Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Irish Hockey Back On Road For CCHA Series Against Ferris

Oct. 19, 1999

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After a disappointing first week of play in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (5-3, 6-1 home losses to fifth-ranked Michigan) and a split at the IceBreaker Tournament (2-1 loss to Providence, 4-0 win over Union), the Notre Dame hockey team (1-3-0, 0-2-0 CCHA) returns to the road and to CCHA action this week with a pair of games versus Ferris State … Saturday’s game will be played at FSU’s Ewigleben Ice Arena (7:05 start) while the second game will be played on Sunday (5:05) at Van Andel Arena, home of the IHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins (ND and FSU played at Van Andel last season, with the Bulldogs winning 4-2).

DUNLOP NAMED CCHA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Notre Dame freshman C Connor Dunlop (St. Louis, Mo.) was named CCHA rookie of the week after assisting on four of Notre Dame’s five goals (including all three power-play goals) in the IceBreaker Tournament … Dunlop had the primary assists on third-period goals by Matt Van Arkel and Brett Henning that helped clinch the win over Union (4-0) while also assisting on David Inman’s first goal in that game … Dunlop also assisted on Tyson Fraser’s PPG in the 2-1 loss to Providence and had a shorthanded goal in the 5-3, season-opening loss to Michigan (becoming the first Irish freshman to score in a CCHA opener since Brian Urick’s four-goal game in the 7-4 win at UAF in ’95) … Dunlop leads the Irish with five points this season.

QUICK NOTES: Senior C Ben Simon had a goal and an assist in the Michigan series, giving him 100 career points (32G-68A) in 107 games … four of Notre Dame’s nine goals have come on the power play (two 5-on-3) … prior to the Union game (two goals), the Irish had been outscored 4-0 in the first period this season (compared to a 33-27 first-period scoring edge in 1998-99).

CLUSTER-IN-WAITING: Notre Dame does not open play in its four-team CCHA “cluster” until the first week of November, when the Irish play twice at Nebraska-Omaha (Nov. 6-7) … the Irish also have first-semester cluster games versus Alaska Fairbanks (Nov. 12-13) and Michigan State (Dec. 4 at home, Dec. 5 at MSU) … due to the new cluster format, the Irish will not play at Michigan, Western Michigan, Lake Superior or Miami during the 1999-2000 regular season while the following teams will not travel to the Joyce Center: Ferris State, Northern Michigan, Ohio State and Bowling Green.

LAMP LIGHTERS: Notre Dame continues to search for boosts to its offense, after graduation losses of RW and team captain Brian Urick (16G-25A in ’98-’99), LW power-play ace Aniket Dhadphale (18-11) and All-America D Benoit Cotnoir (7-18) … senior C/LW Ben Simon (33 career goals, 68 assists) is the team’s most accomplished scorer while sophomore C/LW David Inman has three goals this season and is the only player with multiple goals … Inman has eight points (6G-2A) in the last nine regular-season games while junior RW Ryan Dolder has five (3G-2A) in the last eight … freshman C Connor Dunlop leads the 1999-2000 team with five points, including assists on four of the team’s five goals at the IceBreaker … Notre Dame’s trio of junior LWs-Dan Carlson, Chad Chipchase and Jay Kopischke-are due for a scoring breakthrough, as that threesome has combined for just two goals in Notre Dame’s last 20 games … Carlson’s goal in the 3-2 CCHA playoff win over Northern Michigan represents his only goal in the last 21 games while Chipchase’s crucial goal in the 1998-99 season finale at Miami (4-2) marks his only goal in the last 20 games … Kopischke has not scored since Jan. 30, 1998, spanning 44 games played … senior RW Joe Dusbabek also could provide a huge scoring lift for the Irish, after scoring 13 goals during his big freshman season (he has five goals, plus 24 often timely assists, in 59 games over the past three years, including no goals in the last 14 games) … sophomore C Brett Henning had just one goal in his previous 19 games before scoring in last week’s win over Union while junior RW Matt Van Arkel’s goal vs. Union extended his history of strong early-season play (18 of his 24 career points have come before New Year’s Day).

