April 4, 2011
Notre Dame, Ind. –
– Complete Release in PDF Format
– Notre Dame NCAA Frozen Four Central
– The Game: #4/#9 Notre Dame (25-13-5) vs. #3/#11 Minnesota-Duluth (24-10-6)
– Date/Site/Time: Thursday, April 7, 2011 – Xcel Energy Center (18,064) – 4:00 p.m. (CT)
– Broadcast Information: Radio: Notre Dame hockey can be heard live on Cat Country 99.9 FM in South Bend. WSBT Radio Sports Director Darin Pritchett will call all the action for the Irish beginning with the pregame show 20 minutes prior to the opening faceoff.
– Television: The two NCAA Frozen Four semifinal games will be televised live by ESPN2 HD and on ESPN3.com. Gary Thorne and Barry Melrose will call the action with Clay Matvick reporting from the sideline. Saturday’s championship game will be on ESPN HD and ESPN3.com.
– Internet: All Notre Dame hockey games can be heard live on the internet via the Notre Dame website at www.und.com. Livestats: Livestats are available at the Notre Dame website at und.com.
NCAA FROZEN FOUR: Notre Dame returns to the Frozen Four for the second time in the last four seasons this week when the Irish square off against Minnesota-Duluth on Thursday, April 7 at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn. The Irish and Bulldogs play in the first game on Thursday that will begin at 4:00 p.m. (CT). The second game features North Dakota and Michigan at 7:30 p.m. (CT). Notre Dame made its first appearance in the Frozen Four in 2008 at Denver, Colo., where the Irish defeated Michigan in the semifinals, 5-4 in overtime, before falling to Boston College, 4-1, in the title game. Notre Dame enters the Frozen Four with a 25-13-5 overall record and won the Northeast Regional last weekend, defeating Merrimack, 4-3, in overtime and then New Hampshire, 2-1, in the championship game. Minnesota-Duluth is 24-10-6 on the season and won the East Regional in Bridgeport, Conn., with a 2-0 win over Union College and a 5-3 win over Yale, the top seed in the tournament in the championship game. Thursday’s semifinal games will be televised by ESPN2 HD and ESPN3.com with Gary Thorne and Barry Melrose calling the action and Clay Matvick serving as sideline reporter. Saturday’s championship game will be televised on ESPN HD and ESPN3.com at 6:00 p.m. (CT).
2011 FROZEN FOUR: Here are the matchups for this year’s Frozen Four from the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn.:
Thursday, April 7 - #4 Notre Dame (25-13-5) vs. #3 Minnesota-Duluth (24-10-6), 4:00 p.m. (CT) #2 Michigan (28-10-4) vs. #1 North Dakota (32-8-3), 7:30 p.m. (CT)
Saturday, April 9 - Championship game, 6:00 p.m. (CT)
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: All four teams in this year’s Frozen Four have been to the finals in recent years. Notre Dame, North Dakota and Michigan all participated in the 2008 Frozen Four in Denver, Colo., while Minnesota-Duluth’s last appearance was in 2004 in Boston, Mass. For the Irish, this is their second appearance in the Frozen Four and the fifth time that they have been in the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota-Duluth is making its fourth Frozen Four appearance and is in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in the program’s history. The Michigan Wolverines are in their 24th Frozen Four and have won the tournament nine times, the most of any team. Michigan is playing in the NCAA Tournament for the 34th time in its hockey history. North Dakota is playing in its 19th Frozen Four and owns seven NCAA titles. The Sioux are making their 26th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
IRISH FROZEN FOUR EXPERIENCE: Three members of the current Notre Dame team played in the 2008 Frozen Four. Senior forwards Ryan Guentzel (Woodbury, Minn.), Calle Ridderwall (Stockholm, Sweden) and Ben Ryan (Brighton, Mich.) all played in 2008 when they were freshmen. Ridderwall scored a pair of goals, including the overtime game winner in a 5-4 victory in the semifinals against Michigan.
THE RANKINGS: All four teams in the Frozen Four are ranked in the top 10 of both polls this week. North Dakota is ranked No. 1 in both the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll and the USCHO.com poll. Michigan is ranked second by USA Today/American Hockey Magazine and sixth in the USCHO.com poll. Minnesota-Duluth jumped to third in USA Today and is 11th in the USCHO.com ranking while the Irish are fourth and ninth respectively.
