Nov. 6, 2000
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The Notre Dame hockey team will look to avenge an early season loss to Boston College when the number one ranked Eagles (USA Today/American Hockey Magazine – number two by US College Hockey Online) visit the Joyce Center for a single game on Friday, November 10th for a 7:05 p.m. game….the two teams met earlier this season in the first game of the Maverick Stampede in Omaha, Neb. where Boston College took a 4-1 decision on the way to winning that tournament…Notre Dame (3-5-2 overall, 1-2-1 in CCHA) is coming off a three-point weekend at Miami (OH) where the Irish won 5-2 on Friday and tied, 1-1, on Saturday evening…the Eagles are 7-1-0 overall and 3-0-0 in HOCKEY EAST and will play host to Yale on Tuesday night (11/7) prior to meeting the Irish…all 2000-01 Irish hockey games, with the exception of ND’s games at Alaska-Fairbanks (2/23 and 2/24) will be broadcast on WHLY radio (1620 AM) with the play-by-play also available via the internet at www.und.com…
NOTRE DAME PLAYS HOST TO TOP-RANKED BOSTON COLLEGE
- Irish To Face Number One Team In The Nation For First Time Since 1998-99 Season
- Sophomore Goaltender Tony Zasowski Goes 1-0-1 In Three-Point Week For Irish
- Senior Left Wing Dan Carlson Leads Irish Over Miami With Four-Point Weekend
NOTRE DAME VERSUS #1:
The Irish last played against a top-ranked team during the 1998-99 season…that year, ND was 1-1-1 against #1-ranked teams…on November 6, 1998, Notre Dame tied Boston College 5-5 at Chestnut Hill…on January 2nd, 1999, the Irish fell 8-1 at North Dakota…the following day, the Irish upset the top-ranked Fighting Sioux, 4-2…
IRISH VERSUS EAGLES:
The Irish and Eagles have met once this season (4-1 ND loss at Maverick Stampede) and have faced each other 20 times in the all-time series…the Irish trail in the series, 7-12-1…at the Joyce Center, the Irish are just 1-5-0…in Boston, the Irish are 6-6-1 and 0-1-0 on neutral ice…Notre Dame is 0-4-1 in the last five meetings and 1-8-1 in the last ten games versus the Eagles…Notre Dame’s last win at the Joyce Center versus BC came on December 22, 1975, a 6-5 Irish win…
THE COACHES:
Notre Dame head coach Dave Poulin owns a 74-104-24 mark (.426) in his sixth season at Notre Dame…Poulin is 0-4-1 in five games versus the Eagles…Boston College head coach Jerry York, a 1967 Boston College graduate, is in his 29th season coaching and has a 600-437-53 (.575) record…in his seventh year at Boston College, York is a 133-92-19 (.584) as coach of the Eagles…versus Notre Dame, York-coached teams are 14-8-2 (0-0-0 at Clarkson, 10-7-1 at Bowling Green and 4-1-1 at Boston College)…
IRISH UPDATE:
The Irish were 1-0-1 in their two game series at Miami University …on Friday night, Notre Dame used two power play goals and stellar goaltending by Tony Zasowski (So., Darien, Ill.) to take a 5-2 decision…sophomore John Wroblewski (Neenah, Wisc.) put the Irish ahead, 1-0, in the first period getting his first collegiate goal…Miami scored the next two goals to go ahead, 2-1 at the 4:13 of the second period…then the Irish power play went to work clicking twice in the span of 4:41 to give ND a 3-2 lead…Rob Globke (Fr., West Bloomfield, Mich.) got his fifth goal of the season at 10:23 and Brett Henning (Jr., Huntington, N.Y.) got his first of the year at 15:04….Dan Carlson (Sr., Edina, Minn.) and Ryan Dolder (Sr., Hutchinson, Minn.) each scored empty net goals in the final 1:43 of the game to seal the 5-2 win…Carlson had a season-high three-point game (1g, 2a) while Dolder (1g, 1a) and Connor Dunlop (So., St. Louis, Mo.) with two assists, each picked up two points in the game…Zasowski made 31 saves in picking up his first win of the season…Miami outshot Notre Dame 33-23 on the night…the game marked the first time this season that ND scored twice on the power play as the Irish were 2-for-4 …ND shut down Miami’s power play killing all five chances…Saturday night saw the Irish jump out to a quick 1-0 lead as Carlson scored his second goal of the year just 16 seconds into the contest…that would be ND’s only goal of the night…Miami evened the game early in the second period to close out the scoring…Zasowski made 26 saves on the night, including three, game-saving stops late in the third period…ND was outshot 27-22 in the tilt…the power play was 0-for-5 while the Irish penalty killers shut down Miami for the second night in a row, killing all five chances in the game and all nine for the weekend…
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS:
Boston College hockey information can be found at www.bceagles.com…
INJURY REPORT:
Defenseman Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.) is out indefinitely after suffering a shoulder injury in the first period of the Boston College (10/13) game. Komadoski has missed the last eight games…
Defenseman Ryan Clark (Sr., Littleton, Colo.) is out indefinitely with a viral infection. He missed last four games…
Defenseman Tom Galvin (Fr., Miller Place, N.Y.) suffered severed tendons in his left arm at practice on November 2nd…he underwent surgery to repair the tendons and is out indefinitely. He has missed the last two games…
Center David Inman (Jr., Toronto, Ont.) suffered a concussion in the second period of Friday’s (11/3) game with Miami…his status is day-to-day…Inman sat out Saturday night’s game with the RedHawks….
6:50
Quickest hat trick in Notre Dame history, by Sterling Black in 1973
5
Number of NHL draft picks on 2000-01 Notre Dame roster
4.0
Semester GPA posted 11 times by Notre Dame hockey players during past six years
2.56
Tony Zasowski’s Irish record season goals-against-average (1999-2000)
0
Combined goals scored by Notre Dame and Miami on Dec. 10, 1994-the CCHA’s first scoreless tie CCHA Coaches Poll (1st-place votes) Points
WHO’S BACK:
Notre Dame returns 16 of 24 letterwinners from the 1999-2000 team that went 16-18-8, finished fifth in the CCHA and advanced to the CCHA semifinals … the Irish also return junior D Sam Cornelius (lettered in ’98-’99, 16 GP last season) and sophomore D Paul Harris (9 GP last season) … all told, ND’s 15 returning skaters accounted for two-thirds of the goals and 60 percent of the total offense in 1999-2000 … ND returns five of its top-seven scorers from 1999-2000, including its leading scorer in senior LW Dan Carlson (17G-18A, 9 PPG, 5 GWG) … senior RW and team captain Ryan Dolder (10G-14) was ND’s fourth-leading scorer last season, followed by junior C David Inman (13G-7A) and sophomore C Connor Dunlop (3G-13A) … Inman and Dunlop combine to give ND two of the top young centers in the CCHA while junior Brett Henning (3G-7A) could shift from C to LW this season … including Henning, ND has six veterans who could play at left wing-with that group having a combined 14 years of Division I experience … other top candidates at LW include seniors Chad Chipchase (15 GP during injury-plagued 1999-2000 season) and Jay Kopischke (6G-5A), with Chipchase also capable of playing at C or RW … for the second consecutive season, ND must replace a four-year regular at RW (Joe Dusbabek, with Brian Urick moving on after ’98-’99) … other top returners at RW include sophomore Michael Chin (6G-7A) and senior Matt Van Arkel (4G-1A) … just two 1999-2000 letterwinners return in the D: 6-4, 230-pound senior Ryan Clark and sophomore Evan Nielsen (4G-10A), who could fill the power-play point role filled the past two seasons by Benoit Cotnoir (’99) and Tyson Fraser (’00) … Clark and Nielsen skated together in 30 games last season (including the final 22) … all three Irish Gs are back, led by sophomore Tony Zasowski (ND record 2.56 GAA, 13-9-6 record, .901 save pct.) and junior Jeremiah Kimento (3-8-2 career record, 2.88 GAA, .890 save pct.).
WHO’S GONE:
With two of the top-three scorers lost to graduation, ND is one of several CCHA teams looking to receive boosts in goalscoring from other players … the Irish also must replace four of their top-six defenseman from last season: Nathan Borega, Tyson Fraser, Sean Molina and Sean Seyferth … the 6-2, 225-pound Borgea (70 PIM last season) was a four-year enforcer with the Irish while Fraser’s subtle skills included serving as the point man on the Irish power play (he had 3G-11A last season, 7G-49A for his career) … Molina (1G-8A in 1999-2000) appeared in 148 career games (tied for 4th in ND history) and played a role on the second PP unit in 1999-2000 … the graduated D foursome combined to appear in 486 career games (140 for Borega, 131 for Fraser, 67 for Seyferth) … top losses from the forward line include C and team captain Ben Simon and RW Joe Dusbabek … Simon’s 1999-2000 season included 13G-19A and a team-best 10 PPGs … he averaged nearly a point per game in his career (44G-85A, 143 GP) and is ND’s second-leading career scorer since the Irish rejoined the CCHA in 1992 … Dusbabek (8G-19A in 1999-2000) totaled 26G-49A in 126 career games … Academic All-American Andy Jurkowski (5G-8A) made a successful transition from D to LW as senior in 1999-2000 while C Troy Bagne rounds out the 2000 graduates (he had 2G-3A in 1999-2000, 5G-10A in 123 career games).
WHO’S NEW:
ND’s fifth consecutive highly-regarded recruiting class includes three products of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program: D Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.) and Brett Lebda (Buffalo Grove, Ill) and RW Rob Globke (West Bloomfield, Mass.) … the other two freshmen signees include C Aaron Gill (Rochester, Minn./Rochester Mustangs) and D Tom Galvin (Miller Place, NY./Waterloo Blackhawks) … one other newcomer is junior LW Jon Maruk, who played two seasons at Alaska Anchorage before scoring 32G-42A in 71 games last season with the Twin City Vulcans (which won the 1999-2000 national junior-A title) … Globke is known for strong wide-reaching offensive skills, after ranking as the third-leading scorer on the 1999-2000 USA Under-18 National Team (15G-21A) … Gill is a strong all-around centerman who totaled 26G-23A in 55 games with the Mustangs last season … the 6-1, 205-pound Komadoski-who could help replace the imposing presence of graduated Nathan Borega (6-2, 225)-made a name for himself as the top enforcer on the USA Under-18 National Team and is considered one of the nation’s top prospects for the 2001 NHL draft … Lebda is known for his smooth skating and offensive ability while Galvin is a steady performer with strong all-around skills (both could play roles on the power play).
