October 14, 1998
- Squad looks to extend road sucess with games at Ferris State, Lake Superior
- Urick, Karr sweep CCHA player of the week awards
- Freshmen make their mark in first home weekend
The unbeaten Notre Dame hockey team (3-0-0, 2-0-0 CCHA) will play its first road Central Collegiate Hockey Association games this week, at Ferris State (Oct. 16) and Lake Superior State (Oct. 17) … Notre Dame opened with a 2-1 win at then-#10 Wisconsin – in front of nearly 14,000 Kohl Center fans – before kicking off CCHA play with home wins over Lake Superior (4-2) and Western Michigan (7-1) … the Irish are off to just their second 2-0 start in conference play – and first since 1972 – in 19 seasons as a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (1971-81) or CCHA (1981-83, 1992- ) … the ’72-’73 Notre Dame squad opened WCHA play with two wins over Michigan (5-2, 7-5), with both schools later moving to the CCHA in 1981 … Notre Dame has won its first three games vs. teams from either the CCHA or WCHA for the first time in the program’s 31-year modern era.
URICK, KARR EARN CCHA HONORS: Notre Dame swept the first weekly CCHA player of the week awards, with senior RW Brian Urick (Minnetonka, Minn.) earning offensive player of the week while senior G Forrest Karr (DeForest, Wis.) was named defensive player of the week … Urick totaled four goals and one assist in the home wins over Lake Superior (4-2) and Western Michigan (7-1) while finishing each game +2 … his first-period goal tied the LSSU game, 1-1, while his empty-netter sealed the win over the Lakers … his power-play goal late in the first period of the Western Michigan game proved to be the game-winner, with Urick adding a goal early in the third period and assisting on Dan Carlson’s power-play score with 4:53 left to play … Karr registered 23 saves in the Lake Superior game and 20 vs. WMU while allowing just one even-strength goal during the weekend (by LSSU) … he also led the way for an Irish penalty-killing unit that stopped nine of 11 opponent power-play chances during the two games.
IRISH ON BRINK OF TOP 10: Notre Dame received the 11th-most votes in the first USA Today/American Hockey Magazine national hockey poll, released on Oct. 12 … the Irish received 11 voting points from the poll’s 10 members, which includes coaches and journalists from the nation’s four major Division I hockey conferences … ’98-’99 Irish opponents – Boston College (95), Michigan (86), North Dakota (80) and Michigan State (67) – hold down the top four spots, followed by Maine (45), Clarkson (39), Boston University (26), Ohio State (16) and New Hampshire (12) … the U.S. College Hockey Online did not release a new poll on Oct. 12, with the Irish receiving the 17th-most votes in that poll’s Oct. 5 voting.
BACK IN FORCE: Notre Dame returns 22 of 27 players from its 1997-98 team that finished 18-19-4 overall and tied with Lake Superior for sixth in the CCHA … the returners include five of the top six scorers, led by the top three scorers from ’97-’98: junior center Ben Simon (9G-29A), senior LW Aniket Dhadphale (25G-10A) and senior RW Brian Urick (16G-18A) … the 20 returning skaters accounted for 80 percent of the team’s goals last season (99 of 127) and 76 percent of the points (247 of 325) … the Irish also return eight of nine defensemen – led by senior Benoit Cotnoir (10G-19A), plus senior goaltender Forrest Karr, who went 6-3-1 with a 2.88 goals-against average as a junior while backing up ’98 graduate Matt Eisler.
SENIORS FILL CAPTAIN ROLES: Senior RW Brian Urick (Minnetonka, Minn.) will serve as the Irish team captain in 1998-99, after serving as an alternate captain last season, while senior D Benoit Cotnoir (Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec) and senior LW Aniket Dhadphale (Marquette, Mich.) have been selected by their teammates as the 1998-99 alternate captains.