IRISH NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Notre Dame is now 6-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament in five appearances.
2004 - Midwest Regional, Grand Rapids, Mich.#1 Minnesota 5, #4 Notre Dame 2
2007 - Midwest Regional, Grand Rapids, Mich.#1 Notre Dame 3, #4 Ala.-Huntsville 2 (2ot)#3 Michigan St. 2, #1 Notre Dame 1
#4 Notre Dame 7, #1 New Hampshire 3#4 Notre Dame, 3, #3 Michigan State 12008 - Frozen Four - Denver, Colo.#4 Notre Dame 5, #1 Michigan 4 (ot)#3 Boston College 4, #4 Notre Dame 1
2009 - Midwest Regional, Grand Rapids, Mich.#4 Bemidji State 5, #1 Notre Dame 1
2011 - Northeast Regional, Manchester, N.H.#3 Notre Dame 4, #2 Merrimack 3 (ot)#3 Notre Dame 2, #4 New Hampshire 1
JACKSON AND THE NCAAS: Irish head coach Jeff Jackson has seen his teams make the NCAA Tournament in 10 of his 12 seasons as a Division I head coach (four with Notre Dame and six with Lake Superior State). During that time, his teams own a record of 19-8 (.703) in the NCAA Tournament. That includes a 13-5 record at Lake State and a 6-3 record at Notre Dame. Jackson also has seen his teams make it to the Frozen Four five times (1992, 1993, 1994 at LSSU and 2008 and 2011 at Notre Dame), winning twice at Lake Superior. His record in the Frozen Four is 6-2 overall.
THE COACH AND THE PLAYOFFS: Irish head coach Jeff Jackson has had his share of success in the CCHA playoffs. In his 12 CCHA seasons (six at Lake Superior State and six at Notre Dame), Jackson is 36-12 (.750) in conference postseason play. At Lake Superior, his teams were 24-2 while at Notre Dame, he is 12-10. His teams have advanced to the finals in 10 of the 12 seasons (six at LSSU and four at Notre Dame). In those 12 seasons, his teams won six CCHA titles (four at LSSU and two at Notre Dame).
IRISH VERSUS WCHA: When the Irish face off against Minnesota-Duluth on Thursday afternoon, it will be the fourth meeting of the year for Notre Dame against teams from the WCHA this season. The Irish are currently 0-2-1 against the WCHA, having played games at North Dakota and in the Shillelagh Tournament versus Minnesota State. Notre Dame lost 6-3 at North Dakota on Nov. 26 and then tied the Fighting Sioux, 2-2, on Nov. 27. On Jan. 1, they dropped a 4-3 decision to Minnesota State in the semifinals of the Shillelagh Tournament at Hoffman Estates, Ill.
IRISH VERSUS BULLDOGS: Notre Dame and Minnesota-Duluth have met 32 times in the all-time series with the Irish holding an 18-10-4 advantage. In neutral site games, the series is even at 1-1-0. In the last 10 meetings between the two schools, the Bulldogs are 5-3-2 versus Notre Dame. The last time the two schools met was on Jan. 3, 2009 in the championship game of the Shillelagh Tournament where the Irish won the game 3-1. Seven members of the current Notre Dame roster played in that game. The last time that UMD defeated the Irish was on Oct. 8, 2004, a 4-1 win at the Joyce Center at Notre Dame.
NOTRE DAME VS. NORTH DAKOTA: Notre Dame and North Dakota have met 35 times in the all-time series with the series tied at 16-16-3. On neutral ice, the teams are 0-0-1 with the tie game coming at the 2010 Shillelagh Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill. That game was a 3-3 tie with the Irish winning in a shootout for the tourney championship after 65 minutes of regulation and overtime. The two teams met this season in Grand Forks, N.D., on Nov. 26-27, with North Dakota taking the first game, 6-3, with the two teams playing to a 2-2 tie in the second game. Like Minnesota-Duluth, most of the meetings in the all-time series came when Notre Dame was a member of the WCHA from 1970-81.
