Aug. 25, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame hockey coach Jeff Jackson announced on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 26) at the team’s season-opening meeting that senior forward Steven Fogarty will serve as the team captain for a second consecutive season in 2015-16.
“We’re fortunate to have a returning captain after Steven did a great job for us last season as a junior,” Jackson said. “I expect him to do an even better job this year with the experience he gained from last year.”
In addition, Jackson announced seniors Thomas DiPauli, Sam Herr, Mario Lucia and Andy Ryan will serve as alternate captains for the 2015-16 campaign.
“We made the decision to have all four of those guys as alternate captains because I think that class, working together as a whole, is the strength and they will give us great leadership throughout the year,” Jackson added.
As a junior, Fogarty played in 39 games while registering career-high totals in goals (9), assists (12) and points (21). He also had a career-high three power-play goals and blocked 34 shots to lead all Irish forwards. In 113 career games, he has scored 17 goals and added 25 assists for 42 points. He was named to the 2014-15 Hockey East All-Academic Team.
“It is a huge honor to be named captain for a second time,” Fogarty said. “Last year it was a huge honor knowing that my coaches and teammates thought that highly of me and to get that honor once again is great. I’m excited for the opportunity because I think I learned a lot last year.”
“Steven is a tremendous young man that does everything the right way and he’s the type of guy you hope our players will emulate and follow,” Jackson continued.
The Irish will have a strong leadership core on the forward lines, extending from Fogarty to DiPauli, Herr and Lucia.
“Thomas, Sam, who was an alternate captain last season, and Mario are all great student-athletes who have represented our program in a very positive way,” Jackson said. “They each bring something different to the table as far as their communication skills but they also share a lead-by-example mindset.”
DiPauli played in 41 games as a junior, setting career-high marks in goals (8), assists (21) and points (29). His 29 points ranked fourth on the team, while his 21 assists tied for third. He also tied for the team lead with three game-winning goals. He notched six multi-point games on the season including a career-high, four-point effort (1-3-4) in Notre Dame’s 5-3 win over Lake Superior State (Oct. 17). In 108 career games, DiPauli has 16 goals and 30 assists for 46 points.
Herr served as an alternate captain as a junior and played in all 42 games. He scored 12 goals and added six assists for 18 points, with his 12 goals ranking as the third-most on the team. He tied a career-high mark with two goals in Notre Dame’s 7-0 win against Niagara (Oct. 25) and also tied a career-high mark with three points (1-2-3) against Vermont (Oct. 31). In 95 career games, Herr has scored 26 goals and added 20 assists for 46 points.
Lucia Played in all 42 games as a junior and scored a team-high 21 goals and added 11 assists for 32 points, which ranked third on the team. His 21 goals and 32 points were career-high totals and he tied for second on the team with four power-play goals. He had six multi-point games on the season and netted 11 of his 21 goals in Hockey East play to tie for sixth in league scoring. His 21 total goals ranked tied for the fourth-most among Hockey East skaters. He scored his first career hat trick in Notre Dame’s 5-1 win over Lake Superior State (Oct. 18). In 114 career games, he has scored 49 goals and added 37 assists for 86 points.
On defense, Ryan will be looked upon to provide leadership to what will once again be a young unit for the Irish.
“Andy is the only senior defenseman and he will help us on the back end because we are still going to be young back there and he’s going to have to take over the leadership role that Robbie Russo filled last year,” Jackson said. “Andy is another quality kid that does everything the right way.
Ryan played in all 42 games as a junior, scoring a goal and adding a career-high nine assists for a career-best 10 points. He led the team with 72 blocked shots and ranked second in Hockey East with 45 blocked shots in league play. He matched his career high with two-assist games versus Niagara (Oct. 24) and UMass (March 8). He also earned Hockey East All-Academic Team honors for the second consecutive season. In 86 career games, Ryan has scored three goals and added 16 assists for 19 points.
“It was great working in that leadership role with Sam last year and I think we both learned a lot,” Fogarty continued. “Andy, Tommy and Mario are all great leaders and we have been really close from the start of our time here and they are each very deserving of this honor so we couldn’t be more excited to get this year underway.”
Notes
– Notre Dame’s leadership core of Fogarty (113), DiPauli (108), Herr (95), Lucia (114) and Ryan (86) have combined to play 516 career games.
– Fogarty (2013-15), DiPauli (2013-15), Herr (2013-15), Lucia (2013-15) and Ryan (2014-15) have also combined to earn 14 monograms over the past three seasons.
– Fogarty follows in a long line of Irish hockey players from Edina, Minn., to serve as team captain, including Anders Lee (`14), Ryan Thang (`10) and Dan Carlson (`01) in recent years.
– Fogarty has a family history of natural leadership capabilities. His father, William, is a retired United States Navy Admiral and his older brother, Charles, is currently serving in the Navy (read more here).
– Lucia’s father, Don – a Notre Dame graduate and the current head coach at Minnesota – also served as an alternate captain during his senior season with the Irish (1980-81).
— by Dan Colleran, Athletics Communications Associate Director