IRISH LOOK TO MAINTAIN STRONG ROAD PLAY: Notre Dame posted road wins in 1997-98 at several hostile arenas, including St. Cloud State (4-3/OT, 4-1), Michigan State (6-1), Wisconsin (4-2), Northern Michigan (3-1) and Michigan (4-2) – in addition to losing three one-goal games at Michigan (two in OT) and single one-goal games at Miami, Ferris State, Alaska Fairbanks (OT) and Lake Superior (OT) … after opening 1998-99 with a 2-1 win at Wisconsin’s dedication game for the Kohl Center (which drew nearly 14,000 fans), the Irish will be looking to add LSSU’s Taffy Abel Arena and FSU’s Ewigleben Ice Arena to their list of recent road conquests, as Notre Dame has emerged victorious from 11 road arenas over the past two seasons … Notre Dame was 0-1-0 at both FSU and LSSU last season and sports a combined record of just 4-12-0 at both rinks since rejoining the CCHA in 1992-93 (3-5-0 at FSU, 1-7-0 at LSSU).
HOME IMPROVEMENT: After a slow start at the Joyce Center in ’97-’98, Notre Dame finished strong at home last season, going 3-2-1 in its final six home games (with a 19-11 scoring edge), after going just 3-6-3 in the first 12 home games (when the Irish were outscored 39-31) … in the last eight home games overall, Notre Dame is 5-2-1 with a commanding 30-14 scoring edge (including two 7-1 wins).
INJURY REPORT: Junior D Nathan Borega remains out indefinitely due to a preseason leg injury that has held him out of the first three games of the 1998-99 season.
GETTING COMPETITIVE: Notre Dame finished ’97-’98 by going 4-4-0 in its final eight games vs. CCHA teams (four vs. second-place Michigan, three vs. third-place Northern Michigan and one at sixth-place Lake Superior) … that stretch included a sweep of NMU (4-3, 3-1, 5-2), an OT loss at Lake Superior (2-1), a 4-2 win over Michigan and three one-goal losses to Michigan (1-0, 2-1 in OT and 4-3) … the Irish held a 21-17 overall scoring edge in those games, allowing just 2.1 goals per game.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK’S IRISH HOME WINS
ND 4, LSSU 2 – Brian Urick scored twice while Chad Chipchase and Matt Van Arkel came through with the pivotal goals late in the second period … LSSU jumped ahead on Jeff Cheeseman’s power-play goal midway through the first period before the Irish tied the game on Urick’s goal shortly before the first intermission … Chipchase and Van Arkel then scored in the final five minutes of the second period but an early third-period goal by LSSU’s Jason Nightingale made for an exciting finish, with Urick’s empty-netter sealing the win … Forrest Karr made 23 saves in the winning effort while LSSU’s Jayme Platt had 33 … the win ended Notre Dame’s eight-game winless streak vs. LSSU.
LAKE SUPERIOR 1 0 1 - 2NOTRE DAME 1 2 1 - 4
1st – LSSU 1. Cheeseman (McCauley, Thompson), PP, 8:56; ND 1. Urick (Dhadphale, Cornelius) 17:32. 2nd – ND 2. Chipchase (Molina) 14:56; ND 3. Van Arkel (Inman, Fraser) 17:55. 3rd – LSSU 2. Nightingale (Vince, McNamara) 3:16; ND 4. Urick (Simon), EN, 19:39.
Shots: LSSU 8-8-9/25, ND 14-17-6/37.
Saves: LSSU (Platt) 13-15-5/33, ND (Karr) 7-8-8/23.
Power Play: LSSU 1-4, ND 1-5.
