Oct. 26, 1999
1998-99 COMING HOME:
After dropping three of its last four games on the road, the Notre Dame hockey team (1-5-0, 0-4-0 CCHA) will look to awaken at home this week with a Central Collegiate Hockey Association series versus Miami …
? due to the Saturday football game versus Navy, the hockey games will be played on Thursday-Friday (Oct. 28-29, start times of 7:05) …
? the Irish then will play four of their six November games on the road, with a Nov. 12-13 home series versus Alaska Fairbanks.
IRISH HOPE TO GET BACK ON TRACK:
Notre Dame’s slow start to the 1999-2000 season has included just one player with multiple goals (sophomore David Inman has four of the team’s 12 goals) and four games in which the Irish have totaled just 0-2 goals …
? the power play has provided nearly half of the team’s goals (5 of 12, including a pair of 5-on-3 goals) but the overall power-play pct. (.152, 5-of-33) ranks seventh in the CCHA and the Irish rank 11th in power-play pct. for CCHA games, at .087/2-for-23 …
? Notre Dame finished second in the CCHA during 1998-99 with a .191 overall power-play pct. …
? the Irish also have experienced uncharacteristic shortcomings on the penalty kill, ranking 11th overall in the CCHA (.750, 30-for-40) after allowing 10 opponent PPGs (Michigan also scored twice in the season opener, just as Irish penalties were releasing), compared to an .832 penalty kill last season …
? Notre Dame’s 2.00 goals per game is tied for last in the CCHA while the team’s 3.50 goals-allowed is ninth (those numbers were 3.00 scored and 2.63 allowed last season) …
? the Irish also have racked up the penalties in CCHA action this season (21.50 per game, seventh-most in the CCHA) but are tied for the lowest overall (17.00) …
? Notre Dame has been outscored 7-1 in the first period this season, compared to a 33-27 edge for the Irish last season.
MIAMI NOTES:
The RedHawks stand seventh in the early CCHA standings (1-0-1, 4-1-1 overall) after opening at Western Michigan with a 3-3 tie and a 3-2 win …
? Miami then won twice at St. Cloud State (5-4 in OT, 3-2) and split a pair at Providence (3-5, 5-2), which posted a 2-1 win over Notre Dame the previous week at the IceBreaker Tournament in Denver, Colo. …
? Miami ranks third in the CCHA for overall scoring (3.67 goals per game), seventh in goals allowed (3.00), third in power-play pct. (.200, 8-for-40), ninth in penalty killing (.780, 32-of-41) and third in fewest penalty minutes (17.67) …
? Miami’s top scorers have included sophomore Evan Cheverie (4G-6A) and senior Gregor Krajnc (4G-1A) …
? three goalies each have played two games: freshman David Burleigh (2-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .918 save pct.), senior Andy Marsch (1-1-0, 3.02, .893) and senior Ian Olsen (1-0-1, 3.33, .913) …
? Miami returned 19 of 24 letterwinners from its 1998-99 team that went 11-20-5 overall and finished ninth in the CCHA …
? top returning scorers include junior C Jason Deskins (26G-14A), senior F Mark Shalawylo (13G-21A, with 3A this season) and junior F Pat Leahy (10G-20A, with 2G-5A this season) …
? Deskins – one of three finalists for the 1998-99 CCHA player-of-the-year award – was injured in the first game of the season and could be lost for all of 1999-2000 …
? first-year Miami head coach Enrico Blasi played at Miami from 1990-94 and spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Denver.
THE SERIES:
Miami holds a 17-7-3 edge, including a 15-3-3 mark versus the Irish in the last 21 meetings (6-2-1 in the last nine) …
? four of the last nine games have produced narrow Miami wins …
? Notre Dame’s only wins versus Miami since 1983 came late in the 1995-96 season (5-2, at Miami) and twice in 1998-99 (2-0 at Notre Dame, 4-2 at Miami) …
? Notre Dame’s veteran players have combined for just 10 career goals versus Miami …
? top Irish career scorers versus Miami include senior right wing Joe Dusbabek (6 games, 3G-1A) and senior forward Ben Simon (6, 1-3) …
? in its last five games against Miami, Notre Dame has owned a commanding 175-115 shot advantage (average of 35-23 per game) yet has totaled only 11 goals in those five games versus the RedHawks.
