Jan. 27, 2011
Notre Dame, Ind. –
Complete Release in PDF Format
– Date/Site/Time: Fri., January 28, 2011 – 7:35 p.m. – Joyce Center (2,713) – Notre Dame, Indiana Sat., January 29, 2011 – 5:05 p.m. – Joyce Center (2,713) – Notre Dame, Indiana
– The Teams: #9/#9 Notre Dame (16-9-3/13-6-1-1) vs. #13/#11 Miami (14-9-3/11-7-2-1)
– Broadcast Information: Radio: Notre Dame hockey can be heard live on Cat Country 99.9 FM in South Bend. Darin Pritchett, the voice of the Irish will call the action with the pregame show beginning 20 minutes before the opening face off. Television: Friday’s game will be televised live by CBS College Sports with Matt Shepard and Dave Starman calling the game. Saturday’s game will be televised by FSN Detroit with Matt Shepard and Fred Pletsch handling the announcing duties.
– Internet Broadcast: Audio: The Notre Dame – Miami series will have live audio streaming at the Notre Dame website – und.com. Livestats: Available at und.com.
JOYCE CENTER SHOWDOWN: The much anticipated series between Notre Dame and Miami happens this weekend at the Joyce Center when the two teams meet on Jan. 28-29. Friday’s game has a 7:35 p.m. start time while Saturday’s contest will see the puck drop at 5:05 p.m. Both games of the series will be televised. On Friday, CBS College Sports will televise the game nationally with Matt Shepard and Dave Starman handling the play-by-play and color commentary. Saturday’s game is part of an FSN Detroit doubleheader as part of the Hockey Day in Michigan festivities. Shepard returns for the play-by-play duties with Fred Pletsch handling the color. Saturday’s game has a special 5:05 p.m. start time. Notre Dame comes into the weekend with a 16-9-3 overall record and is in second place in the CCHA race with a 13-6-1-1 mark, good for 41 points, two points behind first-place Michigan. The Wolverines have one game in hand. Miami brings a 14-9-3 record to Notre Dame this weekend and is in third place in the conference with an 11-7-2-1 CCHA mark, good for 36 points, five behind the Irish in the standings. Both teams are coming off of road splits last weekend. The Irish split at Ohio State, losing 6-1, on Jan. 21 and then taking a 4-1 decision on Jan. 22. Miami split at Michigan State, losing 7-4 before winning the second game, 4-0 over the Spartans. Following this weekend’s games, the Irish are off until Feb. 11-12 when they play host to Bowling Green.
IRISH VERSUS REDHAWKS: Notre Dame and Miami have met 59 times in the all-time series with the RedHawks holding a 35-16-8 advantage. At the Joyce Center, Miami has a 13-7-6 lead in those 26 games. The two teams have already met twice this season in Oxford, Ohio where Notre Dame rallied for a 5-4 win in the opening game of the series and Miami took the second meeting, 5-2, on Dec. 3-4. The Irish win on Dec. 3, snapped a six-game RedHawk winning streak versus Notre Dame. The last time the Irish defeated Miami at the Joyce Center was Jan. 26, 2007, a 4-1 win. Since then, Notre Dame is 0-2-1 at home against the RedHawks. In the series, Miami is 7-2-1 against the Irish in the last 10 games.
STRETCH DRIVE: Notre Dame comes into this weekend with eight games remaining on the regular-season schedule with five of those at home and three on the road. The Irish face Miami (Jan. 28-29), Bowling Green (Feb. 11-12) and Western Michigan (Feb. 26) at home and travel to Ferris State (Feb. 18-19) and Western Michigan (Feb. 25) in the final five weeks of the season.
THE RANKINGS: Notre Dame enters the series with Miami ranked ninth in both the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll and the USCHO.com poll. The RedHawks are ranked 13th in the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Poll and 11th in the USCHO.com rankings.
VERSUS THE BEST: This weekend’s series against Miami will be Notre Dame’s 14th and 15th games versus ranked teams this season. To date, the Irish are 6-5-2 in those games overall and 4-1-0 versus ranked teams at the Joyce Center. Last season, the Irish were 5-6-4 against teams ranked in the national polls.
