Dec. 5, 2012
Notre Dame, Ind. –
– The Teams: #4/#5 Notre Dame (11-4-0/7-1-0-0) vs. Michigan State (4-8-2/3-6-1-0)
– The Games: Friday, December 7, 2012 – Compton Family Ice Arena (5,022) – 7:06 p.m. Saturday, December 8, 2012 – Compton Family Ice Arena (5,022) – 7:08 p.m.
– Broadcast Information: Radio: The Notre Dame-Michigan State series will be broadcast live on Real Country 99.9 FM in South Bend. Darin Pritchett, the voice of the Irish, will call the action. Television: Friday night’s game will be televised by the NBC Sports Network with Mike “Doc” Emrick and Pierre McGuire calling the action. On Saturday, the game will be carried by Comcast Michigan and can be seen on South Bend Comcast Cable Channel 3. Ben Holden and Sean Ritchlin will handle the play-by-play and color commentary.
– Internet: Audio/Video: Live audio streaming for the Michigan State series is available on the Notre Dame website at UND.com free of charge. Statistics: Gametracker is available on the Notre Dame website at UND.com. Livestats can be found at ccha.com or collegehockeyinc. com.
CLOSING OUT THE HOMESTAND: Notre Dame will close out its six-game homestand this weekend with a pair of games versus CCHA foe Michigan State. Both games of the series are set for 7:05 p.m. on Dec. 7-8 at the Compton Family Ice Arena. Friday’s game will be televised live by the NBC Sports Network. With the NHL lockout still in effect, the game will be broadcast by two familar faces – NHL play-by-play man Mike Emrick and NHL analyst Pierre McGuire. On Saturday, Comcast Michigan will broadcast the game with Ben Holden and Sean Ritchlin calling the action. That came can be seen in the South Bend area on South Bend Comcast Cable Channel 3. The Irish come into the series with a three-game home winning streak and have now won five straight CCHA games dating back to Nov. 4. Notre Dame is 11-4-0 overall and 7-1-0-0 in the CCHA, good for 21 points in the standings. The Irish are tied for second with Ferris State and Ohio State, just one point behind first-place Miami with two games in hand on the RedHawks. The Irish are ranked fourth in the USAToday/American Hockey Magazine poll this week and fifth in the USCHO.com rankings, the high water mark for Notre Dame this season. The Irish are coming off a two-game sweep of Lake Superior last weekend, as they took 3-2 and 6-1 verdicts at home. Michigan State brings a 4-8-2 overall record into the series and is 3-6-1-0 in conference play. The Spartans dropped two games at home last weekend to Ohio State, losing 1-0 and 3-1.
IRISH VERSUS SPARTANS: Notre Dame and Michigan State have met 110 times in the all-time series with the Spartans owning a 60-39-11 advantage. The Irish have played only Michigan more often (132 games) in the program’s history. In games played in South Bend, the Irish have a slight edge with a 23-22-7 mark, but are 6-1-1 versus the Spartans in the last eight games played at Notre Dame, dating back to the 2006-07 campaign. The last time Michigan State won on Irish home ice was in the last meeting – Feb. 25, 2012 – by a 4-2 score. That win for the Spartans snapped an 11-game (8-0-3) Notre Dame unbeaten streak in the series, dating back to the 2007-08 season. The two teams will meet in another two-game series on Jan. 11-12, 2013 at Munn Arena in East Lansing, Mich.
NEXT FOR THE IRISH: Notre Dame closes out the first half of the 2012-13 schedule on the road when the Irish face Bowling Green in a 7:05 p.m. game on Saturday, Dec. 15 at BGSU Ice Arena. They then break for finals and the Christmas holidays before returning to action at Minnesota on Jan. 8.