CLUSTER-IN-WAITING:
Notre Dame does not open play in its four-team CCHA ‘cluster’ until the first week of November, when the Irish play twice at Nebraska-Omaha (Nov. 6-7) …
? the Irish also have first-semester cluster games versus Alaska Fairbanks (Nov. 12-13) and Michigan State (Dec. 4 at home, Dec. 5 at MSU) …
? due to the new cluster format, the Irish will not play at Michigan, Western Michigan, Lake Superior or Miami during the 1999-2000 regular season while the following teams will not travel to the Joyce Center: Ferris State, Northern Michigan, Ohio State and Bowling Green.
DUNLOP MAKES EARLY MARK:
Notre Dame freshman C Connor Dunlop (St. Louis, Mo.) was named CCHA rookie of the week on Oct. 18, after assisting on four of Notre Dame’s five goals (including all three power-play goals) in the IceBreaker Tournament …
? Dunlop had the primary assists on third-period goals by Matt Van Arkel and Brett Henning that helped clinch the win over Union (4-0) while also assisting on David Inman’s first goal in that game …
? Dunlop also assisted on Tyson Fraser’s PPG in the 2-1 loss to Providence and had a shorthanded goal in the 5-3, season-opening loss to Michigan (becoming the first Irish freshman to score in a CCHA opener since Brian Urick’s four-goal game in the 7-4 win at UAF in ’95) …
? Dunlop leads the Irish with five points this season.
LAMP LIGHTERS:
Notre Dame continues to search for boosts to its offense, after graduation losses of RW and team captain Brian Urick (16G-25A in ’98-’99), LW power-play ace Aniket Dhadphale (18-11) and All-America D Benoit Cotnoir (7-18) …
? senior C/LW Ben Simon (33 career goals, 68 assists) is the team’s most accomplished scorer while sophomore C/LW David Inman has four goals this season and is the only player with multiple goals …
? Inman has nine points (7G-2A) in the last 11 regular-season games while junior RW Ryan Dolder has five (3G-2A) in the last 10 …
? freshman C Connor Dunlop leads the 1999-2000 team with five points, including assists on four of the team’s five goals at the IceBreaker …
? Notre Dame’s trio of junior LWs – Dan Carlson, Chad Chipchase and Jay Kopischke – are due for a scoring breakthrough, as that threesome has combined for just three goals in Notre Dame’s last 22 games …
? Carlson’s goal in the 3-2 CCHA playoff win over Northern Michigan represents his only goal in 21 games (before his PPG last week at Ferris State) while Chipchase’s crucial goal in the 1998-99 season finale at Miami (4-2) marks his only goal in his last 21 games …
? Kopischke has not scored since Jan. 30, 1998, spanning 44 games played …
? senior RW Joe Dusbabek also could provide a huge scoring lift for the Irish, after scoring 13 goals during his big freshman season (he has five goals, plus 24 often timely assists, in 61 games over the past three years, including no goals in the last 16 games) …
? sophomore C Brett Henning had just one goal in his previous 19 games before scoring in the recent win over Union while junior RW Matt Van Arkel’s goal versus Union extended his history of strong early-season play (18 of his 24 career points have come before New Year’s Day).
LAST-MINUTE MAGIC:
Miami owns three recent last-minute wins over Notre Dame (plus last year’s 3-2 overtime win): 3-2 at ND on 2/4/94 (Rene Von Lanthen scored with 0:30 left), 4-3 at home on 11/23/96 (Dustin Whitecotton, 0:40) and 5-4 at Notre Dame on 11/15/97 (Adam Copeland, 0:20) …
? Notre Dame is long overdue to score a game-winner in the last minute, as the Irish are 0-12 since ’91-’92 in games that have seen the game-winner scored in the final minute of regulation or OT…
? the last time the Irish pulled out a last-minute win was Feb. 14 ,1992, when Matt Osiecki scored with 0:55 left in OT for a 6-5 win at Kent State …
? Irish head coach Dave Poulin has seen his Irish teams suffer six tough last-minute losses, the above two plus: 4-3 vs. BG on 2/10/96 (Curtis Fry, 0:51, OT), 4-3 at MSU on 12/6/97 (Mark Loeding, 0:54), 3-2 at Princeton on 12/29/96 (Scott Bertoli, 0:19, OT), and 2-1 at Michigan in a 3/14/98 CCHA playoff game (Bobby Hayes, 19:00 mark of OT).
