Jan. 30, 2008
Notre Dame, Ind. –
Complete Release in PDF Format 
• The Game: #8/#8 Notre Dame (20-9-1/13-6-1) vs. U.S. National Under-18 Team (15-16-3)
• Date/Site/Time: Friday, February 1, 2008 • Joyce Center (2,713) • 7:35 p.m.
• Broadcast Information: Radio: Notre Dame hockey can be heard live on WDND ESPN Sportscenter 1490 with Mike Lockert calling all the action for the Irish.
• Internet: Irish hockey can be heard on the Internet at the Notre Dame website – www.und.com. All Notre Dame home games and all CCHA games are available via gametracker.
A BREAK IN THE ACTION: The Notre Dame hockey team will take a break from the rigors of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) this week when the Irish face off against the U.S. National Team Developmental Program’s Under-18 squad in an exhibition game on Friday, February 1st at the Joyce Center. Face off is set for 7:35 p.m. The Irish are coming off a weekend sweep of Bowling Green that snapped a four-game winless streak (0-3-1). The 6-1 and 4-1 wins over the Falcons improved Notre Dame to 20-9-1 overall and 13-6-1 in the CCHA. The Irish enter the week with 27 points in the conference and that puts them in fourth place, two points behind third-place Michigan State (29), four points behind second-place Michigan (31) and seven points behind first-place Miami (34). Michigan and Michigan State have two games in hand on Notre Dame. The Irish are eight points ahead of fifth-place Nebraska-Omaha (19) and nine points ahead of sixth-place Bowling Green (18). The Under-18 Team brings a 15-16-3 overall record into Friday’s game, playing an mix of international, collegiate and junior teams during the season. The U.S. Team has played 14 games this year against Division I schools and is 4-9-1 with wins over Yale, Harvard, Minnesota-Duluth and last Friday’s 5-2 win at Northern Michigan. They are also 3-2-0 against Division III programs. After Friday’s game with Notre Dame, the U.S. will have two more Division I games left as they play at Robert Morris and Nebraska-Omaha in February.
IRISH VERSUS UNDER-18 TEAM: Friday’s game marks the fourth time that Notre Dame will face the U.S. Under-18 Team in exhibition play. The Irish own a 2-1-0 record versus the Under-18 team with the last meeting coming on Nov. 19, 2004, a game that Team USA won, 7-2. The other meetings came on Nov. 14, 2003, a 4-0 Irish win and Dec. 21, 2001, a 3-2 win by Notre Dame.
THE IRISH AND THE U.S. NATIONAL TEAM DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAM: Notre Dame’s current roster includes five players who have past experience with USA Hockey, as members of the National Team Development Program (NTDP). Since the program began, the Irish have had a total of 19 NTDP alums grace their roster. The current contingent includes junior goaltender Jordan Pearce, sophomore defenseman Kyle Lawson and freshmen defensemen Ian Cole and Teddy Ruth plus goaltender Brad Phillips. Other NTDP alums who played at Notre Dame include: Brett Henning (1997-98), Michael Chin (1997-98), Connor Dunlop (1997-99), Paul Harris (1997-99), John Wroblewski (1997-99), Neil Komadoski (1998-2000), Brett Lebda (1998-2000), Rob Globke (1998-2000), Derek Smith (2000-01) and Tim Wallace (2002-06), Noah Babin (2003-07), Michael Bartlett (2003-07), Tom Sawatske (2005-07) and Josh Sciba (2003-07).
FUTURE IRISH: Two members of the 2007-08 U.S. Under-18 Team will play their collegiate hockey at Notre Dame, beginning in the fall of 2008. Forward Patrick Gaul (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and defenseman Sean Lorenz (Littleton, Colo.) signed national letters-of-intent in November to attend Notre Dame. Gaul is currently sixth in scoring with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 31 games. Lorenz has played in every game and has two goals and three assists for five points.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Two Irish players were honored by the CCHA as players of the week for the week ending Jan. 27. Defenseman Brock Sheahan (Sr., Lethbridge, Alb.) was selected as the conference’s defenseman of the week. Freshman right wing Ben Ryan (Brighton, Mich.) was selected as the CCHA rookie of the week. In the Bowling Green series, Sheahan had an assist in each game, blocked three shots and was +3 while playing a key role in a 12-for-12 penalty-killing weekend. Ryan had two goals and two assists for four points and was +2. He had an assist in the 6-1 win on Friday and then had a career-best three-point game (2 ppg, 1 assist) in the 4-1 win on Saturday night.