OFFENSIVE IRISH: Notre Dame enters the series with Miami leading the nation in goals with 103 on the season. The Irish have five more goals than North Dakota as the Sioux have 95. Miami is fifth in the nation with 94 goals on the year. In the goals per game category, Notre Dame ranks third with 3.68 per game, trailing Yale (4.79, 91 goals in 19 games) and Boston College (3.74, 86 goals in 23 games). Last season, the Irish scored just 90 goals in 38 games (2.36 per game). The last time the Irish scored more than 3.68 per game was 1990-91 when they had 4.06 per game.
OHIO STATE RECAP: Saturday, Jan. 22 – Notre Dame snapped a two-game losing streak, getting two goals from freshman Anders Lee (Edina, Minn.) and single goals from Ben Ryan (Sr., Brighton, Mich.) and David Gerths (Fr., Ankeny, Iowa) in a 4-1 road win over the Buckeyes at Value City Arena. Goaltender Mike Johnson stopped 29-of-30 shots in the win. Shane Sims got the lone Buckeye goal, scoring on the power play in the second period. The Irish took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Lee scored his first of the game at 19:38 of the first period as his shot from the right faceoff circle beat Cal Heeter over his glove for Lee’s 15th of the year. Lee made it 2-0 with a power-play goal from the slot at 1:28 of the second as Billy Maday (Jr., Burr Ridge, Ill.) found the freshmen from the right corner. Sims cut the lead in half at 2:32 when he beat Johnson with a power-play slap shot with the Buckeyes skating four-on-three. Notre Dame made it 3-1 at 4:35 when Ryan redirected a Ryan Guentzel (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.) centering pass over Heeter for his fifth of the year. Gerths closed out the scoring at 15:56 when he banged home a Stephen Johns (Fr., Wampum, Pa.) shot for his seventh of the year. The Irish out shot Ohio State, 36-30, in the game. Heeter finished with 32 saves. Notre Dame was 2-for-6 on the power play while the Buckeyes were 1-for-5.
Friday, Jan. 21 –
Ohio State got goals from six different players and goaltender Cal Heeter stopped 34-of-35 shots he faced to lead the Buckeyes to a 6-1 win over Notre Dame in the series opener. Paul Kirtland, Danny Dries, Peter Boyd, Travis Statchuk, C.J. Severyn and John Albert scored for the Buckeyes while T.J. Tynan (Fr., Orland Park, Ill.) had Notre Dame’s lone goal. Ohio State got on the board first at 4:50 of the first period with Kirtland getting his second of the year. The Irish tied the game at 1-1 with a power-play goal at 18:11 as Sam Calabrese (So., Park Ridge, Ill.) set up Tynan whose shot from the left wing boards hit an Ohio State defenseman and deflected past Heeter for his 16th goal of the year. The score stayed tied at 1-1 until the 11:22 mark of the second when Dries got the eventual game winner. The Buckeyes scored 13 seconds later at 11:35 when Jeff McNeil’s dump in hit a stanchion and came in front to Boyd who shot it into an open net. Statchuk (ppg), Severyn and Albert added third period goals to break the game wide open in the 6-1 victory. Notre Dame starter Mike Johnson (So., Verona, Wis.) played the first 45 minutes, giving up four goals while making 20 saves. Steven Summerhays (Anchorage, Alaska) played the final 14:39, giving up two goals with 12 saves. Ohio State was 1-for-7 on the power play while the Irish were 1-for-5.
GOAL DROUGHT: Notre Dame’s four-goal outburst against Ohio State on Jan. 22 snapped a three-game streak that saw the Irish get just four goals in the previous three games (three in the Alaska series and one versus Ohio State). That’s the fewest goals for the Irish in three games this season. Prior to getting one goal against Alaska (Jan. 15) and one versus OSU (Jan. 21), the Irish had scored at least two goals in a game through the first 25 games on the schedule.