FRIEND OR FOE?:
Several players from Notre Dame and Miami played together on previous teams …
? they include: Notre Dame senior D Nathan Borega and Miami senior C Dustin Whitecotton (Vernon Vipers), Whitecotton and Notre Dame senior D Tyson Fraser (Team British Columbia), Irish senior D Sean Molina and Miami senior F Mark Shalawylo (USA Viking Cup), Shalawylo and ND senior D Andy Jurkowski (Wisconsin Capitols), ND junior RW Matt Van Arkel and Miami senior G Andy Marsch (Team Illinois), Irish sophomore C David Inman and Miami sophomore D Mike Tedesco, ND sophomore G Jeremiah Kimento and a pair of Miami sophomore D’s: Paul Nejezchled and Ken Marsch (Danville Wings), Irish freshman RW Michael Chin and Miami freshman D Matt Medvecz (Shattuck St. Mary’s AAA midgets), ND freshman LW Jake Wiegand and Miami junior C Jason Deskins (Detroit Compuware Ambassadors), and Irish freshman G Tony Zasowski and Miami sophomore D Jake Ortmeyer (Omaha Lancers).
WJVA (1580 AM) TO CARRY IRISH HOCKEY:
Notre Dame hockey games will be broadcast during the 1999-2000 season by South Bend’s WJVA 1580 AM, with live internet broadcasts also available via the Notre Dame Athletic Department’s official website (www.und.com). The broadcasts also are available in an archived form via the real-audio link at und.com …
? The voice of Notre Dame hockey in 1999-2000 is Dave Mager, whose play-by-play experience includes stints with Colgate and Merrimack. A native of Middletown, N.J., Mager is a graduate of Syracuse University’s highly-respected broadcast journalism program. He was the winner of the 1992 Bob Costas award, which recognizes the top graduating sportscaster at Syracuse.
RECAPPING THE FSU GAMES (1-4, 2-4, Oct. 23-24):
Ferris State went 3-of-9 on the power play during each game while riding the strong goaltending of Phil Osaer (30 saves in the first win) and Vince Owen (22 saves in the second win) for the sweep …
? the Irish were 1-for-10 on the power play during the series …
? FSU’s goalscorers in the first game included Rob Kozak, Brent Wishart, Troy Milam and Brian McCullough …
? Notre Dame tied the game midway through the second period, on Dan Carlson’s casual power-play shot from the right circle …
? FSU then scored on its first run on Sunday (goal by Rob Lightfoot) before scoring three more power-play goals, by Jim Dube, Phil Lewandowski and Kevin Swider …
? the Irish averted the shutout early in the third period, when David Inman scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season, after tipping in a shot by Nathan Borega …
? the Irish cut the lead to 4-2 in the lategoing, with Michael Chin setting up Andy Jurkowski’s goal from close range …
? Tony Zasowski (15 saves) relieved Jeremiah Kimento after FSU’s third goal.
FSU POSTGAME NOTES:
Dan Carlson’s goal was his first in the last 19 regular-season games and second in the last 22 games overall (he scored in the 3-2 CCHA playoff win over Northern Michigan) …
? Notre Dame is 1-6 in its last seven road games vs. FSU …
? prior to David Inman’s score, the Irish had managed just one goal in the previous nine periods versus Ferris State (spanning 106 shots on goal) …
? Notre Dame still has managed just one first-period goal this season (in the 4-0 win over Union), while allowing seven first-period goals …
? Inman remains the only Irish player with multiple goals this season (he has four while the rest of the team has 12) …
? Notre Dame has totaled just seven even-strength goals in six games this season …
? stretching back to the consecutive shutout losses to Michigan State and FSU last season, the Irish have totaled just 19 goals in their last 12 CCHA regular-season games (seven in four CCHA games this season) …
? the Irish penalty-killing unit has stopped just 75 percent of the opponent power plays this season (30 of 40) …
? Jurkowski’s goal is his second in the last 24 games (his only other career goal came as a freshman).
