Feb. 9, 2005
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* The Series: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-19-6/3-14-5) vs. Ferris State Bulldogs (9-17-4/4-14-4)
* Date/Site/Times: Fri.-Sat., Feb. 11-12, 2005 – 7:35 p.m./7:05 p.m. – Joyce Center (2,713) – Notre Dame, Ind.
* Broadcast Information: Radio: Notre Dame hockey can be heard live on ESPN Radio 1580, South Bend’s SportsCenter. Mike Lockert, “the voice of Irish hockey” and Tom Nevala will bring you all the action both nights. Irish hockey can also be heard live via the internet at www.und.com.
BULLDOGS INVADE THE JOYCE CENTER:
Notre Dame closes out its five-game homestand this weekend with a pair of games versus the Ferris State Bulldogs on Fri.-Sat., Feb. 11-12 at the Joyce Center. Friday’s game starts at 7:35 p.m. with Saturday’s tilt scheduled for 7:05 p.m. This series pits the 11th and 12th place teams in the CCHA with both teams looking to move higher in the final standings. Notre Dame comes into the series with a 5-19-6 overall record and a 3-14-5 mark in the CCHA, good for 11 points and 12th place. Ferris State is 9-17-4 on the year and stands 11th in conference play with a 4-14-4 mark for 12 points. Western Michigan is in 10th place with 13 points and Lake Superior State is ninth with 17 points as the two teams ahead of the Irish and Bulldogs. Last weekend, the Irish battled Nebraska-Omaha to a 1-1 tie on Friday night, before falling in the second game of the series, 6-3. Ferris State is coming off a tie with Bowling Green (5-5) and 4-2 loss on Saturday to the Falcons. Following this weekend’s games, Notre Dame takes on first-place Michigan on Friday, February 18th at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. That game will start at 8:05 p.m. and will be televised by College Sports Television (CSTV). On Feb. 19, the Irish travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the second game of the series at 7:35 p.m. That game will be televised by Fox Sports Detroit.
IRISH VERSUS BULLDOGS:
The two teams have met 50 times in the all-time series with the Bulldogs having a 31-14-5 edge in those games. At the Joyce Center, Ferris State is 17-8-3. In a quirk in scheduling, since Nov. 26, 1998, the two teams have met 13 times with 11 of the games at the Joyce Center. The Irish are 5-5-1 in those 11 meetings. Last season, Notre Dame took two from the Bulldogs at the Joyce by 4-2 and 4-1 scores.
BREAKING THE STREAK:
Notre Dame’s 1-1 tie with Nebraska-Omaha snapped an eight-game Irish losing streak that started on Jan. 8 at Lake Superior State in a 2-1 overtime loss. Notre Dame’s last victory came on Jan. 2, a 2-1 win over Rensselaer. Since then, the Irish are 0-9-2 in their last 11 games. Despite losing to the Mavericks on Saturday by a 6-3 score, the Irish offense showed signs of life. The three goals were the most by Notre Dame in a game since Dec. 11 when the Irish defeated Michigan State, 3-2 in overtime. In the 13 games after that 3-2 win and before the three goals versus UNO, tthe Irish had scored just 14 goals. On the year, the Irish have scored 46 goals in 30 games (1.53 goals-per-game average) and ranks last in the nation (58th) in goal scoring. For the season, the Irish have been outscored 99-46. In 17 of the 30 games played to date, the Irish have scored a goal or less. Notre Dame’s previous low for goals-per-game in a season occurred during the 1999-2000 season when the Irish scored just 2.45 goals per game.
McLEAN TAKES OVER:
With points in three of his last four games, senior center Cory McLean (Fargo, N.D.) has taken over the team lead in scoring. McLean now has four goals and 12 assists for 16 points on the year. He leads defenseman Wes O’Neill (So., Essex, Ont.) by one point. O’Neill has six goals and nine assists for his 15 points. O’Neill has career highs in goals (6) and points (15). McLean is two assists off his career-best for assists. That was 14 and came in his junior year (2003-04).