LAKE SUPERIOR RECAP: Friday, Nov. 30 – Notre Dame scored two power-play goals for the first time this season and used them to knock off Lake Superior State, 3-2, at the Compton Family Ice Arena. Mario Lucia (Fr., Plymouth, Minn.) and Mike Voran (Jr., Livonia, Mich.) scored with the man-advantage and Anders Lee (Jr., Edina, Minn.) added and even-strength goal in the victory. Kellan Lain and Domenic Monardo scored for the Lakers. The Irish out shot Lake Superior State, 35-20, in the win. Steven Summerhays (Jr., Anchorage, Alaska) made 18 saves for Notre Dame while Kevin Murdock had 32 for the Lakers. The Irish opened the scoring at 6:25 of the first period when Lee whipped a shot from the high slot through Murdock’s pads for his ninth goal of the season and a 1-0 lead. The lead would go to 2-0 just 35 seconds into the second period when Lucia scored on the power play. Robbie Russo (So., Westmont, Ill.) set up the goal with a shot from the point that rang off the post. Lucia flipped the rebound over Murdock for his second goal of the year. Lain got the Lakers back in the game at at 5:15 of the second when he beat Summerhays with a wrist shot from the left circle for his third goal of the season. Notre Dame restored the two-goal lead at 7:24 when Voran deflected a Russo shot past Murdock on the power play. T.J. Tynan (Jr., Orland Park, Ill.) also picked up his second assist of the game. The Lakers kept on battling and cut the lead to 3-2 at 13:21 when Monardo scored his fifth of the season as he used an Irish defender as a screen and whipped a shot from the left circle past Summerhays to make it a one-goal game. Neither team scored in the third period. Notre Dame was 2-for-6 on the power play while Lake Superior was 0-for-3.
Saturday, Dec. 1 – Mario Lucia scored two goals and Bryan Rust (Jr., Novi, Mich.) and Shayne Taker (Jr.. Verona, B.C.) contributed three-point games as Notre Dame took a 6-1 decision over Lake Superior on Saturday night. Joining Lucia and Rust in the goal-scoring column were Anders Lee, T.J. Tynan and Stephen Johns (Jr., Wampum, Pa.). Kelin Ainsworth scored the lone Lakers’ goal in the game. The Irish scored early and often in the opening period on the way to a 4-0 lead. Rust opened the scoring at 5:29, scoring on the rebound of a Jeff Costello (Jr., Milwaukee, Wis.) shot. Tynan snapped an 11-game goal-scoring drought with his third of the year at 9:03 with Taker getting the first of his three assists on the night to make it 2-0. Lucia notched his first of the night at 14:48 redirecting a Mike Voran pass behind goaltender Kevin Kapalka for the 3-0 lead. Johns closed out the scoring on the power play at 16:58 when he hammered a shot from the point past Kapalka for his first of the season and a 4-0 lead. Ainsworth broke up goaltender Mike Johnson’s (Sr., Verona, Wis.) shutout bid at 10:47 of the second period when he scored on a 2-on-1 chance. Johnson was forced to leave the game at 14:23 when he was injured in a goal-mouth collision and was replaced by Steven Summerhays. Lucia scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the year on the ensuing power play at 14:50 to make it 5-1. Lee then closed out the scoring at 17:52 with his 10th goal of the year. Notre Dame out shot Lake Superior, 32-27, in the game. Johnson and Summerhays each made 13 saves in the game. Kapalka played the first 20 minutes for the Lakers and had eight saves. Kevin Murdock played the final 40 minutes and finished with 18 saves. The Irish were 2-for-5 on the power play while Lake Superior was 0-for-4.
TURNING ON THE POWER: After going the first 13 games of the season with just seven power-play goals in seven different games, the Notre Dame power play struck for a pair of goals in each game of the Lake Superior State series. The Irish were 2-for-6 on Friday and 2-for-5 on Saturday for a 4-for-11 mark (36.4%). On the season, the Irish are now 11-for-70 with the man advantage and are scoring at a 15.7% clip.