OLD RIVALS: The Irish have met Michigan more than any other team in their 43-year hockey history. The two teams have met 125 time with the Wolverines holding a 70-50-5 advantage. Michigan has a 9-4-0 record against Notre Dame on neutral ice, including a 4-2 win in the third-place game of this season’s CCHA Championship at Joe Louis Arena, in Detroit, Mich. The two teams met twice in the regular season this year, playing twice in Ann Arbor. The Irish won the first game of the series, 3-1, and the Wolverines took the second meeting, 5-3. In the last 10 meetings between the two schools, the series is even at 5-5. Notre Dame and Michigan have met once in NCAA play, meeting in the 2008 Frozen Four semifinals in Denver. The Irish won that game, 5-4, in overtime.
NOTRE DAME TEAMS IN FINAL FOURS: Twenty-one different Notre Dame teams have advanced to NCAA Final Four appearances in school history. That includes the College Cup in soccer, the Frozen Four in hockey and the College World Series in baseball. Here’s the list:
1978 -- Men's Basketball1994 -- Women's Soccer (runner-up)1995 -- Women's Soccer (champion)1996 -- Women's Soccer (runner-up)1997 -- Women's Basketball1997 -- Women's Soccer1999 -- Women's Soccer (runner-up)2000 -- Women's Soccer2001 -- Women's Basketball (champion)2001 -- Men's Lacrosse2002 -- Baseball2004 -- Women's Soccer (champion)2006 -- Women's Lacrosse2006 -- Women's Soccer (runner-up)2007 -- Women's Soccer2008 -- Hockey (runner-up)2009 -- Women's Soccer (runner-up)2010 -- Men's Lacrosse (runner-up)2010 -- Women's Soccer (champion)2011 -- Women's Basketball2011 -- Hockey
IN GOOD COMPANY: For the past 10 weeks, the Notre Dame hockey team has been in good company with the Notre Dame men’s and women’s basketball teams. All three programs are ranked in the top 10 in the nation in their respective polls, making Notre Dame the only school in the country with a top 10 program in all three sports. The Irish hockey team is ranked fourth in the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine and ninth in the USCHO.com polls. With a 27-7 overall record, the Irish men’s basketball team entered the week ranked fifth in the Associated Press poll and the ESPN/USA Today rankings. The Notre Dame women’s team is 30-7 and ranked ninth in the Associated Press poll and seventh in the ESPN/USA Today rankings. The women also are in the Final Four between April 3-5, in Indianapolis, Ind., this week. Notre Dame is the only Division I school in the country to have had its men’s and women’s basketball programs and its hockey program in their respective NCAA Tournaments. The Irish are just one of two Division I schools to have two teams in the Final Four for winter sports. Connecticut is the other as the Huskies have men’s and women’s basketball in those Final Fours.
NCAA NORTHEAST REGIONAL RECAP: March 26, 2011 – vs. Merrimack: Notre Dame rallied from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to tie the game at 3-3 in the third period and then scored the game winner at 5:18 of overtime when Anders Lee (Fr., Edina, Minn.) knocked the puck off the stick of a Merrimack defenseman and through goaltender Joe Cannata’s pads for the winner. The goal was Lee’s second of the night. He was joined on the scoresheet by Calle Ridderwall (Sr., Stockholm, Sweden) and Billy Maday (Jr., Burr Ridge, Ill.). Merrimack got goals from Kyle Bigos, Ryan Flanigan and Rhett Bly. The Warriors scored twice in the first period to take a 2-0 lead. Bigos scored his second goal of the year at 13:23 on the power play as he jammed a loose puck in the crease past Irish goaltender Mike Johnson (So., Verona, Wis.). Less than four minutes later, with Notre Dame on the power play, Stephane DeCosta chipped the puck around the Irish defense and teamed with Flanigan on a 2-on-1 with Flanigan scoring from the right circle for his 16th of the season. Notre Dame answered on that power play as Ridderwall picked up his 15th of the season just 27 seconds later to make it 2-1. The Warriors extended the lead to 3-1 at 2:58 of the second period as Bly converted a Notre Dame turnover in front of the goal into his fourth goal of the season. Lee would get the Irish back in the game when his hard wrist shot from the left circle went off Merrimack goaltender Joe Cannata’s glove hand and into the goal at 13:29 of the second for his 24th of the season. Maday tied the game at 5:32 of the third when he pushed a rebound of a Lee shot past Cannata for his ninth of the season to make it 3-3. After Johnson stopped six Merrimack shots in the first five minutes of overtime, Lee came through with his game winner at 5:18 for the 4-3 win. In the game, Notre Dame out shot the Warriors.