NEBRASKA-OMAHA RECAP:
Saturday, Feb. 5 – Mick Lawrence led Nebraska-Omaha with two goals and two assists for four points and the Mavericks scored four third-period goals to snap a 2-2 tie on the way to a 6-3 win over the Irish. Lawrence opened the scoring with his first goal of the night via the power play at 2:30 of the opening period. Notre Dame tied the game at 4:02 of the second on Mike Walsh’s (Jr., Northville, Mich.) second goal of the season. Bill Thomas put UNO ahead, 2-1, at 11:51 with another power-play tally, but the Irish tied the game at 19:05 on a Cory McLean goal that was set up by a strong rush from defenseman Chris Trick (Jr., Troy, Mich.) and the second period ended 2-2. The game would stay that way until 14:03 of the third period when Scott Parse and Mike Lefley (14:25) scored just 22 seconds apart for the Mavs. Tony Gill (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) answered back at 15:30 to make it a 4-3 game, but Dan Hacker (18:42) and Lawrence (ENG) at 19:40 gave the Mavericks the 6-3 win. On the night, Nebraska-Omaha out shot the Irish by a 38-33 margin. Morgan Cey (Sr., Wilkie, Sask.) made 32 saves for the Irish.
Friday, Feb. 4 – Freshman defenseman Luke Lucyk (Fox Point, Wis.) scored his first collegiate goal at 7:20 of the third period to give the Irish a 1-1 overtime tie with Nebraska-Omaha. Goaltenders Morgan Cey (Sr., Wilkie, Sask.) and Nebraska-Omaha’s Chris Holt engaged in a goaltending dual as they turned asisde 26 and 30 shots respectively in the tie. UNO took a first-period lead at 13:39 when Scott Parse scored short-handed for his 15th goal of the year. In the third period, Cory McLean made a pass from the right wing circle back to Lucyk at the right point. Lucyk fired a low wrister that beat Holt between the pads to tie the game. On the night, the Irish out shot Nebraska-Omaha by a 31-27 margin, marking the third consecutive game that the Irish has out shot a team.
FOUR-GOAL PERIOD:
The four goals given up by the Irish in the third period of the Feb. 5 game were the most given up by the Irish in a game this season. On six different occasions this year, the Irish have given up three goals in a period. The third period has proven to be a tough period for the Irish this year as they have been out scored 39-13 in the final stanza.
STREAK BREAKERS:
Forwards Mike Walsh and Evan Rankin (Fr., Portage, Mich.) broke scoring droughts in the 6-3 loss to Nebraska-Omaha. Walsh’s second-period goal was his first since scoring on Dec. 11 versus Michigan State, snapping a 13-game scoring drought. Rankin picked up an assist on Walsh’s goal, breaking a streak of 13 games without a point.
CLOSE BUT…:
Junior center Matt Amado (Surrey, B.C.) had a career-high 10 shots on goal on Feb. 5 versus UNO. His previous best was six shots in one game.
OUT OF ACTION:
The 2004-05 season is one that sophomore right wing Matt Williams-Kovacs (Calgary, Alb.) would like to forget. He suffered a broken right ankle on Oct. 16 at Miami and missed the next 14 games. He returned to the Notre Dame lineup on Jan. 2 versus R.P.I. and played in that game and the first period of the Jan. 7 Lake Superior game when he suffered a broken right wrist and will be lost for the remainder of the season. He was scoreless in six games this season. Following the Jan. 28 game at Bowling Green, Williams-Kovacs was joined on the sidelines by sophomore left wing Josh Sciba (Westland, Mich.) and freshman defenseman Dan VeNard (Vernon Hills, Ill.). Both went down with shoulder injuries and are out indefinitely. For Sciba, the three games are the first he’s missed this year. VeNard missed six games earlier this season after suffering a shoulder separation at Western Michigan on Nov. 13. He has now missed three more games.
WES FOR THE DEFENSE:
Sophomore defenseman Wes O’Neill has become Notre Dame’s offensive and defensive leader this season. Through 30 games, O’Neill is tied for the team lead in goals (6), power-play goals (5) and is second in points (15). He is second in assists (9) and tied for sixth in shots on goal (58). O’Neill has career highs in goals (6) and points (15) this season.
SHOT MARGINS:
For the season, Notre Dame has out shot its opponents just 10 times on the year, but the Irish have done it in three of their last four games. When Notre Dame out shoots an opponent, the Irish are 2-3-5. Notre Dame has been held to less than 20 shots in a game eight times this year. When out shot on the year, the Irish are 3-15-1. Notre Dame is 1-1 when shots are even.
MR. STRETCH DRIVE:
Over the course of his four seasons at Notre Dame, Morgan Cey has been Notre Dame’s go-to-guy in the stretch drive in each season including the post season. The senior goaltender has played in 33 games, making 32 starts. He has played 1905:24 minutes, giving up 75 goals with 896 saves. He is 16-13-1 with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. Included in his 16 wins are three shutouts.