SPECIAL HONOR: Prior to Friday night’s game, former Notre Dame hockey player, Dr. Michael Collins `70 will be honored by the American Hockey Coaches Association with the Lou Lamoriello Award. The award honors a former college hockey player who has achieved unique success in their chosen field of work. It is named in honor of Lou Lamoriello, the former Providence College player and coach and current New Jersey Devils President and was created by a group of retired coaches, including former Notre Dame head coach Lefty Smith. Dr. Collins is a full-time, board-certified orthopedic surgeon practicing with Hinsdale Orthopedic Associates in Hinsdale, Ill. He also is a noted author and lecturer on topics relating to medicine and writing. Collins played first for Notre Dame’s club team and then was a member of Notre Dame’s first hockey team in 1968-69 and played during the first two years of the program (`68-’70) before graduating and going on to medical school. AHCA president and Hockey East commissioner, Joe Bertagna, and Lefty Smith will present the award.
WELCOME BACK: Fifteen members of Notre Dame’s first Division I hockey team are expected to be at Friday’s game to honor Dr. Michael Collins as well as to be recognized as the Joyce Center’s first team in this the final full season that the Irish will play at the Joyce Center. Those expected to attend are: John Barry, Jim Blainey, Mike Collins, Jim Cordes, Kevin Hoene, Mark Longar, Pat McMahon, Tim McNeill, Len Moretti, John Roselli, Tom Shannon, Lefty Smith, Dick Tomasoni, John Whitmer and Phil Wittliff.
SHORT-HAND SUCCESS: Freshman left wing Anders Lee scored Notre Dame’s 12th short-handed goal of the season in the Jan. 14, 2-1 win over Alaska. The 12 short-handed goals are tops in the nation with three teams – Boston College, Niagara and Denver – second with seven. With his goal, Lee became the ninth Notre Dame player to get a short-handed goal this season. Defensemen Joe Lavin (Sr., Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Sam Calabrese (So., Park Ridge, Ill.) join T.J. Tynan (Fr., Orland Park, Ill.) with two each while Lee, Bryan Rust (Fr., Novi, Mich.), Riley Sheahan (So., St. Catharine’s Ont.), Ryan Guentzel (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.), Billy Maday (Jr., Burr Ridge, Ill.) and Sean Lorenz (Jr., Littleton, Colo.) all have one each. The 12 short-handed goals are the most for the Irish since setting a school record with 19 during the 1981-82 season.
BACK ON THE SCORESHEET: Notre Dame freshman T.J. Tynan collected his 16th goal of the season in the Jan. 21 loss at Ohio State. That goal broke a two-game scoreless drought for the high-scoring center iceman, the first time he had gone more than one game without a point. Tynan added an assist in Saturday’s game and leads the Irish in scoring with 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points and is the highest scoring freshman in the nation.
COMEBACK KID: Sophomore defenseman Sam Calabrese (Park Ridge, Ill.) has bounced back from a season he’d love to forget to become Notre Dame’s top scorer from the blue line this year. As a freshman in 2009-10, Calabrese saw action in just three games all season, suffering a broken leg on Dec. 4, 2009 at Miami. This season, Calabrese has five goals (two short-handed) with eight assists for 13 points. He is second on the team and second in the CCHA with a +20 for the season.
HOBEY BAKER NOMINEE: Freshman center T.J. Tynan is one of 68 Division I college hockey players that have been nominated for the 2011 Hobey Baker Award. The first phase of the voting is now underway at hobeybakeraward.com. The fan voting phase will run through March 6. On March 17, the list of 10 finalists will be announced followed by the Hobey Hat Trick (3 finalists) on March 31. The winner of the award will be announced at the Frozen Four on April 8. Award criteria include candidates emulating the exceptional character traits exhibited by the award’s namesake, Hobey Baker, a World War I flying star better known as America’s greatest amateur athlete in his day. Award candidates must demonstrate strength of character both on and off the ice, contribute to the integrity of his team and display outstanding skills in all phases of the game. Consideration should be given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.
NATIONAL LEADERS: Freshman center T.J. Tynan has burst on to the national scene as he finds himself tied for fifth in the nation in points (35) and is tied for seventh with 16 goals on the year. Fellow freshman Anders Lee also is tied for seventh with 16 goals and has 12 assists for 28 points.