Penalties: LSSU 6 for 12:00, ND 5 for 10:00. ND 7, WMU 1 – Brian Urick scored two goals for the second straight night while David Inman also scored twice and Ben Simon had a hand in four goals … the six-goal margin is Notre Dame’s largest in 12 all-time victories over WMU, with the Irish winning three of the last four meetings with the Broncos … the loss made WMU 0-3-1 in its last four visits to the Joyce Center … Inman opened the scoring seven minutes into the game (after forcing his own breakaway chance), on what would be the only 5-on-5 goal of the game … the Irish went on to add four power-play goals (one 5-on-3, one 6-on-4) while striking twice in a 31-second span of 4-on-4 play … WMU’s lone goal also came on the power play … Forrest Karr finished the night with 20 saves while helping the Irish stop six of seven WMU man-up chances … WMU’s Chris Peck stopped 34 of 41 shots, 17 of which came during the nine Irish power-play chances … the first minute of the final period featured goals by Simon and Urick that displayed the effectiveness of their speed in the open play of 4-on-4 situations … Simon’s goal came just 16 seconds into the period and represented his first score for the Irish in a 13-game, 31-shot stretch (since the 7-1 win over Ferris State on Feb. 7) … the speedy Irish center took a pass from Tyson Fraser, streaked down the right wing and turned the corner on a Bronco defender before tucking a low shot inside the far left post … Urick capped his five-point weekend just 31 seconds later, wristing a shot from the top of the right circle that squeezed between Peck’s left shoulder and the crossbar.
WESTERN MICHIGAN 0 1 0 - 1NOTRE DAME 2 1 4 - 7
1st – ND 1. Inman-1 (unassisted) 6:57; ND 2. Urick-3 (Dhadphale, Simon), PP/5-on-3, 18:25. 2nd – ND 3. Inman-2 (Cotnoir, Simon), PP/6-on-4, 12:13; WMU 1. Redenius-2 (Novock, Lukasak), PP, 14:43. 3rd – ND 4. Simon-1 (Fraser), 4-on-4, 00:16; ND 5. Urick-4 (Simon), 4-on-4, 00:47; ND 6. Carlson-1 (Cornelius, Urick), PP/5-on-3, 15:07; ND 7. Chipchase (Bagne, Dolder), PP, 19:08.
Shots: WMU 6-10-5/21, ND 17-12-12/41.
Saves: WMU (Peck) 15-11-8/34, ND (Karr) 6-9-5/20.
Power Play: WMU 1-7, ND 4-9.
Penalties: WMU 13 for 26:00, ND 11 for 22:00.
IRISH OPEN WITH 2-1 WIN AT WISCONSIN: Ryan Dolder and Aniket Dhadphale made the timely goals while local product Forrest Karr had 30 saves as Notre Dame emerged with a 2-1 win on Oct. 3 in front of 13,398 fans at Wisconsin’s dedication game for The Kohl Center … Wisconsin lost despite holding a 31-18 shot advantage … Karr’s 30 saves equal his career best in a winning effort while extending his road record to 6-1-0 over the past two seasons … the Irish defense stopped all four Wisconsin power-play chances, despite the absence of injured junior D Nathan Borega … Dolder had just one goal in the ’97-’98 regular season before adding two in the playoff series at Michigan … he opened the scoring vs. Wisconsin after forcing a first-period turnover in the Wisconsin zone and slanting in from the right before tucking a shot over the shoulder of Badgers sophomore G Graham Melanson into the upper right corner (7:07) … Wisconsin gained the equalizer at the exact same time in the second period as Dolder had scored in the first, when Dan Bjornlie deposited a low shot from between the circles … less than three minutes later, Ben Simon skated loose onto a puck at the top of the circles and quickly wristed a shot on net … Melanson deflected the puck to his right, but Dhadphale was at the edge of the crease and scooped a shot into the net for the 44th goal of his career (9:33) … the game featured the return of junior RW Joe Dusbabek and junior D Tyson Fraser, who had missed the final 16 and 12 games, respectively, of ’97-’98 … the Kohl Center festivities included the introduction of all former Wisconsin players in attendance, among them 14th-year Notre Dame assistant coach Tom Carroll, an ’84 Wisconsin graduate and member of Badgers’ NCAA title teams in ’81 and ’83.
IRISH ATOP EARLY CCHA STANDINGS: Notre Dame’s 2-0 start places the Irish atop the CCHA standings, with only six total games in the books … Ferris State (1-0-0) posted a 3-1 win at Western Michigan (0-2-0) while Michigan (1-0-0) turned in a 2-0 home win over Lake Superior (0-2-0) … Bowling Green (1-0-1) won 4-2 at Miami (1-0-1) before playing to a 5-5 tie the next day with the RedHawks.
