Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Hockey Set to Head For The Joe

March 14, 2000

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The Notre Dame hockey team will continue play in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament with a semi-final matchup at Detroit’s Joe Lous Arena versus Michigan State, after posting a first-round series victory over Ferris State at the Joyc Center on March 10-12 (4-3, 1-6, 4-2) … the ND-MSU game is the second semi-final on Friday, March 17 (8:30 p.m. EST), following the Michigan-Nebraska Omaha game (5:00 p.m.) … the semi-final winners then will meet in the title game on Saturday, March 18 (7:30 p.m., again at Joe Louis Arena) … tickets may be purchased by calling the Notre Dame Box Office at (219) 631-7356 or Ticket Master, at (248) 645-6666 … all three games of the championship weekend will be broadcast live, by Fox Sports Net Detroit (check local listings for possible affiliates that may be showing the games on a live or delayed basis).

Notre Dame’s advancement past the first round of the CCHA Tournament holds special significance for the Notre Dame program on several levels:

  • The Irish will be making just their second appearance at “The Joe” for the CCHA semi-finals in 10 seasons as a member of the CCHA, with the last coming in 1981-82-when current Irish head coach Dave Poulin served as the Irish co-captain.
  • In 19 previous seasons as a member of the CCHA (’81-’82, ’82-’83, ’92-present) or the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (1971-81), Notre Dame had won just three first-round playoff series: in 1972-73 vs. North Dakota (5-0, 8-3), in ’79-’80 at Michigan (8-3, 3-4, total goals) and in ’81-’82 vs. Michigan (6-5, 5-3).
  • The Irish have reached The Joe despite opening the season with a 1-5-0 overall record (0-4-0 in the CCHA ).
  • Notre Dame avoided losing for the third straight season in the third game of a playoff series, with victories each year in game one.
  • Finally, the Irish now stand just two victories away from securing the first NCAA tournament berth in the 32-year history of the program’s modern era.

Keys to the Game

  • Neither team has experienced great success away from home (ND is 5-10-5 in all road games, MSU 8-7-3).
  • MSU has scored first 23 times and lost just one of those games (20-1-2) while ND is just 13-5-3 when scoring first.
  • Both teams are unbeaten when leading at the second intermission (ND 11-0-3, MSU 24-0-2).
  • MSU’s strong defense has led to the Spartans being 23-1-1 when scoring three-plus goals while ND is just 11-5-2 when scoring three-plus.
  • MSU’s penalty kill has produced nine shorthanded goals (compared to ND’s two) while the Spartans have allowed just two SHGs (to ND’s nine).
  • MSU owns a commanding +26 goal differential in the first period (ND is -5) but the Irish have scored more third–period goals than the Spartans (35 to 28) and own a -2 goal differential in the final period (MSU is +4).
  • Both teams have four players with 10-plus goals, but ND sophomore LW/C David Inman (13G) is out with mono.
  • ND has a larger senior class (8) that has combined for 30 goals and 80 assists this season (compared to MSU’s four senior skaters, who have 21G-66A).
  • MSU has the more potent freshman class, with eight rookies combining for 33G-56A (ND’s six freshman skaters have combined for 14G-34A).

THE SERIES: MSU holds a 45-28-6 series edge vs. ND (28-12-1 at MSU, 16-16-5 at ND, 1-0-0 at JLA), dating back to 1921 … the Spartans own a 18-2-4 series edge since the Irish rejoined the CCHA in ’92-’93, with ND breaking through for a 6-1 win at MSU on Nov. 1, 1997, ending a 17-game winless streak (0-14-3) vs. MSU … the teams split a series earlier in the 1999-2000 season (ND won 1-0 at home on Dec. 4 and lost the next night at MSU, 4-1) … the teams then played to a 2-2 tie at ND on March 3, with MSU winning at home the next night (5-3) … ND is 2-5-2 in its last nine games vs. MSU but is 0-5-0 at Munn Ice Arena (outscored 16-6 in those games) since the 6-1 win in ’97-’98 … ND has totaled just 11 goals in its last eight games vs. MSU … the home team is 6-0-2 in the last eight games of the series … MSU beat ND 4-1 for the ’81-’82 CCHA Tournament title (current Irish head coach Dave Poulin was captain of that ND team) … prior to the recent 2-1 win at OSU on Feb. 5, ND had lost its previous 12 games where the winning goal was scored in the final minute of regulation or OT, including a 4-3 loss at MSU on Dec. 6, 1997 (Mark Loeding scored with 0:54 left in the third period).

A CLOSER LOOK (see series stats in stat section): In this season’s previous ND-MSU games, the Spartans outscored the Irish 11-7 (2.8/gm to 1.8) … ND owned the better special teams percentages for the entire series, with a .160 power play (4-for-25) and a .871 penalty kill (27-for-31), meaning MSU was 4-for-31 (.129) and 21-for-25 (.840) … shots on goal were virtually even over the course of the four games (109 for MSU, 105 for ND) … ND averaged 23.0 penalty minutes per game (well above its season average of 16.7), with MSU averaging just 16.0 PIM/gm.

DAVE POULIN ON THE 2-2 MSU GAME: “We’ve never been happier with a tie, and the way it happened, coming back to get it. Every time we have tied this year, it was really a tie. Tonight, we came back and got this one. … You don’t like it when things are out of your control. But you take all the help you can get in this league. Tonight, we earned our points. Our penalty-killing lines were great. That was a very good power-play unit they were up against. Basically, the power-play efficiency was a draw. They just had more chances. … Home ice is a big advantage for us. We like this building and we play well at home. … They felt it on our bench. After hearing the (WMU-FSU) score, they really picked it up. Dan Carlson was the first to jump up and he said, ‘It’s in our hands, let’s go get it.’ There was a definite surge. … Carlson’s goal was obviously highlight material. I remember seeing him do stuff like that in high school.”

FRIEND OR FOE?: Several ND and MSU players are former teammates (in addition to the former USA teammates listed on p. 1) … ND senior D Nathan Borega and MSU junior LW Sean Patchel played together on the Vernon (B.C.) Vipers while Irish senior D Tyson Fraser and MSU senior C Sean Horcoff were members of Team British Columbia … ND freshman LW Jake Wiegand holds the unique distinction of having played junior hockey with MSU junior G Joe Blackburn (Compuware Ambassadors) and Michigan sophomore G Josh Blackburn (Lincoln Stars).

Tale Of The Tape

ND MSU
Last season’s record 19-14-5 29-6-7
Last season’s CCHA record 15-11-4 20-3-7
Letterwinners returning 18 of 24 15 of 24
Current overall record 16-17-8 25-10-4
Winning percentage 48.8% .692
CCHA record 10-10-7 18-8-2
Home record 11-7-3 17-3-1
Road record (incl. neutral) 5-10-5 8-7-3
One-goal games record 8-4 (.667) 2-4 (.333)
Overtime record 2-0-8 1-2-4
Last weekend 2-1-0 2-0-0
Last 5 games 2-2-1 3-0-2
Last 10 games 5-3-2 7-1-2
When scoring first 13-5-3 20-1-2
When ahead at 1st inter. 11-1-1
When behind/tied at 1st inter. 5-16-7
When ahead at 2nd inter. 11-0-3 24-0-2
When behind/tied at 2nd inter. 5-17-5 1-10-2
When outshooting opponent 10-9-2 23-7-4
When scoring 1 goal 2-8-2 1-3-0
When scoring 2 goals 3-4-3 1-3-3
When scoring 3 goals 1-5-2 7-1-1
When scoring 4 goals 5-0-0 4-0-0
When scoring 5 goals 4-0-0 7-0-0
When scoring 6 goals 0-0-0 5-0-0
When scoring 7 goals 1-0-0 0-0-0
When scoring no PPGs 4-7-2 5-4-1
When scoring one PPG 4-8-5 8-4-3
When scoring two PPGs 7-0-1 5-2-0
When scoring 3-plus PPGs 1-2-0 7-0-0
When scoring a SHG 1-1-0 7-1-1
When allowing no PPGs 10-3-3 15-7-1
When allowing one PPG 5-7-3 8-1-3
When allowing two PPGs 1-2-2 1-1-0
When allowing 3-plus PPGs 0-5-0 1-1-0
When allowing a SHG 2-6-0
When totaling less than 20 shots 1-3-0 0-1-0
When totaling 40+ shots 1-1-0 5-0-0
When allowing less than 20 shots 4-2-0 8-2-0
When allowing 40+ shots 0-0-0 0-0-0
Goals per game 2.51 3.23
Shots per game 28.4 31.5
Shooting percentage 8.8% 10.3%
Opponent shots per game 26.0 22.8
Shot margin/gm +2.4 +8.7
Power-play percentage 17.9% 22.6%
Power-play chances/gm 5.85 (240) 5.90 (230)
Power-play goals per game 1.05 (43) 1.33 (52)
Shorthanded gls allowed/gm 0.22 (9) 0.05 (2)
P-play ratio (PPG-SHG all.) +34 (43-9) +50 (52-2)
Penalties per game 7.70 8.44
Penalty-killing percentage 83.0% 89.2%
Opp. power plays per game 5.73 (235) 5.21 (203)
Opponent PPGs per game 0.98 (40) 0.56 (22)
Shorthanded goals 2 10
P-kill ratio (SHG-PPG all.) -38 (2-40) -12 (10-22)
Goals-against average 2.75 1.77
Save percentage 89.5% 92.1%
Goal margin -12 (103-115) +56 (126-70)
1st period goals per game 0.88 (36) 1.23 (48)
1st period goal margin -5 (36-41) +26 (48-22)
3rd period goals per game 0.85 (35) 0.72 (28)
3rd period goal margin -2 (35-37) +4 (28-24)
Players with 15-plus goals 1 2
Players with 10-plus goals 4 4
Players with 5-plus goals 8 9
Players with 30-plus points 2 3
Players with 20-plus points 5 6
Players with 10-plus points 12 12
Seniors 8 5
Points by seniors 110 (30-80) 87 (21-66)
Freshmen 7 8
Points by freshmen 48 (14-34) 89 (33-56)

@ND 1, MSU 0 (12/4/99) – Ryan Dolder swept home a deflected shot by Ryan Clark with 5:04 to play and Tony Zasowski made 15 of his 24 saves in the third … Andy Jurkowski set up the goal by beating two MSU players to the puck and banking a pass off the boards to Clark at the left point … MSU’s Brian Maloney sent a shot off the crossbar in the closing seconds … Ryan Miller made 22 saves for MSU.

MICHIGAN STATE 0 0 0 0
NOTRE DAME 0 0 1 1

3rd: 1. Dolder 3 (Clark, Jurkowski) 14:56.

Shots: MSU 6-3-15/24, ND 5-11-7/23.

Saves: MSU (Miller) 5-11-6/22, ND (Zasowski) 6-3-15/24.

PP: MSU 0-for-4, ND 0-for-4.

Pen.: MSU 4 for 8:00, MSU 4 for 8:00.

@MSU 4, ND 1 (12/5/99) – MSU scored in every period and rode the strong goaltending of Joe Blackburn (24 saves) … ND responded to MSU’s third goal, on a frantic triple-rebound goal by Jay Kopischke at 11:55 of the second period … MSU collected two 4-on-4 goals late in the first period, from Andrew Bogle and Brad Hodgins … Jon Insana padded the lead with a strong individual effort in the second period … MSU capped the scoring with seven minutes left, on a goal from John Nail … ND’s Connor Dunlop missed the game due to injury.

NOTRE DAME 0 1 0 1
MICHIGAN STATE 2 1 1 4

1st: MSU 1. Bogle 2 (Patchell, Fast), 4-4, 16:06, MSU 2. Hodgins (Horcoff), 4-4, 16:29. 2nd: MSU 3. Insana 2 (Bogle, Nail) 11:01, ND 1. Kopischke 1 (Dusbabek, Simon) 11:55. 3rd: MSU 4. Nail 2 (Patchell) 13:21.

Shots: ND 11-11-5/27, MSU 11-10-4/25.

Saves: ND (Zasowski) 9-9-3/21, MSU (Blackburn) 11-10-5/26.

PP: ND 0-for-8, MSU 0-for-5.

Pen.: ND 10 for 20:00, MSU 12 for 24:00

@ND 2, MSU 2 (3/3/00) – Ben Simon scored the game-tying goal with 5:37 left and Zasowski made 32 saves, as the Irish finished the night with possession of the fifth and final home ice spot for the CCHA Tournament … ND’s win-coupled with FSU’s 4-2 home loss to WMU-ensured that the Irish would finish fifth … the Spartans overcame an early goal from Irish junior LW Dan Carlson (on a strong individual effort down the right side), with sophomore RW Adam Hall scoring twice … on the game-tying goal, Dan Carlson sent a shot from the right point, with Joe Dusbabek setting the screen … Miller slapped the puck to his left but Simon was in position at the edge of the right circle and wristed a low shot past Miller’s right leg … Miller totaled 29 saves.

MICHIGAN STATE 0 2 0 0 2
NOTRE DAME 1 0 1 0 2

1st: ND 1. Carlson 16 (Molina, Borega) 14:50. 2nd: MSU 1. Hall 21 (Hutchinson) 00:45, MSU 2. Hall 22 (Maloney, Horcoff), PP, 16:38. 3rd: ND 2. Simon 10 (Fraser, Carlson) 14:23.