March 27, 2011 vs. New Hampshire: Sophomore goaltender Mike Johnson stopped 37-of-38 shots and Notre Dame got goals from Stephen Johns (Fr., Wampum, Pa.) and Billy Maday to defeat New Hampshire, 2-1, to advance to the Frozen Four. Mike Sislo scored the lone UNH goal with 6:23 left in the third period to break up Johnson’s shutout bid. Johns gave the Irish a 1-0 lead at 7:26 of the first period when he hammered a slapshot past Wildcat goaltender Matt DiGirolamo for his second of the season. Riley Sheahan (So., St. Catharine’s Ont.) picked up his first of two assists in the game on the play. Maday scored the eventual game winner with five seconds left in the second period, beating DiGirolamo with a backhander from the bottom of the left circle at 19:55 for his second goal of the weekend and his 10th of the season to make it 2-0. Sheahan set the goal up with a pass across the crease from the right side of the goal. Johnson held New Hampshire at bay until the 13:37 mark when Sislo converted a Matt Campanale feed for his 15th goal of the year. Each team had 38 shots in the game. DiGirolamo finished with 36 saves in the game.
Northeast Regional All-Tournament Team:Goaltender - Mike Johnson (ND)Defense - Stephen Johns (ND), Blake Kessel (UNH)Forwards - Anders Lee (ND), Billy Maday (ND), Mike Sislo (UNH)MVP - Mike Johnson (ND)
IRISH AT XCEL: Notre Dame has played one other time at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul. The date was Oct. 7, 2000 and the Irish faced the University of Minnesota in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game, dropping a 7-3 decision to the Gophers. The game was the first college hockey game played there.
NCAA TOURNAMENT SCORING: Only five members of the 2010-11 Notre Dame hockey team had seen action in an NCAA Tournament game prior to last weekend’s Northeast Regional. Those five are seniors Calle Ridderwall, Ben Ryan (Brighton, Mich.) and Ryan Guentzel (Woodbury, Minn.) and juniors Billy Maday and Sean Lorenz (Littleton, Colo.).
Name GP G A PTSCalle Ridderwall 7 3 0 3Anders Lee 2 2 1 3Billy Maday 3 2 1 3Riley Sheahan 2 0 2 2Ben Ryan 7 0 2 2Stephen Johns 2 1 0 1T.J. Tynan 2 0 1 1Bryan Rust 2 0 1 1Ryan Guentzel 6 0 1 1Sean Lorenz 3 0 0 0Shayne Taker 2 0 0 0Sam Calabrese 2 0 0 0David Gerths 2 0 0 0Jeff Costello 2 0 0 0Mike Voran 2 0 0 0Nick Larson 2 0 0 0Jared Beers 1 0 0 0Joe Lavin 2 0 0 0Kevin Lind 1 0 0 0
Goaltenders MIN W-L-T GA SVS SV% GAVGMike Johnson 125:14 1-0-0 4 69 .945 1.92
FROZEN FOUR HERO: Notre Dame senior left wing Calle Ridderwall scored one of the most memorable goals in the history of the Notre Dame hockey program during the last Irish appearance in the Frozen Four. On April 10 versus Michigan in the semifinals, Ridderwall, who had scored just three goals in his freshman year, fired his second goal of the game past goaltender Bryan Hogan at 5:44 of overtime to give the Irish the 5-4 win. Ridderwall also gave Notre Dame a 1-0 lead with the first goal of the game, 5:00 into the first period.
THE YOUNG SHALL LEAD: Freshman Anders Lee scored the overtime game-winning goal in Notre Dame’s 4-3 overtime win against Merrimack in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament on March 26. The last time a Notre Dame player scored in overtime in the postseason was April 10, 2008 when then freshman – Calle Ridderwall – scored in overtime to beat Michigan, 5-4, in the Frozen Four semifinal game in Denver, Colo.