POWER SURGE: Notre Dame’s 4-of-9 effort on the power play vs. Western Michigan has produced a .313 season power-play pct. (5-of-16), with a different player accounting for each goal: senior RW Brian Urick, freshman C David Inman, sophomore LW Chad Chipchase, sophomore RW Matt Van Arkel and sophomore LW Dan Carlson … the Irish are averaging 2.1 shots (34 overall) per power-play opportunity this season … on the flip side, Notre Dame owns a solid .867 penalty-killing unit (13-of-15), with senior G Forrest Karr stopping 19 of the 21 power-play shots that he has faced.
BALANCING ACT: Notre Dame’s 13 goals have come from eight players, with six combining on the first seven goals of the season (senior RW Brian Urick-2, freshman C David Inman, senior LW Aniket Dhadphale, sophomore LW Chad Chipchase, sophomore RW Ryan Dolder and sophomore RW Matt Van Arkel) … junior C Ben Simon owns five of the team’s 17 assists, with nine other players also setting up Irish goals this season … through three games, only five of the 18 starting skaters have yet to register a point – sophomore D Ryan Clark, freshman C Brett Henning, junior D Andy Jurkowski, sophomore LW Jay Kopischke and junior RW Joe Dusbabek.
CHIP OFF THE OL’ BLOCK: Sophomore LW Chad Chipchase has fond memories of FSU’s Ewigleben Ice Arena, as he registered a second-period hat trick at FSU on Nov. 22, 1997 (FSU rallied for a 4-3 win) – one of just two Irish hat tricks since Oct. 21, 1994 … Chipchase, who scored just two other goals in ’97-’98, lit the lamp last week vs. Lake Superior and WMU for his first career goals at the Joyce Center.
FRESHMEN STEP UP: Centers David Inman (Toronto, Ont.) and Brett Henning (Huntington, N.Y.) and defenseman Sam Cornelius (Edina, Minn.) have played crucial roles during the first weeks of their Irish career … Inman was edged out for the initial CCHA rookie of the week award by first-year Michigan goaltender Josh Blackburn, who began his career with a 2-0 shutout win over Lake Superior … Inman’s impressive debut as the second-line center had included providing the primary assist on Matt Van Arkel’s rebound goal that provided the winning margin vs. Lake Superior … the 6-1, 190-pound lefthanded flirted with a hat trick the next night vs.WMU, forcing his own breakaway goal to open the scoring early in the first period before converting a tap-in power-play goal for a 3-1 Irish lead midway through the second period … Inman was +1 for the CCHA weekend while committing no penalties in the two games … Henning has done a solid job centering the third Irish forward line, alongside sophomores Jay Kopischke and Matt Van Arkel … Cornelius assisted in both games over the weekend, providing a set-up pass for Brian Urick’s goal that tied the LSSU game (1-1) before nothing the primary assist on a power-play goal by former prep teammate Dan Carlson for a 6-1 lead on WMU … Inman (+2, 2 pen.), Henning (-1, 1 pen.) and Cornelius (+2, 0 pen.) have combined for a +3 plus-minus ratio and just three penalties in three games.
URICK STARTS FAST: Senior RW and team captain Brian Urick turned in a five-point weekend vs. Lake Superior (2G) and WMU (2G, 1A) and shares the team lead for plus-minus (+5) with junior C Ben Simon … Urick has no penalties through the first three games and has 45 goals and 45 assists in 114 career games, inching closer to the 100-point plateau and distinction as the 27th Notre Dame player to total 50 career goals and 50 assists … over the past two seasons, Urick has 39 points (20G-19A) in 44 games while owning a team-best +20 plus-minus ratio and only 40 penalty minutes … the 6-1, 195-pound righthander has scored six of the team’s 21 game-winning goals during the past two seasons (including last week vs. WMU).