Shots: MSU 11-15-7-1/34, ND 13-7-10-1/31.

Saves: MSU (Miller) 12-7-9-1/29, ND (Zasowski) 11-13-7-1/32.

PP: MSU 1-for-6, ND 1-for-2.

Pen.: MSU 2 for 4:00, ND 6 for 12:00.

@MSU 5, ND 3 (3/4/00) – Simon scored twice but MSU matched ND with three PPGs … Zasowski allowed five goals on 17 shots (his most GA in 21 games), before giving way to Jeremiah Kimento with 4:33 left in the second … Kimento stopped all nine shots he faced, in his first action in seven weeks … Dusbabek assisted on all three ND goals … Rustyn Dolyny led MSU with 2G-1A , Shawn Horcoff had 3A … the game featured season highs by ND for penalties (22), PIM (52) and PP chances (11) while MSU’s 14 penalties and 16 PP chances were most by an ND opponent in ’99-2000 … the teams combined for 27 PPs … ND claimed a 1-0 lead after a strong individual effort from Simon but MSU took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, on Sean Patchell’s rebound goal and Dolyny’s PP shot … MSU stretched to 5-1 in the second, on Dolyny’s 5-on-3 goal, a fluttering shot by Jon Insana and a tip-in by Adam Hall … ND made things interesting early in the third, with Kopischke tapping in a Dusbabek pass … three minutes later, Simon alertly poked home a deflected shot from Dusbabek … the game ended unusually, as Carlson’s 10-minute major and four minors led to five ND players in the penalty box, with 1:03 left (Carlson was sent to the locker to make room in the box).

NOTRE DAME 1 0 2 3
MICHIGAN STATE 2 3 0 5

1st: ND 1. Simon 11 (Dusbabek, Fraser), PP, 8:20, MSU 1. Patchell 7 (Nail, Hodgins), 11:01, MSU 2. Dolyny 12 (Liles, Horcoff), PP, 12:12. 2nd: MSU 3. Dolyny 13 (Maloney, Horcoff), 5-3, 7:51, MSU 4. Insana 3 (Horcoff, Maloney) 12:18, MSU 5. Hall 23 (Dolyny, Maloney), PP, 15:27. 3rd: ND 2. Kopischke (Dusbabek), PP, 2:01, ND 3. Simon 12 (Dusbabek, Carlson), PP, 8:30.

Shots: ND 13-4-7/24, MSU 7-10-9/26.

Saves: ND (Zasowski, 5-7-x/12), ND (Kimento, x-0-9/9), MSU (Blackburn) 12-4-5/21.

PP: ND 3-for 11, MSU 3-for-16.

Pen.: ND 22 for 52:00, MSU 14 for 28:00.

Series Scorers

Senior C Ben Simon (4G-2A) is the only ND player with multiple career goals or three-plus career points vs. MSU, with the rest of the players combining for just five goals (one each by junior LWs Dan Carlson, Chad Chipchase and Jay Kopischke, senior LW Andy Jurkowski and junior RW Ryan Dolder) and seven assists … Simon’s first career goal came in the 15th game of ’96-’97, a last-minute 4-3 loss at MSU on Dec. 6, 1996 (he opened his career with no goals on his first 31 shots but has 31 goals on 217 shots during the past two seasons) … Simon missed two games vs. MSU as a freshman, due to a game misconduct vs. St. Cloud State (forcing him to miss the 3-0 home loss to MSU on Jan. 28) and a coach’s decision in the 3-2, season-ending loss at MSU … Irish junior D Ryan Clark played in just two of the six games vs. MSU during his first two seasons, due to a coaches decision after the Oct. 31, 1997 loss (he did not play in the 6-1 Irish win on Nov. 1) and a midseason injury in 1998-99.

ND’s MSU Series Stats

ND Career (veterans) Gms G-A Pts
Ben Simon (3 PPGs) 11 7-2 9
Joe Dusbabek 13 0-5 5
Dan Carlson 10 2-2 4
Tyson Fraser 10 0-3 3
Jay Kopischke (1 PPG) 10 2-0 2
Andy Jurkowski 8 1-1 2
Sean Molina 13 0-2 2
Chad Chipchase 7 1-0 1
Ryan Dolder 8 1-0 1
Ryan Clark 6 0-1 1
Matt Van Arkel 9 0-1 1
Nathan Borega 13 0-1 1
Sam Cornelius 3 0-0 0
David Inman 5 0-0 0
Sean Seyferth 6 0-0 0
Brett Henning 6 0-0 0
Troy Bagne 12 0-0 0
Goalie (W-L-T) Min. GA/Svs GAA Pct.
J. Kimento (0-0-0) 24:33 0/9 0.00 1.000
ND, 1999-2000 Gms Shots Pen. +/- G-A-Pts
Ben Simon 4 16 4-8 +1 3-1-4
Joe Dusbabek 4 8 3-6 +1 0-4-4
Dan Carlson 4 9 2-12 -1 1-2-3
Jay Kopischke 4 4 1-2 +1 2-0-2
Tyson Fraser 4 4 5-10 -2 0-2-2
Ryan Dolder 4 3 2-4 -2 1-0-1
Andy Jurkowski 2 4 0-0 -1 0-1-1
Sean Molina 4 6 1-2 -1 0-1-1
Nathan Borega 4 2 3-6 -2 0-1-1
Ryan Clark 4 1 2-4 -2 0-1-1
Chad Chipchase 1 1 0-0 -1 0
Jake Wiegand 1 1 2-4 -1 0
David Inman 2 5 1-2 E 0
Connor Dunlop 3 6 3-6 -1 0
Michael Chin 3 9 2-4 E 0
Matt Van Arkel 3 2 0-0 -1 0
Sean Seyferth 4 6 1-2 E 0
Evan Nielsen 4 4 4-8 -2 0
John Wroblewski 4 2 1-2 -1 0
Brett Henning 4 9 2-4 -1 0
Troy Bagne 4 2 0-0 -2 0
Goalie (W-L-T) Min. GA/Svs GAA Pct.
T. Zasowski (1-2-1) 219:55 11/89 3.00 .890
J. Kimento (0-0-0) 24:33 0/9 0.00 1.000

ND Stats vs. MSU (1999-2000 Games)

Record 1-2-1
Goals per game 1.8
Goals allowed per game 2.8
Power-play efficiency 4-25 (.160)
Penalty-kill efficiency 27-31 (.871)
Shot margin (per game) -1.0
Penalty minutes (per game) 23.0
  • Top scorers: Simon (3G-1A, 3 PPG), Dusbabek (4A), Carlson (1G-2A)
  • Zasowski: 1-2-1, 3.00 GAA, .890 (89 SV, 11 GA)
  • Kimento: 0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 (9 SV, 0 GA)

ND vs. the other CCHA semi-finalists

Record 2-6-2
Goals per game 2.4
Goals allowed per game 3.6
Power-play efficiency 11-66 (.167)
Penalty-kill efficiency 54-65 (.831)
Shot margin (per game) -3.6
Penalty minutes (per game) 17.4
  • Top scorers: Simon (6G-7A, 5 PPGs), Carlson (3G-5A, PPG), Dusbabek (1G-7A), Inman (4G-2A)
  • Zasowski: 2-4-2, 3.36 GAA, .884 save pct.
  • Kimento: 0-2-0, 3.39 GAA, .889 save pct.

ND vs. top-4 regular-season CCHA teams

Record 2-5-3
Goals per game 1.6
Goals allowed per game 3.2
Power-play efficiency 8-64 (.125)
Penalty-kill efficiency 63-73 (.863)
Shot margin (per game) -2.8
Penalty minutes (per game) 19.8
  • Top scorers: Simon (4G-3A, 4 PPGs), Carlson (2G-4A, PPG), Dusbabek (1G-5A, PPG)
  • Zasowski: 2-2-2, 2.97 GAA, .890 save pct.
  • Kimento: 0-3-1, 3.16 GAA, .893 save pct.

ND Stats vs. UNO (1999-2000 Games)

Record 1-2-1
Goals per game 3.3
Goals allowed per game 3.5
Power-play efficiency 6-28 (.214)
Penalty-kill efficiency 14-18 (.778)
Shot margin (per game) -1.0
Penalty minutes (per game) 11.5
  • Top scorers: Simon (2G-5A, PPG), Inman (3G-2A, 2 PPG), Carlson (2G-2A, PPG), Dunlop (4A)
  • Zasowski: 1-2-1, 3.21 GAA, .894 save pct.

ND Stats vs. Michigan (1999-2000 Games)

Record 0-2-0
Goals per game 2.0
Goals allowed per game 5.5
Power-play efficiency 1-13 (.077)
Penalty-kill efficiency 13-16 (.812)
Shot margin (per game) -14.0
Penalty minutes (per game) 18.0
  • Top scorers: Simon (1G-1A, PPG), Dolder (1G), Inman (1G), Dunlop (1G, SHG)
  • Zasowski: 0-0-0, 4.23 GAA, .667 (6 SV, 3 GA)
  • Kimento: 0-2-0, 9.16 GAA, .667 (47 SV, 7 GA)

A FAMILIAR FOE: ND and MSU will meet for the eighth time in the last 14 months, after going 14 months without any games between the teams (from Nov. 1, 1997-Feb. 4, 1999) … the previous seven games between the teams have produced four MSU wins, one ND win and two ties … the teams played three games in a 15-day stretch late in the 1998-99 season, with a 2-2 tie at ND on Feb. 5 and two wins at MSU (1-0 on Feb. 12, 3-1 on Feb. 19).

PIVOTAL PP: The crucial 2-2 tie on March 3 ultimately hinged on ND’s ability to hold back the MSU power play, which entered the game with a CCHA-best .218 efficiency … the Irish stopped 5-of-6 PPs in that game, including the first four … Adam Hall’s PPG capped an 11-minute stretch that saw MSU receive four PP chances … ND also scored on the PP, giving the Irish PPGs in nine games of an 11-game stretch.

LATE-SEASON MSU SERIES NOTES: ND is now 2-5-2 in its last nine games vs. MSU, after a 17-game winless streak against the Spartans (0-14-3) … the home team has gone unbeaten in the last eight games of the series (6-0-2) … ND has totaled 11 goals in its last eight games vs. MSU … the 2-2 game marked just the second time this season that ND has not won when holding a lead at the first intermission (9-1-1, 21-2-3 during the last two seasons) … senior C Ben Simon has 7G-2A in 11 career games vs. MSU (the rest of the ND team has just seven career goals vs. MSU) … ND is 2-2-2 during the Poulin era in games following bye weeks, including the 2-2 tie with MSU and a 2-1 loss earlier this season at New Hampshire … ND’s power-play surge continued in the recent MSU series, as four of ND’s five goals were on the PP.

ROOKIE GOALIE MATCHUP: ND’s Tony Zasowski and MSU’s Ryan Miller have proven to be the top freshmen goalies in the CCHA this season, with Zasowski owning the upper hand in their two “head-to-head” matchups (1-0, 2-2) … Zasowski’s stats vs. MSU in those two games (with Miller in the opposite net) include 56 saves and two goals against (one on the PP), for an 0.96 GAA and .966 save pct. in those games (his overall stats vs. MSU include 89 saves, 11 goals against, a 1-2-1 record, 3.00 GAA and .890 save pct. … Miller’s stats vs. the Irish include 51 saves, three goals allowed (one on the PP), a 1.45 GAA and .944 save pct. … in their two matchups this season, Miller and Zasowski have combined for 128 saves and just five goals allowed (a .962 combined save pct.)

CARLSON BREAKS THROUGH: Junior LW Dan Carlson had just one point in his previous eight career games vs. MSU before the 2-2 game on March 3, when his highlight-reel individual effort produced the first ND goal before his shot later in the game set up Ben Simon’s rebound PPG.

CCHA PLAYOFF NOTES: ND joined MSU and Michigan as the only teams to host first-round CCHA Tournament series in each of the past two seasons … ND is 20-7-6 in its last 33 regular-season home games (23-10-6 in the last 39 overall), including three one-goal losses and a pair of losses to Princeton while three of the top ND forwards were at the World Junior Championship … ND lost a home series to Northern Michigan in the 1999 CCHA Tournament (3-2, 1-7, 2-3).

GOING BACK TO THE JOE: ND is making its second appearance at “The Joe” for the CCHA semi-finals in 10 seasons as a member of the CCHA, with the last coming in 1981-82-when current Irish head coach Dave Poulin served as the Irish co-captain … in 19 previous seasons as a member of the CCHA (’81-’82, ’82-’83, ’92-present) or the WCHA (1971-81), ND had won just three first-round playoff series: in 1972-73 vs. North Dakota (5-0, 8-3), in ’79-’80 at Michigan (8-3, 3-4, total goals) and in ’81-’82 vs. Michigan (6-5, 5-3) … the Irish have reached The Joe despite opening the season with a 1-5-0 overall record (0-4-0 in the CCHA).