National Scoring Race (by points): GP G A PTSAndy Miele (MU) 26 14 30 44Carter Camper (MU) 26 14 29 43Paul Zanette (NIA) 24 21 16 37Justin Schultz (UW) 28 14 22 36Bryan Haczyk (NIA) 24 21 14 35T.J. Tynan (ND) 28 16 19 35Carl Hagelin (UM) 27 13 22 35Jack Connolly (UMD) 25 12 23 35Paul Thompson (UNH) 22 17 17 34Craig Smith (UW) 28 15 19 34Chase Polacek (RPI) 24 14 20 34Nathan Longpre (RMU) 24 13 21 34Justin Fontaine (UMD) 25 15 18 33Andrew Favot (RIT) 26 11 22 33Reilly Smith (MU) 25 16 16 32Matt Frattin (UND) 27 20 10 30Cam Atkinson (BC) 23 17 13 30Stephane DeCosta (MC) 22 12 18 30
SLOW STARTS: In 10 of their last 15 games, the Irish have surrendered the first goal of the game. In those games, the Irish are 2-7-1. For the season, the Irish have given up the first goal of the game 13 times and are 3-8-2 in those contests. Notre Dame has scored the first goal of the game 15 times this season and is 13-1-1 in those games.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT: Notre Dame’s freshman class has played a key role in the 16-9-3 start for the Irish. In the first 28 games of this season, the freshman class has accounted for 56 of the team’s 103 goals (54.3%), 78 of the 182 assists (42.9%) and 134 of team’s 285 points this season (47.1%). Freshman goaltender Steven Summerhays (Anchorage, Alaska) has three of the team’s 16 wins in goal.
CAREER YEAR: Senior right wing Ryan Guentzel had the best game of his career with three goals and an assist in the win over Canisius (Dec. 29). He is currently second on the team in scoring with six goals and 23 assists for 29 points, all career highs. Earlier this season, Guentzel had a career-best, and a season high for the Irish, seven-game point streak (1g, 9a). His previous best season was 2008-09 when he had four goals and seven assists for 11 points. He is currently sixth in the CCHA in scoring with 29 points and his 23 assists are third in the conference.
ALL-JOYCE CENTER VOTING: Fans can vote for the All-Joyce Center Team at und.com to select the top players to play at the Joyce Center over the 43-year history of the building. Teams were selected to cover four decades – 1968-80, 1980-90, 1990-2000 and 2000-10. Those players then went on the ballot that includes eight goaltenders, 17 defensemen and 24 forwards. Fan voting will select three goaltenders, six defensemen and nine forwards who will be named to the All-Joyce Center team that will be announced on Feb. 26 at the final regular-season home game versus Western Michigan.
SHOOTING THE PUCK: Through the first 23 games of the season, Notre Dame outshot its opponents in 20 of those games. Since the Jan. 8 game at Northern Michigan, the Irish have now been out shot in four of the last five games. In the seven games this season that Notre Dame has been out shot, the Irish are 2-3-2 for the year. Alaska out shot Notre Dame in both games of the series (Jan. 14-15), getting 35 and 39 respectively while Ohio State had 38 on Jan 21. The Irish got back on track on Jan. 22, out shooting the Buckeyes, 36-30. In the 21 games that the Irish have out shot their opponents, Notre Dame is 14-6-1. Notre Dame is averaging 33.1 shots per game while giving up an average of 26.4 to the opposition.