SIMON REACHES 100:
Following the departure of MSU’s Mike York and OSU’s Hugo Boisvert to pro hockey, Notre Dame senior C Ben Simon (Shaker Heights, Ohio) enters 1999-2000 as arguably the top returning forward in the CCHA and has earned preseason CCHA ‘player of the year’ honors from Hockey News …
? Simon registered a goal and assist in the season-opening Michigan series, giving him 100 points (32G-68A) in 109 career games …
? Simon (18G-24A), whose junior-year goal total surpassed his first two seasons combined (13), scored three game-winning goals as a junior while assisting on seven others (including the 3-2 win over Michigan) …
? he also scored game-tying goals in ’98-’99 against Michigan and Michigan State (both 2-2) …
? Simon is the fourth Irish player to reach 100 points during the five-year tenure of head coach Dave Poulin, joining 1996 graduate Jamie Ling (51-102) and ?99 grads Brian Urick (57-69) and Aniket Dhadphale (61-44) …
? Simon needs 18 more goals to become the 29th Notre Dame player ever to total 50-plus goals and 50-plus assists in his career …
? he is 31 points shy of cracking Notre Dame’s top-20 career scoring list and needs 29 more assists to crack the top 10 of that list.
PP PERSONNEL:
Graduation took its toll on the vaunted Notre Dame power play (the Irish PP was just 1-for-13 in the Michigan series, 3-10 at the IceBreaker) but three crucial PP performers return while others are poised to boost their contributions. Three 1999 grads – RW Brian Urick (16-25), LW Aniket Dhadphale (18-11) and D Benoit Cotnoir (7-18) – played key roles in the 1998-99 Irish power play that ranked second in the CCHA (19.1 percent), with that trio collecting a combined 42 points on the PP: Cotnoir (3 PPG-8 PPA), Dhadphale (9 PPG-5 PPA) and Urick (6 PPG-11 PPA). Those three combined for nearly half of the Irish PPGs in ’98-’99 (18 of 38, .474) while totaling 42.9 percent of the PP points (42 of 98). Cotnoir set up power-play scores by 17 different Irish teammates during his career and totaled 36 career PP assists and 10 PPGs (accounting for 53 percent of his 88 career points). Senior C Ben Simon (5 PPG/8 PPA in ’98-’99) is back as the team’s go-to player in man-up situations while two of the top power-play point men in the CCHA also return: senior D Tyson Fraser (0 PPG-8 PPA in ’98-’99) and junior LW Dan Carlson (3 PPG-9 PPA).
FORWARD THINKING:
Notre Dame’s offense could be the deepest in team history, with nine of the current Irish forwards having NHL draft status and/or experience with USA Hockey on their playing resume. Senior C Ben Simon played on the USA junior national team in ’96-’97 and ’97-’98 and is a ’97 fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks. Senior RW Joe Dusbabek played on the ’97-’98 USA junior national team and is a 1997 seventh-round pick of the San Jose Sharks. Junior LW Dan Carlson played on the ’98-’99 USA junior national team while junior LW Jay Kopischke (8th round, L.A. Kings) was a 1997 draft pick. Two current sophomore forwards – David Inman (2nd round, New York Rangers) and Brett Henning (9th round, N.Y. Islanders) – were selected in the 1999 NHL draft, with Henning playing for the USA Developmental Program in ’97-’98 while Inman has attended several USA tryout camps and could be named to the 1999-2000 junior national team. Three freshmen forwards are products of the USA Development Program: C Connor Dunlop, RW Michael Chin (1997-98) and F John Wroblewski (who joined Dunlop on the USA team during the past two seasons).
FRONT & CENTER:
Notre Dame continues to explore its options due to a talented four-player crowd at center. The Irish moved sophomore David Inman to the left wing of the first line for the season-opening Michigan series while Inman returned to second-line center at the IceBreaker. Senior Ben Simon skated at first-line left wing in the Providence game, alongside freshman C Connor Dunlop and senior RW Joe Dusbabek (Simon did not play in the Union game). Sophomore Brett Henning has centered the third line for most of the season, as he did for most of 1998-99. …
? in the Ferris State series, Simon centered a line with Inman on the right wing.
DRAFT RECAP:
Notre Dame sophomore forwards David Inman (Toronto, Ont.) and Brett Henning (Huntington, N.Y.) were selected in the 1999 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Inman was drafted in the second round by the N.Y. Rangers while Henning went to the crosstown rival N.Y. Islanders in the ninth and final round. …
? Nine Irish hockey players have been selected in the NHL draft since ’94, including six in the last three years. The selection of Inman and Henning marks the fifth time in Notre Dame history – and just the second time since ’82 – that multiple Irish players have been selected in the first nine rounds. Inman was the 12th college player, the sixth college forward and the fourth player from a CCHA school selected. Four previous Irish players have been drafted higher than Inman, who is the highest-drafted Irish hockey player (in terms of overall pick) since 1976 and is the only Irish played ever selected in the first two rounds.