POSTSEASON HISTORY: ND owns an all-time record of 12-28-3 in conference tournament action (5-14-3 in the WCHA, 7-14-0 in the CCHA) … the Irish have advanced to the conference postseason 17 times but have gone on to the next round just three times previously: ’72-’73 (5-0, 8-3, vs. North Dakota), ’79-’80 (8-3 win, 4-3 loss, total-goals vs. Michigan), and ’81-’82 (6-5, 5-3, vs. Michigan) … ND’s 1999 playoff series versus Northern Michigan (3-2, 1-7, 2-3) was the first at the Joyce Center since 1981-82 … ND dropped a hard-fought 1998 playoff series at Michigan (4-2, 1-2/ot, 3-4), with the Wolverines leading for 14 total minutes … after hosting the 1982 CCHA playoff series win over Michigan (6-5, 5-3), the Irish lost at Bowling Green in ’83, played as an independent for the next nine seasons, lost at Michigan in ’93, at Western Michigan in ’94 and at BG in ’95 before missing the playoffs from ’96-’98 … ND owns an all-time home record of 8-5-1 in conference tournament games (3-2-0 in CCHA playoff games).

ND 4, FSU 3 – Dan Carlson scored again in a tight game and Tony Zasowski overcome some poor plays to make a game-saving stop … with FSU 6-on-5 and 0:17 left, the puck deflected to the stick of Brian McCullough, who had an open net on the right side, but Zasowski reached back with his glove and snatched the puck … Andy Jurkowski made the most of his return (he missed four games with a hand injury), scoring a game-tying rebound goal early in the third … Carlson turned in another strong effort four minutes later, using his speed to swoop in from the right … ND scored early in the first, with Ryan Dolder sending home a rebound 0:48 into the game … Zasowski misjudged a goal by Chris Kunitz before Ben Simon restored the Irish cushion … FSU seized control late in the second, on Rob Kozak’s SHG and Jim Dube’s 4-on-4 score … 10 different ND players factored into the scoring, with Michael Chin’s shot setting up Dolder’s goal … Joe Dusbabek carried the puck into the zone and fed Simon for the second goal while shots from Ryan Clark and Jay Kopischke led to Jurkowski’s score.

Dave Poulin: “I don’t know how, but Tony saved that last shot. He was not as sharp tonight as he has been, but we needed a big save. … I was concerned heading into the third, because we gave them what they needed to win. … Carlson’s was a major-league goal. That’s the only way to describe it. … We did not play well but we won a hockey game. In the playoffs, sometimes you can’t look at how you won-it’s just result-oriented.”

Dan Carlson: “I saw space behind [Troy Milam] and went wide around to go in for the goal. … When the game is on the line, I feel like I am ready to go.”

Tony Zasowski: “Lucky is all I can say. The whole play seemed like slow motion. I saw the puck and thought there was no way I could get to it. I just fell back and felt something in my glove and saw [McCullough] pounding his stick on the ice.”

FERRIS STATE 1 2 0 3
NOTRE DAME 2 0 2 4

1st: ND 1. Dolder 8 (Chin, Dunlop) 00:48, FSU 1. Kunitz (Swider, Lewandowski) 14:47, ND 2. Simon 13 (Dusbabek, Carlson) 18:23. 2nd: FSU 2. Kozak 6 (McCullough), SH, 14:35, FSU 3. Dube 4 (Kunitz) 18:49. 3rd: ND 3. Jurkowski 5 (Kopischke, Clark) 1:11, ND 4. Carlson 17 (Nielsen) 5:46.

Shots: FSU 6-12-8/26, ND 10-9-12/31.

Saves: FSU (Osaer) 8-9-10/27,ND (Zasowski) 5-10-8/23.

PP: FSU 0-for-1, ND 0-for-3.

Pen.: FSU 5 for 10:00, ND 3 for 6:00.

FSU 6, ND 1 – McCullough scored pivotal goals early in the second and third periods while Osaer made 20 saves … FSU scored three PPGs, plus McCullough’s unassisted SHG … ND managed just 11 shots in the first two periods … Dolder averted the shutout with a first-period PPG.

Dave Poulin: “We were not prepared to play in the first period. We regained it a little at 2-1 and we were in good shape. Then, we gave up that shorthanded goal, similar to the play last night. We did not play with the same intensity and focus. … Intensity is up to each individual, then the entire team has it. I guarantee we will have it tomorrow night. … The shorthanded goal was the back-breaker. … This is the third year in a row we will go to a third game in the first round and I hope we have learned from it. A lot of these guys were in the lockerroom after losing those third games. And we have played well in those third games too. We just want a different result.”

FERRIS STATE 2 1 3 6
NOTRE DAME 1 0 0 1

1st: FSU 1. Lewandowski 8 (Milam, Wishart), PP, 4:04, FSU 2. Collins 11 (McCullough, Lightfoot) 8:33, ND 1. Dolder 9 (Carlson), PP, 11:12. 2nd: FSU 3. McCullough 23 (unassisted), SH, 00:45. 3rd: FSU 4. McCullough 24 (Collins, Swider), PP, 00:27, FSU 5. Kunitz 20 (Swider) 1:59, FSU 6. Milam 6 (Kunitz, Lewis), 5-3, 8:14.

Shots: FSU 11-11-7/29, ND 4-7-10/21. Saves: FSU (Osaer) 3-7-10/20,ND (Zasowski) 9-10-1/20, ND (Kimento) 0-0-3/3

PP: FSU 3-for-11, ND 1-for-3.

Pen.: FSU 7 for 14:00, ND 15 for 30:00.

ND 4, FSU 2 – ND used goals from three unlikely heroes and Zasowski’s 24 saves to win the decisive game … Matt Van Arkel and Jay Kopischke-who had combined for just 23 career goals while each logging roughly 100 games-both scored in the game’s first 22:00 … after FSU’s Jason Basile cut the lead to 2-1, yet another unlikely goalscorer answered-as Tyson Fraser sent home a shot from the left point for his third goal of the season and first since Nov. 6 … FSU set up a tense finish, thanks to Phil Lewandowski’s strong effort early in the third period … FSU managed just seven shots on goal in the final period and Dolder fired into the empty net with 0:16 left to play.

FERRIS STATE 0 1 1 2
NOTRE DAME 1 2 1 4

1st: ND 1. Van Arkel 4 (-) 5:31. 2nd: ND 2. Kopischke 6 (Henning) 2:05, FSU 1. Basile 7 (Lightfoot, Kozak) 6:46, ND 3. Fraser 3 (Bagne) 9:56. 3rd: FSU 2. Lewandowski (Swider) 3:36, ND 4. Dolder 10 (Simon), EN, 19:44.

Shots: FSU 10-9-7/26, ND 13-13-4/30.

Saves: FSU (Osaer) 12-11-3/26, ND (Zasowski) 10-8-6/24.

PP: FSU 0-for-2, ND 0-for-1.

Pen.: FSU 3 for 6:00, ND 4 for 8:00.

DON’T HUG THE MESSENGER: Even after the final horn had sounded in ND’s series-clinching win over Ferris State, some drama remained … with UNO clinging to its 2-1 lead at NMU, fans were invited to “stick around” and find out if the Irish indeed were headed for The Joe … minutes later, they let out a huge cheer when the UNO-NMU final score was announced … one interested onlooker was junior LW Chad Chipchase (Clinton, Ont.), whose role has been limited in 1999-2000 due to a knee problem that required surgery … with the rest of his teammates celebrating in the lockerroom-but still awaiting final word on the UNO-NMU score-Chipchase made his way through the locker door … ND head coach Dave Poulin shared that moment with the media, “It was a weird sense of emotion. We were waiting for the other game to end and were celebrating the win, so we didn’t hear the crowd cheer. Then Chad came in, walking real quietly, and he got down in a crouch and just screamed, ‘We’re going to The Joe’. It was fitting, because he has had such a tough year and he is a huge part of the team, as is everybody. I’m glad it was a player who got to tell the rest of the team.”

GOAL RECAPS (ND 4, FSU 2): After a scramble for the puck at mid-ice, Matt Van Arkel streaked off to the right with the puck-beating the FSU defense with his speed and wristing a shot from the right circle into the left side of the net …Jay Kopischke knocked a rebound into the right side, after Brett Henning had picked off a pass and fired from the slot … Troy Bagne tracked down a loose puck in the left corner and slid a pass to the left point for Tyson Fraser, whose shot sailed into the right side of the net.

DAVE POULIN: “It’s been a long time coming. I made a special note to thank the seniors. The first two recruits were Ben Simon and Joe Dusbabek and they were sort of the foundation that made it easier for (the other seniors) to commit, but we needed that start. And this is what we envisioned. We envisioned a team that would be one of the top teams in college hockey.” MATT VAN ARKEL: “The puck popped out and I fired it back far side. I guess I caught the goalie looking.It was pretty huge. Whenever we score the first goal, things just pick up.”

Nathan BOREGA: “It’s something we’ve been waiting four years for. I’m kind of numb to it right now. We can’t be satisfied with just this. … We had that never-say-die attitude tonight. They would score and we came back harder.”

SERIES NOTES: FSU outscored ND (13-9) and held the special teams edge (3-for-14 PP, to ND’s 1-for-7, with two SHGs for FSU) … ND’s Ryan Dolder scored in all three games … the 21 shots in the 6-1 loss were the fewest by ND in 14 games (19, in 6-0 loss at NMU on Jan. 14).

THE TURNING POINT
Notre Dame’s season took a dramatic turn on Jan. 21, with the Irish holding a meager 5-7-4 conference record while standing in a three-way tie for seventh in the CCHA standings, two points out of 10th … any hopes at moving up the standings-much less securing home ice-seemed in jeopardy, as WMU held a 3-1 lead with the clock ticking under 4:00 to play … sophomore LW David Inman put ND within striking distance, scoring with 3:26 left to play for a 3-2 score … junior LW Dan Carlson then delivered as the cover boy on the Notre Dame hockey game program, by scoring the 6-on-5, game-tying goal with 1:23 left in regulation before converting on the power play 0:52 into OT-lifting the Irish to a frenetic 4-3 victory in which ND outshot WMU, 56-12 (plus four off the pipes), NDs most shots in a game since rejoining the CCHA in ’92-’93 … the victory ended a string of 11 straight OT games in which ND had failed to record a victory (0-1-10), stretching back to a 5-4 win at Bowling Green on Jan. 24, 1998.

RECAPPING THE TURNING-POINT GOALS

  • Notre Dame began its rally versus WMU on Jan. 21 with a goal from David Inman, with the score set up by a shot from the top of the right circle by Sean Seyferth … the shot deflected off ND’s Andy Jurkowski near the right side of the slot but kicked towards the other side of the goalmouth … Jeff Reynaert was positioned to his left, leaving the other half of the goal open for an easy flick-in by Inman (16:34).
  • Dan Carlson then scored just 15 seconds after an Irish timeout, with ND pulling freshman G Tony Zasowski … ND’s Ben Simon beat David Gove on the faceoff and Jay Kopischke tracked down the puck behind the net before shoveling a backhanded shot on goal from the bottom of the left circle … Reynaert made the save but Dusbabek flicked a rebound shot that found its way through a jammed crease area before clanging off the far right post … Kopischke and Carlson then were among a scramble of bodies lunging after the puck, with Carlson nudging the puck into the right side of the net-igniting the crowd and sending the game into overtime (18:37).
  • The game-winning goal came after a rare “illegal stick” penalty on Mike Bishai in the closing moments of regulation (19:30) … Reynaert had lost his own stick off to his left and borrowed Bishai’s, but Bishai made the mistake of playing the puck with Reynaert’s stick, leading to the penalty … senior D Tyson Fraser set the winning sequence in motion by nudging the puck to Joe Dusbabek as he skated by Fraser near the right boards … Dusbabek managed to avoid several WMU players as he fought his way down the boards before sending a pass towards the right circle for Simon … the WMU defense converged on the Irish captain but Simon calmly slid the puck to the top of the slot for Carlson, who drilled a low wrister into the left side of the net.

BATTLE-TESTED: Notre Dame was well-prepared for a tight series in last week’s matchup, after winning seven of its 11 one-goal games during the regular season … the Irish also played to overtime 10 times during the 1999-2000 season, including eight of the final nine weeks … ND heads into he CCHA semi-finals having played in 20 of 41 games that have been decided by one goal or ended in a tie (the Irish improved to 8-4 in one-goal games, with the 4-3 win over FSU).

BATTLE-TESTED, PART II.: Despite having no NCAA tournament experience or trips to the CCHA semi-finals, ND’s large contingent of veterans (eight seniors, seven juniors) owns the unique experience of having played in three CCHA first-round series that were extended to three games (4-2, 1-2/ot, 3-4 at Michigan in ’97-’98, 3-2, 1-7, 2-3 vs. NMU last season, 4-3, 1-6, 4-2 vs. FSU last week) … the current Irish players have combined to play in 126 career CCHA postseason games, including seven who have played every game of the last three three-game series: senior C Ben Simon, senior Ds Nathan Borega and Sean Molina, senior LW/D Andy Jurkowski, junior LWs Dan Carlson and Jay Kopischke and junior RW Ryan Dolder … Carlson owns the most career playoff points of any current ND player (3G-5A) … Simon totaled 3G-3A in those games while Dolder was an unexpected hero in the Michigan series, with two goals (including a game-winner) before scoring in each game vs. FSU … Kopischke had just nine points in his first two seasons, but he had assists in both the Michigan and NMU playoff series before adding 1G-1A in the FSU series … Borega has just four career goals, but one of them was a huge PPG in the playoff win at Michigan … the current seniors and juniors own a combined 33 playoff points (16G-17A), with 1G-1A by senior D Tyson Fraser (he scored in the 4-2 win over FSU), 1G Jurkowski in the 4-3 win over FSU, 1G by junior F Matt Van Arkel in the 4-2 win over FSU and 2A by injured junior LW Chad Chipchase … excluding third-string G Kyle Kolquist (2 career GP) and Chipchase (92), ND’s other 13 seniors and juniors have combined to log 1,467 career games played with the Irish (the eight seniors have logged nearly 1,000 games, at 980).