FOLLOW THAT KARR!: Senior G Forrest Karr has provided strong leadership between the pipes this season … Karr’s impressive debut as the Irish starter includes posting a 1.34 season goals-against average and .948 save percentage (73 saves, four goals against) while playing a leading role in the .867 Irish penalty-killing unit (13-of-15) … his career record now stands even at 11-11-1, including 9-3-1 over the past two seasons, while Karr owns a solid 2.52 GAA during the past two seasons (14 games, 784-plus minutes).
VAN ARKEL DOES IT AGAIN: Sophomore RW Matt Vane Arkel has just six career goals in 41 games but the 6-0, 190-pound righthander has found the net in the home opener during each of the past two seasons … as a freshman, Van Arkel’s power-play goal with 25 seconds left to play gave the Irish a 4-1 lead in the 5-1 win over Western Ontario … last week, he tipped in a deflected shot by freshman C David Inman for a second-period, power-play score and the eventual game-winner in the 4-2 victory over Lake Superior.
SIMON ENDS DROUGHT: Junior C Ben Simon scored a memorable goal 17 seconds into the third period of the 7-1 win over WMU, slanting in from the right side before tucking the puck inside the left post … that score represented Simon’s first goal in 13 games, since a first-period goal in another 7-1 win – versus Ferris State on Feb. 7, 1998 (he had endured 31 shots on net without a goal) … Simon has excelled at setting up his teammates (47 assists in 69 career games) but owns just 14 career goals on 181 shots (12.9 shots per goal), with the goal versus WMU possibly signaling a breakthrough for the player who totaled 166 goals in four prep seasons (including 45 goals in 50 games as a senior with the Cleveland Junior Barons).
VETERAN TRIO: Notre Dame’s forward line for the last 11 games – senior. LW Aniket Dhadphale (25-10), sophomore C Ben Simon (9-28) and senior RW Brian Urick (16-18) – in 1997-98 comprised the program’s first threesome of 30-point scorers since the ’92-’93 grouping of Jamie Ling (14-26), Dave Banoske (14-16) and Curtis Janicke (12-18) … heading into the Oct. 16, 1998 game at Ferris State, Dhadphale (44-34), Simon (14-48) and Urick (45-45) have combined for 230 career points in 293 games.
FOURTH LINE MAKES MARK: The members of Notre Dame’s fourth forward line – sophomore LW Chad Chipchase, junior C Troy Bagne and sophomore RW Ryan Dolder – have played a part in three Irish goals this season, with five total points between them … Dolder intercepted an outlet pass and deposited the puck over the shoulder of Wisconsin goaltender Graham Melanson for an early 1-0 lead on the Badgers … known for his uncanny ability to bury the puck in the back of net during Irish practices, Dolder now has three goals during the last six Notre Dame games, including a pair of scores in the 1997-98 CCHA playoff series at Michigan … Chipchase knocked home his own rebound for a 2-1 lead on Lake Superior in last week’s 4-2 Irish win before notching a power-play goal in the final minute of the 7-1 win over Western Michigan, with Bagne and Dolder providing the assists.
JURKOWSKI EMERGES ON BLUE LINE: Junior Andy Jurkowski, a former walk-on who has seen time during the past three seasons as both a left wing and defensemen, has emerged alongside classmate Tyson Fraser as a member of Notre Dame’s second line of defensemen … with the Irish defense looking to cope with the loss of sophomore-to-be Mark Eaton to the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and the preseason leg injury to junior Nathan Borega, Jurkowski proved his value by earning a spot among the top six defensemen … the 6-2, 200-pound lefthander appeared in just one of the first 28 games in 1997-98, before playing in the final 13 games when Fraser went down to injury.
DUS IS DUE AGAIN: Junior right wing Joe Dusbabek, who missed the final 16 gamers of 1997-98 while focusing on his academics, is looking to get back into the scoring groove that characterized his CCHA all-rookie season in 1996-97, when he and former prep teammate Brian Urick tied for the team scoring lead with 13 goals and 12 assists … the 6-1, 205-pound righthander has not scored a goal since the 5-4 loss at Miami on Nov. 15, 1997, despite 24 shots on goal during that 15-game goal drought … overall, the dangerous power forward has just two assists in that 15-game stretch, hinting at a possible scoring breakthrough in the coming weeks.