HOMESTANDERS:
In its last 22 regular-season home games, Notre Dame is 14-5-3 with a 82-47 scoring edge (two 7-1 wins, one 9-5 win) …
? Notre Dame’s last 14 home wins have included nine by three goals or more …
? despite opening the ’98-’99 season with a 10-0-2 mark at home, the Irish are just 2-5-1 in their last eight home games (including the CCHA playoff series with Northern Michigan) and have been outscored 28-15 in those games.
TOUGH SLATE:
Notre Dame’s 39-game, regular-season schedule includes as many as 21 different opponents, with as many as 14 games vs. teams that qualified for the 12-team NCAAs in 1999. Remaining home opponents include Michigan State (Dec. 4, March 3), Massachusetts (Dec. 10-11) and Princeton (Dec. 19-20). …
? The road schedule includes a pair of conference games at Michigan State (Dec. 5, March 4) and Ohio State (Feb. 4-5), a series at new CCHA member Nebraska-Omaha (Nov. 5-6) and the long trip to Alaska Fairbanks (Jan. 28-29). …
? The Irish will play several noteworthy tournaments, including the Norwest Denver Cup (Dec. 31-Jan. 1), with defending national champ Maine and perennial power Colorado College. Notre Dame will spend Thanksgiving weekend in the northeast, with games at the University of New Hampshire versus UNH and Vermont (Nov. 27-28).
SCHEDULE CLARIFICATIONS:
Fans and media should be aware of the following adjustments to earlier, non-official versions of the Irish schedule. …
? Notre Dame will spend the Thanksgiving weekend in the northeast, with a game at New Hampshire on Sat., Nov. 27 (5:00 p.m), followed by a Sun. afternoon game vs. Vermont (at UNH), at 2:00 p.m. …
? The Irish added a series vs. Princeton, after the end of finals week. Those games will be held at the Joyce Center, on Sunday, Dec. 19, and Monday, Dec. 20. …
? The Denver Cup is slated for Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 (previous schedules may have indicated earlier dates). The Irish are scheduled to play on New Year’s Eve vs. DU at 7:35 p.m., with a New Year’s Day game vs. Colorado College or Maine (4:35/7:35).
BORN IN THE USA:
The Notre Dame hockey program has played a leading role in the USA Hockey junior national program, particularly in recent years. After concluding his Notre Dame career, All-American defenseman Jack Brownschidle was a member of the USA hockey team in 1976-77 and ’78-’79. Twenty years later, a total of eight current Irish players have been part of the USA Hockey, with the junior national team or the under-18 developmental program. Current senior C Ben Simon played on the ’96-’97 team that won the silver medal at the World Junior Championship while current junior RW Joe Dusbabek joined Simon on the ’97-’98 U.S. team that finished fifth. Current junior LW Dan Carlson kept the tradition going, when he earned a spot on the ’98-’99 junior national team (current Irish sophomore F David Inman was one of the final two forwards cut from that team). Four current Irish players – Inman, sophomore C Brett Henning and freshman forwards Connor Dunlop and John Wroblewski – were among 44 invitees to the USA Hockey tryout camp in August of 1999 and will remain among the top candidates for the 1999-2000 junior national team.
FAMILIAR WITH ANN ARBOR:
The 1999-2000 Notre Dame hockey team includes five players who are products of the USA Hockey Under-18 Developmental program, which began training in ’97-’98 at The Ice Cube facility in Ann Arbor, Mich. Sophomore center Brett Henning was a member of that inaugural USA developmental program, as were four incoming Irish freshmen: forwards Michael Chin, Connor Dunlop and John Wroblewski and defenseman Paul Harris. Dunlop, Wroblewski and Harris returned to the USA program for the 1998-99 season before each decided to continue their playing careers at Notre Dame. Yet another member of Notre Dame’s current freshman class – defenseman Evan Nielsen – received an invitation to train with the USA developmental program in ’98-’99 but he elected to return for his senior season to The Taft School in Watertown, Conn. …
? Dunlop ranked second on the ’98-’99 under-18 team with 65 points (23 goals, 42 assists) in 70 games. He also helped the USA post a .213 power-play pct. in the ’98-’99 season. …
? Wroblewski ranked ninth on the ’98-’99 USA squad with 26 points (team-best 11 power-play goals) …
? Harris played a leading role on the ’98-’99 USA Under-18 team that posted the best penalty-killing percentage (.882) in the United States Hockey League.