2000-01 Notre Dame Personnel Breakdowns
Top Returnees (yr., pos., ht./wt. … 1999-2000 stats)
Dan Carlson (Sr., LW, 5-9/180, 17-18-35, 42 GP) ND’s top scorer in 1999-2000, career: 35-55-90, 119 GP
Ryan Dolder (Sr., RW, 6-0/195, 10-14-24, 42 GP) Former walk-on now team captain, career: 18-18-36, 103 GP
David Inman (Jr., C/LW, 6-1/205, 13-7-20, 32 GP) 1999 second-round draft pick (N.Y. Rangers)
Tony Zasowski (So., G, 5-11/195, 13-9-6, 2.56, .901) Set Irish GAA record, allowed 0-2 goals in 17 of 27 starts
Evan Nielsen (So., D, 6-2/210, 4-10-14, 41 GP) 2000 eighth-round NHL draft pick (Atlanta)
Connor Dunlop (So., C, 5-10/180, 3-13-16, 35 GP) Member of 1999-2000 USA Junior National Team
Ryan Clark (Sr., D, 6-4/230, 1-3-4, 36 GP) 88 career games played
Michael Chin (So., RW, 6-2/210, 6-7-13, 37 GP) Recorded 4G-5A in final 15 games of 1999-2000 season
Chad Chipchase (Sr., LW, 6-0/200, 0-0-0, 15 GP) Jr. season hampered by knee injury, career: 15-8-23, 94 GP
Top Players Lost (Yr., Pos., 1999-2000 Stats)
Ben Simon (Sr., C/LW, 13-19-32) ND’s 2nd-leading career scorer since ’92 (44-86-130, 144 GP)
Tyson Fraser (Sr., D, 3-11-14) Key PP component, alt. captain, career: 8-49-57, 131 GP
Joe Dusbabek (Sr., RW, 8-19-27) Career: 26-49-75, 127 GP
Sean Molina (Sr., D, 1-8-9) 148 career GP (4th in ND history)
Nathan Borega (Sr., D, 1-3-4) 6-2, 225 pounds … alternate captain … 140 career GP
Top Newcomers (all freshmen, except for Maruk-junior)
Neil Komadoski D 6-1/215 Chesterfield, MO/USA Under-18 National Team
Rob Globke RW 6-2/200 West Bloomfield, MI/USA Under-18 Nat’l Team
Tom Galvin D 5-9/185 Miller Place, NY/Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL)
Aaron Gill C 6-0/170 Rochester, MN/Rochester Mustangs (USHL)
Brett Lebda D 5-10/195 Buffalo Grove, IL/USA Under-18 National Team
Jon Maruk LW 5-9/180 Eden Prairie, MN/Twin City Vulcans (USHL)/Alaska Anchorage
Coaching Staff and Support Staff
- Head Coach
Dave Poulin (Notre Dame ’82) - Poulin’s Record at Notre Dame 71-99-12 (5 years)
- Assistant Coaches
Andy Slaggert (Notre Dame ’89)
John Micheletto (Dartmouth `90)
Craig Brown (Western Michigan) - Athletic Trainer
John Whitmer - Equipment Manager
Dave Gilbert - Senior Student Manager
Doug Booi - Hockey Sports Info. Director
Tim Connor
Team Information
- 1999-2000 Record
16-18-8 overall, 11-10-7 CCHA - Letterwinners Returning
17 (11 F, 3 D, 3 G) - Letterwinners Lost
8 (4 F, 4 D, 0 G) - 2000-2001 Captain
Ryan Dolder (Sr., RW) - 2000-2001 Alternate Captains
Dan Carlson (Sr., LW)
Chad Chipchase (Sr., F) - Other Returning Players
Ryan Clark (Sr., D)
Kyle Kolquist (Sr., G)
Jay Kopischke (Sr., LW)
Matt Van Arkel (Sr., RW)
Sam Cornelius (Jr., D)
Brett Henning (Jr., C)
David Inman (Jr., C/LW)
Jeremiah Kimento (Jr., G)
Michael Chin (So., RW)
Connor Dunlop (So., C)
Paul Harris (So., D)
Evan Nielsen (So., D)
Jake Wiegand (So., F)
John Wroblewski (So., RW)
Tony Zasowski (So., G)
MINNESOTA PIPELINE:
The Notre Dame hockey program has a longstanding tradition of being led by players from Minnesota, dating back to the leaders of the program’s first varsity era during the 1920s-notably St. Paul native Paul Castner (also an All-America football runningback at Notre Dame and an accomplished lefthanded pitcher at ND) and goaltender Tom Lieb, who also coached the Irish during those early seasons (Lieb was a bronze medal winner at the 1924 Olympic discus competition in Paris and was a right tackle on Knute Rockne’s 1921-22 Notre Dame football teams, helping them compile an 18-2-1 record during that span) … since the program returned to varsity status in 1969, the Irish have seen 79 Minnesota natives earn varsity hockey letters (see p. 27 of the 2000-01 Notre Dame hockey media guide for a full listing) … the current Irish squad includes eight Minnesota natives while the more noteworthy former Irish players from Minnesota have included 1973 All-American D Bill Nyrop (Edina), G Dick Tomasoni (’68-’72, Chisholm), W Don Jackson (’74-’78, Bloomington), D John Friedmann (’76-’80, St. Paul) and John Schmidt (’78-’82, St. Cloud) and RW Brian Urick (’95-’99, Minnetonka) … the current Irish players from Minnesota include senior RW and team captain Ryan Dolder (Hutchinson), senior LW and alternate captain Dan Carlson (Edina), senior LW Jay Kopischke (Alexandria), senior G Kyle Kolquist (Duluth) and junior D Sam Cornelius (Edina) … three ND newcomers also hail from Minnesota: junior LW Jon Maruk (Eden Prairie), freshman C Aaron Gill (Rochester) and freshman F Kyle Dolder (Hutchinson). FRIEND OR FOE?: Several ND and Minnesota players are past teammates: ND senior LW Dan Carlson and Minnesota D Jordan Leopold played on the 1998-99 USA National Junior Team, with Leopold and current Minnesota sophomore C Jeff Taffe then skating on the 1999-2000 USA National Junior team that also included three current Irish players: junior F Brett Henning, junior C David Inman and sophomore C Connor Dunlop … four players-Leopold, Gophers junior G Adam Hauser, Henning and current Irish sophomore RW Michael Chin-were teammates on the inaugural USA National Team Development Program (NTDP) squad, in 1997-98 … Taffe also is a product of the NTDP, where his two-year teammates included Dunlop and two other current ND sophomores: RW John Wroblewski and D Paul Harris … four current freshmen on the two squads also are products of the NTDP (most overlapped with the above players): Minnesota F John Waibel, Irish RW Rob Globke and ND defensemen Neil Komadoski and Brett Lebda … ND sophomore G Tony Zasowski played on the Green Bay Gamblers alongside Minnesota senior F Aaron Miskovich … Irish junior LW Jon Maruk and Minnesota freshman F Matt Koalska helped the USHL’s Twin City Vulcans win the 1999-2000 national junior-A title.
HOMECOMING:
Sophomore goaltender Tony Zasowski returns to Omaha this weekend where he turned in a stellar junior hockey career with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The Darien, Illinois native played two seasons in Omaha (`96-’97 and `97-’98) helping the Lancers to the USHL’s Clark Cup finals in 1998-99 while being named USHL goaltender of the year. He set Lancer records for wins in a season (35-11 in `98-’99) and career (50-17), shutouts in a season (5 in `98-’99) and career (6), and save percentage in a season (.918 in `98-’99) and career. He set the USHL mark in `98-’99 for wins and shutouts in a season and he topped the USHL with a league best 1.96 goals against average in his final year. A midseason groin injury cut short his first year in Omaha where he was 15-6 with a 2.49 GAA and a .913 save percentage.
PP PERSONNEL:
For the second consecutive season, Notre Dame must replace three graduated players from its first power-play unit: C Ben Simon (10 PPG-10 PPA), RW Jo Dusbabek (5 PPG-11 PPA) and D Tyson Fraser (2 PPG-10 PPA) … those three players combined for 40 percent of ND’s PPGs last season (17 of 43) and 60 percent of the PP points (48 of 80) … the two returners from the first PP unit are senior LW Dan Carlson (9 PPG-11 PPA) and senior RW Ryan Dolder (4 PPG-10 PPA) … top candidates to move into the first PP unit in 2000-01 include junior C David Inman, sophomore C Connor Dunlop and sophomore D Evan Nielsen … three 1999 graduates were members of the 1998-99 Irish PP unit that ranked second in the CCHA (19.1 percent): D Benoit Cotnoir (3 PPG-8 PPA), LW Aniket Dhadphale (9 PPG-5 PPA) and RW Brian Urick (6 PPG-11 PPA) … those three combined for nearly half of the Irish power-play goals in 1998-99 (18 of 38, .474) while totaling 42.9 percent of the PP points (42 of 98).