CCHA HONORS: Three members of the Notre Dame hockey team were honored at the CCHA Awards Show on March 17 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Mich. Freshman T.J. Tynan was named the CCHA rookie of the year after leading the league’s rookies in scoring. Junior defenseman Sean Lorenz (Littleton, Colo.) was named the league’s top defensive defenseman as he led all players with a +27 for the year. Head coach Jeff Jackson was named the conference’s coach of the year as the Irish rebounded from nine league wins in 2009-10 to 18 in `10-’11 and they did it with as many as 10 freshmen per night in the lineup. Previously, the CCHA began handing out its postseason awards. Freshmen T.J. Tynan and Anders Lee were unanimous selections to the CCHA all-rookie team. Defenseman Stephen Johns was honorable mention. Senior left wing Calle Ridderwall was Notre Dame’s choice for the CCHA all-academic team. Tynan and Lee also were chosen second team all-CCHA. Defenseman Sam Calabrese (So., Park Ridge, Ill.) was an honorable mention all-CCHA selection and senior right wing Ryan Guentzel (Woodbury, Minn.) was the only other Notre Dame player to receive votes. Lee was Notre Dame’s winner of the Perani Cup for most points in three-star balloting following CCHA games.
COMEBACK KID: Sophomore defenseman Sam Calabrese (Park Ridge, Ill.) leads Notre Dame defensemen in scoring with six goals and 12 assists for 18 points this season. 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. Of Calabrese’s six goals this season, two have come short-handed. He is second on the team with a +23 and capped his great comeback year by being named honorable mention all-CCHA for the `10-’11 campaign.
ROAD WARRIORS: Notre Dame’s sweep at Ferris State (Feb. 18-19) was the second road sweep for the Irish this season (Jan. 7-8 at Northern Michigan) and the 3-2 win at Western Michigan (2/25) improved them to 9-5-2 on the road. A year ago, Notre Dame was 3-10-4 away from the Joyce Center. The Irish are 6-1-0 in their last five road games, dating back to Jan. 7th versus Northern Michigan. At home this season, Notre Dame is 13-4-2.
FABULOUS FRESHMEN: Freshmen T.J. Tynan and Anders Lee come into the Frozen Four ranked first and second in the CCHA in rookie scoring. Tynan has 22 goals and 31 assists for 53 points while Lee has 24 goals and 20 assists for 44 points. The 24 goals are tops among freshmen goal scorers in the conference. Fellow freshmen Bryan Rust (6g, 13a, 19 pts.) and Mike Voran (4g, 15a, 19 pts) are tied for seventh among freshman scorers and followed at ninth by Jeff Costello (11g, 6a, 17 pts). Defenseman Stephen Johns is tied for 17th with 13 points (2g, 11a) and center David Gerths (8g, 3a, 11pts) and defenseman Kevin Lind (1g, 10a) each have 11 points. Costello’s 11 goals rank him fifth among league freshmen.
SHORT-HAND SUCCESS: For most of the season, Notre Dame led the nation in short-handed goals with 12, but were passed by Boston College late in the season with 13 for the year. Freshman left wing Anders Lee scored Notre Dame’s 12th short-handed goal on Jan. 14 to become one of nine Irish players with short-handed markers this season. Defensemen Joe Lavin and Sam Calabrese join T.J. Tynan with two each while Lee, Bryan Rust (Fr., Novi, Mich.), Riley Sheahan, Ryan Guentzel, Billy Maday and Sean Lorenz 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.
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 third on the team in scoring with six goals and 31 assists for 37 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 tied for seventh in the CCHA in scoring with 37 points and his 31 assists are third in the conference.
CLASS OF THE CLASS: Notre Dame senior left wing Calle Ridderwall was named one of 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award that honors student athletes who excel both on and off the ice and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Ridderwall is sixth on the team in scoring with 14 goals and nine assists for 23 points. Former Notre Dame goaltender David Brown `07 won the award in 2007.
HOMETOWN HERO: Freshman defenseman Jared Beers (Mishawaka, Ind.) scored his first career goal in the 5-1 win over Bowling Green on Feb. 12. The Michiana native has worked his way into the Notre Dame lineup and doesn’t seem to want to come out. In 24 games this season, Beers has a goal and six assists for seven points and is +4 for the year. He picked up his first career points on Nov. 6 versus Bowling Green with a two-point night. Beers joins Mike McNeill `84-’88 (South Bend), Tommy Smith `88-89 (South Bend) and Carey Nemeth’93-’94 (Granger) as local players to play for the Irish. Beers played two seasons at Culver Academy and then saw action in the NAHL with the Kenai River Brown Bears (2008-09) and the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders in the USHL in 2009-10.