SCORING FIRST: Scoring the first goal of the game has been important to Notre Dame’s early-season success. The Irish are 10-0-0 when they get the first goal of the game and 1-4-0 when the opposition scores first.
MILESTONE GOAL: Anders Lee recorded the 50th goal of his Notre Dame career when he scored at 6:25 of the first period of Friday’s game against Lake Superior. The goal was his ninth of the season and with it he became the 32nd player in Notre Dame history to score 50 or more goals in his career. He added another goal in Saturday’s 6-1 win for his 10th of the season. He is tied for the goal-scoring lead in the CCHA with Michigan’s AJ Treais and is tied for third nationally with 10 goals. In 99 career games, Lee now has 51 goals and 42 assists for 93 points. He needs just seven points to become the 48th player in program history to score 100 or more points in his career.
ON A TEAR: Several Notre Dame players come into the series against Michigan State on hot streaks. Leading the way is sophomore defenseman Robbie Russo (Westmont, Ill.) who has a season-high six-game point streak, scoring two goals with six assists for eight points in the streak. Anders Lee has a four-game, goal and point streak that has seen him score five goals and one assist for six points. Junior Jeff Costello has scored in three straight games (2g, 4a, 6 pts) and now has points in four of his last five games (3g, 5a, 8 pts). After getting off to a slow start, T.J. Tynan has points in three consecutive games (1g, 4a, 5 pts). Junior right wing Bryan Rust has a three-game streak (1g, 3a, 4 pts) and Mario Lucia now has goals and points in two straight (3g, 0a, 3 pts) and points in four of his last five games (4g, 1a, 5 pts).
WORK HORSE: Dating back to last Feb. 24, Irish goaltender Steven Summerhays has played in 19 of the last 22 games, making 18 starts. During those 19 games, Summerhays is 12-6-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average, a .942 save percentage and four shutouts. His shutout win versus Western Michigan (4-0) on Nov. 4 was the 20th win of his Notre Dame career. He is now 24-16-1 for his career with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. This season, Summerhays leads the CCHA in wins (9) and is second in goals-against average (1.57). He is third in save percentage (.936) and tied for second with two shutouts.
THE OTHER GUY: Senior goaltender Mike Johnson got the start in goal for the Irish on Dec. 1 versus Lake Superior State. That was his first start since Oct. 27 when he made 26 saves in the 3-2 win over Northern Michigan. Against the Lakers, Johnson made 13 saves, giving up one goal before being injured at the 14:23 mark of the second period with a 4-1 lead in a game the Irish would win, 6-1. This season, he is 2-0-0 with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. For his career, he has appeared in 93 games, making 87 starts and is 41-33-12 with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage with two shutouts. His 41 wins make him just one of seven Notre Dame goaltenders to win 40 or more games in his career.
STINGY DEFENSE: The Irish defense ranks among the stingiest in the nation as they have given up just 25 goals in 15 games to allow 1.67 goals per game. That ranks Notre Dame first in the CCHA and second in the nation. Only Quinnipiac (24 goals in 15 games) with a 1.60 mark is better.
WARRIOR CCHA PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Junior center Anders Lee has been named the Warrior CCHA Player of the Month for his play during the month of November. In eight games, Lee scored seven goals with two assists for nine points, getting one power-play goal, one short-handed tally and one game winner while being +5 for the month. The native of Edina, Minn., scored in five of the team’s eight games, helping the Irish to a 5-3-0 record. Included were three multiple-point games. He was named the CCHA Postgame Offensive Player of the Week twice in the month (Nov. 5 and Nov. 26). His seven goals were most in the league for November while his nine points were second most. In 15 games this season, Lee has 10 goals and five assists for 15 points.