Balance Over Big Shot:
While Notre Dame has produced just a handful of recent 20-goal scorers, the Irish featured one of the CCHA’s top-scoring fivesomes in 1999-2000, as five ND players were bunched among the CCHA’s top-50 scorers heading into the final week: junior LW Dan Carlson (finished with 17G-18A), senior RW Joe Dusbabek (8G-19A), junior RW Ryan Dolder (10G-14A), senior C Ben Simon (13G-19A) and sophomore LW/C David Inman (13G-7A, 32 GP) … only Michigan (9) headed into March with more players at 20-plus points.TOUGH SLATE: Notre Dame’s 39-game schedule includes as many as 14 games versus teams ranked in the U.S. College Hockey Online preseason top-20 poll … the 40-voter panel of coaches and media tabbed Michigan second (behind North Dakota) and Boston College fourth (behind Wisconsin), with other ND opponents on that top-20 list including Michigan State (5th), St. Lawrence (6th), Minnesota (11th), Nebraska Omaha (13th), Lake Superior (14th) and Rensselaer (19th) … ND will face Michigan, BC, MSU and LSSU twice each while playing UNO 2-3 times (RPI is a potential opponent, at the RPI Christmas Tournament) … the first half of the Irish schedule is particularly challenging, as it will include as many as 12 games versus ranked teams prior to New Year’s Day (all except the Jan. 23 and Feb. 16 games versus Michigan) … ND opened versus Minnesota, then plays BC and possibly a potential game versus UNO at the Maverick Shootout … the fourth week of the season then will feature the two-game home series with Michigan State … ND also could play as many as 14 games versus teams ranked in the USA Today American Hockey Coaches Association preseason poll: Michigan (2nd), MSU (4th), BC (5th), SLU (8th), Minnesota (12th), LSSU (13th), UNO (14th) and Northern Michigan (tied for 17th-most votes). NEW COACHING FACE: Craig Brown is the newest member of the Notre Dame hockey coaching staff, serving as volunteer goaltender coach for 2000-01 …Brown was a regular in the nets at Western Michigan for four seasons (1990-94) and was named to the all-CCHA honorable mention team as a sophomore in 1991-92 … he still owns Broncos records for save percentage in a season (.907 in `93-’94, good for sixth in the nation) and a career (.899) while also owning both WMU goals-against-average records (2.86 in `93-’94-which ranked seventh nationally-plus a 3.33 GAA for his career) … Brown’s freshman season in 1990-91 saw him post a 17-13-2 record while contributing four assists (most ever by a WMU goaltender)… he was named WMU rookie of the year after helping that ’90-’91 squad reach the CCHA semifinals and closed his career in 1993-94 by posting a 14-5-2 record on a Western Michigan team that advanced to the NCAAs … Brown-ranks third in the Broncos record book for career victories (53-36-10) … he was named to the CCHA’s All-Academic squad for 1993-94 … a ninth-round NHL entry draft selection by the L.A. Kings, Brown spent his five-year pro career in the East Coast Hockey League, as a member of the Pensacola Ice Pilots and the Nashville Knights from 1994-99 … his career honors included team rookie of the year and MVP, plus ECHL-leading totals in victories and minutes played for 1994-95 … Brown served as a player assistant coach in 1997 and led Pensacola to the 1998 ECHL Championship Finals … a native of Scarborough, Ontario, he played with the Wexford Raiders of the Toronto Metro Junior B League (which also produced current Irish junior C David Inman) … Brown resides in Mishawaka with his wife Deanna and two-year-old son Carson (the couple is expecting a daughter in October).
CAPTAINS NAMED:
The Notre Dame hockey program has named its captains for the 2000-01 season, with senior RW Ryan Dolder serving as team captain while senior LW Dan Carlson and senior F Chad Chipchase will serve as the alternate team captains … Dolder has fashioned a classic story during the past three-plus years, after first joining the program as a last-minute walk-on in 1997-98 (he had received no Division I offers after playing two years of junior hockey with the Twin City Vulcans, prompting a move to Palm Springs, Calif., where he was living with his grandparents while planning to attend a local junior college and become a golf pro) … Dolder has continued to make strides during each season of his Irish career while developing into a clutch goalscorer and solid all-around player … his evolving leadership was recognized by the Irish coaches midway through the 1999-2000 season, when he was named the squad’s youngest alternate captain … Dolder heads into his senior season with 18 goals (4 PP, 4 GW) and 18 assists in 103 career games played (he had 10G-14A last season) … he has been whistled for just 29 penalties (66 minutes) in 103 career games (one penalty every 3.6 games) and takes a team-best streak of 64 consecutive games played into the 2000-01 season … Carlson ranks as the CCHA’s sixth-leading returning scorer (18G-19A as team MVP in 1999-2000) … a leading Academic All-America candidate (3.43 cumulative GPA as a finance and computer applications major), Carlson is a pivotal part of the ND special teams while his career stats include 35G-55A in 119 career games … Chipchase was selected as an alternate captain despite missing most of 1999-2000 due to a leg injury (he doubled his goalscoring from his freshman to sophomore season, when he 10G-5A).ROAD WARRIORS: Despite a 5-9-6 road record in 1999-2000 (3-6-6 on opponent ice), ND finished 3-4-3 in its final 10 road games and has turned in its share of big road wins during the past few seasons … in fact, the Irish posted wins in 22 different road arenas during the first five seasons of the Dave Poulin era (20 in the past three seasons). … the ’97-’98 and ’98-’99 seasons saw the Irish 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 last season added a win over OSU at yet another Columbus venue, with the 2-1 OT win at Value City Arena) … ND also owns three road wins over Wisconsin during the Poulin era, at different sites: Milwaukee’s Bradley Center, the Dane County Coliseum and the Kohl Center … 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 and a pair of 2-2 ties last season at the Omaha Civic Auditorium and Northern Michigan’s Berry Events Center … finally, Notre Dame has posted recent neutral-site wins at the University of Minnesota (vs. Brown), the University of Denver (vs. Union) and the University of New Hampshire (vs. Vermont).
INJURY REPORT:
Defenseman Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.) is out indefinitely after suffering a shoulder injury in the first period of the Boston College game.
Defenseman Ryan Clark (Sr., Littleton, Colo.) is out indefinitely with a viral infection
HOME SWEET HOME:
This week’s two game set with the Spartans closes out a five-game home stand for the Fighting Irish…after opening the season with three games on the road, Notre Dame’s schedule has the Irish playing eight of their next ten games through the end of November at home…ND is 2-1-0 at home this season and since the Joyce Center opened, the Irish are 275-220-33 (.552) at home…over the last three seasons, Notre Dame is 25-11-6 (.667) at the Joyce Center..
HOT HANDS…
Five Notre Dame players bring scoring streaks into the Michigan State series…FOUR GAME STREAKS – David Inman (3-2-5), Connor Dunlop (3-1-4) and Rob Globke (2-2-4)…TWO GAME STREAKS – Dan Carlson (0-3-3) and Paul Harris (0-2-2)…Ryan Dolder had a four-game scoring streak (3-3-6) snapped Saturday night versus Northeastern…the Irish line of Carlson – Dunlop – Globke had three goals and five assists for eight points in the two games with Northeastern…
USA HOCKEY REUNION:
This week’s games with Michigan State will feature 15 former members of USA Hockey’s National Developmental Team Program…Notre Dame, with eight and Michigan State, with seven, have the most alums from this program of any other Division I program in the country.
IRISH VERSUS RANKED TEAMS:
Michigan State comes into this week’s two-game set with Notre Dame ranked 9th in the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll and 8th in the US College Hockey Online poll…ND has faced two ranked teams so far this season and is 0-2 in those games…
IRON MEN:
Senior right wing Ryan Dolder (Hutchinson, Minn.) and senior left wing Dan Carlson (Edina, Minn.) were the only Irish players to appear in all 42 games of 1999-2000 … Dolder has played in 71 consecutive games going into tonight’s action … Carlson has played in 126 of 129 games during his first three-plus seasons (missing two while at the ’98-’99 World Juniors) and needs to appear in 27 more games to break John Schmidt’s ND record for career games played (152, ’78-’82).
CENTURY CLUB:
Senior right wing Dan Carlson needs just six more points to become the 38th player in Notre Dame hockey history to score 100 or more points in his career…Carlson comes into this week with 35 goals and 59 assists for 94 career points…He is currently tied for 42nd on ND’s all-time scoring list.
RADIO WAVES:
Notre Dame hockey action can now be heard on WHLY Radio 1620-AM, a sister-station of South Bend’s WJVA 1580 and U-93 FM…WHLY will carry all Notre Dame hockey games with the exception of the February 23-24 series at Alaska-Fairbanks…Notre Dame hockey can also be heard on the official Notre Dame website (www.und.com)…
THREES ARE WILD:
Senior forward Chad Chipchase (Clinton, Ont.) scored a pair of goals in the Irish 6-4 win over Northeastern on Friday night (10/20), marking the fourth multiple-goal game for the veteran center’s (three games with two goals, one hat trick) career…Chipchase missed most of last season due to a knee injury that limited him to 15 games before knee surgery in January…
GETTING IT DONE:
Connor Dunlop is emerging into one of the top notch center icemen in the CCHA through the first six games of his sophomore year…Dunlop leads Notre Dame with four goals giving him a career high in that category after scoring just three goals in 35 games a year ago…with four goals and one assist for five points, the St. Louis, Missouri native is tied for second in points on the team…Dunlop has one power play goal and scored the overtime game winner versus Wayne State on October 17…
PRESEASON CCHA POLLS:
In the fall of 1999, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association coaches correctly predicted the regular-season finishes of Michigan (1st), Michigan State (2nd), Northern Michigan (3rd, ended tied for 3rd), Miami (9th, ended tied for 9th), Western Michigan (10th, ended tied for 9th) and Alaska Fairbanks (12th) while the CCHA media poll correctly predicted the finishes of NMU, Notre Dame (5th), Miami, WMU and UAF.
Heading into 2000-2001, the polls both have picked Michigan and Michigan State to repeat at the top spots. Michigan received 11 of 12 first-place votes in the coaches poll but the Spartans garnered 19 first-place votes and 467 voting points in the media poll to edge Michigan (which had 20 first-place votes and 460 points).
Nebraska-Omaha was picked third by the coaches, followed by Lake Superior, Notre Dame, Miami, Ferris State, Northern Michigan, Bowling Green, and Ohio State-while Western Michigan and Alaska-Fairbanks were predicted to finish out of the playoffs.