FIT TO BE TIED:
Notre Dame’s tie versus Nebraska-Omaha was the first overtime game for the Irish since a Jan. 8 overtime loss to Lake Superior State. For the season, the Irish are 1-1-6 in overtime with the win coming on Dec. 10 versus Michigan State. That was the first regular-season overtime win since Jan. 25, 2002, a span of 16 overtime games (0-2-14). Since the 1999-2000 season, Notre Dame has been involved in 49 overtime games. In those games, the Irish are 7-6-36. During the 2003-04 season, Notre Dame had a total of eight overtime contests, going 1-3-4 in those games. The lone overtime win came in game three of the first round of the CCHA playoffs versus Western Michigan.
BUSY MONTH:
The two losses to Bowling Green closed out a busy January for the Irish. Notre Dame played 11 times during the month, marking just the second time in the program’s history that the Irish played that many times in one 31-day period. During January, the Irish were 1-9-1 with the win coming versus Rensselaer on Jan. 2 and the tie at Lake Superior State on Jan. 7. The only other time that Notre Dame played 11 games in a month was Jan. of 1976. That season, the Irish were 5-5-1 in those 11 games.
CEY’S LAST MONTH:
In his last 11 decisions, Morgan Cey is 1-8-2 in 12 appearances. The senior goaltender owns a 2.63 goals-against average with a .912 save percentage. In the 12 games he played in, the Irish have scored 15 goals. He ranks third on Notre Dame’s all-time games played list for goaltenders with 107 career appearances.
IRON MAN:
Junior right wing Tim Wallace (Anchorage, Alaska) has played in all 109 games of his Notre Dame career. The Irish record for consecutive games played belongs to Evan Nielsen (’03) who played in 114 consecutive games between 2001-03. Nielsen missed just two games, playing in 156 of 158 games. Wallace played in all 40 games as a freshman and all 39 Irish games in 2003-04. The center has a three goals and eight assists for 11 points in the first 30 games of 2004-05. That equals his career-best of 11 points, set in each of his first three seasons.
THE PUCK STOPS HERE:
Goaltender Morgan Cey continues to make his mark in the Notre Dame record books (see table above). On the season, the senior goaltender is 3-12-5 with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. In his 20 decisions this year, the Irish have scored 32 goals. Earlier this season (Oct. 24), Cey was named the CCHA’s goaltender and USCHO.com’s defensive player of the week. Cey recorded a career-high 50 saves in downing the top-ranked Boston College Eagles, 3-2, at the Joyce Center on Oct. 22. Of the 49 goals he’s given up this year, 21 have been on the power play.
SEN-CEY-TIONAL:
Morgan Cey’s 50-save performance versus Boston College was the first 50-save game for a Notre Dame goaltender since Lance Madson (’86-’90) turned in 57 saves in a 6-3 loss to Air Force on Nov. 12, 1988. Cey, now has 38 wins in his career to rank sixth on Notre Dame’s all-time wins list.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME:
The Irish will play their second of two home games away from the Joyce Center on Friday, Feb. 18 when they play host to Michigan at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. That game will begin at 8:05 p.m. and tickets remain available at at the Memorial Coliseum Box Office.
IRISH ON COMCAST LOCAL:
Notre Dame has appeared on Comcast Local five times this season. Friday night’s tie with Nebraska-Omaha gives the Irish a 1-2-2 record in games televised by Comcast Local. They opened the year with a 3-2 win over then No. 1 Boston College. The second appearance was a 2-2 tie at Western Michigan. Since then, it’s been a pair of losses – 8-0 to Michigan on Dec. 4 and then 4-1 at Michigan State on Dec. 11. Notre Dame’s final regular season game of the year on March 5 versus Michigan State is scheduled for the Comcast airwaves.
ENDING THE DROUGHT:
Michael Bartlett’s (So., Morton Grove, Ill.) power-play goal in the 4-1 loss at Bowling Green ended a pair of goal-less streaks for the Irish. First, it ended a streak of 187:13 without a goal for Notre Dame, a streak that started in the second period of the Jan. 18 game versus Michigan Tech. It also ended an 0-for-29 streak for the Irish power play going without a goal. That streak started in the third period of the Jan. 15 game versus Ohio State.
RORY’S STORY:
Junior goaltender Rory Walsh (Milton, Mass.) saw his first action in the Jan. 29 game versus Bowling Green since Dec. 5, 2003 at Western Michigan. He played the final 30:33 minutes, giving up just one goal on 12 shots. It was the fourth appearance in goal in his Notre Dame career.