20 WINS: With the two victories over Bowling Green last weekend, the Irish now have 20 wins on the year. Combined with last year’s 32-win season, Notre Dame now has back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time in the program’s 40-year history.
EIGHTH IN THE NATION: Notre Dame’s two-game sweep of Bowling Green last weekend helped move the Irish back to eighth in both the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine and USCHO.com/CSTV polls. Six of Notre Dame’s last 10 games have come against ranked opponents.
ON A ROLL: Notre Dame’s two-game series sweep of Bowling Green on Jan. 25-26 gives the Irish a 12-game unbeaten streak (11-0-1) against the Falcons. That streak started with the 2005-06 season. The Irish are also 8-0-0 versus Bowling Green over the last two campaigns.
ON DECK: Following the exhibition contest with the U.S. Under-18 squad, Notre Dame heads into the home stretch of the 2007-08 season. The Irish will have eight CCHA games remaining with five at home and three on the road. Next week, Feb. 8-9, the Irish will play host to Ferris State in a two-game series. On Feb. 15-16, they travel to Alaska for a pair of games. Notre Dame then returns home to face Ohio State (Feb. 22-23) before closing out the season with a home-and-home series with Western Michigan (Feb. 29 at WMU, March 1 at home).
BOWLING GREEN RECAP: January 25 – Notre Dame scored three first-period goals, including two on the power play, on the way to a 6-1 win over Bowling Green on Friday in front of 2,857 at the Joyce Center. Sophomore left wing Ryan Thang (Edina, Minn.) led the way with two power-play markers and an assist for three points in the game. Right wing Erik Condra (Jr., Livonia, Mich.) added one goal and two assists for his seventh multiple-point game of the year. Mark Van Guilder (Sr., Roseville, Minn.) added a goal and an assist while Calle Ridderwall (Fr., Stockholm, Sweden) and Christian Hanson (Jr., Venetia, Pa.) also scored for the Irish. Goaltender Jordan Pearce (Jr., Anchorage, Alaska) made 20 saves in picking up his 15th win of the year. Thang (2 ppg) and Condra staked the Irish to a 3-0 lead after one period of play as Notre Dame out shot Bowling Green by a 16-2 margin. Van Guilder (6:00) and Ridderwall (8:36) made it 5-0 before John Mazzei broke up Pearce’s shutout bid at 17:49 of the second period. Hanson closed the scoring with a third-period goal, his eighth of the year. On the night, Notre Dame out shot the Falcons, 32-21. Nick Eno played the first 40 minutes and made 19 saves, while Jimmy Spratt made seven saves in the third period. The Irish were 2-for-3 on the power play while the Falcons were 0-for-6.
January 26 – Saturday’s game at Bowling Green was freshman Ben Ryan’s turn to lead the Irish as the right wing scored a pair of power-play goals and added an assist in the 4-1 win. The three-point game was the best of his career. Defenseman Ian Cole (Fr., Ann Arbor, Mich.) scored the game winner in the second period and Kevin Deeth (So., Gig Harbor, Wash.) added a short-handed empty-net goal to seal the win. Ryan got his first of the night at 4:33 of the first period for his seventh goal of the season. The score stayed 1-0 until the 16:01 mark of the second when Cole combined with Mark Van Guilder on a 2-on-1 to beat goaltender Jimmy Spratt for his third of the season. Dan Sexton scored a short-handed goal for the Falcons at 11:58 of the third to cut the Notre Dame lead to 2-1. Ryan got his second power-play goal of the night off of Justin White’s (Jr., Traverse City, Mich.) second assist at 16:31 and Deeth closed the scoring at 19:41 for the 4-1 win. Notre Dame out shot Bowling Green, 26-22, on the night with Jordan Pearce making 21 saves and Spratt 22. The Irish were 2-for-8 on the power-play and the Falcons were 0-for-6.
WHAT SLUMP?: After going 0-for-the-last eight games from Dec. 29 to Jan. 19 on the power-play (0-for-38 overall), the Irish found the scoring touch versus Bowling Green, going 2-for-3 on Friday night at the Joyce Center and then 2-for-8 on Saturday at the BGSU Ice Arena. The Irish are currently 4-for-11 (36.4%) over the last two games with the man advantage. For the year, they are 26-for-165 (15.8%).