The media poll tabbed Lake Superior and Northern Michigan in third and fourth, followed by UNO, which received one first-place vote. Notre Dame, Bowling Green and Ferris State were next in the media poll, followed by Miami (which also received a first-place ballot), OSU, WMU and UAF.Notre Dame Hockey –
By The Numbers
6,901
Career minutes played by goaltender Lance Madson (1986-90)
1968
First varsity hockey season of the modern area
1912
First varsity hockey season
1580
WJVA radio (AM) is scheduled to broadcast most of the 2000-01 Notre Dame hockey season
724
Career games played in the NHL by Irish head coach Dave Poulin
307
Career coaching wins by Lefty Smith, in 19 seasons at Notre Dame
152
Notre Dame record for career games played, set by defenseman John Schmidt (1978-82)
130:36
Shutout streak posted by Tony Zasowski, spanning 1999-2000 games versus New Hampshire and Michigan State (2)
104
ND record for career goals, set by Greg Meredith (1976-80) after scoring twice in his final game to best (see new note) …
103
Previous Irish career goals record, set by Eddie Bumbacco (1970-74)
86
Consecutive games played by Andy Jurkowski, from 1998-2000
79
All-time Notre Dame hockey letterwinners from the state of Minnesota
59
Pick used by New York Rangers to select Notre Dame’s David Inman in second round of 1999 NHL Draft
47
Saves posted by Matt Eisler in 3-0 win over Ohio State on Oct. 25, 1996 (most ever in a Notre Dame shutout) Notre Dame Hockey – By The Numbers
32
Consecutive seasons spent working with the Notre Dame hockey program by current athletic trainer John Whitmer (covering all but the first season of the program’s modern era)
20
States and provinces represented among list of letterwinners during six-year tenure of head coach Dave Poulin (1995-present)
+15
Improvement in CCHA standings by Notre Dame from the 1996-97 to ’97-’98 seasons
15
Jersey number worn by noteworthy Irish players such as Paul Regan, Eddie Bumbacco, Dave Poulin and Brian Urick
10
Players on current Notre Dame roster who have played with USA Hockey (on the National Team Development Program or World Junior Championship team)
9
Jersey number worn by noteworthy Irish players such as Don Fairholm, Steve Schneider, Bill Rothstein, Curtis Janicke and Ankiet Dhadphale
6’6”
Tallest player in Notre Dame hockey history-defenseman Davide dal Grande (1992-96)
6:50
Quickest hat trick in Notre Dame history, by Sterling Black in 1973
5
Number of NHL draft picks on 2000-01 Notre Dame roster
4.0
Semester GPA posted 11 times by Notre Dame hockey players during past six years
2.56
Tony Zasowski’s Irish record season goals-against-average (1999-2000)
0
Combined goals scored by Notre Dame and Miami on Dec. 10, 1994-the CCHA’s first scoreless tie
CCHA Coaches Poll (1st-place votes) Points
1. Michigan (11) 143
2. Michigan State (1) 132
3. Nebraska-Omaha 106
4. Lake Superior 97
5. Notre Dame 92
6. Miami 79
7. Ferris State 74
8. Northern Michigan 71
9. Bowling Green 49
10. Ohio State 44
11. Western Michigan 34
12. Alaska-Fairbanks 15
CCHA Media Poll (1st-place votes) Points
1. Michigan State (19) 467
2. Michigan (20) 460
3. Lake Superior 350
4. Northern Michigan 343
5. Nebraska-Omaha (1) 315
6. Notre Dame 270
7. Bowling Green 222
8. Ferris State 202
9. Miami (1) 183
10. Ohio State 163
11. Western Michigan 153
12. Alaska-Fairbanks 70
WHO’S BACK:
Notre Dame returns 16 of 24 letterwinners from the 1999-2000 team that went 16-18-8, finished fifth in the CCHA and advanced to the CCHA semifinals … the Irish also return junior D Sam Cornelius (lettered in ’98-’99, 16 GP last season) and sophomore D Paul Harris (9 GP last season) … all told, ND’s 15 returning skaters accounted for two-thirds of the goals and 60 percent of the total offense in 1999-2000 … ND returns five of its top-seven scorers from 1999-2000, including its leading scorer in senior LW Dan Carlson (17G-18A, 9 PPG, 5 GWG) … senior RW and team captain Ryan Dolder (10G-14) was ND’s fourth-leading scorer last season, followed by junior C David Inman (13G-7A) and sophomore C Connor Dunlop (3G-13A) … Inman and Dunlop combine to give ND two of the top young centers in the CCHA while junior Brett Henning (3G-7A) could shift from C to LW this season … including Henning, ND has six veterans who could play at left wing-with that group having a combined 14 years of Division I experience … other top candidates at LW include seniors Chad Chipchase (15 GP during injury-plagued 1999-2000 season) and Jay Kopischke (6G-5A), with Chipchase also capable of playing at C or RW … for the second consecutive season, ND must replace a four-year regular at RW (Joe Dusbabek, with Brian Urick moving on after ’98-’99) … other top returners at RW include sophomore Michael Chin (6G-7A) and senior Matt Van Arkel (4G-1A) … just two 1999-2000 letterwinners return in the D: 6-4, 230-pound senior Ryan Clark and sophomore Evan Nielsen (4G-10A), who could fill the power-play point role filled the past two seasons by Benoit Cotnoir (’99) and Tyson Fraser (’00) … Clark and Nielsen skated together in 30 games last season (including the final 22) … all three Irish Gs are back, led by sophomore Tony Zasowski (ND record 2.56 GAA, 13-9-6 record, .901 save pct.) and junior Jeremiah Kimento (3-8-2 career record, 2.88 GAA, .890 save pct.).
WHO’S GONE:
With two of the top-three scorers lost to graduation, ND is one of several CCHA teams looking to receive boosts in goalscoring from other players … the Irish also must replace four of their top-six defenseman from last season: Nathan Borega, Tyson Fraser, Sean Molina and Sean Seyferth … the 6-2, 225-pound Borgea (70 PIM last season) was a four-year enforcer with the Irish while Fraser’s subtle skills included serving as the point man on the Irish power play (he had 3G-11A last season, 7G-49A for his career) … Molina (1G-8A in 1999-2000) appeared in 148 career games (tied for 4th in ND history) and played a role on the second PP unit in 1999-2000 … the graduated D foursome combined to appear in 486 career games (140 for Borega, 131 for Fraser, 67 for Seyferth) … top losses from the forward line include C and team captain Ben Simon and RW Joe Dusbabek … Simon’s 1999-2000 season included 13G-19A and a team-best 10 PPGs … he averaged nearly a point per game in his career (44G-85A, 143 GP) and is ND’s second-leading career scorer since the Irish rejoined the CCHA in 1992 … Dusbabek (8G-19A in 1999-2000) totaled 26G-49A in 126 career games … Academic All-American Andy Jurkowski (5G-8A) made a successful transition from D to LW as senior in 1999-2000 while C Troy Bagne rounds out the 2000 graduates (he had 2G-3A in 1999-2000, 5G-10A in 123 career games).
WHO’S NEW:
ND’s fifth consecutive highly-regarded recruiting class includes three products of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program: D Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.) and Brett Lebda (Buffalo Grove, Ill) and RW Rob Globke (West Bloomfield, Mass.) … the other two freshmen signees include C Aaron Gill (Rochester, Minn./Rochester Mustangs) and D Tom Galvin (Miller Place, NY./Waterloo Blackhawks) … one other newcomer is junior LW Jon Maruk, who played two seasons at Alaska Anchorage before scoring 32G-42A in 71 games last season with the Twin City Vulcans (which won the 1999-2000 national junior-A title) … Globke is known for strong wide-reaching offensive skills, after ranking as the third-leading scorer on the 1999-2000 USA Under-18 National Team (15G-21A) … Gill is a strong all-around centerman who totaled 26G-23A in 55 games with the Mustangs last season … the 6-1, 205-pound Komadoski-who could help replace the imposing presence of graduated Nathan Borega (6-2, 225)-made a name for himself as the top enforcer on the USA Under-18 National Team and is considered one of the nation’s top prospects for the 2001 NHL draft … Lebda is known for his smooth skating and offensive ability while Galvin is a steady performer with strong all-around skills (both could play roles on the power play).