NEED TWO: Notre Dame opened CCHA Tournament play with a win during each of the past two seasons before dropping the last two games in both series (4-2, 1-2/ot, 3-4 at Michigan in ’98 and 3-2, 1-7, 2-3 at home vs. Northern Michigan in ’99) … the Irish finally shook that third-game bugaboo, with last week’s series win over Ferris State.

SEEING THE SIGHTS: Including the trip to Detroit for the CCHA Championship weekend, the Notre Dame hockey team has travelled nearly 18,000 miles (17,907) during the 1999-2000 season-the equivalent of traversing three-fourth’s of the Earth’s circumference (24,000) … ND’s 11 regular-season road trips included making two visits to Denver, Colo. (one during New Year’s), and spending Thanksgiving in Durham, N.H., with CCHA jaunts to Omaha, Neb., and the upper peninsula for a series at NMU-plus the day-long journey to Fairbanks, Alaska … other trips included games vs. Ferris State in Big Rapids and Grand Rapids, Mich., plus trips to East Lansing, Mich. (2), Bowling Green, Ohio, and Columbus, Ohio … the new CCHA “cluster” schedule resulted in the loss of the customary short trips to Kalamazoo (Western Michigan) or Ann Arbor (Michigan) … despite the huge mileage total, ND heads to Detroit anything but road weary, logging just 634 miles in the last six weeks … a breakdown of the roundtrip mileage follows below:

Denver, Colo. (Oct. 14-17) 2,188
Big Rapids/Gr. Rapids, Mich. (Oct. 21-23) 347
Omaha, Neb. (Nov. 4-6) 1,108
Durham, N.H. (Nov. 26-28) 1,926
East Lansing, Mich. (Dec. 4-5) 314
Denver, Colo. (Dec. 30-Jan. 2) 2,188
Marquette, Mich. (Jan. 12-14) 950
Fairbanks, Alaska (Jan. 27-29) 7,290
Columbus, Ohio (Feb. 3-5) 530
Bowling Green, Ohio (Feb. 17-19) 320
East Lansing, Mich. (March 4) 314
Detroit, Mich. (March 16- ) 432
TOTAL 17,907

FAMILIARITY BREEDS SUCCESS: ND’s defensive pairings have remained unchanged since New Year’s Eve (21 straight games), with the only exception being the Feb. 19 game at Bowling Green (when junior Ryan Clark did not play due to injury) … Sean Molina and Nathan Borega have skated together in 35 of the 41 games (21 straight) while fellow seniors Tyson Fraser and Sean Seyferth have skated together in 30 (21 straight) … Clark and freshman Evan Nielsen have been paired together 29 times (20 of the last 21) … during that string of consistency in the defensive pairings, ND is 9-6-6 with a 2.73 team goals-against average … since a stunning 6-0 loss at Northern Michigan on Jan. 14, ND is 8-4-3 with a 2.67 team GAA (four games with 1 GA, two with 2 GA, six with 3 GA, one with 4 GA, one with 5 GA, one with 6 GA) … the senior D foursome of Borega (139), Fraser (130), Molina (147) and Seyferth (66) has combined for 482 career games played … adding Clark (88) gives the top five Irish D a total of 570 games of career experience (the starting six has 610, with Nielsen’s 40).

FIT TO BE TIED: The 2-2 tie vs. MSU on was ND’s eighth of the season-extending the team record set with the sixth tie on Jan. 29 at UAF (the ’93-’94 and ’98-’99 teams each posted five ties) … ND has played to OT in eight of its last 10 weeks of action and in 10 games overall (2-0-8), equaling the team record set in ’97-’98 (2-4-4) … nearly half of ND’s 41 games have been ties or decided by one goal, with the team’s 8-4 record (.667) in one-goal games standing as the best by an Irish team since ND rejoined the CCHA in ’92-’93.

UPWARDLY MOBILE: Excluding the early losses to Michigan and FSU, ND has posted a solid record of 8-4-4 (.625) when heading into a game vs. a team situated above or tied with the Irish in the CCHA standings: 1-0-1 vs. Miami, 1-2-1 vs. MSU, 1-0-1 vs. Lake Superior, 0-1-1 vs. NMU, 2-0-0 vs. WMU, 1-0-0 vs. UNO and 2-1-0 vs. FSU … on the flip side, the Irish went just 5-3-3 (.591) this season when facing a team that was ranked lower in the CCHA standings at game time: 3-0-1 vs. UAF, 0-2-1 vs. UNO, 1-1-0 vs. OSU, 1-0-1 vs. BG.

PRECIOUS POWER PLAY: ND possibly has benefitted more from power-play goals than any other CCHA team (12-9-5 when scoring one-plus PPG, 8-2-2 when scoring two-plus, 2-7-2 when scoring none) … seven of ND’s 16 wins can trace their victory margins to PPGs (including one win from each of the last five regular-season series) … the Irish have lost seven games where PPGs helped provide the margin of defeat, but three came in the first six games and opposing PPGs have led to just one ND loss margin in the last 22 games (the 5-3 game at MSU, 3 PPGs) … ND’s regular-season pct. of PPGs (42) to overall goals (94) ranked highest in the CCHA (.447), with 23 of ND’s final 41 regular-season goals coming on the PP (.561) … ND is averaging 1.05 PPGs/gm but also averages just 1.45 non-PPGs/gm … the Irish headed into the FSU series with PPGs in 10 of the previous 12 games (19-for-80, .238), before going 1-for-7 in the three games vs. FSU … ND has stopped 51-of-60 (.850) opponent PPs during the last 10 games (helping pick up eight crucial regular-season points) … senior C Ben Simon (10 of 13, with a total of just 11 PPGs over his first three seasons), junior LW Dan Carlson (9 of 17) and senior RW Joe Dusbabek (5 of 8) each have scored the bulk of their goals on the PP … here’s how the rest of the CCHA shakes out, in pct. of regular-season goals on the PP (with a league average of .365): OSU (.438), WMU (.426), UAF (.423), MSU (.409), Mich. (.362), FSU (.353), BG (.339), Miami (.333), UNO (.317), LSSU (.290), NMU (.281) and LSSU (.281).

MORE ON THE PP: ND ranks fifth in the CCHA with a .179 overall PP pct.-including an 11-for-39 stretch (.282) in the last eight games-and owns the fifth-most PPGs (43), behind FSU and WMU (both 44), Michigan (54) and MSU (52) … unlike ’98-’99-when a talented first unit accounted for the bulk of ND’s 38 PPGs (.191)-the Irish this season have received PPGs both the first and second units, with personnel fluctuating more than in ’98-’99 … the first PP unit has included senior C Ben Simon (10 PPGs this season, 21 career), senior RW Joe Dusbabek (5, 10), junior RW Ryan Dolder (4, 4), junior LW Dan Carlson (9, 15) and senior D Tyson Fraser (2, 5) … top performers on the second unit-which accounted for 3-of-4 PPGs in the 7-4 win over UNO on Feb. 12-have included freshman C Connor Dunlop, freshman RW Michael Chin (2) sophomore LW/C David Inman (5, 9, likely out for the year with mono), senior D Sean Molina and freshman D Evan Nielsen (2) … players who filled Inman’s PP spot in the last two weeks included junior LW Jay Kopischke (2, 2) and sophomore C Brett Henning (2, 3) … ND’s top PP in ’98-’99 included Carlson and Fraser at the point, plus Simon and graduated wingers Aniket Dhadphale and Brian Urick (graduated D Benoit Cotnoir split time with Fraser at the point … that first unit combined for 23 PPGs in ’98-’99 (Dhadphale 9, Urick 6, Simon 5, 3 each from Carlson and Fraser).

LINING UP: ND’s turnaround in the WMU series (Jan. 21-22) also marked the emergence of a consistent first forward line-after trying various combinations earlier in the season (in an attempt to resolve the crowd at center that included senior Ben Simon, sophomores David Inman and Brett Henning and freshman Connor Dunlop) … beginning with the dramatic OT win over WMU (4-3), the Irish have used the following first line for most of the last 15 games: junior LW Dan Carlson (11G-9A in those 15 games), Simon (7G-9A) and senior RW Joe Dusbabek (3G-10A)-combining for 21G-28A in those 15 games … Simon has past experience skating with both Carlson and Dusbabek, but rarely had the three been on the same line previously (Simon skated with Carlson and former RW Brian Urick for much of 1997-98 before spending the bulk of ’98-’99 alongside Urick and former LW Aniket Dhadphale) … over 387 combined games in their careers, Carlson (35G-55A in 118 games), Simon (44G-86A-130 in 143) and Dusbabek (26G-49A in 126) have combined for 105G-190A (nearly 300 points), plus 18 game-winning goals (8 for Carlson, 7 for Simon, 3 for Dusbabek) and 46 power-play goals (21 for Simon, 15 for Carlson, 10 for Dusbabek).

CLOSING THE DEAL: ND quietly has laid claim to a lengthy streak, similar to the one held by Michigan until recently … the Irish have gone unbeaten in their last 40 games when holding a lead at the second intermission (34-0-6, 11-0-3 this season) … the last time ND lost after holding a second-intermission lead was Jan. 9, 1998, in the second game of three games at UAF … UAF’s Sean Fraser tied the game (2-2) with a PPG in the third minute of the final period before Chris Kirwan converted a breakaway with 0:45 left in OT.

All About Wins and Losses
A comparison of team statistics from ND’s 16 wins and its 17 losses (see below) shows expected statistical gaps, most notably in the areas of scoring (1.7 GPG in losses, 3.6 in wins), goals allowed (4.2 in losses, 1.7 in wins) … special teams have played a huge role in ND’s won-loss record this season, as the Irish power play hit at a .261 clip in the 16 wins but just .117 in the 17 losses … on the other side of the ice, the ND penalty kill has posted an impressive .910 efficiency in victories (just .770 in losses) … ND also is averaging nearly six shots more in wins than losses (31.8 to 25.9) while the Irish penalty minutes are nearly doubled in losses (22.5) when compared to wins (12.9).

ND Stats From Losses Only (17)

Goals per game 1.7 (29)
Goals allowed per game 4.2 (72)
Power-play efficiency 13-111 (.117)
Penalty-kill efficiency 94-122 (.770)
Shots per game 25.9 (441)
Shot margin (per game) -0.7
Penalty minutes (per game) 22.5
  • Top scorers: Simon (4G-8A, 3 PPG), Carlson (4G-6A, 3 PPG), Dusbabek (1G-8A, PPG), Dolder (3G-5A, 2 PPG)
  • Zasowski: 0-8-0, 4.30, .838 (186 SV, 36 GA)
  • Kimento: 0-1-0, 3.87, .857 (174 SV, 29 GA)

ND Stats From Wins Only (16)

Goals per game 3.6 (58)
Goals allowed per game 1.7 (41)
Power-play efficiency 23-88 (.261)
Penalty-kill efficiency 71-78 (.910)
Shots per game 31.8 (508)
Shot margin (per game) +7.4
Penalty minutes (per game) 12.9
  • Top scorers: Dan Carlson (10G-10A, 5 PPG), Ben Simon (7G-10A, 5 PPG), Joe Dusbabek (6G-10A, 3 PPG), David Inman (8G-6A, 3 PPG), Ryan Dolder (7G-7A, 2 PPG)
  • Zasowski: 13-0-0, 1.76, .929 (300 SV, 23 GA)
  • Kimento: 3-0-0, 1.33, .940 (63 SV, 4 GA)

THRILL OF VICTORY: Dan Carlson’s GWG at OSU on Feb. 5 (0:56 left in OT) held extra significance, as it marked the first time that the Irish have scored a GWG in the final minute of regulation or OT in seven years-since Matt Osiecki found the net with 0:55 left in OT for a 5-4 win at Kent State on Feb. 14, 1992 … since that time, ND had been on the losing end of 12 last-minute, game-winning goals (seven of those have come during the five-year tenure of head coach Dave Poulin).

SECOND-NIGHT SLUMP?: Including the FSU playoff series, ND produced a better record this season in the first games of CCHA weekend series (8-4-3) than in the second games (4-7-4), with the biggest difference coming in goals allowed: the Irish gave up just 34 goals in the first games of CCHA series but yielded 51 in the second games … the first period has been a telling sign, as the Irish hold an 11-8 first-period scoring edge in opening games this season but have been outscored 21-10 in the first period of the second games … during three regular season, the ND power play pct. dipped from .187 on the first night to .162 on the second while the team’s penalty minutes increased from 15.1/gm to 18.9 … junior LW Dan Carlson amassed 17 of his 24 CCHA points in the first games (10G-7A) but totaled just seven in the second games (3G-4A).

HOME-ICE ADVANTAGE: In addition to posting a better record this season at home (9-6-3) than on the road (5-10-5), Notre Dame also has shown noteworthy statistical advantages when skating at the Joyce Center, with 2.8 goals per game (2.2 on the road), a +3.5 shot margin (+1.4), a .194 power play (.164), a .865 penalty kill (.789) and 15.2 penalty minutes per game (18.1) … freshman Tony Zasowski posted a 2.47 GAA and .906 save pct. at home, compared to 2.62, .895 on the road … junior RW Ryan Dolder owns the biggest gap in home and away goalscoring, with 9G-5A in action at the Joyce Center and just 1G-9A in all road games.