BAD BOYS: Notre Dame and Bowling Green combined for 51 penalties and 157 minutes in the two-game series last week. On Friday night, the two teams had 23 penalties for 97 minutes with the Falcons getting 10-for-44 and the Irish a season-high 13-for-57. On Saturday, Notre Dame had just seven for 14 minutes while the Falcons had an opponent’s season high of 11-for-46 minutes.
PERSONAL STREAK: Notre Dame goaltender Jordan Pearce snapped his own four-game winless streak (0-3-1) with the Jan. 25, 6-1 win over Bowling Green. He added a second-straight win with a 4-1 victory on Jan. 26. In the four non-wins, Pearce gave up just eight goals in a loss at Northern Michigan, 2-1, a loss at Michigan State, 3-1, a tie with the Spartans, 1-1 and a loss at Michigan, 3-2. In those four games, Notre Dame scored just five goals. Earlier this season, Pearce had a personal seven-game winning streak between Nov. 16 and Dec. 8. During the streak, Pearce was 7-0-0 with a 1.72 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. For the season, Pearce is 16-8-1 with a 1.93 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage with two shutouts.
SHINNY ANYONE?: On Monday, Jan. 21, Notre Dame’s practice had a different look. The Irish went back to their hockey roots that day as they ventured to nearby Merrifield Park in Mishawaka, Ind., to play a little shinny on the outdoor rink. Complete with temperatures in the single digits, stocking caps, hot chocolate and a great deal of laughter, the Irish spent some time having fun playing the game they love. Smiles were the number one priority and Monday’s practice was a smashing success in that area.
DEFENSIVE SCORING: Through the first 30 games of the season, Notre Dame’s defense has accounted for 13 of the team’s 95 goals (13.6%), 42-of-149 assists (28.2%) and 55-of-244 points (22.5%). Kyle Lawson (So., New Hudson, Mich.) leads the group with 3-13-16 and is followed by Dan VeNard (5-4-9). Brock Sheahan and Brett Blatchford (So., Temperance, Mich.) each have nine assists for nine point on the year. Ian Cole is right behind them with three goals and five assists for eight points while Teddy Ruth (Fr., Naperville, Ill.) and Luke Lucyk (Jr., Fox Point, Wis.) each have a goal and an assist.
ON THE PLUS SIDE: Senior defenseman Brock Sheahan is one of the CCHA’s top defensive defensemen. As a junior, he was a finalist for the conference’s top defensive defenseman award. This season, Sheahan continues to be a force on the Irish blue line. He is currently +18 for the year to lead the team in that category. He is also tied for seventh in the CCHA with the +18 mark.
SECOND-HALF NUMBERS: Friday night’s (Jan. 25) six-goal out burst was the most goals for the Irish in a game since a 7-0 win at Princeton on Dec. 8. The Irish finished the weekend, scoring a total of 10 goals overall. During the second half of the season that started on Dec. 29, the Irish have now scored 24 goals (2.40) while giving up 22 (2.20). In those 10 games, the Irish are 4-5-1. In the first half of the year (20 games) the Irish averaged 3.55 goals per game and were ranked third in the country in scoring. They are now tied for 11th, averaging 3.17 goals-per-game.
THE CENTURY CLUB: Notre Dame’s “Century Club” added its newest member on Nov. 24 when junior Erik Condra recorded an assist versus R.P.I. In 105 career games, Condra is now 34th on the all-time points list with 31 goals and 81 assists for 112 points. His 81 assists rank him 24th on the all-time assist list. For the third season in a row, Condra leads the Irish in scoring with 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points in 30 games.
THE PENALTY KILL: Through the first 30 games of the season, Notre Dame ranks second in the CCHA and fourth in the nation killing penalties. The Irish have killed 126-of-140 opponent power plays for an 90.0% success rate. The Irish also are tied for the national lead with Providence in short-handed goals with eight. Over the last three games, the Irish have killed 15 consecutive opponent power-play chances. Over the first 20 games, the Irish led the nation in penalty killing, killing 89-of-96 for a 92.7 % success rate. At the time, they had given up seven power-play goals while scoring seven short-handed tallies.
VAN GUILDER BREAKS SKID: Senior captain Mark Van Guilder saw his 10-game goal-less streak end versus Bowling Green on Jan. 25 when he scored his ninth of the year in the second period against Bowling Green. His last goal had come on December 1 against Nebraska-Omaha. The senior center has now scored nine of his 38 career goals against Bowling Green. He finished the weekend with a goal and two assists.