ROAD WARRIORS: Notre Dame has posted victories in 20 road arenas during the five-year tenure of head coach Dave Poulin, including 18 in the past two-plus seasons … the Irish could add four more arenas to that list in 1999-2000, including one that the squad visits this week (Van Andel Arena) … Notre Dame also could pick up wins this season at Nebraska-Omaha’s Civic Auditorium, New Hampshire’s Towse Rink and Ohio State’s Value City Arena … the previous two seasons saw Notre Dame post road wins over all 10 CCHA opponents, including a 4-2 CCHA playoff win at Michigan and wins over OSU at the OSU Ice Arena and the off-campus Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum and a … Notre Dame owns three road wins over Wisconsin during the Poulin era, all at different sites: Milwaukee’s Bradley Center, the Dane County Coliseum and the Kohl Center dedication game … the Irish own road wins in the Poulin era at Mankato State, St. Cloud State, Northeastern and North Dakota-plus a 5-5 tie at Boston College … finally, Notre Dame has recent neutral-site victories at the University of Minnesota (vs. Brown) and the University of Denver (vs. Union) … Van Andel Arena is one of just five facilities in which a Poulin-coached Irish team has played but not posted any wins, with the others being: Princeton (two losses in ’96-’97), Boston College (loss and tie), Illinois Chicago (loss in ’96-’97) and the Palace at Auburn Hills (loss to Michigan in ’96-’97).

FSU SERIES NOTES: Ferris State leads Notre Dame in the all-time series, 23-9-3, but Notre Dame has won two of the last four after going 0-5-2 in the previous seven games with the Bulldogs … Irish junior LW Chad Chipchase owns four career goals vs. FSU (the rest of the team has eight), including a second-period hat trick at FSU on Nov. 22, 1997.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: FSU has matched the IRish with a 1-3-0 opening record, after a split at Lake Superior (3-4, 4-3) and a pair of home losses to Northern Michigan (3-5, 0-2) … FSU is looking to absorb the loss of a huge ’98-’99 senior class, which included eight senior forwards … FSU was in the battle for home playoff ice in ’98-’99 (with Notre Dame and Northern Michigan), ultimately finishing in sixth place and three points behind the fourth-place Irish … the Bulldogs return just 13 of 24 letterwinners from a 1998-99 team that went 14-16-6 overall … top FSU returners include senior C Brian McCullough (14G-14A) and junior G Vince Owen (2.45 GAA, .910 save pct.) … top scorers this season have included three newcomers: LW Chris Kunitz (3G-2A), D Troy Milam (3A) and C Rob Lightfoot (3A) … Owen (0-2, 4.06 .843) has struggled in the nets while sophomore Phil Osaer is 1-1 with a 2.02 GAA and .925 save pct.

RECAPPING THE ’98-’99 ND-FSU SERIES

ND 5, at FSU 3 (10/16/98) – The Irish scored three goals in a late five-minute stretch for the best start (4-0-0) in 39 seasons of varsity hockey at Notre Dame … the Irish received goals from five different players while playing without injured D Benoit Cotnoir and Nathan Borega … Aniket Dhadphale scored on an early PPG but FSU scored twice in the first 10 minutes of the final period before Brian Urick tied the game on a PPG with 8:43 left … the first career goals for freshmen Sam Cornelius and Brett Henning were memorable ones, coming 32 seconds apart for the final cushion … Cornelius knocked home a shot near the center of the blue line e, after Joe Dusbabek’s shot kicked between the circles, and Chad Chipchase dropped a pass to Henning in transition to complete the surge (16:28).

Notre Dame     1   1   3   -   5Ferris State   0   1   2   -   3

1st: ND 1. Dhadphale (Carlson), PP, 2:08.
2nd: FSU 1. Bennetts (Kozak) 9:28, ND 2. Clark (Simon) 12:22.
3rd: FSU 2. Bennetts (Dube, Kozak), PP, 4:37, FSU 3. Kowalski (unassisted) 8:16, ND 3. Urick (Dhadphale, Fraser), PP, 11:17, ND 4. Cornelius (unassisted) 15:56, ND 5. Henning (Chipchase) 16:28.

Saves:

 ND - Forrest Karr   6  10   9   -   25FSU - Vince  Owen    6   5   7   -   18

PP: ND 2-4, FSU 1-5.
Pen.: ND 8/24:00, FSU 6/12:00.