CCHA GONGSHOW ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Freshman left wing Mario Lucia has been selected as the CCHA Gongshow Rookie of the week for his play during the week ending Dec. 2. Lucia scored three goals in the two-game series with Lake Superior State, getting two of the goals via the power play. In Friday’s 3-2 win, Lucia scored a second-period power-play goal to put the Irish in front, 2-0. He had four shots on goal and was -1 for the game. In the 6-1 victory on Saturday, the former Penticton Vee of the BCHL, scored two goals. The first came at 14:48 of the first period and gave Notre Dame a 3-0 lead. He added a second-period, power-play goal to give the Irish a 5-1 lead. After missing the first nine games of the season due to a broken leg suffered in the preseason, Lucia has now played in six games and has four goals and one assist for five points.
USA-USA-USA: Freshman left wing Mario Lucia has been selected to the preliminary roster for the United States World Junior Team that will play in the World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, 2013. He is one of 27 players on the roster who will attend a training camp from Dec. 16-18 at the New York Rangers’ Madison Square Garden Training Center in Tarrytown, N.Y. An additional camp will follow in Helsinki, Finland, Dec. 19-23 with the final 23-man roster announced on Dec. 23. The training camp in Finland will be highlighted by pre-tournament games versus Sweden (Dec. 20) and Finland (Dec. 22). Lucia will have the chance to become the 16th Notre Dame player selected to play in the World Junior Championships. Last season, defenseman Stephen Johns and center T.J. Tynan were members of the 2012 team that finished seventh in Calgary, Alta.
SHORT-HANDED: Notre Dame’s penalty-killing unit saw its streak of 16 consecutive power plays killed end on North Dakota’s first chance of the game when Danny Kristo scored at 2:43 of the second period on Nov. 23. The Irish had not given up a power-play goal since Nov. 2 versus Western Michigan. Since that goal against North Dakota, they have started another streak and have killed 12 straight over the last three games. Over the last eight games, Notre Dame penalty killers are 29-of-30 for a .967 success rate. For the year, the Irish are 53-for-58 for a .914 success rate. That is tops in the CCHA and sixth nationally.
ODD FACT: Notre Dame has given up all five opponent power-play goals at home this season. The Irish are 29-of-34 on the penalty kill at home for an 85.3% success rate. On the road and on neutral ice, Notre Dame is 24-of-24 killing penalties.
WEATHERING THE STORM: Notre Dame’s’ series with seventh-ranked North Dakota (Nov. 23-24) closed out a streak of 11 consecutive games for Notre Dame versus nationally ranked teams. The streak that started on Oct. 18 versus Minnesota Duluth saw the Irish win seven of the 11 contests. Here is a look at Notre Dame’s recent schedule against ranked teams. (Rankings are USA Today/USCHO.com. Rankings listed for games played are team’s rankings on the day of the game).
10/18 vs. #13/#13 Minnesota Duluth L, 1-310/19 vs. #13/#13 Minnesota Duluth W, 4-110/26 at #15/#16 No. Michigan W, 5-210/27 at #15/#16 No. Michigan W, 3-211/2 vs. #11/#11 Western Michigan L, 2-311/4 vs. #11/#11 Western Michigan W, 4-011/9 at #1/#1 Boston College L, 1-311/15 at #13/#13 Michigan W, 3-111/16 at #13/#13 Michigan W, 4-111/23 vs. #7/#7 North Dakota L, 1-211/24 vs. #7/#7 North Dakota W, 5-2
CAREER NIGHT: Junior defenseman Kevin Lind (Homer Glen, Ill.) turned in a career-best three-point game (1g, 2a) in the 5-2 win over North Dakota. His goal was the first short-handed goal of his career and snapped a 49-game, goal-scoring drought. Prior to Saturday’s game, Lind’s last goal came on Oct. 8, 2011 versus Minnesota Duluth.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior center Anders Lee was named the CCHA Postgame Offensive Player of the Week for his play in the series versus North Dakota. The Edina, Minn., native scored three goals with one assist for four points, scoring one power-play goal and one game winner. He had 14 shots in the two games, including a career-best nine in the 5-2 win, added a blocked shot and was +1 for the weekend. This was his second offensive player of the week honor as he also was named the week of Nov. 5.