2000-01 Notre Dame Personnel Breakdowns
Top Returnees (yr., pos., ht./wt. … 1999-2000 stats)
Dan Carlson (Sr., LW, 5-9/180, 17-18-35, 42 GP) ND’s top scorer in 1999-2000, career: 35-55-90, 119 GP
Ryan Dolder (Sr., RW, 6-0/195, 10-14-24, 42 GP) Former walk-on now team captain, career: 18-18-36, 103 GP
David Inman (Jr., C/LW, 6-1/205, 13-7-20, 32 GP) 1999 second-round draft pick (N.Y. Rangers)
Tony Zasowski (So., G, 5-11/195, 13-9-6, 2.56, .901) Set Irish GAA record, allowed 0-2 goals in 17 of 27 starts
Evan Nielsen (So., D, 6-2/210, 4-10-14, 41 GP) 2000 eighth-round NHL draft pick (Atlanta)
Connor Dunlop (So., C, 5-10/180, 3-13-16, 35 GP) Member of 1999-2000 USA Junior National Team
Ryan Clark (Sr., D, 6-4/230, 1-3-4, 36 GP) 88 career games played
Michael Chin (So., RW, 6-2/210, 6-7-13, 37 GP) Recorded 4G-5A in final 15 games of 1999-2000 season
Chad Chipchase (Sr., LW, 6-0/200, 0-0-0, 15 GP) Jr. season hampered by knee injury, career: 15-8-23, 94 GP
Top Players Lost (Yr., Pos., 1999-2000 Stats)
Ben Simon (Sr., C/LW, 13-19-32) ND’s 2nd-leading career scorer since ’92 (44-86-130, 144 GP)
Tyson Fraser (Sr., D, 3-11-14) Key PP component, alt. captain, career: 8-49-57, 131 GP
Joe Dusbabek (Sr., RW, 8-19-27) Career: 26-49-75, 127 GP
Sean Molina (Sr., D, 1-8-9) 148 career GP (4th in ND history)
Nathan Borega (Sr., D, 1-3-4) 6-2, 225 pounds … alternate captain … 140 career GP
Top Newcomers (all freshmen, except for Maruk-junior)
Neil Komadoski D 6-1/215 Chesterfield, MO/USA Under-18 National Team
Rob Globke RW 6-2/200 West Bloomfield, MI/USA Under-18 Nat’l Team
Tom Galvin D 5-9/185 Miller Place, NY/Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL)
Aaron Gill C 6-0/170 Rochester, MN/Rochester Mustangs (USHL)
Brett Lebda D 5-10/195 Buffalo Grove, IL/USA Under-18 National Team
Jon Maruk LW 5-9/180 Eden Prairie, MN/Twin City Vulcans (USHL)/Alaska Anchorage
Coaching Staff and Support Staff
- Head Coach Dave Poulin (Notre Dame ’82)
- Poulin’s Record at Notre Dame 71-99-12 (5 years)
- Assistant Coaches
Andy Slaggert (Notre Dame ’89)
John Micheletto (Dartmouth `90)
Craig Brown (Western Michigan) - Athletic Trainer
John Whitmer - Equipment Manager
Dave Gilbert - Senior Student Manager
Doug Booi - Hockey Sports Info. Director
Tim Connor
MINNESOTA PIPELINE:
The Notre Dame hockey program has a longstanding tradition of being led by players from Minnesota, dating back to the leaders of the program’s first varsity era during the 1920s-notably St. Paul native Paul Castner (also an All-America football runningback at Notre Dame and an accomplished lefthanded pitcher at ND) and goaltender Tom Lieb, who also coached the Irish during those early seasons (Lieb was a bronze medal winner at the 1924 Olympic discus competition in Paris and was a right tackle on Knute Rockne’s 1921-22 Notre Dame football teams, helping them compile an 18-2-1 record during that span) … since the program returned to varsity status in 1969, the Irish have seen 79 Minnesota natives earn varsity hockey letters (see p. 27 of the 2000-01 Notre Dame hockey media guide for a full listing) … the current Irish squad includes eight Minnesota natives while the more noteworthy former Irish players from Minnesota have included 1973 All-American D Bill Nyrop (Edina), G Dick Tomasoni (’68-’72, Chisholm), W Don Jackson (’74-’78, Bloomington), D John Friedmann (’76-’80, St. Paul) and John Schmidt (’78-’82, St. Cloud) and RW Brian Urick (’95-’99, Minnetonka) … the current Irish players from Minnesota include senior RW and team captain Ryan Dolder (Hutchinson), senior LW and alternate captain Dan Carlson (Edina), senior LW Jay Kopischke (Alexandria), senior G Kyle Kolquist (Duluth) and junior D Sam Cornelius (Edina) … three ND newcomers also hail from Minnesota: junior LW Jon Maruk (Eden Prairie), freshman C Aaron Gill (Rochester) and freshman F Kyle Dolder (Hutchinson). FRIEND OR FOE?: Several ND and Minnesota players are past teammates: ND senior LW Dan Carlson and Minnesota D Jordan Leopold played on the 1998-99 USA National Junior Team, with Leopold and current Minnesota sophomore C Jeff Taffe then skating on the 1999-2000 USA National Junior team that also included three current Irish players: junior F Brett Henning, junior C David Inman and sophomore C Connor Dunlop … four players-Leopold, Gophers junior G Adam Hauser, Henning and current Irish sophomore RW Michael Chin-were teammates on the inaugural USA National Team Development Program (NTDP) squad, in 1997-98 … Taffe also is a product of the NTDP, where his two-year teammates included Dunlop and two other current ND sophomores: RW John Wroblewski and D Paul Harris … four current freshmen on the two squads also are products of the NTDP (most overlapped with the above players): Minnesota F John Waibel, Irish RW Rob Globke and ND defensemen Neil Komadoski and Brett Lebda … ND sophomore G Tony Zasowski played on the Green Bay Gamblers alongside Minnesota senior F Aaron Miskovich … Irish junior LW Jon Maruk and Minnesota freshman F Matt Koalska helped the USHL’s Twin City Vulcans win the 1999-2000 national junior-A title.
HOMECOMING:
Sophomore goaltender Tony Zasowski returns to Omaha this weekend where he turned in a stellar junior hockey career with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The Darien, Illinois native played two seasons in Omaha (`96-’97 and `97-’98) helping the Lancers to the USHL’s Clark Cup finals in 1998-99 while being named USHL goaltender of the year. He set Lancer records for wins in a season (35-11 in `98-’99) and career (50-17), shutouts in a season (5 in `98-’99) and career (6), and save percentage in a season (.918 in `98-’99) and career. He set the USHL mark in `98-’99 for wins and shutouts in a season and he topped the USHL with a league best 1.96 goals against average in his final year. A midseason groin injury cut short his first year in Omaha where he was 15-6 with a 2.49 GAA and a .913 save percentage.
PP PERSONNEL:
For the second consecutive season, Notre Dame must replace three graduated players from its first power-play unit: C Ben Simon (10 PPG-10 PPA), RW Jo Dusbabek (5 PPG-11 PPA) and D Tyson Fraser (2 PPG-10 PPA) … those three players combined for 40 percent of ND’s PPGs last season (17 of 43) and 60 percent of the PP points (48 of 80) … the two returners from the first PP unit are senior LW Dan Carlson (9 PPG-11 PPA) and senior RW Ryan Dolder (4 PPG-10 PPA) … top candidates to move into the first PP unit in 2000-01 include junior C David Inman, sophomore C Connor Dunlop and sophomore D Evan Nielsen … three 1999 graduates were members of the 1998-99 Irish PP unit that ranked second in the CCHA (19.1 percent): D Benoit Cotnoir (3 PPG-8 PPA), LW Aniket Dhadphale (9 PPG-5 PPA) and RW Brian Urick (6 PPG-11 PPA) … those three combined for nearly half of the Irish power-play goals in 1998-99 (18 of 38, .474) while totaling 42.9 percent of the PP points (42 of 98).
Balance Over Big Shot:
While Notre Dame has produced just a handful of recent 20-goal scorers, the Irish featured one of the CCHA’s top-scoring fivesomes in 1999-2000, as five ND players were bunched among the CCHA’s top-50 scorers heading into the final week: junior LW Dan Carlson (finished with 17G-18A), senior RW Joe Dusbabek (8G-19A), junior RW Ryan Dolder (10G-14A), senior C Ben Simon (13G-19A) and sophomore LW/C David Inman (13G-7A, 32 GP) … only Michigan (9) headed into March with more players at 20-plus points.TOUGH SLATE: Notre Dame’s 39-game schedule includes as many as 14 games versus teams ranked in the U.S. College Hockey Online preseason top-20 poll … the 40-voter panel of coaches and media tabbed Michigan second (behind North Dakota) and Boston College fourth (behind Wisconsin), with other ND opponents on that top-20 list including Michigan State (5th), St. Lawrence (6th), Minnesota (11th), Nebraska Omaha (13th), Lake Superior (14th) and Rensselaer (19th) … ND will face Michigan, BC, MSU and LSSU twice each while playing UNO 2-3 times (RPI is a potential opponent, at the RPI Christmas Tournament) … the first half of the Irish schedule is particularly challenging, as it will include as many as 12 games versus ranked teams prior to New Year’s Day (all except the Jan. 23 and Feb. 16 games versus Michigan) … ND opened versus Minnesota, then plays BC and possibly a potential game versus UNO at the Maverick Shootout … the fourth week of the season then will feature the two-game home series with Michigan State … ND also could play as many as 14 games versus teams ranked in the USA Today American Hockey Coaches Association preseason poll: Michigan (2nd), MSU (4th), BC (5th), SLU (8th), Minnesota (12th), LSSU (13th), UNO (14th) and Northern Michigan (tied for 17th-most votes). NEW COACHING FACE: Craig Brown is the newest member of the Notre Dame hockey coaching staff, serving as volunteer goaltender coach for 2000-01 …Brown was a regular in the nets at Western Michigan for four seasons (1990-94) and was named to the all-CCHA honorable mention team as a sophomore in 1991-92 … he still owns Broncos records for save percentage in a season (.907 in `93-’94, good for sixth in the nation) and a career (.899) while also owning both WMU goals-against-average records (2.86 in `93-’94-which ranked seventh nationally-plus a 3.33 GAA for his career) … Brown’s freshman season in 1990-91 saw him post a 17-13-2 record while contributing four assists (most ever by a WMU goaltender)… he was named WMU rookie of the year after helping that ’90-’91 squad reach the CCHA semifinals and closed his career in 1993-94 by posting a 14-5-2 record on a Western Michigan team that advanced to the NCAAs … Brown-ranks third in the Broncos record book for career victories (53-36-10) … he was named to the CCHA’s All-Academic squad for 1993-94 … a ninth-round NHL entry draft selection by the L.A. Kings, Brown spent his five-year pro career in the East Coast Hockey League, as a member of the Pensacola Ice Pilots and the Nashville Knights from 1994-99 … his career honors included team rookie of the year and MVP, plus ECHL-leading totals in victories and minutes played for 1994-95 … Brown served as a player assistant coach in 1997 and led Pensacola to the 1998 ECHL Championship Finals … a native of Scarborough, Ontario, he played with the Wexford Raiders of the Toronto Metro Junior B League (which also produced current Irish junior C David Inman) … Brown resides in Mishawaka with his wife Deanna and two-year-old son Carson (the couple is expecting a daughter in October).