CARLSON, HENNING PARTICIPATE IN USA CAMP: Notre Dame sophomore-to-be LW Dan Carlson (Edina, Minn.) and incoming freshman C Brett Henning (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) were among 55 players invited to USA Hockey’s under-20 Summer Challenge, Aug. 7-15 in Lake Placid, N.Y. … the players were be divided into two teams and face under-20 national teams from Finland, Switzerland and Sweden … the tournament also served as an evaluation camp for the 1998-99 U.S. junior national team, with that 22-player team expected to be announced by early December … Carlson is one of 14 veteran U.S. college players and Henning one of 21 incoming college players among the invitees … the CCHA led the nation’s four conferences with 13 players invited … Notre Dame was one of 12 schools with multiple invitees … Henning is one of 19 invitees who were members of the under-18 national team … the invitees include 10 returners from the ’97-’98 junior national team that placed 5th at the World Juniors (Notre Dame’s Ben Simon and Joe Dusbabek were members of that team) … the 1998-99 World Junior Championship begins Dec. 26 in Winnipeg, Canada.
IRISH DUE FOR LAST-MINUTE WIN: The Notre Dame hockey team is long overdue to score a game-winning goal in the last minute, as the Irish are 0-11 since the 1991-92 season in games that have seen the game-winner scored in the final minute of regulation or overtime … the last time the Irish pulled out a last-minute win was on Feb. 14, 1992, when Matt Osiecki scored with 55 seconds left in overtime for a 6-5 win at Kent State … Irish head coach Dave Poulin has seen his first three Notre Dame teams suffer six tough last-minute losses: 4-3 vs. Bowling Green on Feb. 10, 1996 (goal by Curtis Fry with 0:51 left in OT); 4-3 at Miami on Nov. 23, 1996 (goal by Dustin Whitecotton with 0:40 left in regulation); 4-3 at Michigan State on Dec. 6, 1997 (goal by Mark Loeding with 0:54 left in regulation); 3-2 at Princeton on Dec. 29, 1996 (goal by Scott Bertoli with 0:19 left in OT); 5-4 at Miami on Nov. 15, 1997 (goal by Adam Copeland with 0:20 left in regulation); and 2-1 at Michigan in March 14, 1998 CCHA playoff game (goal by Bobby Hayes at 19:00 mark of overtime).
FSU SERIES NOTES: Ferris State holds a 21-8-3 series lead over Notre Dame and was 5-0-2 in the previous seven games before the 7-1 Irish win last Feb. 7 … the next game of the series will be Nov. 24 in Grand Rapids, Mich. at Van Andel Arena … top Irish career scorers vs. FSU include senior Lw Aniket Dhadphale (9 gms, 4G-7A), junior C Ben Simon (6 gms, 1G-4A) and senior D Benoit Cotnoir (9 gms, 3G-1A).
RECAPPING LAST YEAR’S ND-FSU SERIES
at Notre Dame 5, Ferris State 5 – 11/20/97
Notre Dame’s Dan Carlson scored with 4:41 left in the third period to force OT in a back-and-forth game … Notre Dame spotted FSU a 2-0 first-period lead before claiming leads of 3-2 and 4-3 … the Irish surged ahead in the second period behind Jay Kopischke’s first career goal and a pair of man-up scores from defenseman Benoit Cotnoir … Aniket Dhadphale pushed the Irish ahead 4-3, with an early third-period goal but the visitors surged back in front after scoring twice in a 64-second span … Notre Dame’s Matt Eisler had 23 saves and stopped the biggest OT chance, making a sprawling save on a shot between the circles from Brian McCullough … Ben Simon assisted on three Irish goals.