WEARING THEM DOWN: Through the first 15 games of the season, Notre Dame is proving to be a third-period team. The Irish are out shooting the opposition by a 150-112 margin (+38) in the third period and out scoring them by a 15-4 margin (+11) in the third. Over the first two periods, Notre Dame has a 337-257 shot advantage (+80) and a 31-21 (+10) scoring advantage.
BRIGHT KIDS: University of Notre Dame athletic programs again rank as the best in the country in graduation rates, based on Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figures released by the NCAA — including first-place ratings in the sports of football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and ice hockey. Among the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision institutions, Notre Dame had the highest percentage of its sports with 100 percent scores (for the seventh time in eight years), with a .863 figure (19 of 22). In hockey, Notre Dame achieved a 100 GSR rating, to rank first (tied with Bowling Green) among Division I-A football-playing institutions. Here are the FBS institutions with scores of 65 or higher in that category:
Score Institution100 Notre Dame, Bowling Green96 U.S. Air Force Academy94 Michigan85 U.S. Military Academy, Boston College, Connecticut83 Miami (Ohio)73 Western Michigan65 Michigan State
The four-year GSR data is based upon the entering classes from 2002 to 2005. In addition to men’s and women’s basketball and hockey, other Notre Dame programs recording 100 GSR scores in the 2012 listings were baseball, men’s cross country/track, women’s cross country/track, men’s fencing, women’s fencing, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s softball, men’s swimming, women’s swimming, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball.
MULTIPLE-GOAL GAMES: The Irish have turned in four multiple-goal games this season with Mario Lucia joining the list with his first career, two-goal game in the win over Lake Superior State (Dec. 1). Left wing Jeff Costello recorded the first multiple-goal game of his Notre Dame career in the 5-2 win over North Dakota (Nov. 24). Anders Lee recorded his second multiple-goal game this season in the same contest versus North Dakota and now has 10 games with two or more goals in his Irish hockey career.
MOVEMBER MOMENTS: Members of the Notre Dame hockey team participated in the annual “Movember” event that encourages men to grow a “Mo” (moustache) during the month of November to raise awareness and funds for men’s health, specifically prostate and testicular cancer inititiaves. The fund-raising efforts were spearheaded by junior defenseman Stephen Johns. The Irish have raised over $3,300 to date with the on-line auction still going on through Dec. 13 for various items. To bid on items, here is the link to the online auction: http://und.cstvauctions.com/gallery.cfm?cat_id=5.
SHOOTING THE PUCK: Through the first 15 games of the 2012-13 season, Notre Dame has outshot its opposition in 12 of them, getting 30 or more shots in a game 12 times. The Irish are averaging 32.3 shots per game to 24.6 for their opponents. In games that the Irish have more shots, they are 9-3-0. When they are out shot, the Irish are 2-1-0. The 41 shots against North Dakota on Nov. 24 was a season high for Notre Dame. The 20 shots that the Irish registered against Boston College was a season low for a game.
STRONG START: Notre Dame’s 11-4-0 start this season is tied for the fourth-best start in the program’s history after 15 games. The previous best starts for the Irish after 15 games were:
1987-88: 11-2-22006-07: 11-3-12011-12: 10-2-32007-08: 11-4-02012-13: 11-4-02008-09: 10-3-21989-90: 10-5-02010-11: 9-4-21998-99: 9-4-2
RARE SWEEP: Notre Dame’s back-to-back wins at Michigan on Nov. 15-16 marked just the fourth all-time sweep for the Irish at Yost Arena in the program’s history. The last time that Notre Dame won a series at Michigan came on Feb. 3-4, 1978 when the two teams were members of the WCHA, 35 seasons ago. The previous sweeps came in 1970-71, 1972-73 and 1977-78. This marked the 22nd, two-game series played between the two programs in the 45-year history of the program.