THE GOOD AND THE BAD: Through the first 30 games of the season, when the Irish are good, they are very good. In the 20 wins this season, Notre Dame has scored 83 goals (4.15 per game). In the nine losses and one tie, Notre Dame has scored just 12 goals for a 1.20 goals-per game mark. In the 20 wins, the Irish have given up just 29 goals (1.45 goals-against average) while in the nine losses and one tie, they have given up 31 goals (3.10 goals against). The 2-1 loss to Northern Michigan on Jan. 4 marked the first time all season that the Irish lost a game when giving up two goals or less.
ONE-GOAL LOSSES: During the first half of the season, Notre Dame was 6-0 in one-goal games. In the second half of the season, the Irish have seen four of their nine games end in one-goal decisions with opponents winning three of the four one-goal games. For the year, Notre Dame is now 7-3 in one-goal contests.
FIVE-GOALS: Michigan’s five-goal out burst on Jan. 19 marked just the second time in the last two seasons that Notre Dame has given up five goals in a game. The last time came on Feb. 23, 2007 in a 5-2 loss to Ferris State. Under head coach Jeff Jackson, the Irish have given up five or more in a game just seven times in his three seasons (107 games) behind the bench.
HOCKEY HUMANITARIAN: Senior defenseman Dan VeNard (Vernon Hills, Ill.) was one of 22 nominees for the College Hockey Humanitarian Award that goes to college hockey’s “top citizen”. The list was to 10 on Jan. 28 and VeNard did not advance. The Irish alternate captain has been heavily involved in community service work in and around the Notre Dame campus during his career. He also serves as the president of Notre Dame’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
HOBEY HOPEFULS: Fan voting has begun for the 2008 Hobey Baker Award at www.hobeybaker.com. Two Notre Dame players are on the ballot – junior right wing Erik Condra (Livonia, Mich.) and senior right wing Mark Van Guilder (Roseville, Minn.).
BUMP IN THE ROAD: Freshman goaltender Brad Phillips (Farmington Hills, Mich.) saw his four-game winning streak snapped on Jan. 19 in the 5-1 loss to Michigan. The rookie netminder played 35:16 of the game, giving up four goals on 19 shots. In the first four starts of his career, Phillips was 4-0-0 with a 0.75 goals-against average and a .958 with one shutout. His numbers are currently 4-1-0 with a 1.53 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.
IRON MAN: Senior center Mark Van Guilder (Sr., Roseville, Minn.) has his sights set on Notre Dame’s all-time record for most consecutive games played. The record of 153 straight games was set by Tim Wallace `06 who played in every game of his career – 153 straight. Van Guilder has now played in every game of his career – 146 consecutive games played through the first 30 games this year.
CLUTCH SCORER: Ryan Thang’s goal with 38 seconds left versus Michigan State on Jan. 13 salvaged a 1-1 tie for the Irish. The sophomore left wing has now scored four game-winning goals this season and one game-tying goal among his team-high 14 goals. In 71 career games, Thang has scored 34 goal with 16 coming on the power play and 10 of them game winners. His 10 game winners tie him for sixth on the all-time game-winning goals list at Notre Dame.
BALANCED ATTACK: Notre Dame comes into the game with the U.S. Under-18 Team ranked 11th in the nation in scoring with 3.17 goals per game. Through the first 20 games, the Irish were third in the nation, averaging 3.55 goals per game. Despite the ranking, the Irish have just two players on the roster with 10 or more goals this season – Ryan Thang with 14 and Erik Condra with 11. The Irish have accumulated their 95 goals this year with 10 players on the roster having five goals or more.
THE KISSEL EFFECT: Sophomore left wing Dan Kissel has career highs in assists (11) and points (17) this season. For his career, Kissel has played in 48 games with 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points. Of his 12 goals, he has two power-play goals, two shorthanded tallies and four game winners.
MR. CONSISTENT: Sophomore defenseman Kyle Lawson (So., New Hudson, Mich.) has proven to be one of the CCHA’s most consistent defensemen this season. A two-time CCHA defenseman of the week this season, Lawson leads all Notre Dame defensemen in scoring with three goals and 13 assists for 16 points. Already this year, he has a power-play goal and a pair of game-winning goals. Lawson’s 16 points tie him for sixth among CCHA defensemen this season. He is tied for third on the team with a +11 on the year.