Oct. 30, 2000
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ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Despite opening the 2000-2001 college hockey season with three games away from the friendly confines of the Joyce Center, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish play their first official road games this weekend at Miami…The Irish will face the RedHawks for two games at Goggin Ice Arena (2,200) in Oxford, Ohio on Friday-Saturday, November 3-4 in games that will start at 7:35 p.m. each night…Miami brings a 1-4-1 record and are 0-2-0 in CCHA play…Notre Dame is 2-5-1 overall and will also be looking for its first league win as the Irish are 0-2-0 in the conference…all 2000-01 Irish hockey games will be broadcast on WHLY radio (1620 AM) with the play-by-play also available via the internet at www.und.com…
IRISH VERSUS REDHAWKS: These two teams have met since the 1981-82 season with the Irish trailing in the all-time series, 8-17-4…since Notre Dame returned to the CCHA in 1992-93, the Irish are just 4-15-4 in 23 contests…ND owns a three-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1) and is 3-1-2 over the last six meetings with the lone loss coming in overtime on March 5, 1999 at Oxford…last season, the two teams met twice at Notre Dame with the Irish taking a 5-2 decision on October 28 while battling to a 2-2 tie on October 29…at Goggin Arena, all-time, Notre Dame is 3-8-0…the two teams will meet for a pair of games at the Joyce Center on December 8-9….
THE COACHES: Notre Dame head coach Dave Poulin owns a 73-104-23 mark (.423) in this his sixth season at Notre Dame….Poulin is 4-7-3 in 14 games versus the RedHawks…Miami head coach Enrico Blasi, a 1994 graduate of Miami, is in his second season behind the RedHawk bench and was 13-20-3 in his rookie year…Blasi is 0-1-1 versus the Fighting Irish…
IRISH UPDATE: Notre Dame closed out its five-game homestand with a 2-3-0 mark after dropping a pair of games to Michigan State (1-5 and 2-3) last Thursday and Friday at the Joyce Center…on Thursday, the Irish couldn’t get anything going in the first two periods as MSU built a 3-0 lead over two periods with three power play goals…ND could muster just two shots in the second period, but came alive in the third with 17 shots on goaltender Ryan Miller…junior David Inman (Toronto, Ont.) scored ND’s lone goal in the third via the power play just 15 seconds into the third period, but the Irish could not solve Miller the rest of the way…Jeremiah Kimento (Jr., Palos Hills, Ill.) gave up four goals (one empty-netter) while making 26 saves….the Irish were outshot, 31-26, in the game…MSU converted 3-of-5 power play chances and the Irish were 1-for-4…on Friday night, MSU scored first on the power play only to see last week’s CCHA Rookie of the Week, Rob Globke (West Bloomfield, Mich.) get his fourth goal of the season to even the score, 1-1…the Spartans went into the first intermission with a 2-1 lead as Adam Hall scored via the power play (five of MSU’s eight goals on the weekend came on the power play)…senior Ryan Dolder (Hutchinson, Minn.) evened the score at 16:21 of the second period as the Irish fired a season high 19 shots in the period to send the game into the second intermission tied at 2-2…in the third period, MSU scored with 1:18 left on Sean Patchell’s first goal of the season…ND controlled most of the period adding 11 more shots on the way to 42 shots in the game versus Miller…Notre Dame goaltender Tony Zasowski (So., Darien, Ill.) made his first start since October 13th (five games) making 28 saves in the game…Michigan State finished the game going 2-for-4 with the man-advantage while the Irish were 0-for-5…
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS: Miami University hockey information can be found at www.MURedHawks.com…
INJURY REPORT:
Defenseman Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.) is out indefinitely after suffering a shoulder injury in the first period of the Boston College game. Komadoski has missed the last six games…
Defenseman Ryan Clark (Sr., Littleton, Colo.) is out indefinitely with a viral infection. He missed both games versus Michigan State…
SHOOTING THE PUCK: The Irish fired 42 shots on goal in Friday’s loss to Michigan State…the 42 shots were the most by an Irish team versus MSU since rejoining the CCHA in 92-93 (previous best was 34 shots on 2/5/93)…the 42 shots were also the most by the Irish since November 17, 1979 when they peppered Mark Mazzoleni with 46 shots in a 5-2 Notre Dame win, a span of 39 games…
KOPISCHKE FOR THE DEFENSE: Due to the injury to Neil Komadoski and the illness to Ryan Clark on the Notre Dame blueline, senior forward Jay Kopischke (Alexandria, Minn.) moved back to defense for the two Michigan State games after playing the first 106 games of his career at forward…Kopischke played well both nights, helping set up Rob Globke’s first period goal while being even in the two games…he also had three shots in the two-game series….