CAPTAINS NAMED:
The Notre Dame hockey program has named its captains for the 2000-01 season, with senior RW Ryan Dolder serving as team captain while senior LW Dan Carlson and senior F Chad Chipchase will serve as the alternate team captains … Dolder has fashioned a classic story during the past three-plus years, after first joining the program as a last-minute walk-on in 1997-98 (he had received no Division I offers after playing two years of junior hockey with the Twin City Vulcans, prompting a move to Palm Springs, Calif., where he was living with his grandparents while planning to attend a local junior college and become a golf pro) … Dolder has continued to make strides during each season of his Irish career while developing into a clutch goalscorer and solid all-around player … his evolving leadership was recognized by the Irish coaches midway through the 1999-2000 season, when he was named the squad’s youngest alternate captain … Dolder heads into his senior season with 18 goals (4 PP, 4 GW) and 18 assists in 103 career games played (he had 10G-14A last season) … he has been whistled for just 29 penalties (66 minutes) in 103 career games (one penalty every 3.6 games) and takes a team-best streak of 64 consecutive games played into the 2000-01 season … Carlson ranks as the CCHA’s sixth-leading returning scorer (18G-19A as team MVP in 1999-2000) … a leading Academic All-America candidate (3.43 cumulative GPA as a finance and computer applications major), Carlson is a pivotal part of the ND special teams while his career stats include 35G-55A in 119 career games … Chipchase was selected as an alternate captain despite missing most of 1999-2000 due to a leg injury (he doubled his goalscoring from his freshman to sophomore season, when he 10G-5A).ROAD WARRIORS: Despite a 5-9-6 road record in 1999-2000 (3-6-6 on opponent ice), ND finished 3-4-3 in its final 10 road games and has turned in its share of big road wins during the past few seasons … in fact, the Irish posted wins in 22 different road arenas during the first five seasons of the Dave Poulin era (20 in the past three seasons). … the ’97-’98 and ’98-’99 seasons saw the Irish 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 last season added a win over OSU at yet another Columbus venue, with the 2-1 OT win at Value City Arena) … ND also owns three road wins over Wisconsin during the Poulin era, at different sites: Milwaukee’s Bradley Center, the Dane County Coliseum and the Kohl Center … 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 and a pair of 2-2 ties last season at the Omaha Civic Auditorium and Northern Michigan’s Berry Events Center … finally, Notre Dame has posted recent neutral-site wins at the University of Minnesota (vs. Brown), the University of Denver (vs. Union) and the University of New Hampshire (vs. Vermont).
SHOOTING THE PUCK:
After firing a season-high 42 shots on October 27 versus Michigan State, Miami held the Irish to 45 shots in the weekend series…on Friday (11/3), Notre Dame had 23 shots on goal in the 5-2 win and on Saturday (11/4), the Irish got just 22 shots in the 1-1 tie…for the season, the Irish have outshot the opposition five times while being outshot five times…ND is 2-2-1 when it has more shots in a game and 1-3-1 when the Irish outshoot the opposition…on the season, ND is averaging 30.1 shots per contest…
IRISH FIRSTS:
Right wing John Wroblewski scored the first goal of the game on Friday (11/3) versus Miami…it was his first goal of the season and the first of his Notre Dame career…the goal came in the 36th game of his career…junior left wing Brett Henning scored his first goal of the season, the eventual game winner in the same contest…the goal was Henning’s the first game winner of his career…
KOPISCHKE FOR THE DEFENSE:
With three defensemen, Neil Komadoski, Tom Galvin and Ryan Clark out of the lineup due to injuries and illness, Coach Dave Poulin went to his forwards to fill the opening on his blueline…senior forward Jay Kopischke (Alexandria, Minn.) moved back to defense after playing the first 106 games of his career at forward and has played well for the Irish…Kopischke has picked up two assists while turning in a +2 in his four games as a defenseman…
STREAKS:
Senior left wing Dan Carlson is the lone Irish icer with a scoring streak heading into the Boston College game on Friday…Carlson has scored in two straight (2-2-4)…
Closing The Deal:
Notre Dame has built an impressive record in games that the Irish lead after two periods of play….ND is unbeaten in its last 44 games when holding a lead at the second intermission (38-0-6, including 11-0-3 in 1999-2000) … the Irish are 3-0-1 in 2000-01 when leading after two periods…the last time ND lost after holding a second-intermission lead was Jan. 9, 1998, in the second of three games at Alaska-Fairbanks … UAF’s Sean Fraser tied the game (2-2) with a power-play goal in the third minute of the final period before Chris Kirwan converted a breakaway with 0:45 left in overtime … the Irish also are 23-2-4 since the 1998-99 season when leading at the first intermission (10-1-1 in 1999-2000 and 1-0-1 in 2000-2001).
THE HOT HAND…
After not playing in five straight games (Oct. 13 – Oct. 26), sophomore goaltender Tony Zasowski has started the last three games and turned in impressive numbers…over the three game span (183:56), Zasowski is 1-1-1 giving up six goals on 91 shots for a 1.95 goals against average and a .934 save percentage…On the season, Zasowski is 1-3-1 with a 3.27 goals against and a .897 save percentage…
IRON MEN:
Senior right wing Ryan Dolder (Hutchinson, Minn.) and senior left wing Dan Carlson (Edina, Minn.) were the only Irish players to appear in all 42 games of 1999-2000 … Dolder has played in 74 consecutive games going into this week’s Boston College game … Carlson has played in 129 of 132 games during his first three-plus seasons (missing two while at the ’98-’99 World Juniors) and needs to appear in 24 more games to break John Schmidt’s ND record for career games played (152, ’78-’82).
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Notre Dame’s special teams had a better weekend at Miami than they did the previous week versus Michigan State…ND scored two power play goals versus the RedHawks in nine chances on the weekend (22.2%) and now have scored five times in 62 power plays (8.1%)…after giving up five power play goals to Michigan State (10/26 – 27) in nine chances over two games, the Irish penalty killers threw a shutout at Miami stopping five power play chances on Friday night and four on Saturday…for the season, ND has given up 15 power play goals on 57 chances for a 73.7% penalty killing efficiency…
GLOBKE EXPRESS:
Miami University stopped freshman right wing Rob Globke’s seven-game scoring streak in Saturday night’s 1-1 tie…over the seven-game span, Globke got off to a fast start with four goals and three assists in his rookie year…
OVERTIME NUMBERS:
Notre Dame is unbeaten in overtime in its last 13 games going 3-0-10 since the beginning of the 1999-2000 season…the Irish are 1-0-2 this season and were 2-0-8 a year ago…the last time ND lost in overtime was March 5, 1999 at Miami…Notre Dame is also unbeaten in its last 13 home overtime (3-0-10)…the last time the Irish lost in extra time at home was November 17, 1996 when the Irish fell to Mankato State, 4-3….
HOME SWEET HOME:
The Irish finished their recent five-game homestand with a 2-3 mark…after this past weekend’s series at Miami, ND now closes out November with three home games (Boston College -11/10 and Northern Michigan -11/24 and 25)…after starting the season with three games away from the Joyce Center, by the end of November, Notre Dame will have played eight of its next ten at home…the Irish are 2-3 at home this season and over the last three years are 25-13-3 (.646) at the Joyce Center…since the building opened, ND is 275-222-33 (.550) in 530 home games….
GLOBKE NAMED ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Freshman Rob Globke was selected as the CCHA’s Rookie of the Week for the week ending October 22nd…the 6-2, 200-pound right wing had two goals and an assist in the three games versus Wayne State and Northeastern…he is the first Irish player to receive this honor since Tony Zasowski was named rookie of the week for the week ending January 24, 2000…
CENTURY CLUB:
With his four-point weekend at Miami, senior right wing Dan Carlson needs just two more points to become the 38th player in Notre Dame hockey history to score 100 or more points in his career…Carlson comes into this week with 37 goals and 61 assists for 98 career points…He is currently tied for 42nd on ND’s all-time scoring list.
FIVE GOAL OUTBURST:
Notre Dame’s five-goal, second period outburst versus Northeastern marked the first time that the Irish have scored five goals in a period since November 2, 1996…that night at Bowling Green, ND scored five, third period goals to pull out a 7-5 win versus the Falcons…a year ago, Notre Dame only scored six or more goals in a game once, a 7-4 win over Nebraska-Omaha on February 12th…
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT:
Through the first ten games of the season, the Friars’ newcomers (seven freshman, one transfer) have shown their abilities by contributing to the Irish attack with seven goals and 13 assists for 20 of the team’s 65 points…that amounts to 26.9% of the goals, 33.3% of the assists and 30.8% of the team’s points…Rob Globke leads the way (5g, 3a), followed by Aaron Gill (Rochester, Minn.) with (1g, 4a), Brett Lebda (Buffalo Grove, Ill,) with (1g, 3a), Jon Maruk (Eden Prairie, Minn.) with (0g, 2a) and Tom Galvin with (0g, 1a)…
THE TOP OF THE LIST:
Senior right wing Ryan Dolder has picked up where he left off last season as he is Notre Dame’s top scorers through the first ten games of the season with five goals and four assists for nine points…last season, Dolder closed out his junior year by scoring a goal in each of the Ferris State playoff games to help the Irish to a trip to the CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena…he has scored in seven of his last nine games (5-4-9)…versus Northeastern (10/20) he personally wiped out a 2-0 first period deficit as he scored a pair of goals just 19 seconds apart early in the second period…the Hutchinson, Minn. native had a goal and an assist in the 5-2 Irish win over Miami (11/3)…
MAKING THE MOST OF A CHANCE:
Sophomore defenseman Paul Harris (Ridgefield, Conn.) has worked his way into the Irish lineup after battling injuries as a freshman and only playing in nine games …this season, Harris moved into the lineup at the Maverick Stampede after fellow soph Evan Nielsen (Evanston, Ill.) came down with the flu prior to the Boston College game…Harris has picked up two assists in nine games this season and owns a team-best +4…
STOPPING THE PUCK:
Sophomore goaltender Tony Zasowski (Darien, Ill.) has started ND’s last three games (the final Michigan State game and both games of the Miami series) …prior to that, goaltender Jeremiah Kimento (Palos Hills, Ill.) made five consecutive starts from Oct. 14 through Oct. 26…during that streak, Kimento was 2-2-1 in the five starts with a 3.33 goals against and a .887 save percentage…
DID YOU KNOW:
According to the CCHA, the average height and weight for a player in the league is six-foot tall and 188-pounds…Notre Dame’s average team height is 72.04 inches – just over six-feet tall – which ranks the Irish fifth in the league in that department…ND is the biggest team in the league weight-wise as the Irish tip the scales at an average of 195.96-pounds per player…
RISING TO THE TOP:
Senior LW Dan Carlson is one of the top returning scorers in the CCHA, as his 35 points in 1999-2000 (17G-18A) rank sixth among current CCHA players, behind Western Michigan’s David Gove (18G-28A), Michigan State’s Adam Hall (26G-13A), Miami’s Pat Leahy (16G-22A), MSU’s Rustyn Dolyny (18G-19A) and Ferris State’s Kevin Swider (15G-21A).