VERSUS RANKED TEAMS:
Through the first 30 games of the 2004-05 season, Notre Dame has played 13 contests versus teams ranked teams. In those 13 games, the Irish are 1-10-2. The lone win came against Boston College (Oct. 22) when the Eagles were ranked first in the nation. The ties have come versus Minnesota-Duluth and Northern Michigan.
NOAH KNOWS:
Defenseman Noah Babin (So., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) had his career-best four-game point-scoring streak (1-3-4) snapped versus Michigan Tech (Jan. 18). Prior to that game, Babin had a hand in each of Notre Dame’s previous four goals, scoring on Jan. 7 at Lake Superior, assisting on ND’s lone goal versus the Lakers on Jan. 8 and then assisting on each Notre Dame goal in the 4-1 and 3-1 losses to Ohio State. On the year, Babin is second among Notre Dame defensemen in scoring with career highs in goals (3), assists (5) and points (8). As a freshman last year, Babin had one assist in 31 games.
ATTENDANCE MARK:
Notre Dame’s “home” game at Allstate Arena versus Wisconsin on Jan. 22 drew 8,173 fans who braved a winter snowstorm to watch college hockey. The crowd was the most to see a college hockey game in Chicago and is the largest home crowd ever for the Irish. Due to the bad weather, there were close to 3,000 no-shows for the game.
IRISH AT ALLSTATE:
Notre Dame has now played twice at Allstate Arena. On Jan. 18, 2003, the Irish dropped a 3-1 decision to Yale in front of 5,091 fans. That was the first collegiate hockey game played in Chicago since Illinois-Chicago dropped its program in 1996.
FRESHMAN FIRSTS:
Defenseman Luke Lucyk (Fr., Fox Point, Wis.) joined fellow freshman defender Dan VeNard by scoring the first goal of his collegiate career on Feb. 4 versus Nebraska-Omaha.. VeNard got the firs tof his career on Jan. 18 in the 6-2 loss to Michigan Tech as he beat Huskies goaltender Cam Ellsworth on a breakaway.
ALL TIED UP:
The most ties the Irish have ever had in a season is eight and that came during the 1999-2000 campaign. The most overtime games the Irish have participated in is 11 and that came during the 1993-94 season. Notre Dame was 2-4-5 in those games.
NO TRICK TO THIS GAME:
After scoring just one goal in the first 77 games of his Notre Dame career, Irish defenseman Chris Trick (Jr., Troy, Mich.) has scored twice this season. In 28 games this season, the junior has career highs in goals (2), assists (5) and points (7).
BUCKEYE MASTERY:
Ohio State has had Notre Dame’s number since the start of the 2000-01 season. In the 14 games played between the two teams, the Buckeyes own a 10-1-3 record, including a pair of wins in each of the last two CCHA Super Six opening games.
CENTURY MARK:
Notre Dame head coach Dave Poulin needs one more win in CCHA play to reach the 100-win mark in league play. Now in his 10th season, Poulin is 99-133-40 in CCHA play. In all games, the Irish head coach is 138-179-50. His 139 career wins rank second on the all-time list at Notre Dame behind “Lefty” Smith who has 307 wins behind the Irish bench.
POWER-PLAY STRUGGLES:
The Irish went 0-for-8 on the power play versus Nebraska-Omaha for the weekend series. Over the last seven games, the Irish are 2-for-44 (4.5%) with the man advantage. Since Dec. 10 (15 games), the Irish are just 6-for-87 with the power play (6.9%). On the year, the Irish have scored 18 power-play goals in 197 chances (9.1%).
PLAYING SHORT-HANDED:
Notre Dame’s penalty killers have surrendered 14 power-play goals in the last 61 opponent chances dating back to the Ohio State series (77.1% penalty killing rate) on Jan. 14-15. Included in that span of games was the Irish shutting Wisconsin’s No. 2-ranked power play (12-for-12) on Jan. 21-22. For the year, Notre Dame has given up 38 power-play goals in 201 chances for an 81.0% succes rate. Last season, Notre Dame’s penalty-killing unit was tops in the CCHA and was fourth in the nation in 2003-04, killing penalties at an 87.4% success rate.