WHO CARES WHERE WE PLAY!: Notre Dame leading scorers Dan Carlson and Ben Simon amazingly both posted the same regular-season point totals at home and on the road in 1999-2000 … Carlson totaled 8G-8A in 18 regular-season games at the Joyce Center and 8G-8A in 20 games away from home … Simon had 6G-9A in regular-season home games and 6G-9A in road games as well.

LESS PRESSURE FOR FROSH: Notre Dame has relied less on freshmen for scoring in the past two seasons, as ND’s freshman class totaled 79 points in 1996-97 (led by Joe Dusbabek’s 13G-12A) and 91 in ’97-’98 (paced by Mark Eaton’s 12G-17A), but just 34 in ’98-’99 (led by David Inman’s 10G-10A) and 48 this season (paced by Connor Dunlop’s 3G-13A) … the percentage of goals scored by freshmen during the past four seasons is as follows: .283 in ’96-’97 (26 of 92), .299 in ’97-’98 (38 of 127), .132 in ’98-’99 (15 of 114) and .136 in ’99-’00 (14 of 103).

LEFT OUT: Notre Dame played during the MSU series without three of its top left wings: sophomore David Inman (mononucleosis), senior Andy Jurkowski (hand injury) and junior Chad Chipchase (knee surgery) … freshman Michael Chin was shifted from right to left wing while Inman’s spot on the second power-play unit was filled by junior LW Jay Kopischke and sophomore C Brett Henning.

LOCKERROOM LEADS: The 2-2 tie with MSU marked just the second time this season that ND has not won when holding a lead at the first intermission (now 10-1-1, 22-2-3 during the last two seasons) … the Irish also are unbeaten in their last 40 games when holding the second-intermission lead (37-0-3, 11-0-3 this season).

NO BROOMS ALLOWED: ND’s 14 CCHA regular-season series-and the playoff series-yielded just four sweeps (two for, two against), with each coming close to being non-sweeps … ND was swept in its first two series (5-3, 6-1 at home vs. Michigan, 4-1, 4-2 on the road vs. Ferris State) … ND needed a pair of one-goal wins to sweep Alaska Fairbanks on Nov. 12-13 (1-0, 3-2), with Tony Zasowski posting a 19-save shutout while ND scored three 3rd-period goals to erase a 2-0 deficit in the second game … the only CCHA sweep involving ND since mid-November (spanning the last nine series) saw ND top Western Michigan (4-3 in OT, 4-1) … to win the first game vs. WMU, the Irish needed a goal by Dan Carlson with 1:23 left in regulation (he also scored in OT).

A CLOSE-UP LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE: With the 1-1 tie at BG (and the 6-1 playoff loss to FSU), ND missed out on the chance to even its record at .500 for the first time this season, with a 9-5-5 mark in the last 19 games (the Irish were 7-12-3 after the Jan. 1 loss to Colorado College) … ND’s 2.51 goals/gm is lowest in team history (the ’96-’97 team averaged 2.63) but the Irish have 27 goals in their last eight games (3.38/gm) … ND’s reliance on power-play goals also can be seen in the individual plus-minus numbers, as senior C Ben Simon (+8) and senior RW Joe Dusbabek (+4) are the only ND players above +3 (six ND players finished higher than +3 last season) … the 5-3 win at BG (34-23), the 5-3 loss at MSU (26-24) and the 6-1 loss to FSU (29-21) represent the only games in the last 15 in which ND has been outshot.

GOOD THINGS BOUND TO HAPPEN: The 1-1 game at BG marked the 11th time this season that ND has held the shot edge (31-21) but gone on to lose or tie … all told, the Irish are just 8-9-3 when holding the shot edge … ND has outshot its opponents in 11 of the last 14 games (plus one game that had equal shot totals), with the Irish owning an 8-3-3 record in those games (and an average shot margin of 32-24).

FIVE ALIVE: Despite being one of the CCHA’s lowest-scoring teams, ND has one of the league’s top-scoring fivesomes, as five Irish players were bunched among the CCHA’s top-52 scorers heading into the final week of the regular season: junior LW Dan Carlson (now 17G-18A), senior RW Joe Dusbabek (8G-19A, 36 GP), junior RW Ryan Dolder (10G-14A), senior C Ben Simon (13G-19A, 39 GP) and sophomore LW/C David Inman (13G-7A, 32 GP, out with mono) … only Michigan (9) had more players with 20-plus points, as of March 1.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: ND’s 16 wins have featured nine different game-winning goalscorers … the Irish are 20-7-6 (.697) in their last 33 regular-season home games (three losses by one goal) … the Irish are 34-0-6 in the past two seasons when leading at the second intermission (11-0-3 this season), 23-2-2 when ahead at the first break (11-1-0) … ND’s leaders in GW points include junior LW Dan Carlson (5 GWG-GWA), junior RW Ryan Dolder (2 GWG-3 GWA), senior RW Joe Dusbabek (GWG-3 GWA) and senior C Ben Simon (2 GWG-2 GWA) … a total of 16 ND players have scored or assisted on the 16 GWGs … prior to the 4-1 first period vs. Vermont, ND had been outscored 13-4 in the 1st period this season (now 41-36, 37-30 in the 2nd, 37-35 in the 3rd).

SHORTY SHORTAGE: Evan with an effective penalty-kill unit that includes a number of forwards who are capable of using their speed to beat the other team down the ice, ND is tied with UAF for having the fewest shorthanded goals of any CCHA team (2, both by freshman C Connor Dunlop-in the opener vs. Michigan and in the 35th game of the season, at BG) … in fact, the entire Irish team has combined for just 10 career SHGs, including just four in the last two seasons: junior LW Dan Carlson (4, 3 in ’97-’98), senior C Ben Simon (3, all in ’97-’98), senior RW Joe Dusbabek (1, in ’96-’97) and injured junior LW Chad Chipchase (1, in ’98-’99) … Dunlop and Carlson are the only current healthy players who have scored a SHG in the last two seasons.

Notre Dame Stats – All Road Games
(includes neutral-site games)

Record 5-10-5
Goals per game 2.2 (44)
Goals allowed per game 2.8 (57)
Power-play efficiency 19-116 (.164)
Penalty-kill efficiency 86-109 (.789)
Shots per game 26.5 (529)
Shot margin (per game) +1.4
Penalty minutes (per game) 18.1
  • Top scorers: Carlson (8G-8A, 4 PPG, 3 GWG), Simon (6G-9A, 6 PPG, GWG), Dusbabek (3G-8A, PPG), Dolder (1G-9A), Inman (7G-2A, 3 PPG, GWG)
  • Zasowski: 3-5-4, 2.62, .895 (299 SV, 35 GA)
  • Kimento: 2-5-1, 2.98, .874 (146 SV, 21 GA)

Notre Dame Stats All Home Games

Record 11-7-3
Goals per game 2.8 (59)
Goals allowed per game 2.8 (58)
Power-play efficiency 24-124 (.194)
Penalty-kill efficiency 109-126 (.865)
Shots per game 30.3 (637)
Shot margin (per game) +3.5
Penalty minutes (per game) 15.1
  • Top scorers: Carlson (9G-10A, 5 PPG, 2 GWG), Simon (7G-10A, 4 PPG, GWG), Dusbabek (5G-11A, 4 PPG, GWG), Dolder (9G-5A, 4 PPG, 2 GWG), Nielsen (4G-8A, 2 PPG, 2 GWG)
  • Zasowski: 10-3-2, 2.47, .906 (345 SV, 36 GA)
  • Kimento: 1-3-1, 2.85, .897 (139 SV, 16 GA)

Notre Dame Stats – Neutral-Site Games

Record 2-3-0
Goals per game 2.8 (14)
Goals allowed per game 2.4 (12)
Power-play efficiency 5-20 (.250)
Penalty-kill efficiency 18-24 (.750)
Shots per game 25.6 (128)
Shot margin (per game) +3.4
Penalty minutes (per game) 16.6
  • Top scorers: Inman (4G-1A, PPG, GWG), Dusbabek (2G-2A, PPG), Carlson (1G-3A, PPG, 2 GWG), Dunlop (4A)
  • Zasowski: 0-0-0, 1.31, .938 (15 saves, 1 GA)
  • Kimento: 2-3-0, 2.61, .884 (84 saves, 11 GA)

ROAD WARRIORS: Despite a 5-8-6 season road record (3-6-6 on opponent’s ice), ND is 3-3-3 in its last nine road games and has turned in its share of big road victories during the past few seasons … in fact, the Irish have posted wins in 22 different road arenas during the five-year tenure of head coach Dave Poulin (20 in the past three seasons) … the previous two seasons (’97-’98 and ’98-’99) saw ND post road wins over all 10 CCHA opponents, including a 4-2 CCHA playoff win at Michigan and wins over Ohio State at the OSU Ice Arena and the off-campus Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum (the Irish recently added a win over OSU at yet another Columbus venue, with the 2-1 overtime win on Feb. 5) … ND also owns three road wins over Wisconsin during the Poulin era, all at different sites: Milwaukee’s Bradley Center, the Dane County Coliseum and the Kohl Center dedication game … the Irish own road wins in the Poulin era at Mankato State, St. Cloud State, Northeastern and North Dakota-plus a 5-5 tie at Boston College, plus a pair of 2-2 ties this season at the Omaha Civic Auditorium and NMU’s Berry Events Center … finally, ND has posted recent neutral-site victories at the University of Minnesota (vs. Brown), the University of Denver (vs. Union) and the University of New Hampshire (vs. Vermont) … there are seven facilities in which a Poulin-coached Irish team has played but not posted any wins: Princeton (two losses in ’96-’97), Boston College (loss and tie), Illinois Chicago (loss in ’96-’97), the Palace at Auburn Hills (loss to Michigan in ’96-’97), Van Andel Arena (loss last season and this season), the Omaha Civic Auditorium (0-1-1 this season) and NMU’s Berry Center (0-1-1 this season).

ON TO THE JOE: Despite a 1-4-1 start, ND went 10-6-6 in its final 22 CCHA games (6-4-4 in the last 14) to edge Ferris State by a single point for fifth place … ND ranks 10th in the CCHA for overall goals/gm (2.51), 6th in goals allowed (2.80), 5th in power-play pct. (.179), 6th in penalty-kill pct. (.830) and 1st in fewest penalty minutes/gm (16.61) … freshman G Tony Zasowski’s 2.54 overall GAA ranks 8th in the CCHA (5th among goalies with 1,200-plus minutes) … junior LW Dan Carlson is tied for 11th in the CCHA with 17 goals (up from seven last season) and is tied for 11th with 35 points … senior C Ben Ben Simon (13G-19A) is tied for 17th on the CCHA scoring charts and is tied for 5th in PPGs (10) … sophomore C/LW David Inman (out with mono) stood tied for 19th in the CCHA with 13 regular-season goals (he had 10 in ’98-’99) … Carlson also is tied for 7th in the CCHA with nine PPGs and is tied for 2nd with five GWGs.

DISCIPLINED PLAY: ND’s low team GAA (2.75) is due in large part to the Irish being CCHA’s least-penalized squad (7.7 penalties, 16.6 PIM/gm, leading to just 5.7 opp. PP chances/gm) … since ranking as the CCHA’s most-penalized team in ’95-’96 (11.31), the Irish were the least-penalized in ’96-’97 (8.69) and ’97-’98 (6.37) and the third-least penalized in ’98-’99 (8.40) … ND’s more disciplined players include freshman RW John Wroblewski (4 penalties, 29 GP), senior LW Andy Jurkowksi (5, 24 in 107 career games), senior C Ben Simon (18, compared to 30-31-31 in the past three seasons), sophomore C Brett Henning (8, 23 in 69 career games), junior LW Dan Carlson (13, 40 in 114 career games) and junior RW Ryan Dolder (14, 29 in 102 career games) … senior D Sean Molina has 14 penalties this season (40 in 147 career games) … senior D Nathan Borega had just 16 penalties as a sophomore and 13 as junior but has a team-high 34 this season (just seven in the last 13 games) … ND was whistled for 13 penalties in the 6-0 loss at NMU (most in 20 games, since 15 in 4-2 loss to FSU on Oct. 24), leading to 10 PPs … the Irish then ended the regular season with a bizarre game at MSU that included 80 penalty minutes between the teams and 27 PPs (ND had 52 PIM, leading to 17 PPs for MSU).

TOP PROSPECTS: Four current and future ND players were listed among the top 160 players on the NHL’s Central Scouting Service midseason rankings (most from any CCHA team) … the rankings list players born between Sept. 16, 1980-Sept. 15, 1982 ( players born after Sept. 15, 1981 must “opt-in” and forfeit their college eligibility) … ND’s top-rated player is fall signee Neil Komadoski (Feb. 10, 1982 birthdate), considered one of the nation’s top D prospects in his age group … Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo./U.S. Under-18 National Team) checked in at 51st, the fourth-highest rated player/signee in the CCHA … current ND players on the list include three draft-eligible freshmen: D Evan Nielsen (Evanston, Ill.), C Connor Dunlop (St. Louis, Mo.) and RW Michael Chin (Urbana, Ill.) … Nielsen checks in at 70th, sixth-highest among all current CCHA players/signees and first among active league D (six spots ahead of NMU’s Sean Connolly) … Dunlop is listed 118th, eight-highest among all players with CCHA ties and second among active CCHA forwards (Michigan center Andy Hilbert is 26th) … Chin is the ninth-highest CCHA player/signee on the list, at No. 158.