at Ferris State 4, Notre Dame 3 – 11/22/97
FSU pulled out the comeback, despite a second-period hat trick by Irish freshman Chad Chipchase (first by a Notre Dame player in 81 games) … Notre Dame held leads of 2-1 and 3-2 but FSU won behind Brent Wishart’s pair of goals in the final period … Steve Noble assisted on each of Chipchase’s goals, including the second that came just nine seconds after the first.
at Notre Dame 7, Ferris State 1 – 2/7/98
Matt Eisler made 24 saves while eight Irish players factored in the scoring … the seven goals were most by the Irish in 60 games and represented the largest win margin over a Div. I opponent since Feb. 26, 1983 … Lyle Andrusiak (1st goal, 3A) and Aniket Dhadphale (2G, 2A) both had a career-best four points … John Dwyer scored less than a minute after Andrusiak, igniting a four-goal first period that included Ben Simon’s wrist shot and Dhadphale’s power-play, tip-in goal … Brian Urick converted a second-period breakaway before Dhadphale added a 4-on-4 goal late in the second … Mark Eaton capped the Irish scoring while Jason Hodel’s goal with 11:41 to play averted the shutout.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: Ferris State returns 22 of 26 letterwinners – including all 14 forwards, 10 of them seniors – from its ’97-’98 team that finished 15-21-3 overall, eighth in the CCHA (12-15-3) … FSU lost one of the CCHA’s top offensive defensemen – Brett Colborne (7G-30A in ’97-’98) – to graduation … the Bulldogs return four players who totaled 28-plus points last season: senior W Joel Irwin (15G-19A), sophomore C and CCHA all-rookie team member Kevin Swider (12G-20A), junior C Brian McCullough (15G-13 A) and junior LW Brent Wishart (14G-14A) … FSU also returns a proven goaltender in sophomore Vince Owen (12-18-3, 3.23 GAA, .879 save pct. in ’97-’98) … the Bulldogs last season ranked seventh in the CCHA for overall power play percentage (.157) but 10th in penalty killing (.802) … FSU opened last week with a 3-1 win at Western Michigan, behind goals by Irwin, Swider and Wishart and Owen’s 23 saves.
FRIEND OR FOE, PART I?: Several players from Notre Dame and Ferris State are former teammates … they include: FSU senior RW Geoff Bennetts and senior LW Ken Sergott and ND senior C Craig Hagkull (Des Moines Buccaneers); FSU sophomore C Kevin Swider and ND junior D Andy Jurkowski (Omaha Lancers); FSU junior LW Brian McCullough and ND junior D Sean Molina (Chicago Young Americans); FSU senior F Ed Kowalski and ND junior D Sean Seyferth (Compuware Ambassadors).
THE ND-LSSU SERIES: Lake Superior owns a 17-6-1 series edge vs. Notre Dame, including 7-0-1 in the eight meetings prior to last week’s 4-2 Irish win.
RECAPPING LAST YEAR’S ND-LSSU SERIES
Lake Superior 4, at Notre Dame 3 – 11/28/97
Notre Dame jumped ahead 2-0 in the second period, behind the first goals of the season from Tyson Fraser and Nathan Borega … the Lakers responded 44 seconds later on a goal by Mike Vigilante and tied the game early in the third period on a Joe Blaznek score before going ahead five minutes later on Terry Marchant’s goal … LSSU sealed the win with a goal at 17:16 of the third period … the teams combined for 56 penalty minutes (including 32 by the Irish).
Lake Superior 3, at Notre Dame 3 – 11/29/97
The Lakers forced overtime on Jason Sessa’ goal with 1:28 left to play … LSSU claimed a 2-0 lead on goals by Terry Marchant (a power-play score late in the first) and Sessa (a 4-on-4 goal midway through the second) … the Irish tied the game on a pair of Aniket Dhadphale goals, late in the second and at 6:01 of the third, before Brian Urick tipped in a Benoit Cotnoir shot for a 3-2 lead with 10:42 left to play … the Irish were 0-for-9 on the power play … Dhadphale and Mark Eaton clanged OT shots off the pipe while Forrest Karr robbed Marchant in OT.
at Lake Superior 2, Notre Dame 1 – 2/21/98
LSSU won early in OT, when Ted Laviolette took a pass from Ben Keup and beat Matt Eisler with a screened slapshot … the Irish scored a 5-on-3 goal midway through the second, when Dan Carlson pounced on a deflected Benoit Cotnoir shot … LSSU responded minutes later, when Mike Kucsulain converted an Irish turnover with a backhanded shot.