IRISH ON CSTV:
Notre Dame saw its record on College Sports Television (CSTV) fall to 1-1 this season and 4-2 all-time with the 2-0 loss to Wisconsin on Jan. 21. On Dec. 10, the Irish came from behind to defeat Michigan State in overtime, 3-2. All-time, the Irish are 4-2 when the CSTV cameras go on. Last season, the Irish won at Ohio State, 5-2, defeated Boston College, 1-0, lost to Cornell in the Everblades College Classic, 4-0 and then defeated Michigan at the Joyce Center, 4-1, in front of the national TV audience.
BLUE-LINE SCORING:
Sophomore defenseman Wes O’Neill is second on the Irish in scoring after 30 games with six goals and nine assists. He is followed on the blue line by sophomore Noah Babin (3-5-8) and junior Chris Trick is third with a two goals and five assists for seven points. Freshman Brock Sheahan (Lethbridge, Alb.) checks in with three assists on the year while Dan VeNard (Fr., Vernon Hills, Ill.) has a goal and an assist. Freshman Luke Lucyk also has a goal and an assist on the season. Through 30 games, the Irish defense has accounted for 13 of Notre Dame’s 46 goals (28.2%%) and 35 of Notre Dame’s 127 points (27.6%).
TOUGH BARNS:
Since returning to the CCHA in 1992-93, Michigan’s Yost Arena and Michigan State’s Munn Arena have been regular “Houses of Horror” for the Irish. At Yost Arena, the Irish are 1-15-1 in the last 17 regular-season meetings and 2-19-1 overall. At Munn Arena, Notre Dame is 2-16-1 on the home ice of the Spartans.
THREE RANKED BY NHL:
Three hockey players who have signed national letters-of-intent to attend Notre Dame have been ranked by the Nathional Hockey League’s (NHL) Central Scouting in their mid-term rankings for the June 2005 draft. Christian Hanson (Venetia, Pa./Tri-City Storm) was ranked 52nd among all North American skaters. He leads Tri-City in scoring with 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points in 40 games. Defenseman Kyle Lawson (New Hudson, Mich./USA Under-18) is ranked 195th. He has a goal and 13 assists for 14 points in 25 games for the U.S. Under-18 Team. He will defer until the 2006-07 season. Goaltender Jordan Pearce (Anchorage, Alaska/Lincoln Stars) was ranked ninth among goaltenders eligible for the draft. He is 14-7-3 for Lincoln with a 3.18 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage.
THIRD PERIOD BREAKDOWNS:
Through the first 30 games of the season, Notre Dame has been out scored by a 99-47 margin. Much of the disparity has come in the third period when the Irish have been out scored 39-13 (-26).
RANK-IN-FILE:
Freshman right wing Evan Rankin (Portage, Mich.) continues to show a nose for the net in his rookie season. The Portage, Mich., native returned to the lineup after missing two games (U.S. Under-18 Team and UAF) with a hip injury to score his fourth goal of the season (first on the power play) in the 3-2 loss to the Nanooks on Nov. 27. He set up Matt Amado’s game winner versus Michigan State and led the team with six shots on goal in the game. He leads Irish freshmen in scoring with four goals and four assists for eight points in 27 games this season.
THREE-GOAL LEADS:
Notre Dame led Bowling Green by a 3-0 score on Nov. 5, before giving up four goals to trail, 4-3. Wes O’Neill saved tje dau for the Irish when he scored with three seconds left in an eventual 4-4 tie. The last time the Irish surrendered a three-goal lead was on Nov. 6, 1998. The Irish led Boston College, 5-2 after two periods before settling for a 5-5 tie.
CAREER BESTS:
Junior left wing Mike Walsh (Northville, Mich.) had the first three-point game and the first three-assist game of his career in the 4-4 tie with Bowling Green. Defenseman Wes O’Neill recorded the first two-goal game of his career versus the Falcons. Freshman right wing Evan Rankin recorded the first multiple-point game of his career (goal and assist) versus Bowling Green. Cory McLean equalled his career-high with three points versus the Falcons as he scored once and added two assists in the contest.
GILL THE THRILL:
Junior center Tony Gill (Rochester, Minn.) scored the first goal of his Notre Dame career in the 3-2 win over Alaska Fairbanks. He got his second goal of the year on Feb. 5 versus Nebraska-Omaha.