EVEN STEVEN: Notre Dame’s four non-power-play goals in last week’s 4-3 win over FSU are its most in a game since the 5-1 win at Vermont during Thanksgiving weekend (a span of 25 games).

SURGING DUO: Junior LW Dan Carlson has 13G-12A in his last 22 games, compared to 4G-6A in the first 16 … senior C Ben Simon has points in eighth of the last 10 games (7G-7A) and 25 (11G-14A) in his last 26 … Simon has scored six of ND’s last 20 goals (five on the PP) and has goals in five of the last eight games, after going nearly two months without a goal (a shocking 14-game goal drought, from Dec. 19-Feb. 11) … in the last 10 games, linemates Carlson (6G-8A) and Simon (7G-7A) have combined for 13 goals and 28 points.

MO HAS MO: Senior D Sean Molina (Skokie, Ill.) has posted a career-best nine points (1G-8A) and has totaled just 40 career penalties while playing the most games (147, tied for sixth in ND history) of any current Irish player (he is averaging 3.7 games per penalty for his career) … Molina is tied for eighth on the 1999-2000 team with a career-best eight assists … just five ND players have appeared in 148-plus career games, with two-time Academic All-American Steve Noble (148, 1994-98) the only player to do so since 1982 … Molina is tied with Jeff Logan (`78-’82) for sixth on the Irish career games played chart (Logan and current Irish head coach Dave Poulin were the Irish co-captains in 1981-82) … Molina and Noble (148, ’94-’98) are the only ND players to log 147-pplus career games since 1982 … ND’s top-five career leaders in games played are: Ds John Schmidt (152, `78-’82) and All-American Jack Brownschidle (150, `73-’77), F Greg Meredith (149, `76-’80), Noble and F Bill Rothstein (148, `78-’82) … Molina has played 39 of ND’s 41 games this season, missing the early series at Nebraska-Omaha due to illness.

A FRESH FACE … MAKE THAT TWO: Notre Dame’s Dave Poulin and Nebraska-Omaha’s Mike Kemp will be making their first appearance at the CCHA Championship as coaches … the last time two coaches made their debut at “The Joe” in the same CCHA Championship was 1990-91, when first-year coaches Jeff Jackson (Lake Superior State) and Bob Mancini (Ferris State) guided their squads to the CCHA semi-finals … Poulin also holds the unique distinction of also having played at Joe Louis Arena in the CCHA Championship, leading the Irish to the 1981-82 final game.

A LEADER IN MANY WAYS: Junior LW Dan Carlson was credited by Irish head coach Dave Poulin with urging his teammates on during the third period of what was then a 2-1 game with MSU (the Irish scored the game-tying goal moments later), after it had been announced that Western Michigan suddenly had surged in front of Ferris State (the Bulldogs led 2-1 before falling behind, 4-2) … Carlson leads the Irish this season in overall points (35), goals (17), game-winning goals (5), first goals (4) and shots on goal (119) while ranking second in power-play goals (9) and shot pct. (.143) and third in assists (18) … in CCHA games only, Carlson led ND in points (24), goals (13), PPGs (8), GWGs (3), shots (81) and shot pct. (.160).

DO WE HAVE TO LEAVE?: One Irish player who will miss the Joyce Center Fieldhouse more than any other is junior RW Ryan Dolder (Hutchinson, Minn.), who has registered nine of his 10 goals at the home confines (in 21 games), with just one goal on the road (in 20) … Dolder’s lone score away from home was a valuable one, as it gave the Irish a 1-0 lead in an eventual 2-1 win at Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 28 … Dolder carries a rare three-game scoring streak into the MSU game, after scoring in the first minute of the opening 4-3 win over FSU, scoring ND’s only goal in the 6-1 loss and firing home the clinching empty-netter in the 4-2 win.

MISTER CLUTCH: Notre Dame junior LW Dan Carlson (Edina, Minn.) is tied for second among all CCHA players with five game-winning goals this season-including four GWGs in the last seven ND victories … Carlson’s game-winners include four that came in one-goal games and two that came in overtime (4-3 vs. WMU in OT, 2-1 at UAF, 2-1 at OSU in OT and 4-3 last week vs. FSU) … his five GWG equal the most in a season by an ND player since 1989-90 (Brian Urick also had five GWGs in 1997-98) … Carlson also has eight career GWGs, which is tied for ninth in ND history … he has scored the GWG in four of ND’s last seven wins, with all of them being close affairs.

GOOD TIME FOR 1ST GWG: In the series-clinching win over Ferris State, Irish senior D Tyson Fraser (Surrey, B.C.) fired home a shot from the left point to give ND a 3-1 lead in the second period, with the Irish going on for a 4-2 win after Ryan Dolder’s empty-netter … that goal was the eighth of Fraser’s career and his first game-winning goal in four seasons with the Irish, spanning 130 games.

BACK ON TRACK: Junior RW Ryan Dolder (Hutchinson, Minn.) scored in each game of the Ferris State playoff series, rekindling memories of his surprising contributions as a freshman in the postseason series at Michigan … Dolder scored two goals in that series at Yost Ice Arena (including the 4-2 game-winner) but was shut out in the three-game CCHA Tournament loss to Northern Michigan last season.

MOVING UP: Senior C Ben Simon’s recent surge gives him 130 career points in 141 career games (44G-86A), leaving him one point shy of joining Don Fairholm (50G-81A, `74-’78) on the Irish career top-20 scoring list … Simon is the second-leading scorer among ND players in the last seven seasons, trailing only Jamie Ling’s 153 point total (51G-102A, ’92-’96) … in the 17 seasons since 1982-83, only six ND players have totaled more points than Simon: Mike McNeill (83G-115A, ’84-’88), Dave Bankoske (73G-109A, ’88-’93), Brent Chapman (90G-78A, ’81-’86), Ling, Tim Kuehl (65G-80A, ’86-’90) and Curtis Janicke (49G-98A, ’89-’93) … Simon could move into 19th on the ND all-time scoring list, a spot currently occupied by Tim Michalak’s 133 points (46G-87A, `76-’80).

UNLIKELY HEROES: In the series-clinching win over Ferris State, the Irish received goals from three unlikely players: junior F Matt Van Arkel (first goal since New Year’s Eve), junior F Jay Kopischke (6th goal of the season, 2nd in 11 games) and senior D Tyson Fraser (3rd goal of season, first since Nov. 6).

NO NEED FOR ALARM: Despite allowing 15 goals in the last four games, freshman G Tony Zasowski (Darien, Ill.) has continued to be tough to crack in even-strength situations … he has allowed just 44 even-strength goals (compared to 27 non-even-strength) in 30 games played, including just 20 ESGs allowed in his last 17 appearances … since the 4-1 loss at MSU on Dec. 5 (all ESGs), Zasowski has allowed more than two even-strength goals in a game just once in his last 19 games-in the 7-4 win over Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 12 (3 ESGs allowed).

HE’S BEEN DOWN THAT ROAD: Second-year ND hockey equipment manager Dave Gilbert, a ’96 graduate of Lake Superior, is the only person associated with the Irish hockey program (aside from head coach Dave Poulin and longtime athletic trainer John Whitmer) who has experienced “going to The Joe” first-hand, doing so in five straight seasons (1992-96) … Gilbert was a reserve goaltender on LSSU’s ’91-’92 NCAA championship team, backing up eventual pro hockey goalies Darrin Madeley and Blaine Lacher … during his final four years as an undergrad, Gilbert served as a student equipment manager, with LSSU finishing as NCAA runner-up in ’93, NCAA champion in ’94 and reaching the NCAA quarterfinals his final two seasons … he spent the previous two years as head equipment manager for LSSU’s 11 sports before accepting his current position with the Irish.

GIVE HIM A HAND: Senior LW Andy Jurkowski (Madison, Wis.) saw his team-best streak of 86 consecutive GP end with the Feb. 18 game at BG, due to a hand injury … Jurkowski missed four games before returning for the Ferris State playoff series-immediately making his presence felt with a hustling goal that had typified his contributions earlier in the season … with ND trailing 3-2 in the third period of the opening game vs. FSU, Jurkowski pounced on a deflected Jay Kopischke shot and snuck a shot between Phil Osaer’s right arm and the post (the Irish went on to a 4-3 win) … a versatile player who has split time during his Irish career at forward and defense, Jurkowski currently ranks as the team’s ninth-leading scorer (5G-8A) and registered points in eight of 10 games during an Oct. 24-Dec. 4 stretch, including goals in back-to-back games twice … he scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over UAF and assisted on Ryan Dolder’s goal with five minutes to play that beat MSU, 1-0, on Dec. 4.

MINNESOTA PIPELINE: The Notre Dame all-time hockey roster includes 79 letterwinners from the state of Minnesota, with seven on the current Irish roster … five of those players have made noteworthy contributions in recent weeks … junior LW Dan Carlson (Edina) is the team’s leading scorer (17G-18A), with a team-best five game-winning goals (two in OT) … senior RW Joe Dusbabek (Faribault) ranks as the team’s third-leading scorer and has skated alongside Carlson since mid-Jan. … junior RW Ryan Dolder (Hutchinson) was named an alternate captain in early Dec. and ranks as ND’s fourth-leading scorer (10G-14A , with 1G in each game vs. FSU last week) … junior LW Jay Kopischke (Alexandria) has provided timely goals and assists this season, with his 6G-5A including the second goal in ND’s clinching win over FSU last week (4-2) … senior F Troy Bagne (Moorhead) has been a valuable four-year member of the Irish, appearing in 123 career games and most recently providing the heady pass that set up Tyson Fraser’s game-winning goal (3-1) in the third game vs. FSU (4-2) … ND’s other Minnesota natives on the current roster include sophomore D Sam Cornelius (Edina, 16 GP in 1999-2000) and reserve G Kyle Kolquist (Duluth).

READY IF NEEDED: Sophomore G Jeremiah Kimento (Palos Hills, Ill.) is a capable backup to Tony Zasowski but Kimento has seen just 43 minutes of game action during the last two months, playing 24:33 in the 5-3 loss at MSU (9 saves, 0 GA) on March 4 and 18:01 in last week’s 6-1 loss to FSU (3 saves, 1 GA).

JURKOWSKI NAMED CCHA ALL-ACADEMIC: ND senior LW Andy Jurkowski (Madison, Wis.) was named to the prestigious eight-player CCHA All-Academic Team for 1999-2000, making ND the CCHA’s only school to produce an All-Academic honoree each of the last five seasons … Jurkowski-who received the second-most All-Academic team votes-has made a valuable contribution at LW, after moving up from the D position he held the previous two seasons … a seven-time Dean’s List student, he has posted three 4.0 semesters and owns a 3.86 cumulative GPA as a finance major … he has been nominated for GTE Academic All-America honors for fall and winter “at-large” sports, with that team to be announced in mid-April (ND hockey players have been named Academic All-Americans each of the past three years) … prior to a recent hand injury, Jurkowski had played in a team-best 86 consecutive games (he returned to score the game-tying goal in the 4-3 playoff win over FSU) … a former walk-on who began his career in ’96-’97 as a F/D, he has appeared in 107 career games, with seven goals and 12 assists … he currently ranks as the team’s ninth-leading scorer (5G-8A) and registered points in eight of 10 games during an Oct. 24-Dec. 4 stretch, with goals in back-to-back games twice … he scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Alaska Fairbanks and assisted on Ryan Dolder’s late goal that beat MSU, 1-0, on Dec. 4.

ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM NOTES: The CCHA All-Academic team typically includes just six honorees (a tie led to eight being recognized for 1999-2000) … ND has produced seven previous first team CCHA All-Academic selections since rejoining the CCHA in ’92-’93: Curtis Janicke and Carl Picconatto (’92-’93), Garry Gruber (’95-’96), Steve Noble (’96-’97, ’97-’98) and Forrest Karr and Aniket Dhadphale (’98-’99) … during that eight-year span, only WMU (9) has produced more CCHA All-Academic selections than ND’s eight … two other ND players were nominated for the 1999-2000 All-Academic team: junior LW and Academic All-America nominee Dan Carlson (3.43 in finance) and sophomore LW/C David Inman (3.62 in the College of Business).

CAREER BESTS: Seven ND players have posted career-best point totals this season: senior RW Joe Dusbabek (8G-19A), senior D Sean Molina (1G-8A), senior LW Andy Jurkowski (5G-8A), senior D Sean Seyferth (2G-4A), junior LW Dan Carlson (17G-18A), junior RW Ryan Dolder (10G-14A) and junior LW Jay Kopischke (6G-5A).

DIFFERENCE MAKERS: The goalscoring of senior RW Joe Dusbabek has impacted Notre Dame’s season more than any other player, as the Irish are 6-1-1 when Dusbabek scores a goal … “Dus” has totaled six of his seven goals and 16 of his 25 points in the Irish wins this season … a goal from junior RW Ryan Dolder also usually signals good news for the Irish, as ND is 8-2-0 this season when Dolder lights the lamp.