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 ?
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.
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…
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.
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).
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 43 games when holding a lead at the second intermission (37-0-6, including 11-0-3 in 1999-2000) … the Irish are 2-0-1 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 23-2-3 since the 1998-99 season when leading at the first intermission (10-1-1 in 1999-2000).
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…
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 72 consecutive games going into the weekend series at Miami … Carlson has played in 127 of 130 games during his first three-plus seasons (missing two while at the ’98-’99 World Juniors) and needs to appear in 26 more games to break John Schmidt’s ND record for career games played (152, ’78-’82).
HOME SWEET HOME: The Irish finished their recent five-game homestand with a 2-3 mark…after this weekend’s trip to Miami, ND has three more home games in the month of November…after starting the season with three games away from the Joyce Center, ND will have played eight of its next ten (through the end of November) 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….
HOT HAND…Freshman right wing Rob Globke has Notre Dame’s longest scoring streak of the season going into this weekend’s series at Miami…the 6-2, 200-pounder has scored three goals and three assists for six points in his last six games…David Inman had a five-game streak (4-2-6) snapped last Friday by Michigan State…
SPECIAL TEAMS: Notre Dame’s special teams continued to struggle in the two-game series versus Michigan State…The Irish were just 1-for-9 (11.1%) with the power play while giving up five power play goals to the Spartans in nine chances…for the season, Notre Dame has scored just three power play goals on 53 chances for a 5.7% success rate…while shorthanded, the Irish have surrendered 15 power play goals on 48 chances for a 68.7% penalty killing success rate…. 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)…
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: 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.
SHOOT THE PUCK: After averaging just 22 shots a game in its first two games of the season, the Irish have now averaged 35.3 shots per game over the last six contests including a season-high 42 shots at Michigan State’s Ryan Miller on October 27…
STOPPING THE PUCK: Sophomore goaltender Tony Zasowski (Darien, Ill.) made his first start since October 13 when he faced Michigan State on Friday…Zasowski stopped 28 of 31 Spartan shots in the 3-2 loss…he is 0-3-0 on the year with a 5.00 goals against average in three starts…his start snapped a string of five consecutive starts by junior goaltender Jeremiah Kimento (Palos Hills, Ill.)…Kimento was 2-2-1 in the five starts with a 3.33 goals against and a .887 save percentage…prior to Friday’s Michigan State game, the 5-11, 190-pound puckstopper had seen action in each of ND’s first seven games…
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…
THE TOP OF THE LIST: Senior right wing Ryan Dolder has picked up where he left off last season as he is one of Notre Dame’s top scorers through the first eight games of the season with four goals and three assists for seven 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 five of his last seven games (4-3-7)…versus Northeastern 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…
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 eight games of the season, Inman has gotten off to a fast start with four goals and two assists….among those four goals two power play markers…the Toronto, Ont. native leads the team in shots on goal with 32 and has a +1 rating on the season…
YOUNG D: Notre Dame’s group of eight defensemen came into this season with a combined 190 career games played, compared to 419 games of experience on the blue line heading into 1998-99 … the four veteran D include senior Ryan Clark (88 GP), junior Sam Cornelius (52) and sophomores Evan Nielsen (41) and Paul Harris (9) … half of the blue-line group is comprised of freshmen, including former USA Hockey teammates Neil Komadoski and Brett Lebda, plus Tom Galvin and walk-on T.J. Mathieson.
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 seven games this season and owns a team-best +5…
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 (102)…right wing Matt Van Arkel played in his 100th career game versus Minnesota and has now played in 107 overall…the remainder of that group includes Dan Carlson (127), Ryan Dolder (111) and Jay Kopischke (108).
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 9.3 penalties per game for 21.6 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.