (.733)
BJORK & SUPPORT STAFF WIN BRONZE
— Sophomore forward Anders Bjork scored a pair of goals to help lead Team USA to an 8-3 win over Sweden in the bronze medal game at the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Helsinki, Finland on Tuesday (Jan. 5).
— Bjork scored his second and third goals of the tournament in the win, including the game’s first goal at 11:59 of the first period as well as a highlight reel tally to put Team USA up 5-2 late in the second period.
— Bjork went on to be named Team USA’s Player of the Game.
— Bjork played all seven games in the tournament for Team USA, finishing with three points on three goals. Ã… It marked team USA’s first medal at the annual event since 2013, when current Notre Dame senior forward Mario Lucia and Team USA won gold.
— In addition to Bjork, Notre Dame coordinator of hockey operations, Nick Siergiej, and Irish equipment specialist, Dave Gilbert, also won bronze medals serving in the same capacities with Team USA.
— Dating back to 1997, Bjork was the 19th Notre Dame player to take part in the IIHF World Junior Championships. Most recently, Thomas DiPauli and Vince Hinostroza were members of the 2014 U.S. Junior National Team that finished fifth in Malmo, Sweden.
— Bjork also became the fifth Notre Dame player to win a medal at the World Junior Championship, joining Lucia (gold in 2013), Kyle Palmieri (gold in 2010 and bronze in 2011), Kyle Lawson (bronze in 2007) and Ben Simon (silver in 1997).
PETERSEN HONORED BY HOCKEY EAST
— After leading the Notre Dame hockey team to a pair of ties at 17th-ranked Denver this past weekend (Jan. 1-2), sophomore goaltender Cal Petersen was named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week (Jan. 4).
— Petersen and the Irish skated to a 1-1 overtime tie against the Pioneers on Friday night (Jan. 1) with Petersen making a season-high 49 saves in that contest, including 23 saves in the second period.
— Then on Saturday (Jan. 2), Petersen made 43 saves as Notre Dame and Denver played to a 2-2 overtime tie.
— For the weekend, Petersen posted a 1.40 goals against average to go along with an impressive .968 save percentage (stopped 92 of 95 shots faced).
LAST WEEKEND: TWO TIES AT DENVER
— Last weekend, the Irish posted back-to-back tied against No. 17 Denver, skating to a 1-1 tie on Friday (Jan. 1) and following up with a 2-2 tie on Saturday (Jan. 2).
— Cal Petersen turned in a 49-save performance in game one, a season-high save total for the sophomore, while Connor Hurley scored the Notre Dame goal at 13:07 of the first period.
— On Saturday, the Irish were able to post a tie in dramatic fashion as senior forward Sam Herr scored the game-tying goal with 30 seconds left in the third period, knocking in a rebound in front.
— Thomas DiPauli scored the opening goal, giving the Irish a 1-0 lead at 5:54 of the first period.
— Petersen finished with 43 saves, including four saves in the overtime stanza.
— For exhibition purposes/per NCHC protocol, the teams also played a 3-on-3 overtime and had a sudden death shoot out each night, with Notre Dame winning the first night on a DiPauli shoot out goal.
HERR COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH
— Sam Herr has scored four goals this season, with each proving to be an important third-period tally. Ã… He scored the game winner against Western Michigan (Nov. 28) with just under five minutes to play in the third period in Notre Dame’s 3-1 victory.
— Herr’s other game winner this season came at 12:36 of the third period in Notre Dame’s 2-1 win at UConn (Oct. 31).
— Herr’s other two goals this season are third period, game-tying tallies: he scored at 7:32 of the third in a 3-3 tie with Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 23) and then netted the game-tying, power-play goal with 30 seconds remaining in the third period in a 2-2 tie at Denver (Jan. 2).
— The Irish are 5-0-2 this season when Herr registers at least one point.
PETERSEN CARRYING THE MAIL
— Sophomore goaltender Cal Petersen has started each of Notre Dame’s first 19 games of the 2015-16 season.
— Dating back to last season, he has started each of Notre Dame’s last 32 games.
— In Hockey East play this season, Petersen is 6-1-2 with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
— Petersen is also one of five Hockey East goaltenders to have played at least 90 percent of their team’s minutes in net (as of Jan. 5):
1. Thatcher Demko, BC — 99.6%
2. Kevin Boyle, UML — 99.0%
3. Cal Petersen, ND — 98.8%
4. Nick Ellis, PC — 93.9%
5. Rob Nichols, UConn — 92.7%
ACTIVE NOTRE DAME POINT STREAKS
— Anders Bjork headed to the World Junior Championship on a four-game point streak (2-3-5).
BALANCED ATTACK
— The balanced Irish attack features 10 players with at least nine points on the season, while 19 players have scored at least one goal this season. Ã… Notre Dame’s 19 goal scorers are the most in Hockey East, followed by Merrimack (18), Boston College (17), Boston University (17), UMass Lowell (17) and Providence (17).
— Thomas DiPauli (8-9-17) and Anders Bjork (5-11-16) are the team’s leading scorers, while DiPauli’s eight goals also lead the team.
— Steven Fogarty, Dylan Malmquist and Jordan Gross are tied for second on the team with six goals apiece.
— Jake Evans leads the team with 13 assists, while his 15 points (2-13-15) rank tied for third.