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES:
The Irish experienced their own version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles on their journey to Fairbanks, Alaska. The Irish hockey team left the Notre Dame campus at 1:30 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, Nov. 24 and took five hours for the 112-mile trip to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (due to holiday traffic and weather). From there, the 7:20 p.m. (CST) flight to Anchorage, Alaska didn’t leave Chicago until midnight. The six-hour-and-thirty minute flight arrived at 3:30 a.m. (Alaska Standard Time – 7:30 a.m. EST). The Irish flight to Fairbanks left at 1:00 a.m. (AST), so the team had to stay in an Anchorage hotel for five hours before leaving for the airport at 9:45 a.m. (1:45 p.m. EST). The team arrived in Fairbanks at 12:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. EST) making the normal 16-hour trip a 27-hour ordeal. The Irish went right from the airport to the Carlson Center to practice for an hour-and-a-half before enjoying Thanksgiving dinner at 3:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. EST).
CAPTAINS:
Senior Cory McLean (Fargo, N.D.) will serve as Notre Dame’s team captain this season. The team’s two alternate captains will be junior Mike Walsh (Northville, Mich.) and sophomore Jason Paige (Saginaw, Mich.). Paige is just the second sophomore in Dave Poulin’s 10 seasons at Notre Dame to be selected as an alternate captain. The first was Steve Noble (’98) who was selected an alternate for the 1995-96 season. He went on to serve as captain in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
TOUGH PLACE TO WIN:
Notre Dame’s win at Western Michigan on Nov. 13th was just the fourth for the Irish at Lawson Arena since returning to the CCHA in 1992-93. Notre Dame is now 4-16-3 at Lawson since that season. Overall, the Irish are 7-19-4 in the all-time series versus the Broncos in Kalamazoo, Mich.
NHL DRAFTEES:
In June of 2004, the Irish had three players selected in the NHL Entry Draft. Freshman right wing Victor Oreskovich (Oakville, Ont.) was a second-round selection, 55th overall by the Colorado Avalanche. Sophomore defenseman Wes O’Neill was chosen in the fourth round, 115th overall by the New York Islanders. Sophomore goaltender David Brown was selected in the eighth round, 228th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Those three join junior Mike Walsh as Notre Dame players selected by in the draft. Walsh was picked in the fifth round of the 2002 draft by the New York Rangers.
BLASTING THE BISCUIT:
The Irish fired 54 shots at Bowling Green goaltender Jordan Sigalet on Nov. 5, including 29 in the second period. The last time the Irish had more than 54 shots on goal came on Oct. 17, 2003 when they fired 59 at – you guessed it – Jordan Sigalet of Bowling Green. He made 56 saves that night in a 5-3 Falcon win. BISCUIT BARRAGE: The 52 shots that Boston College fired at Morgan Cey on Oct. 22 was the most shots on goal the Irish have faced since Jan. 23, 2001 when Michigan fired 51 on the Notre Dame goal in a 9-0 Wolverine win.
BEATING THE BEST:
For the second year in a row, Notre Dame faced the Boston College Eagles when the Eagles were the top-ranked team in the nation. For the second year in a row, the Irish sent the Eagles home with a loss as they prevailed on Oct. 22 by a 3-2 score. The last time the Irish had defeated a top-ranked team at the Joyce Center was Jan. 13, 1978 when they upset Denver, 5-3. A year ago, in Boston, the Irish downed the top-ranked Eagles, 1-0. In the 37-year history of the program, Notre Dame owns eight wins over top-ranked teams. The list:
10/22/04 – vs. Boston College, 3-2
10/23/03 – at Boston College, 1-0
1/3/99 – at North Dakota, 4-3
11/20/78 – at Minnesota, 3-2
1/13/78 – vs. Denver, 5-3
1/18/74 – vs. Michigan Tech, 7-1
2/24/73 – vs. Wisconsin, 4-3
2/23/73 – vs. Wisconsin, 8-5
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME:
Notre Dame’s loss to Minnesota-Duluth on Oct. 8 snapped a 15-game (12-0-3) regular-season home unbeaten at the Joyce Center. The last time the Irish had lost a regular-season home game at the Joyce Center was on Oct. 17, 2003 versus Bowling Green. Notre Dame was 14-2-2 (.833) at the Joyce Center last season. This year, the Irish are 3-9-4 at home and 17-11-6 (.588) in their last 33 home games. The 2003-04 home record of 14-2-2 was the best for the Irish since 1987-88 when that year’s Irish squad was 18-2-0 on home ice.