FEELING A DRAFT:
Notre Dame and Boston College both had four players selected in the 1997 National Hockey League draft, most by any Division I school. The drafted players included current senior forwards Ben Simon (5th round, Chicago Blackhawks) and Joe Dusbabek (7th round, San Jose Sharks), plus current juniors Jay Kopischke (8th round, Los Angeles Kings) and Ryan Clark (9th round, New York Islanders). Four Notre Dame players have been selected in the first nine rounds of the same NHL draft just once previously, in 1975 …
? the current Notre Dame hockey team includes six players that have been selected in the NHL draft, with five of those players skating on the forward line. In addition to the above four, Notre Dame’s drafted players include a pair of sophomore centers who were selected in the ’99 NHL draft: David Inman (2nd rd, N.Y. Rangers) and Brett Henning (9th round, N.Y. Islanders). Just one other team in the CCHA – Michigan (8) – has more draft picks on its 1999-2000 roster than Notre Dame.
TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL:
Six recent members of the Notre Dame hockey program – including ’99 graduates Benoit Cotnoir, Aniket Dhadphale, Forrest Karr and Brian Urick – currently are pursuing their careers in pro hockey. Urick signed with the Edmonton Oilers and reported to the Hamilton (Ont.) Bulldogs of the American Hockey League. Dhadaphale and Matt Eisler (’98) made the opening-day roster with the Greensboro (N.C.) Generals in the East Coast Hockey League while Cotnoir made the roster of the ECHL’s Mobile (Ala.) Mystics. Karr was among the final cuts for the Mystics, after former Michigan State goalie Chad Alban was sent back down to Mobile, but Karr was picked up by the ECHL’s Hampton Roads .Admirals. Defenseman Mark Eaton – who in the summer of ’98 opted to forego his final three years at Notre Dame and signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Flyers – had a solid ’98-’99 season with the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms and is considered to be one of the top young prospects in the Flyers organization (he made the Flyers’ opening-day roster).
ACADEMICS JOB ONE:
The Notre Dame hockey team posted a 3.10 team GPA in the spring of ’99 semester while the program held a 3.00 cumulative team GPA at the end of the ’99 spring …
? nine players on the ’98-’99 team posted at least one Dean’s List semester (3.4 GPA or higher), including two who made the Dean’s List in both the fall of ’98 and the spring of ’99. The four returning players who turned in Dean’s List semesters in ’98-’99 are: senior D Andy Jurkowski (both semesters), sophomore F David Inman (both semesters), junior LW Dan Carlson (spring ’99) and senior D Tyson Fraser (fall ’98). …
? The six-member class of ’99 graduated with an average cumulative GPA of 3.30, led by Forrest Karr’s Academic All-America showing (3.70 cumulative GPA) and Aniket Dhadphale’s 3.43. Both Karr and Dhadphale were named to the prestigious six-player CCHA all-academic team. …
? Notre Dame hockey players have combined to post nine perfect 4.0 semesters in the past five years, including one by Jurkowski in the fall of ’97. …
? Top Academic All-America candidates for 1999-2000 include Jurkowski (3.83 cumulative GPA), Carlson (3.42) and Inman (3.60). …
? Steve Noble graduated in the spring of ’98 with a 3.956 cumulative GPA (five 4.0 semesters, 34 A’s, three A-‘s, one B+) as a finance major, ranking second in the College of Business Administration. Noble twice earned Academic All-America honors for men’s fall and winter ‘at-large sports’ and was first runner-up for the 1998 national Hockey Humanitarian Award.
SCHEDULE OF CHAMPIONS:
Notre Dame’s ’98-’99 schedule included five teams that combined for seven of the NCAA titles in the 1990s: Wisconsin (’90), Northern Michigan (’91), Lake Superior (’92, ’94), Michigan (’96, ’98) and North Dakota (’97) …
? the Irish did not face recent NCAA champs Maine (’93, ’99) or Boston University (’95) in ’98-’99 but could play Maine this season, at the Denver Cup.