DOUBLE (OT) DIP: In addition to his last-minute score at Ohio State (2-1, Feb. 5), Dan Carlson earlier had scored two huge goals in the 4-3 home win over Western Michigan on Jan. 21, forcing OT with 1:23 left in regulation before netting the 6-on-5 game-winner in the first minute of OT … his timely plays vs. WMU and OSU make Carlson just the second player in ND hockey history-and the first in 28 years-to score two overtime goals in the same season .. junior winger Paul Regan scored OT goals in ’71-’72 vs. Michigan Tech (6-5) and Cornell (5-4).

INJURY REPORT: Sophomore LW/C David Inman missed the MSU and FSU series with infectious mononucleosis and likely will not be cleared for a return before the end of the season … a member of the 1999-2000 U.S. Junior National Team (he holds joint citizenship), Inman is ND’s fifth-leading scorer, with 13 goals (tied for second on the team) and seven assists in 32 GP (he missed four games while at the World Juniors) … he is tied for third on the team in PPGs (5) and fifth in plus-minus (+2) … Inman had 2G in the 3-3 tie at UAF on Jan. 28 and 2G-2A in the 7-4 win over UNO (most points by an ND player this season, later equaled by Ben Simon in the 5-3 win at BG) … junior LW Chad Chipchase underwent reconstructive knee surgery in mid-Feb. and will not return this season … Chipchase-who is expected to make a full recovery for his senior season-was limited to primarily third and fourth-line duty this season, with no points, five penalties and 12 shots on goal in 15 GP (he had 10G-5A in ’98-’99, as one of three ND players to appear in all 38 games) … freshman D Paul Harris continues to recover from surgery in mid-Dec. to remove a cyst from his neck (he appeared in nine of ND’s first 20 games, with two penalties and seven shots on goal).

CENTURY MAN: Senior C Ben Simon (Shaker Heights, Ohio)-who earned preseason CCHA “player of the year” honors from Hockey News-registered 1G-1A in the season-opening Michigan series, giving him 100 points (32G-68A) in his 106th game … Simon has pushed his career total to 130 points (44G-86A) in 143 games and is the fourth Irish player to reach 100 points in the five-year tenure of head coach Dave Poulin, joining ’96 graduate Jamie Ling (51-102) and ’99 grads Brian Urick (57-69) and Aniket Dhadphale (61-44) … Simon needs six more goals to become the 29th ND player to total 50-plus goals and 50-plus assists … he is one point shy of cracking ND’s top-20 career scoring list and needs 11 assists to move into that top 10 list … his seven career game-winning goals are tied for 10th in Irish history (’99 graduate Brian Urick, who shares the record of 13 with current Irish head coach Dave Poulin, and current junior LW Dan Carlson are the only ND player since 1993 with more than seven career GWGs) … Simon also needs one more power-play goal to move into the Irish career top 10 for PPGs.

THE POWER COMPANY
Several Notre Dame players have accumulated the bulk of their points during the 1999-2000 season in the power play … senior D Tyson Fraser has totaled 12 of his 14 points on the PP (2G-10A) while junior LW Dan Carlson’s 35-point season includes 20 points on the power play (9G-11A) … other members of the first power-play unit likewise have accumulated more than half their points on the PP: senior RW Joe Dusbabek (5 PPG-11 PPA, 27 total points), junior RW ryan Dolder (4 PPG-10 PPA, 24 total points) and senior C Ben Simon (10 PPG-6 PPA, 32 total points) … freshman D Evan Nielsen has shown promise for the future of the Irish power play, with 2 PPGs and six PPAs this season (he has 14 total points).

SEASON POWER-PLAY POINTS

Dan Carlson 9 PPG 11 PPA 20 PPP
Ben Simon 6 PPG 10 PPA 16 PPP
Joe Dusbabek 5 PPG 11 PPA 16 PPP
Ryan Dolder 4 PPG 10 PPA 14 PPP
Tyson Fraser 2 PPG 10 PPA 12 PPP
Connor Dunlop 0 PPG 9 PPA 9 PPP
David Inman 5 PPG 4 PPA 9 PPP
Evan Nielsen 2 PPG 6 PPA 8 PPP
Michael Chin 2 PPG 3 PPA 5 PPP
Brett Henning 2 PPG 1 PPA 3 PPP
Sean Molina 0 PPG 3 PPA 3 PPP
Jay Kopischke 2 PPG 0 PPA 2 PPP
Andy Jurkowski 0 PPG 1 PPA 1 PPP
Sean Seyferth 0 PPG 1 PPA 1 PPP

MULTIPLE OFFENDERS
Notre Dame players have totaled 43 mutli-point games in 1999-2000, with the bulk of those coming from junior LW Dan Carlson (8, including seven in the last 15 games and five in the last 10), senior C Ben Simon (7, with three in the last eight games), senior RW Joe Dusbabek (6) and mono-stricken sophomore LW/C David Inman (5) … beyond those players, the other 19 ND players have combined for just 17 multi-point games … only eight total ND players have two or more mutli-point games.

Dan Carlson 8
Ben Simon 7
Joe Dusbabek 6
David Inman 5
Ryan Dolder 3
Evan Nielsen 3
Michael Chin 3
Connor Dunlop 2
Tyson Fraser 1
Andy Jurkowski 1
Brett Henning 1
Sean Seyferth 1
Troy Bagne 1
Sean Molina 1
Total 43

LOTS OF WINNERS
Despite the multiple clutch plays turned in this season by junior LW Dan Carlson (five game-winning goals, with one game-winning assist), the Irish have surged behind timely contributions from a wide variety of players … in fact, five different ND players have had a hand in four-plus GWGs this season while 11 have posted at least two GWGs … all told, 16 different ND players had recorded at least one GWG or GWA this season … the only regular Irish players who have not been involved in a GWG in 1999-2000 are senior Ds Nathan Borega and Sean Seyferth and junior Lw Jay Kopischke … it was only fitting that last week’s series-clinching goal versus Ferris State (3-1, final score of 4-2) came off the stick of senior D Tyson Fraser (his first career GWG), while senior F Troy Bagne provided the pass from the left corner for his third career game-winning point (all assists) and his first GWP since the season opener of his sophomore season (a span of 119 games) … in addition to Carlson, the other ND players with four-plus GWPs include junior RW Ryan Dolder (2 GWG-3 GWA), senior C Ben Simon (2 GWG-2 GWA), freshman D Evan Nielsen (2 GWG-2 GWA) and senior RW Joe Dusbabek (1 GWG-3 GWA) … Simon has factored into 20 game-winning goals during his career (7 GWG-13 GWA), including four as a freshman, three as a sophomore and nine as a junior.

SEASON GAME-WINNING POINTS

Dan Carlson 5 GWG 1 GWA 6 GWP
Ryan Dolder 2 GWG 3 GWA 5 GWP
Ben Simon 2 GWG 2 GWA 4 GWP
Evan Nielsen 2 GWG 2 GWA 4 GWP
Joe Dusbabek 1 GWG 3 GWA 4 GWP
Tyson Fraser 1 GWG 2 GWA 3 GWP
David Inman 1 GWG 1 GWA 2 GWP
Michael Chin 0 GWG 2 GWA 2 GWP
Brett Henning 0 GWG 2 GWA 2 GWP
Connor Dunlop 0 GWG 2 GWA 2 GWP
Andy Jurkowski 1 GWG 1 GWA 2 GWP
Matt Van Arkel 1 GWG 0 GWA 1 GWP
Sean Molina 0 GWG 1 GWA 1 GWP
John Wroblewski 0 GWG 1 GWA 1 GWP
Ryan Clark 0 GWG 1 GWA 1 GWP
Troy Bagne 0 GWG 1 GWA 1 GWP

NOTRE DAME’S CCHA PLAYOFF TRIVIA

Q: What team has Notre Dame faced the most in its 18 previous CCHA Tournament games (bonus: in addition to FSU, UAF and UNO, can you name the three other teams that ND never has faced in CCHA Tournament action?)

A: Michigan, seven games (Lake Superior, Miami and Ohio State)

Q: Notre Dame has advanced to the CCHA semi-finals just once in nine previous seasons as a league member. Can you name that season? (bonus: who were the captains on that team?)

A: 1981-82 (Dave Poulin and Jeff Logan)

Q: Name the Irish player who totaled just one regular-season goal in 1997-98 before scoring twice in the CCHA first-round series at Michigan, including a game-winner (bonus: can you name any of the other ND goalscorers in that 4-2 upset win?)

A: Current junior right wing and alternate team captain Ryan Dolder (Mark Eaton, John Dwyer and Nathan Borega)

Q: In the 1997-98 CCHA Tournament win at Michigan, Matt Eisler stopped a third-period penalty shot by what Michigan player?

A: Bill Muckalt

Q: In 1998-99, Notre Dame and Northern Michigan set a CCHA Tournament record for fewest combined penalty minutes in a game. How many PIM did the teams total? (bonus: what was the Irish total)?

A: 8:00 (2:00)

ZASOWSKI HONORED AGAIN: ND freshman G Tony Zasowski (Darien, Ill.) was named CCHA defensive player of the week after helping ND post a 5-3 win and 1-1 tie at BG on Feb. 18-19 … Zasowski-who has started each of ND’s last 16 games-opened the win at BG with 25 saves en route to a 31-save night (2 even-strength GA) … the next night, he made 20 saves, allowing a third-period goal … he ranks sixth among regular CCHA goaltenders with a 2.29 overall season GAA (fourth among those with 1,000-plus minutes) … his .908 overall save pct. ranks sixth among CCHA goalies with 1,000-plus minutes … both of those marks remain on pace to best the Notre Dame records set by Forrest Karr (2.58, ’98-’99) and Mark Kronholm (.907, ’70-’71) … his 11 victories are tied for fourth-most in the CCHA … Zasowski has allowed just 35 even-strength goals in 25 games played (just 14 in the last 13) while allowing 0-2 total goals in 15 of his 21 starts … he has posted two shutouts (19 saves vs. Alaska Fairbanks, 24 vs. Michigan State) to join Karr as the only Irish goaltenders ever to post multiple solo shutouts in the same season.

MORE ON CCHA AWARDS: Freshman G Tony Zasowski also has been named CCHA rookie of the week twice: on Nov. 1-after making 58 saves in a series with Miami (5-2, 2-2)-and on Jan. 23, after totaling 41 saves and allowing just one even-strength goal in a pair of wins over Western Michigan (4-3/ot, 4-1) … ND players were honored three times by the CCHA during a six-week span (ending Feb. 26), equaling the most by any CCHA team during that stretch … Zasowski-who also has twice been named CCHA rookie of the week-became just the fifth freshman to earn a CCHA player-of-the-week award this season … ND players have combined for five total CCHA weekly awards this season … Irish freshman C Connor Dunlop was named CCHA rookie of the week on Oct. 18 while junior LW Dan Carlson was named offensive player of the week on Feb. 7 … Zasowski is one of five CCHA players who have totaled three-plus awards this season: Michigan C Mike Comrie (three-time player of the week), Ferris State F Chris Gobert (two-time rookie of the week, two-time offensive player of the week), MSU G Ryan Miller (two-time rookie of the week, defensive player of the week) and Lake Superior G Jayme Platt (four-time defensive player of the week).

BIG WEEKEND: A pair of Minnesota natives-junior LW Dan Carlson (Edina) and senior RW Joe Dusbabek (Faribault)-played leading roles in the Jan. 21-22 sweep of WMU … Carlson converted a scramble 6-on-5 goal with 1:23 left to force OT in the first game before slapping home a PPG from the top of the slot, 0:52 into OT (4-3) … he assisted on Dusbabek’s goal the next day for a 1-0 lead and scored the clinching third goal en route to a 4-1 final … Carlson’s four-point weekend was the first by an ND player this season in CCHA action but Dusbabek bettered him with a six-point series (1G-2A in both games) … he was credited with the first ND goal of the series when his pass deflected off a WMU player (he later assisted on Carlson’s GTG and GWG) … the next night, “Dus” opened the scoring with a rocket shot from outside the blue line before assisting on the next two goals.