THE PUCK STOPS HERE: Sophomore goaltender Mike Johnson has now appeared in 18 of Notre Dame’s last 19 games, making 17 starts in that span that began on Nov. 12 versus Michigan. In his last seven starts, Johnson is 4-2-1 with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage, dating back to Jan. 2 versus Boston University. Johnson is 13-7-3 on the year with a 2.54 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. His 13 wins are a career high for the sophomore puck stopper and tie him with Ohio State’s Cal Heeter for the most in the CCHA. As a freshman, Johnson took CCHA all-rookie team honors, playing in 29 games in `09-’10, going 10-13-5 with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. Behind Johnson are a pair of freshmen – Steven Summerhays and Joe Rogers (Marysville, Mich.). Summerhays is now 3-2-0 with a 3.95 goals-against average and a .824 save percentage. His last appearance was on Jan. 21 when he played the final 14:39 of the game in relief of Mike Johnson. He gave up two goals on 14 shots to Ohio State. The freshman goaltender owns wins over Canisius, Bowling Green and Western Michigan while his losses have been to Boston University (10/10) and Miami (12/4). Summerhays joined the Irish after playing the last two seasons with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. In `09-’10, Summerhays was a first team all-USHL selection and the USHL goaltender of the year after going 31-2-3 with a 2.17 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. Joe Rogers made his first career appearance in the Canisius game, playing the final 20 minutes while stopping eight-of-nine shots. He is 0-0-0 with a 3.00 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage. Rogers joins the Notre Dame roster after playing last season in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) with the Albert Lea Thunder. Rogers was 13-19-2 with a 3.97 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage.
PRACTICE ON THE POND: Notre Dame will hold its annual outdoor practice – “Practice on the Pond,” on Friday, Feb. 4 at Merrifield Park in Mishawaka, Ind. The practice is open to the public and will include free hot chocolate and a chance for kids to meet their favorite players and get autopraphs.
SHOOTOUT FACTS AND FIGURES: Notre Dame’s shootout win over Western Michigan on Oct. 30 was the first for Notre Dame in CCHA play since Nov. 19, 2009 against Michigan State. The Irish had lost four consecutive CCHA shootouts. Notre Dame’s second shootout win this year came in the Shillelagh Tournament against Boston University to decide third place. The Irish are 1-0 in the CCHA this season and 2-0 overall after going 2-5 in conference and 3-5 overall last season. In the three seasons that the CCHA has had the shootout, the Irish are 6-5 all-time (3-0 in `08-’09; 2-5 in `09-’10 and 1-0 in `10-’11).
ROAD SWEEP: Notre Dame’s back-to-back road wins at Northern Michigan (Jan. 7-8) marked the first sweep for the Irish this season since Nov. 19-20, 2010 against Michigan State. The CCHA road sweep was the first for the Irish since winning twice at Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 20-21, 2009, taking a 4-3 overtime win and a 1-0 victory over the Mavericks. Since that sweep, the Irish went 10 road series overall and nine CCHA road series, covering a year-and-a-half, without winning consecutive games on the road.
ROAD WARRIORS: Notre Dame’s road win at Ohio State on Jan. 22 improved the Irish to 6-5-2 on the road this season. A year ago, Notre Dame was 3-10-4 away from the Joyce Center.
CAREER NIGHT: Sophomore center Riley Sheahan (St. Catharines, Ont.) had the best game of his Notre Dame career on Jan. 7 against Northern Michigan when he scored his first goal of the season (shg) and added three points for the first four-point game of his career. Sheahan has one goal and 10 assists this season for 11 points in 20 games.
HCA ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Notre Dame freshman left wing Anders Lee (Edina, Minn.) was selected as the Hockey Commissioners’ Association national Rookie of the Month for December. The CCHA Rookie of the Month, Lee had two goals and six assists for eight points in five games during December to finish second to T.J. Tynan in scoring in the CCHA for the month. Lee had points in four of the five games, including three with two or more points. On Dec. 3, at Miami, he had a career-best three assists as he helped the Irish rally from a two-goal deficit to beat Miami, 5-4. The three-point game equaled a career-high for Lee who now has 16 goals and 12 assists for 28 points to rank third on the Irish in scoring and second to Tynan in the conference freshman scoring race.
CCHA PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Notre Dame freshman standout T.J. Tynan has been selected as the CCHA’s RBC Financial Group Player of the Month for December. The 5-8, 156-pound freshman center led all CCHA scorers in December in scoring as he had five goals and four assists for nine points in five games during the month. Tynan, who is the top rookie scorer in the nation, had points in four of the five games during the month and had three games with two or more points, including a career-best four-point game (2g, 2a) in a 10-2 win over Canisius on Dec. 29. Tynan currently leads Notre Dame in scoring with 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points on the year. He was the CCHA rookie of the week for last week and was the conference’s and the nation’s rookie of the month for November. Tynan was an honorable mention selection for the HCA player of the month in December.