TOPS IN DIRECTORS CUP STANDINGS:
Notre Dame stands first in the third set of fall sports standings released in the 2004-05 United States Sports Academy Division I Directors’ Cup all-sports competition sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (formerly known as Sears Directors’ Cup). This marks the first time in the 12-year history of the all-sports program that Notre Dame has ranked number one. The previous highest ranking for the Irish was second in the 2004-05 second set of fall standings. Fall NCAA competition earned the Irish 337 points based on their NCAA title in women’s soccer (100 points), their fourth-place finish in women’s cross country (80), 11th-place finish in men’s cross country (57) and second-round NCAA appearances in men’s soccer and volleyball (50 each). The current school rankings.
1. Notre Dame, 337
2. Michigan, 333
3. Stanford 332
4. Duke 327
5. UCLA 297
6. Maryland 280
7. Ohio State, 276
8. Colorado 275
9. Texas, 262
10.Wisconsin 251
In previous years, Notre Dame has finished 11th in ’93-’94, 30th in ’94-’95, 11th in ’95-’96, 14th in ’96-’97, 31st in ’97-’98, 25th in ’98-99, 21st in ’99-’00, 11th in ’00-’01, 13th in ’01-02 and ’02-’03 and 19th in ’03-’04.
GOLD-MEDAL IRISH:
Two former Notre Dame hockey players helped the United States win the gold medal in the recent Deutschland Cup tournament held in Hannover, Germany. Forward Yan Stastny, currently playing for the Nurnberg Ice Tigers in Germany, collected a goal and an assist in the four games. Defenseman Mark Eaton, currently a member of the Nashville Predators, scored a power-play goal in the gold medal game vrsus Slovakia. The U.S. defeated Germany, 5-1, lost to Canada, 5-3, defeated Switzerland, 4-2 and then shutout Slovakia, 4-0, to finish 3-1 in the tournament. The U.S. ended tied with Canada with 3-1 records, but received the gold medal due to greater goal differential over the four games.
FRESHMAN FIRSTS:
Freshman left wing Mark Van Guilder (Roseville, Minn.) collected his first collegiate goal on Nov. 4 at Bowling Green. He became the second Irish freshman to get his first goal, following Evan Rankin who scored the first goal of his Notre Dame career with a second-period goal versus Boston College (Oct.22). Defenseman Brock Sheahan collected his first career point in Notre Dame’s season opener versus Minnesota-Duluth and fellow defenseman Dan VeNard got his first career point on Nov. 12 at Western Michigan.
FAMILY MATTERS:
Two Irish junior hockey players – Rory Walsh and Mike Walsh – have fathers who played sports at Notre Dame while attending the University during the 1970’s. Rory Walsh’s father, Brian (’77), was an all-American hockey player for the Irish. A center iceman, the elder Walsh is Notre Dame’s all-time leading scorer after recording 234 career points on 89 goals and 145 assists. Mike Walsh’s father, Max (’74), was an offensive lineman on the Notre Dame football team and a member of the 1973 national championship team. Rory Walsh is one of Notre Dame’s goaltenders and Walsh plays left wing for the Irish.
FORMER IRISH GREAT GREG MEREDITH RECEIVES NCAA SILVER ANNIVERSARY AWARD:
Former Notre Dame hockey All-American, Greg Meredith (1976-80) was one of six NCAA Silver Anniversary Award recipients at the NCAA Convention in Dallas, Tex., Jan. 9. The Silver Anniversary Award recognizes former student-athletes who have distinguished themselves since completing their college careers 25 years ago. Meredith is Notre Dame’s all-time leading goal scorer with 104 goals in 149 career games. He is also tops in power-play goals (43) and seventh in all-time points with 192 for his career. He is just one of two players ever to score 40 goals in a season (1979-80) at Notre Dame. A four-year letterwinner with the Irish, Meredith was a finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship and was an NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipient. He is currently the managing director for Putnam Lovell NBF Securities Inc., and has held positions with Salomon Brothers, Inc., Nationsbanc Capital Markets, Inc., and Fenway Partners, Inc. From 2001 to 2003, he served as president and chief executive officer at HSBC Capital and was also president and CEO of Printvision, a software company from 2002-03. In addition, Meredith is the founder and president of Proctor Capital, a private investment and strategic advisory firm. He played four years in the NHL for the Calgary Flames and was an assistant coach at Harvard. Meredith currently coaches the St. David’s hockey program for boys and girls between 9 and 11 years of age. He formed the Meredith Family Foundation in 1997, which contributes to programs such as the LOGAN Center, which provides services to individuals with intellectual disabilities, the St. Joseph’s County Special Olympics, and Camp Millhouse, a summer camp for children with significant intellectual disabilities. In addition, the organization funds educational initiatives including the Paul E. Meredith scholarships at Notre Dame. Meredith is the 10th former Irish athlete to receive the award that was started in 1973.