JUNIOR JUMP:
Junior C David Inman-who had 10G-10A as a freshman and 13G-7A as a sophomore-will be hoping to be the latest in a recent trend of Notre Dame forwards who have made huge goal scoring jumps in their junior seasons … that group includes LW Aniket Dhadphale, C Ben Simon and current senior LW Dan Carlson (18G in first two seasons, 17 as a junior in 1999-2000)…through the first nine games of the season, Inman has gotten off to a fast start with four goals and two assists….among those four goals are two power play markers…the Toronto, Ont. native suffered a concussion in Friday’s (11/3) game versus Miami and did not play in the Saturday contest…
CENTURY MARK:
Senior center Chad Chipchase played in his 100th career game versus the Northeastern Huskies on Saturday night (10/21)…he is one of five players on the Notre Dame roster to have played in over 100 games in his career (104)…right wing Matt Van Arkel played in his 100th career game versus Minnesota and has now played in 109 overall…the remainder of that group includes Dan Carlson (129), Ryan Dolder (113) and Jay Kopischke (110).
Bloodlines:
Four current members of the Notre Dame hockey program-junior F Brett Henning, junior LW Jon Maruk, sophomore C Connor Dunlop and freshman D Neil Komadoski-hold a unique connection, as each of their fathers enjoyed a lengthy career in the National Hockey League (see p. 39 of the 2000-01 Notre Dame mdia guide for photos from their playing days).
- Lorne Henning played nine seasons with the New York Islanders (’72-’81) and has spent the past 15 years as an assistant and head coach in the NHL. An original member of the Islanders, Henning compiled 73G-111A as a forward over his 543-game career and played a major role in a four-year Stanley Cup dynasty (’80-’83). Henning served as an assistant with the Islanders from ’80-84 and ’87-’94, as head coach for the Minnesota North Stars (’85-’87) and the Islanders (’94-’95), and as a Chicago Blackhawks assistant from ’95-’98 before returning in ’98-’99 to the Islanders, as associate coach.
- Dennis Maruk played 14 NHL seasons-with the California Seals (’75-’76), Cleveland Barons (’76-’78), Minnesota North Stars (’78-’79, `83-’88) and the Washington Capitols (’78-’83)-and finished as the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer in 1982 (60G-76A) while compiling 878 career points (356G-522A) in 888 games.
- Blake Dunlop played 11 seasons in pro hockey (’73-’84), including NHL stints with the Minnesota North Stars (’73-’77), Philadelphia Flyers (`77-’79), St. Louis Blues (`79-’84) and Detroit Red Wings (’83-’84), while totaling 130G-274A in 550 career NHL games.
- Rounding out the quartet is Neil Komadoski, Sr., who played eight NHL seasons as a defenseman with the Los Angeles Kings (’72-’78) and the St. Louis Blues (’77-’80), totaling 16G-76A and 632 penalty minutes in 501 career games.
USHL VETERANS:
Notre Dame’s 2000-01 roster-and particularly the freshman class-has plenty of experience with the United States Hockey League, as each of the five scholarship freshman-and junior newcomer Jon Maruk (Twin City Vulcans)-played in the USHL last season … all told, 17 different ND players have skated in the USHL, as members of that league’s traditional programs or the USA Hockey Under-18 Team … that group includes senior D Ryan Clark and sophomore LW Jake Wiegand (Lincoln Stars), senior LW Jay Kopischke (North Iowa Huskies), senior RW Ryan Dolder and Maruk (Twin City Vulcans), sophomore RW Michael Chin and freshman F Kyle Dolder (Twin City Vulcans) and sophomore G Tony Zasowski (Omaha Lancers) … Chin also played one year with the USA program, as did nine other current Irish players (see note below).
A PATRIOTIC GROUP:
Notre Dame’s current roster includes 10 players who have past experience with USA Hockey, as members of the National Team Development Program (NTDP) and/or the National Junior Team … Notre Dame’s current total of eight NTDP alums is the most at any Division I school … that group includes junior F Brett Henning and four members of the sophomore class-RWs Michael Chin and John Wroblewski, C Connor Dunlop and D Paul Harris-plus a trio of freshmen: RW Rob Globke and D Neil Komadoski and Brett Lebda … senior LW Dan Carlson played with Team USA at the 1998-99 World Junior Championship while Henning, Dunlop and junior C David Inman played with the USA at the 1999-2000 World Juniors … four Irish players-Dunlop, Globke, Komadoski and Wroblewski-remain among the top candidates for the USA’s 2000-01 National Junior Team while a pair of 2000 Irish graduates-center Ben Simon and RW Joe Dusbabek-played for the USA at the World Juniors in ’96-’97 (Simon) and ’97-’98 (Simon and Dusbabek).
RISING PROSPECTS:
Two members of Notre Dame’s freshman class are considered top prospects for upcoming NHL drafts … defenseman Neil Komadoski was rated by NHL Central Scouting as the No. 51 prospect for the 2000 draft (even though he is not eligible for the draft until 2001) … first-year RW Rob Globke likewise could develop into a high-end draft prospect but will not be eligible for the draft until 2002.
IN THE SIN BIN:
Since ranking as the CCHA’s most-penalized team in ’95-’96 (11.31 penalties/gm), ND has ranked as the conference’s least-penalized … the Irish averaged the fewest penalties per game by any CCHA team in ’96-’97 (8.69) and ’97-’98 (6.37) before ranking as the CCHA’s third-least penalized in ’98-’99 (8.40) … ND again was the CCHA’s least-penalized team in 1999-2000, averaging just 7.69 penalties (16.59 PIM), leading to just 5.67 opponent power-play chances per game … over the course of the past four seasons, ND has averaged an impressive 7.74 penalties per game…this season, through eight games, the Irish are averaging 9.0 penalties per game for 25.0 minutes per game which ranks them as the fifth-most penalized team in the CCHA…
A SPECIAL PLAYER:
Dan Carlson has played a key role on both special-teams units during his Notre Dame career and could become the fifth player to rank among Notre Dame career top 10 for both power-play goals and shorthanded goals … Carlson needs seven PPGs to crack that ND career top-10 list (10 shy of fifth) while his four career shorthanded goals rank 11th in ND history, three back of the record shared by three players.
MAKING HIS MARK:
Former Notre Dame hockey standout, Brian Urick (`99) was named the American Hockey League’s Player of the Week for the week ending October 22, 2000…Urick helped lead the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Edmonton Oilers top famr club, to three wins during the week scoring four goals with two assists for six points…he was named First Star twice, following a 6-5 win (2 G’s 2 A’s) versus Quebec and after Hamilton’s 4-3 win over Philadelphia (1 goal)…through the first eight games of the season, Urick is tied for the team lead in goals with five and has eight points…
TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL:
During the past three seasons, the Notre Dame hockey program has sent several players on to the professional ranks, with 10 of those recent players competing in 2000-01 … D Mark Eaton-who in the summer of 1998 opted to forego his final three years of college eligibility at Notre Dame and signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Flyers-had a solid 1998-99 season with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League and played 27 games with the Flyers in 1999-2000 before being traded to the Nashville Predators prior to the start of the season … former Irish center and ’96 graduate Jamie Ling is currently with the Dayton Bombers where he serves as a player assistant coach … RW Brian Urick (’99) had a solid preseason camp with the Edmonton Oilers and has been assigned to the AHL’s Hamilton (Ont.) Bulldogs … LW Aniket Dhadphale (’99) currently with the AHL’s Providence (R.I.) Bruins while another ’99 graduate, D Benoit Cotnoir, was in the tryout camp of the International Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves before returning to the Mobile (Ala.) Mystics of the East Coast Hockey League (he also played in Mobile last season) … five 2000 graduates likewise are active in pro hockey … C Ben Simon was in the camp of the Atlanta Thrashers and played in several preseason games before being assigned to the IHL’s Orlando (Fla.) Solar Bears … RW Joe Dusbabek attended the San Jose Sharks preseason camp and has joined the ECHL’s Roanoke Express … D Sean Molina tried out with the Chicago Wolves and has signed on with the ECHL’s Trenton (N.J.) Titans … D Nathan Borega currently is a member of the ECHL’s Louisiana Ice Gators while D Sean Seyferth is in the ECHL with the Dayton Bombers.
Academic All-Americans:
Notre Dame is the nation’s only Division I hockey program to produce a GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American during each of the past four seasons (as part of the fall-winter at-large program), with C Steve Noble earning second-team honors in 1996-97 and first-team honors in ’97-’98, followed by G Forrest Karr in ’98-’99 (second team) and LW Andy Jurkowski in 1999-2000 (third team).
CENTURY MEN:
Senior LW Dan Carlson is on the verge of becoming the fourth ND hockey player in the last three seasons to reach 100 points…through the first six games, Carlson has 35G-59A for 94 points … RW Brian Urick (57G-69A) and LW Aniket Dhadphale (61G-44A) each reached 100 in the ’98-’99 season while C Ben Simon (44G-86A) reached the milestone in 1999-2000 … Carlson needs 15 goals in his final season to join Urick and center Jamie Ling (’92-’96) as the third Irish player since 1993-and 28th overall-to reach 50G-50A in his career (he needs 25G-5A to become ND’s 17th 60-60 player and first since Dave Bankoske did it from 1988-93) … a 41-point season in 2000-01 would land Carlson among ND’s top-20 career scorers (Ling, with 51G-102A, is the only post-1993 player on that list, at 13th).