GROSS OFFENSE
— Sophomore defenseman Jordan Gross is providing an offensive spark to the Irish lineup as he is tied for second on the team with six goals and also has nine assists for 15 points.
— The six goals are one off his freshman season pace (42 GP, 7-21-28).
— Gross’ six goals also rank tied for third in the country for goals by a defenseman, trailing Jake Walman of Providence (11) and Teddy Doherty (who has also played as a forward this season) of Boston College (7).
— Gross’ 15 points rank tied for fifth in the country among defensemen.
IN THE POLLS
— In the rankings for an eighth consecutive week, the Irish moved up from No. 16 in the USCHO.com poll to No. 15 after skating to a pair of ties at No. 17 Denver.
— For the first time since Nov. 16 (five poll releases), the Irish also returned to the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine rankings at No. 14.
— Both rankings are the highest the Irish have reached in each respective poll this season.
APPROACHING 100
— Senior forward Mario Lucia (52-45-97) is approaching the 100-career points milestone.
— He would become the 49th Notre Dame player to reach 100 career points and the first since the 2012-13 season when both Anders Lee (61-55-116) and T.J. Tynan (54-107-161) reached 100 points.
DRAMATIC WIN AT BC
— Trailing 3-1 at 7:05 of the third period, Notre Dame scored three straight goals to post a 4-3, come-from-behind win at third-ranked Boston College on Dec. 10 at Conte Forum (4,863).
— Jordan Gross started the comeback, scoring his sixth goal of the season on a wrist shot from the point at 8:33 of the third, cutting Boston College’s lead to 3-2.
— After Jake Evans won an offensive zone face-off, Andrew Oglevie wired a wrist shot to the top corner past Thatcher Demko’s glove at 15:26 to tie it at 3-3.
— With 22 seconds left in the third and overtime looming, Dennis Gilbert sent a slap shot through traffic to hand the Irish the 4-3 win, snapping Boston College’s 13-game unbeaten streak.
— It was Gilbert’s first career game winner.
— The teams were knotted at 1-1 after the first period of play, including Jack Jenkins’ first career goal for the Irish.
— Early in the second period, Petersen kept it a 1-1 game when he saved Colin White’s penalty shot with his left pad (first penalty shot Petersen has faced in his Notre Dame career).
GILBERT NAMED HEA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
— After scoring the game-winning goal with 22 seconds left in the third period in Notre Dame’s 4-3 victory at No. 3 Boston College (Dec. 10), freshman defenseman Dennis Gilbert was named the Warrior Player of the Week by the Hockey East Association (Dec. 14).
— Gilbert also notched the primary assist on Jordan Gross’ third period goal that started the Notre Dame comeback.
— Gilbert’s goal was his first career game-winning goal and he recorded his second multi-point game in an Irish uniform.
— On the season, Gilbert has played in all 18 games for the Irish while totaling eight points on two goals and six assists.
— Gilbert was the first Notre Dame player to earn Hockey East Warrior Player of the Week honors since Cal Petersen did so on Feb. 23, 2015.
TOP MARKS IN THE COUNTRY
— Released on Nov. 4, the Notre Dame is first in NCAA Div. I hockey in the latest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) rankings with a perfect 100 score (tied with Bowling Green).
— The Irish also rank first in NCAA Div. I hockey in the Federal Rate (measured by the federal government in its Department of Education report) with a score of 94.
— Miami finished second in the Federal Rate with a score of 73.
— University wide, Notre Dame claimed a share of the 2015 national championship for graduating student-athletes in all sports – in the process posting the top NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figure (98) for its student-athletes for the ninth straight year.
IN OVERTIME
— The Irish are 0-0-6 in overtime this season, including a pair of 3-3 ties against then fifth-ranked Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 23-24), a 2-2 tie versus Northeastern on Nov. 13, a 2-2 tie at No. 5 UMass Lowell (Nov. 20) and a 1-1 tie at No. 17 Denver (Jan. 1) followed by 2-2 tie against the Pioneers the next night (Jan. 2).
— Two players on the current roster have overtime, game-winning goals:
— Jake Evans in a 3-2 win vs. Miami on Dec. 28, 2014 in the Florida College Hockey Classic.
— Connor Hurley in a 3-2 win at Merrimack on Nov. 14, 2014.
YOUNG GUNS
— According to research conducted by College Hockey Inc. (@Collegehockey), entering the 2015-16 season, the Notre Dame roster is the fifth-youngest in the country (as of Oct. 1, 2015).
— The top-five youngest teams entering the season include Boston College (20 years, 169 days), Boston University (20 years, 179 days), Michigan (20 years, 235 days), Wisconsin (20 years, 320 days) and Notre Dame (20 years, 333 days).
— Notre Dame’s roster includes 15 underclassmen (nine sophomores and six freshmen).
STAGING A COMEBACK
— With less than a minute to play in the second period, Notre Dame trailed at No. 5 UMass Lowell 2-0 on Nov. 20.
— A late Dennis Gilbert power-play goal to close the second period made it a 2-1 game and then Anders Bjork scored the game-tying goal midway through the third period in an eventual 2-2 overtime tie.
— Prior to the Irish comeback, UMass Lowell was 7-0-0 on the season when leading after two periods of play.
— It was just the fifth time under Head Coach Norm Bazin that the River Hawks could not hold a two-goal lead (86-3-2) and just the second time at home (39-0-2).