FOUR OF FIVE:
Notre Dame has advanced to Joe Louis Arena and the CCHA finals in four of the last five seasons (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004). Only two other CCHA teams – Michigan and Michigan State – have been there all four years since the 1999-2000 campaign. The Irish also are one of five teams, joining Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Northern Michigan, to make it to the CCHA Super Six in each of the last three seasons.
NCAA ACTION:
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish hockey team had a season to remember in 2003-04. The Irish advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program’s 36-year history with a 20-15-4 overall record. In their first trip to the tournament, the Irish dropped a 5-2 decision to two-time NCAA defending champion Minnesota in the Grand Rapids Regional.
RETURN TO THE FROZEN TUNDRA:
Six members of the Notre Dame hockey team made a homecoming of sorts when the Irish faced Michigan Tech in Green Bay, Wis., on Jan. 18. Five players and one assistant coach spent parts of their hockey careers in the Land of Lombardi with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Senior defenseman Joe Zurenko (Palatine, Ill.) played for the Gamblers during the ’00-’01 season and sophomore blueliners Noah Babin (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Wes O’Neill (Essex, Ont.) were teammates there in ’02-’03. Second-year assistant coach Layne LeBel also spent two seasons (’01-’03) with the Gamblers. Freshmen right wing Victor Oreskovich (Oakville, Ont.) and defenseman Dan VeNard (Vernon Hills, Ill) also played in Green Bay, Oreskovich in ’03-’04 while VeNard played three seasons there from ’01-’04.
STORM WARNINGS:
Three members of the Notre Dame freshman class saw action with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm during the ’03-’04 season. Defensemen Brian D’Arcy (Western Springs, Ill.) and Luke Lucyk (Fox Point, Wis.) were members of the Storm’s highly ranked defense. Forward Mark Van Guilder (Roseville, Minn.) was a key contributor to the USHL’s regular-season champions. Van Guilder was fifth on the team in scoring with 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points in 60 games. In 11 playoff games, Van Guilder added three goals and two assists for five points. D’Arcy saw his season cut short due to injuries, playing in 32 games with no goals and two assists to go with 36 penalty minutes. Lucyk was a regular on the defense with a goal and nine assists for 10 points in 60 games.
THE IRISH AND THE U.S. DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAM:
Notre Dame’s current roster includes four 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 13 NTDP alums grace their roster. The current contingent includes junior Tim Wallace and sophomores Noah Babin, Michael Bartlett (Morton Grove, Ill.) and Josh Sciba (Westland, Mich.). Other former NTDP players who played at Notre Dame and their years in the national program 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) and Derek Smith (2000-01).
HOMETOWNS:
The 2003-04 Notre Dame hockey team features players from nine states and four Canadian provinces – Alberta, British Columbia,Ontario and Saskatchewan. In the nine-year tenure of head coach Dave Poulin, the Notre Dame hockey letter winners have hailed from 20 different states and provinces – those listed below, plus: Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Prince Edward Island and Quebec.
2004-05 NOTRE DAME HOCKEY – BY STATE OR PROVINCE:
Michigan (6): Chris Trick, Mike Walsh, Jason Paige, Josh Sciba, Evan Rankin, Andrew Eggert
Illinois (4): Joe Zurenko, Michael Bartlett, Brian D’Arcy, Dan VeNard
Minnesota (3): Tony Gill, T.J. Jindra, Mark Van Guilder
Alberta (2): Matt Williams-Kovacs, Brock Sheahan
Ontario (3): David Brown, Wes O’Neill, Victor Oreskovich
Alaska (1): Tim Wallace
British Columbia (1): Matt Amado
Florida (1): Noah Babin
Massachusetts (1): Rory Walsh
North Dakota (1): Cory McLean
Saskatchewan (1): Morgan Cey
Wisconsin (1): Luke Lucyk
INTERNATIONAL LEADER:
Notre Dame assistant coach, Andy Slaggert, served as the head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Select Team that finished second at the Five Nation’s Tournament from Aug. 24-28 in Halle, Germany. The U.S. Team’s lone loss came to the Czech Republic (the eventual winners). This was Slaggert’s second international appearance with USA Hockey as he served as assistant coach on the 2003 gold-medal winning team at the World Under-18 Select Tournament held in the Czech Republic. The 12-year assistant at Notre Dame has been involved in coaching with USA Hockey since the 1996-97 season.