ND vs. National Top-10 Teams

Record 1-6-2
Goals per game 1.6
Goals allowed per game 3.6
Power-play efficiency 6-59 (.102)
Penalty-kill efficiency 57-67 (.851)
Shot margin (per game) -4.4
Penalty minutes per game 21.6
  • Top scorers: Simon (4G-3A, 4 PPGs), Carlson (2G-3A, PPG), Dusbabek (0G-5A)
  • Zasowski: 1-3-2, 3.12, .879
  • Kimento: 0-3-0, 4.17, .867

ND’s Last 10 Games (prior to CCHA semi’s)

Record 5-3-2
Goals per game 3.0 (30)
Goals allowed per game 3.0 (30)
Power-play efficiency 12-51 (.235)
Penalty-kill efficiency 51-60 (.850)
Shots (per game) 29.6 (296)
Shot margin (per game) +2.7
Penalty minutes per game 18.0
  • Top scorers: Simon (7G-7A, 5 PPG, GWG), Carlson (6G-8A, PPG, 2 GWG), Dusbabek (1G-6A), Dunlop (1G-5A, SHG), Chin (3G-2A, PPG), Dolder (3G-2A, PPG), Nielsen (1G-4A, PPG, GWG)
  • Zasowski: 5-3-2, 2.95, .890 (227 SV, 28 GA)
  • Kimento: 0-0-0, 1.41, .923 (12 SV, 1 GA)

ND Stats Since New Year’s Day

Record 9-5-5
Goals per game 2.6 (49)
Goals allowed per game 2.7 (51)
Power-play efficiency 23-114 (.202)
Penalty-kill efficiency 92-111 (.829)
Shots (per game) 31.1
Shot margin (per game) +5.7
Penalty minutes per game 17.1
  • Top scorers: Carlson (12G-10A, 6 PPG, 4 GWG), Ben Simon (7G-10A, 5 PPG, GWG), Joe Dusbabek (4G-11A, 2 PPG, GWG), David Inman (6G-4A, 4 PPG), Michael Chin (5G-5A, 2 PPG), Ryan Dolder (5G-4A, 2 PPG, GWG)
  • Zasowski: 9-4-4, 2.54, .897 (384 SV, 44 GA
  • Kimento: 0-1-1, 2.35, .906 (48 SV, 5 GA)

AROUND THE HORN
Junior LW DAN CARLSON (team-best 17G, plus 18A) remains atop ND’s scoring charts, with goals in seven of the last 11 games and 10 of the last 15 (11G-9A) … he ranks second on the team in PPGs (9), plus team-best totals in GWGs (5) and shots on goal (119) … he has scored or assisted on six of ND’s 16 winning goals and is tied for 9th all-time at ND with eight career GWGs (eight players have 10-plus, with Brian Urick and Dave Poulin sharing the record of 13) … his five GWGs this season (one in consecutive series vs. WMU, UAF and OSU, including two in OT, before notching the GWG in the first game of the FSU playoff series) are tied for fourth in the Irish record book … since Dave Bankoske’s record seven GWGs in ’89-’90, only Urick (5, ’97-’98) has more GWGs in a season that Carlson’s five … Carlson had 3G-2A in the WMU series, including the game-tying goal in the first game with 1:23 left and the OT game-winner (4-3) … he came back in the next game (2-1) at UAF to record his second GWG in three games (he also scored in the last minute of OT the next week at OSU, 2-1) … after a slow start (4G-5A in first 15 GP), Carlson has 13G-13A in the last 22 games … his 17 goals include nine on the PP and one 6-on-5 (he totaled six PPGs in his first two seasons) … Carlson’s five GWGs are more than his total from his first two seasons (3) … he has posted 27-35 points in each of his three seasons (11G-17A in `97-’98, 7G-20A in `98-’99) … Carlson needs 3G-2A to become the first “20-20” player at ND since Lou Zadra (24G-23A, ’91-’92).

Senior RW Joe Dusbabek (8G-19A) ranks third on the team in scoring, with assists on all three PPGs in the 5-3 loss at MSU … he tied for second on the team for scoring in CCHA games (6G-15A) and is tied for third in overall PPGs (5) … Dusbabek had 1G-2A in both games of the Jan. 21-22 WMU series and has 17 points in his last 18 GP (5G-12A) … his career-best 27 points this season are more than his point total from the previous two years combined (23).

Senior C Ben Simon has 126 career points (44G-86A) in 143 games … Simon notched his third career two-goal game in the 5-3 UMass win before adding two-goal games (all on PPGs) in the 5-3 win at BG and the 5-3 loss at MSU (he has yet to record a hat trick) … he has 25 points (11G-14A) in his last 26 games (five in first 12) and halted a 14-game goal drought in the 7-4 UNO win on Feb. 12 (he also had 3A in that series) … Simon’s recent surge includes scoring five of ND’s final 11 regular-season goals (all on the PP) and he has points in eight of the last 10 games (7G-7A) … he leads ND with 10 PPGs this season (he totaled 11 in his first three seasons) … Simon’s final trip to BG (he hails from nearby Shaker Heights) yielded his four-point game in the 5-3 win, including his seventh career GWG (tied for 10th in ND history).

Junior RW Ryan Dolder has 19 points (8G-11A) in the last 26 games (5G-4A in the last 12) and is fourth on the team in scoring (10G-15A) … Dolder-an invited walk-on in ’97-’98-holds ND’s longest streak for consecutive GP (63) … he was recognized by the coaching staff for his emerging leadership by being named the team’s third alternate captain on Dec. 1.

Freshman RW Michael Chin had 2G in the win over UNO and has 4G-5A in the last 14 games (0G-1A in the last seven) … Chin’s recent surge includes 3A in the UAF series, 1G-1A in the 2-1 win at OSU and the primary assist on Ryan Dolder’s goal in the 4-3 playoff series-opening win over FSU … his 11 points in CCHA games (5G-6A) tied for fifth on the team … each of Chin’s six goals have come during the last 22 games (he scored the equalizer in the 1-1 tie with LSSU, on Jan. 8) … Chin (6G-7A) leads all ND freshmen in goals while closely trailing C Connor Dunlop (3G-13A) and D Even Nielsen (4G-10A) for most points among the Irish rookies.

Senior LW Andy Jurkowski had played in a team-best 86 consecutive games before missing the BG and MSU series due to a hand injury (he returned for the FSU series) … Jurkowski posted the first multi-point game of his career in the 4-3 loss to Princeton (2A) and is tied for ninth on the team with 13 points (5G-8A, 2G-4A in 70 games over his first three seasons, as mostly a D) … Jurkowski had an assist in the 4-3 win over WMU to end a seven-game point (he also had an assist at UAF) drought and ended a 23-game goal drought with a clutch rebound score to tie the opening playoff game vs. FSU, 3-3, with ND going on to a 4-3 win (he had 4G in 6 GP before the scoring drought) … after Jurkowski missed the BG series, only Ryan Dolder and Dan Carlson have appeared in all 41 Irish games this season.

Junior LW Jay Kopischke has 6G-5A in his last 25 games played and ended a seven-game point drought with his PPG in the 5-3 loss at MSU (his 11 points this season surpass his 11-point total from his first two seasons) … Kopischke played a key role in the playoff series win over FSU, as his rebounded shot was knocked in by Andy Jurkowski to tie the first game, 3-3 (ND went on to a 4-3 win) … Kopischke then scored a similar rebound goal two night’s later, giving ND a 2-0 lead en route to the clinching 4-2 win.

Dunlop (ND’s top-scoring rookie, 3G-13A) assisted on Dan Carlson’s goal in the 4-1 win over WMU for his first point since returning from the World Juniors … the freshman C added his eighth assist of the season in the 3-3 tie at UAF before picking up 3A in the 7-4 win over UNO, a SHG in the 5-3 win at BG, an assist in the 1-1 tie vs. the Falcons and an assist in the first goal of the FSU playoff series … the goal vs. BG was just the third of the season for Dunlop (he had ND’s only other SHG, in the season opener vs. Michigan) and marked his first score since Nov. 27, ending a 14-game goal drought … he has 1G-5A in the last eight games.

Sophomore C Brett Henning (3G-7A) picked up an assist in the 7-4 win over UNO, for his first point with the Irish since Nov. 28 (he had no points in his previous 15 GP, while also playing in the World Juniors) … Henning then made a big play in the clinching 4-2 playoff win over FSU, as his rebounded shot was knocked in by Jay Kopischke for a 2-0 lead.

Sophomore LW David Inman (13G-7A) has 6G-4A since returning from the World Juniors, including 2 PPGs and 2A in the 7-4 win over UNO on Feb. 12 (the most points by an ND player in a single game this season, matched the next week by senior C Ben Simon at BG) … Inman-who did not play the past two weeks vs. MSU and FSU and likely will miss the rest of the season due to mono-also scored the second goal in the 4-3 win over WMU on Jan. 21 and had two PPGs in the 3-3 tie at UAF (Jan. 29) … Inman owns two of the seven multi-goal games by Irish players this season (he also had 2G vs. Union, Simon scored twice vs. UMass and twice at BG, Dan Carlson twice vs. WMU and Michael Chin twice vs. UNO) … Inman has 6A in his last 15 games played (one in the first 17).

FROM THE BLUE LINE
Senior D Sean Molina’s eight points (1G-8A) are a career-best … Molina is tied for fifth on the squad in plus-minus (+2), after ranking second on the ’98-’99 squad (+13) … Molina has totaled just 40 career penalties (just one in the last seven games, two in the last 12) while playing the most games (147) of any current Irish player (he is averaging 3.7 games per penalty for his career) … Molina is tied for eighth on the 1999-2000 team with a career-best eight assists … Molina scored in the 4-3 loss to Princeton on Dec. 19, for his first career goal … Molina is tied with Jeff Logan (’78-’82) for sixth on the Irish career games played chart (Logan and current Irish head coach Dave Poulin were the Irish co-captains in 1981-82) … Molina and former two-time Academic All-American Steve Noble (148, ’94-’98) are the only ND players to log 147-pplus career games since 1982 … ND’s top-five career leaders in games played are: Ds John Schmidt (152, `78-’82) and All-American Jack Brownschidle (150, `73-’77), F Greg Meredith (149, `76-’80), Noble and F Bill Rothstein (148, `78-’82) … Molina has played 39 of ND’s 41 games this season, missing the early series at Nebraska-Omaha due to illness.

Senior D Tyson Fraser’s assist vs. UMass was his 50th career point (he now has 8G-48A) and marked his 45th career game with a goal or assist (now 50) … Fraser ranks sixth on the team in assists (11) and ranks as the team’s co-leading scorer among D (3G-11A) … his shot from the left point pushed ND to a 3-1 lead and proved to be the game-winner in the last week’s series-clinching win over FSU (4-2).

Senior D Sean Seyferth has six points this season (2G-4A, no points in last 12 games) after totaling seven in his first three seasons combined (4G-3A).

Freshman D Evan Nielsen (4G-10A) is tied with Fraser as the team’s top-scoring Ds (he had 1G-2A in the 7-4 win over UNO, 1A in the 1-1 tie at BG and assisted on Dan Carlson’s GWG in last week’s 4-3 win over FSU) … Seyferth is the only other D with multiple goals … Nielsen ended a nine-game point drought in the 7-4 win over UNO (he had 0G-1A in the previous 12 GP).

Junior D Ryan Clark (from nearby Littleton, Colo.) scored in 3-3 tie at Denver for his first goal of the season and second of his career … he notched his third assist of the season in last week’s opening win over FSU (4-3), with his shot from the left point setting up a goal by Andy Jurkowski.

The Irish senior D foursome of senior Nathan Borega (139), Fraser (130), Molina (147) and Seyferth (66) has combined for 482 career games played … throwing in Clark (88) gives the top five Irish D a total of 570 games of career experience (the starting six has 610 career games between them, with Nielsen’s 40).

BETWEEN THE PIPES
Freshman Tony Zasowski ranks 8th overall in the CCHA with a 2.54 GAA (5th among goalies with 1,200-plus minutes), which would edge the Irish record of 2.58 set by Forrest Karr last season … sophomore Jeremiah Kimento (2.92, 760 minutes) ranks 11th in the CCHA.

Zasowski requested a gold helmet this season, similar to the ones worn by the Notre Dame football team (it was covered with the same paint that the football team uses, with the paint including a small percentage of gold dust) … he has allowed just 44 even-strength goals in 30 games played, including just 20 in his last 17 appearances.

His 2.30 conference GAA ranked 7th overall (3rd among league netminders with 1,000-plus minutes).

He has started each of ND’s last 17 games while his 13 victories this season are tied for 4th-most in the CCHA, behind Lake Superior’s Jayme Platt (18), NMU’s Dan Ragusett (16) and MSU’s Ryan Miller (14).

Zasowski received his third CCHA weekly award-as defensive player of the week-after totaling 51 saves in the Feb. 18-19 series at BG (5-3, 1-1) … he previously was named CCHA rookie of the week on Nov. 1-after making 58 saves in a series with Miami University (5-2, 2-2)-and on Jan. 23, after totaling 41 saves and allowing just one even-strength goal in a pair of wins over Western Michigan (4-3 in overtime and 4-1) … he became just the fifth freshman to earn a CCHA player-of-the-week award this season, is one of six CCHA players who have totaled three-plus awards this season, and is one of five players to earn multiple rookie-of-the-week honors this season, joining Ferris State F Chris Kunitz (3), MSU G Ryan Miller (3), NMU F Chris Gobert (2) and BG forward Ryan Fultz (2).

Zasowski’s season save percentage (.901) has him on pace to challenge the long-standing ND record of .907 (set by Mark Kronholm in 1970-71).

Zasowski has allowed 0-2 goals in 17 of his 26 starts and turned in a shutout streak of 130:36, spanning 54 minutes of the 2-1 loss at UNH on Nov. 27 and the first 76 minutes of the MSU series (Dec. 4-5).

ND’s team GAA of 2.75 is on pace to challenge the team record (2.61, ’98-’99).

Zasowski (19 saves vs. UAF, 24 vs. MSU) is the second ND goalie with two solo shutouts in the same season (Karr shut out OSU and Miami in ’98-’99).

Kimento posted a 19-save shutout vs. Union, marking the first time that the Irish have shut out three opponents in the same season.

Zasowski and Kimento combined for 56 saves and three GA in the crucial Jan. 7-8 LSSU series … Zasowski picked up the 2-1 win over LSSU in his first appearance since Dec. 10, making 29 saves and helping stop all six Lakers PPs (he closed the game with 28 straight saves, after allowing an early goal) … Kimento closed the 1-1 game vs. LSSU with 25 straight saves (he totaled 27).

Junior G Kyle Kolquist made his first career start (second career GP) in the 4-2 loss to Princeton, with 21 saves and just one even-strength goal allowed.