LAKERS NOTES: LSSU returns 18 of 25 letterwinners from its ’97-’98 team that went 15-18-4 and tied Notre Dame for sixth in the CCHA (12-14-4) … the Lakers lost in the CCHA playoffs at Ohio State (1-2, 0-6) … LSSU lost five of its top forwards from last season, including senior-to-be Jason Sessa (16G-13A in ’97-’98), who signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and second team all-CCHA center Terry Marchant (17G-22 A) … one of LSSU’s top returning scorers, junior C Ben Keup (8G-7A in ’97-’98), missed last week’s game with a shoulder injury … sophomore F Mike Vigilante (3G-3A last season) also has been sidelined due to illness …sophomore G Rob Galatiuk went 10-9-4 last season, with a 3.03 GAA and .893 save percentage … the Lakers lost 2-0 at Michigan on Oct. 11, with Galatiuk making 38 saves and helping stop all 13 Michigan power plays.
QUICK HOMECOMING: First-year Notre Dame hockey equipment manager Dave Gilbert will be returning to his alma mater and former employer this week … Gilbert, a 1996 Lake Superior graduate, was a backup goaltender on LSSU’s ’91-’92 NCAA championship team while backing up eventual pro hockey goalies Darrin Madeley and Blaine Lacher … during his final four years as an undergrad, he served Lakers hockey as a student equipment manager, with LSSU finishing as NCAA runner-up in 1992-93, NCAA champion in ’93-’94 and reaching the NCAA quarterfinals his final two seasons … he spent the past two years as head equipment manager for LSSU’s 11 sports before joining the Irish staff.
FRIEND OR FOE?, PART II: Irish junior D Nathan Borega played with LSSU junior D Blain Macauley and junior RW Jeff Cheeseman on the Vernon Vipers … Irish sophomore LW Jay Kopischke played with Lakers sophomore W Lionel Crump on the North Iowa Huskies … Notre Dame freshman C Brett Henning and LSSU freshman D Will Magnuson spent the past year as USA under-18 national teammates.
'97-'98 CCHA Standings Overall CCHA Pt Letterwinners Ret. Letterwinn. Lost 1. Michigan State 33-6-5 21-5-4 46 18 (12 F, 6 D, 2 G) 5 (3 F, 1 D, 1 G) 2. Michigan 34-11-1 22-7-1 45 20 (12 F, 7 D, 1 G) 5 (2 F, 1 D, 1 G) 3. Ohio State 27-13-2 19-10-1 39 18 (12 F, 4 D, 2 G) 4 (2 F, 2 D) 4. Northern Michigan 19-15-4 15-12-3 33 20 (11 F, 8 D, 2 G) 3 (1 F, 2 D) 5. Miami 19-14-4 14-12-4 32 18 (11 F, 5 D, 2 G) 10 (4 F, 3 D, 2 G) 6. Lake Superior 15-18-4 12-14-4 28 18 (11 F, 5 D, 2 G) 7 (5 F, 2 D) Notre Dame 18-19-4 12-14-4 28 22 (13 F, 7 D, 2 G) 4 (2 F, 1 D, 1 G) 8. Ferris State 15-21-3 12-15-3 27 22 (14 F, 6 D, 2 G) 4 (2 D, 2 G) 9. Western Michigan 10-25-3 9-19-2 20 16 (11 F, 3 D, 2 G) 7 (3 F, 4 D)10. Alaska Fairbanks 10-21-4 7-20-3 17 20 (12 F, 6 D, 2 G) 3 (2 F, 1 D)11. Bowling Green 8-27-3 5-21-3 15 18 (9 F, 6 D, 3 G) 5 (4 F, 1 D)