ALL-JOYCE CENTER VOTING: In conjunction with the final full season of hockey at the Joyce Center, an 18-man All-Joyce Center team was selected to honor the top players to play at Notre Dame in the 43-year history of the home of the Irish. The team was selected with the help of former coaches, administrators and players along with a fan vote that included over 7,000 ballots. The teams were announced during the final week of the regular season and at the final home game on Feb. 26 versus Western Michigan. The All-Joyce Center Teams:
First Team:Forward - Brian Walsh (1973-77)Forward - Dave Poulin (1978-82)Forward - Erik Condra (2005-09)Defense - Jack Brownschidle (1973-77)Defense - Bill Nyrop (1970-74)Goaltender - David Brown (2003-07)
Second TeamForward - Greg Meredith (1976-80)Forward - Eddie Bumbacco (1970-74)Forward - Mike McNeill (1984-88)Defense - Ian Cole (2007-10)Defense - Benoit Cotnoir (1995-99)Goaltender - Jordan Pearce (2005-09)
Third TeamForward - Kirt Bjork (1979-83)Forward - Jamie Ling (1992-96)Forward - Dan Carlson (1997-01)Defense - Jeff Brownschidle (1977-81)Defense - Brett Lebda (2000-04)Goaltender - Lance Madson (1986-90)
CLUTCH PERFORMER: Junior right wing Billy Maday was one of Notre Dame’s clutch performers in the NCAA Northeast Regional. A member of the all-Regional team, Maday had two goals and one assist for three points. Both goals were of the clutch variety. In the 4-3 overtime win against Merrimack, the Irish trailed 2-0 in the first period when Maday helped set up a Calle Ridderwall power-play goal. He then go the game-tying goal in the third period to make it 3-3 and send the game to overtime. The following night, Maday scored with five seconds left in the second period to give Notre Dame a 2-0 lead in the game that the Irish won, 2-1.
ANOTHER MILESTONE: Notre Dame’s Oct. 30, 3-2 win over Western Michigan was the 200th CCHA win for Irish coach Jeff Jackson. Now in his 12th season at the Division I level, Jackson is 215-87-47 in his career in CCHA play in six seasons at Lake Superior State (1990-96) and six seasons at Notre Dame. Earlier in October (Oct. 14 vs. Lake Superior State), Jackson won his 300th career game as a Division I coach. His all-time record stands at 323-130-52 for a .692 winning percentage. His winning percentage is the tops among active coaches with 10 or more seasons.
HOME SWEET HOME: The life of the Joyce Center came one last step closer to the end with final playoff round versus Lake Superior. The 2-1 mark versus the Lakers left the Irish with a 13-4-2 record at home this season. Notre Dame is expected to play one or two weekends at home next season before opening the new Compton Family Center.
FATHER’S DAY GIFTS: When Notre Dame and Miami settled for 5-5 and 2-2 ties at the Joyce Center on Jan. 28-29, it marked the first time that the Irish had back-to-back ties in a weekend series since Nov. 6-7, 1987 when they battled Kent State to 5-5 and 6-6 ties.
NOSE FOR THE NET: Freshman left wing Jeff Costello ranks fourth on the Irish roster with 11 goals this season and is tied for the team lead with six power-play goals. In 43 games, Costello has 11 goals and six assists for 17 points. He is fifth among CCHA freshmen in goals.
WHATEVER IT TAKES: Freshman center David 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 scored his eighth goal of the season on a backhander from the low slot in the 5-2 win versus Ferris State on Feb. 19. In 42 games this season, he has scored eight goals with three assists for 11 points. In 55 games last season in the USHL with Lincoln and Green Bay, Gerths scored just five goals. His eight goals rank him sixth for Notre Dame this season.
GOING ON THE OFFENSIVE: Two of Notre Dame’s defensive, defensemen – Sam Calabrese and Sean Lorenz (Jr., Littleton, Colo.) – 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 six goals and 12 assists for 18 points. Lorenz has four goals and nine assists for 13 points, all career highs for the junior blueliner. The duo is tops in the CCHA in plus-minus as Lorenz is +29 and Calabrese is +23 going into the Frozen Four.