CLUSTER PARTNERS, PART II:
The rotating CCHA cluster schedule has yielded four games for the Irish in 2000-01 versus Ohio State, Miami and Western Michigan-with two vs. the other eight squads in the 28-game schedule … the following CCHA teams will not visit the Joyce Center in 2000-01: Alaska Fairbanks, Lake Superior, Michigan and Nebraska Omaha … the Irish will not make regular-season trips in 2000-01 to Bowing Green, Ferris State, Northern Michigan and Michigan State … ND’s 1999-2000 cluster partners were UAF, MSU and UNO, with the 2001-02 partners to include Bowling Green, Ferris State and Michigan.
Double (OT) Dip:
Current Irish senior Dan Carlson turned in a rare feat during a three-week stretch of the 1999-2000 season, as the speedy left wing scored in overtime to beat both Western Michigan (4-3) and Ohio State (2-1) … that marked just the second time-and the first in 28 years- that an ND player has scored two overtime goals in the same season, as then-junior winger Paul Regan scored overtime goals in 1971-72 versus Michigan Tech (6-5) and Cornell (5-4).
FEELING A DRAFT:
ND and Boston College both had four players selected in the ’97 NHL draft, most by any Division I school … the drafted players included a pair of forwards who graduated in 2000-Ben Simon (5th round, Chicago Blackhawks) and Joe Dusbabek (7th round, San Jose Sharks)-plus current seniors Jay Kopischke (8th round, L.A. Kings) and Ryan Clark (9th round, N.Y. Islanders) … four ND players have been selected in the first nine rounds of the same NHL draft just once previously, in ’75 … the 2000-01 ND hockey team includes five players that have been selected in the National Hockey League draft … in addition to Clark and Kopischke, ND’s drafted players include a pair of junior forwards who were selected in the 1999 NHL draft-David Inman (2nd round, New York Rangers) and Brett Henning (9th round, New York Islanders)-plus sophomore D Evan Nielsen (8th round, Atlanta Thrashers, 2000) … just two other teams in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association-Michigan (7) and Michigan State (6)-have more draft picks on their 2000-2001 rosters than Notre Dame.
Midwest Magic:
Notre Dame continues to reap the benefits of the rapidly-improving youth hockey programs in the lower Midwest (namely Illinois and Missouri), as one-third of the current roster includes players from Illinois (6) or Missouri (2) … four of those players also are products of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP): sophomore RW Michael Chin (Urbana, Ill.), sophomore C Connor Dunlop (St. Louis, Mo.) and first-year D Brett Lebda (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.) … sophomore D Evan Nielsen (Evanston, Ill.) was invited to join the NTDP but returned for his senior year at The Taft School … ND’s other Illinois natives include the team’s top two returning goaltenders-junior Jeremiah Kimento (Palos Hills) and Tony Zasowski (Darien)-plus senior RW Matt Van Arkel (Richton Park). … prior to 1995, the ND hockey program had produced just eight total letterwinners from Illinois and two from Missouri.
ROAD TRIP ANYONE?:
The Notre Dame hockey program again will travel plenty of miles during the 2000-01 season, as the Irish are slated to traverse the equivalent of nearly 17,000 miles in the upcoming season-after travelling nearly 18,000 in 1999-2000 (17,907, or close to three-quarters of the Earth’s diameter) … the longer trips of 2000-01 include the season-opening game versus Minnesota, a trip to Omaha for the Maverick Shootout (plus a later series with Nebraska Omaha), an upper-peninsula visit to Lake Superior, the RPI Christmas Tournament in Troy, N.Y., a pair of games versus Yale in New Haven, Conn., and a return journey to Fairbanks, Alaska (ND’s third trip to UAF in the last four seasons) … the 1999-2000 campaign likewise included trips to Omaha and Fairbanks, plus a pair of visits to tournaments in Denver, Colo., a Thanksgiving tournament at New Hampshire and an upper-peninsula visit to Northern Michigan … here’s a breakdown of the 2000-01 trips, based on average roundtrip land mileage:
Minneapolis, Minn. 1,022
Omaha, Neb. 1,108
Oxford, Ohio 420
Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. 870
Omaha, Neb. 1,108
Troy, N.Y. 1,736
Kalamazoo, Mich. 150
Ann Arbor, Mich. 354
New Haven, Conn. 1,552
Columbus, Ohio 530
Ann Arbor, Mich. 354
Fairbanks, Alaska 7,290
Kalamazoo, Mich. 150
Total 16,644
WHO’S BACK:
Notre Dame returns 16 of 24 letterwinners from the 1999-2000 team that went 16-18-8, finished fifth in the CCHA and advanced to the CCHA semifinals … the Irish also return junior D Sam Cornelius (lettered in ’98-’99, 16 GP last season) and sophomore D Paul Harris (9 GP last season) … all told, ND’s 15 returning skaters accounted for two-thirds of the goals and 60 percent of the total offense in 1999-2000 … ND returns five of its top-seven scorers from 1999-2000, including its leading scorer in senior LW Dan Carlson (17G-18A, 9 PPG, 5 GWG) … senior RW and team captain Ryan Dolder (10G-14) was ND’s fourth-leading scorer last season, followed by junior C David Inman (13G-7A) and sophomore C Connor Dunlop (3G-13A) … Inman and Dunlop combine to give ND two of the top young centers in the CCHA while junior Brett Henning (3G-7A) could shift from C to LW this season … including Henning, ND has six veterans who could play at left wing-with that group having a combined 14 years of Division I experience … other top candidates at LW include seniors Chad Chipchase (15 GP during injury-plagued 1999-2000 season) and Jay Kopischke (6G-5A), with Chipchase also capable of playing at C or RW … for the second consecutive season, ND must replace a four-year regular at RW (Joe Dusbabek, with Brian Urick moving on after ’98-’99) … other top returners at RW include sophomore Michael Chin (6G-7A) and senior Matt Van Arkel (4G-1A) … just two 1999-2000 letterwinners return in the D: 6-4, 230-pound senior Ryan Clark and sophomore Evan Nielsen (4G-10A), who could fill the power-play point role filled the past two seasons by Benoit Cotnoir (’99) and Tyson Fraser (’00) … Clark and Nielsen skated together in 30 games last season (including the final 22) … all three Irish Gs are back, led by sophomore Tony Zasowski (ND record 2.56 GAA, 13-9-6 record, .901 save pct.) and junior Jeremiah Kimento (3-8-2 career record, 2.88 GAA, .890 save pct.).
WHO’S GONE:
With two of the top-three scorers lost to graduation, ND is one of several CCHA teams looking to receive boosts in goalscoring from other players … the Irish also must replace four of their top-six defenseman from last season: Nathan Borega, Tyson Fraser, Sean Molina and Sean Seyferth … the 6-2, 225-pound Borgea (70 PIM last season) was a four-year enforcer with the Irish while Fraser’s subtle skills included serving as the point man on the Irish power play (he had 3G-11A last season, 7G-49A for his career) … Molina (1G-8A in 1999-2000) appeared in 148 career games (tied for 4th in ND history) and played a role on the second PP unit in 1999-2000 … the graduated D foursome combined to appear in 486 career games (140 for Borega, 131 for Fraser, 67 for Seyferth) … top losses from the forward line include C and team captain Ben Simon and RW Joe Dusbabek … Simon’s 1999-2000 season included 13G-19A and a team-best 10 PPGs … he averaged nearly a point per game in his career (44G-85A, 143 GP) and is ND’s second-leading career scorer since the Irish rejoined the CCHA in 1992 … Dusbabek (8G-19A in 1999-2000) totaled 26G-49A in 126 career games … Academic All-American Andy Jurkowski (5G-8A) made a successful transition from D to LW as senior in 1999-2000 while C Troy Bagne rounds out the 2000 graduates (he had 2G-3A in 1999-2000, 5G-10A in 123 career games).
WHO’S NEW:
ND’s fifth consecutive highly-regarded recruiting class includes three products of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program: D Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.) and Brett Lebda (Buffalo Grove, Ill) and RW Rob Globke (West Bloomfield, Mass.) … the other two freshmen signees include C Aaron Gill (Rochester, Minn./Rochester Mustangs) and D Tom Galvin (Miller Place, NY./Waterloo Blackhawks) … one other newcomer is junior LW Jon Maruk, who played two seasons at Alaska Anchorage before scoring 32G-42A in 71 games last season with the Twin City Vulcans (which won the 1999-2000 national junior-A title) … Globke is known for strong wide-reaching offensive skills, after ranking as the third-leading scorer on the 1999-2000 USA Under-18 National Team (15G-21A) … Gill is a strong all-around centerman who totaled 26G-23A in 55 games with the Mustangs last season … the 6-1, 205-pound Komadoski-who could help replace the imposing presence of graduated Nathan Borega (6-2, 225)-made a name for himself as the top enforcer on the USA Under-18 National Team and is considered one of the nation’s top prospects for the 2001 NHL draft … Lebda is known for his smooth skating and offensive ability while Galvin is a steady performer with strong all-around skills (both could play roles on the power play).
PRESEASON CCHA POLLS:
In the fall of 1999, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association coaches correctly predicted the regular-season finishes of Michigan (1st), Michigan State (2nd), Northern Michigan (3rd, ended tied for 3rd), Miami (9th, ended tied for 9th), Western Michigan (10th, ended tied for 9th) and Alaska Fairbanks (12th) while the CCHA media poll correctly predicted the finishes of NMU, Notre Dame (5th), Miami, WMU and UAF.
Heading into 2000-2001, the polls both have picked Michigan and Michigan State to repeat at the top spots. Michigan received 11 of 12 first-place votes in the coaches poll but the Spartans garnered 19 first-place votes and 467 voting points in the media poll to edge Michigan (which had 20 first-place votes and 460 points).
Nebraska-Omaha was picked third by the coaches, followed by Lake Superior, Notre Dame, Miami, Ferris State, Northern Michigan, Bowling Green, and Ohio State-while Western Michigan and Alaska-Fairbanks were predicted to finish out of the playoffs.
The media poll tabbed Lake Superior and Northern Michigan in third and fourth, followed by UNO, which received one first-place vote. Notre Dame, Bowling Green and Ferris State were next in the media poll, followed by Miami (which also received a first-place ballot), OSU, WMU and UAF.