THEâ⒬ˆSPECIALIST: Senior left wing Calle Ridderwall is third on the team in goals with 11 through the first 28 games this season and tied for the team lead with four power-play goals. His goal versus Canisius on Dec. 29th was the 50th of his Notre Dame career. With 11 goals this season, Ridderwall has now been in double figures in goals in each of the last three seasons for the Irish after getting 17 in 2008-09 and 19 last season in 2009-10. Over the last two-plus seasons, Ridderwall has scored 47 goals with 26 of them coming via the power play. Last season, his 11 power-play goals led the CCHA. Ridderwall had 11 power-play goals in `08-’09 to match last season’s total and has two this year. His 26 power-play goals rank him sixth on Notre Dame’s all-time power-play goal list. For his career, Ridderwall has 52 goals and 33 assists for 85 career points in 141 games. He has missed the last four games with a thigh contusion suffered on Jan. 8 at Northern Michgian.
FABULOUS FRESHMEN: Freshmen T.J. Tynan and Anders Lee come into the series against Miami ranked first and second in the CCHA in rookie scoring. Tynan has 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points while Lee has 16 goals and 12 assists for 28 points. The 16 goals tie them for tops among freshmen goal scorers in the conference. With 15 and 14 goals respectively, Fellow freshman Mike Voran (4g, 12a, 16 pts) is seventh and is followed by Bryan Rust (4g, 6a) who is tied for 12th with 10 points. David Gerths (7g, 2a, 9 pts), Jeff Costello (6g, 3a, 9 pts) and defensemen Stephen Johns (1g, 8a) are tied for 17th with eight points. Tynan is tied for third overall in scoring in the league while Lee is seventh. Their 16 goals tie them with Miami’s Reilly Smith for tops in the CCHA.
GOING ON THE OFFENSIVE: Two of Notre Dame’s defensive, defensemen – Sam Calabrese and Sean Lorenz – have gone on the offensive this season, turning in career years. Calabrese, who saw action in just three games last season, leads Irish defensemen in scoring with five goals and eight assists for 13 points. Lorenz has four goals and six assists for 10 points, all career highs for the junior blueliner. The duo is 1-2 in the CCHA in plus-minus as Lorenz is +21 and Calabrese is +20 for the year.
TEN SPOT: Notre Dame’s 10-goal out burst against Canisius on Dec. 29 marked the first time the Irish had 10 or more goals in a game since Oct. 14, 1995 when the Irish defeated St. Francis Xavier by a 10-2 score.
TOUGH SCHEDULE: From Oct. 31 through Dec. 4, Notre Dame played nine of 11 games on the road, including a streak of eight straight games versus nationally ranked teams. The Irish came through that streak with a 4-3-1 record. Starting on Nov. 12-13 the Irish faced #9/#8 Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich where they split with the Wolverines. On Nov. 19-20, the Irish played host to rv/#17 Michigan State at the Joyce Center, taking two wins versus the Spartans. The weekend of Nov. 26-27 saw the Irish face #10/#9 North Dakota in Grand Forks where they had a loss and a tie. Against #6/#6 Miami Dec. 3-4, the Irish again had a split to give them a 4-3-1 record in the eight games against ranked teams.
GOING TO THE GOAL: Freshman centerDavid Gerths (Ankeny, Iowa) has become a specialist when it comes to scoring those “dirty” goals. The 6-0, 208-pounder does his best work right in front of the goal. He picked up his seventh of the season at Ohio State on Jan. 22, scoring on a rebound from his knees in front of the goal, poking the puck between Buckeye goaltender Cal Heeter’s pads to make it a 4-1 game. In 27 games this season, he has scored seven goals with two assists for nine points. In 55 games last season in the USHL with Lincoln and Green Bay, Gerths scored just five goals. His seven goals are tied for fourth most for Notre Dame this season.