FSU 4, ND 2 (@Van Andel, 11/24/98) – Ed Kowalski poked home a PPG midway through the third period and FSU added an empty-netter as FSU defeated No. 5 Notre Dame … the Irish outshot FSU 32-23, but Vince Owen made 30 saves … Notre Dame played without injured Aniket Dhadphale, Joe Dusbabek and Ryan Clark … David Inman scored seven minutes into the first period but FSU scored twice in the next three minutes … Chad Chipchase scored with six minutes to go in the second period, tying the game … on the game-winning goal, Kowalski reached into Forrest Karr’s pads and drew the puck back before poking it into the net.

Notre Dame      0   2   0   -   2Ferris State    0   2   2   -   4

2nd: ND 1. Inman (Urick, Carlson) 6:52, FSU 1. Harris (Homer) 8:12, FSU 2. Bennetts (McCullough, Homer), PP, 10:21, ND 2. Chipchase (Urick, Simon), PP, 14:02.
3rd: FSU 3. Kowalski (Irwin, Dube), PP, 9:02, FSU 4. Bennetts (unassisted), EN, 19:15.

Saves:

 ND - Forrest Karr   4   4   11   -   19  FSU - Vince Owen     9   9   12   -   30

PP: ND 1-3, FSU 2-7.
Pen.: ND 8/16:00, FSU 4/8:00.

FSU 1, at ND 0 (2/13/99) – D Jim Dube scored a 5-on-3 goal midway through the second period and Vince Owen made 38 saves as Notre Dame was shut out for the second straight game, for the first time since ’91-’92 (4-0 vs. Army, 4-0 at FSU) … the loss was Notre Dame’s first at home in ’98-’99, after going 10-0-2 … FSU’s 5-on-3 goal came after Ryan Dolder was whistled for slashing at 8:03 and Benoit Cotnoir received a checking-from-behind at 8:13 … Brian McCullough set the play in motion by passing to Rob Collins at the left point … Collins fed a pass to towards the right faceoff circle and Dube drilled a one-timer past Forrest Karr … Owen had 15 saves in the second period, 13 in the third … Karr lost twice on the weekend despite saving 96 percent of the combined shots against him (44 of 46 shots).

Ferris State    0   1   0   -   1   Notre Dame      0   0   0   -   0

2nd: FSU 1. Dube (Collins, McCullough), PP, 5-3, 9:22.

Saves:

FSU - Vince Owen    10   15   13   -   38 ND - Forrest Karr   7   10    5   -   22

PP: FSU 1-8, ND 0-7.
Pen.: FSU 9/18:00, ND 10/20:00.

FRIEND OR FOE?: Several Notre Dame and Ferris State players are former teammates: ND senior D Sean Molina and FSU senior C Brian McCullough (Chicago Young Americans), Irish senior D Andy Jurkowski and FSU junior C Kevin Swider (Omaha Lancers), ND junior L Chad Chipchase and FSU sophomore C Rob Collins (Waterloo Siskins), Irish junior RW Matt Van Arkel and FSU freshman LW Phil Lenandowski and freshman RW Josh Bowers (Team Illinois), ND freshman RW Michael Chin and FSU freshman LW K.C Caudill and freshman F Nick Field (Des Moines Buccaneers).

ICEBREAKER NOTES: The Irish will return to DU’s Magness Arena for the Denver Norwest Cup (Dec. 31-Jan. 1), with that challenging field to include Colorado College, Maine and DU … Notre Dame played its first ever games versus Providence and Union and played the first official game at the Magness Arena (vs. PC), after beating Wisconsin last season in the Kohl Center dedication game (2-1) … Jeremiah Kimento had 35 saves and two goals allowed for the weekend, after allowing eight goals in the season-opening Michigan series.

UNION RECAP (10/16/99) – Jeremiah Kimento picked up his first career shutout in his fourth career start, making 19 saves while helping the Irish stop all four Union power-play chances … Notre Dame played without senior captain Ben Simon, who was shaken up and left Friday’s PC game midway through the third period after being rammed into the boards … the Irish cashed in their second PP chance of the opening period, as Connor Dunlop and Ryan Dolder moved the puck behind the Union net to set up David Inman’s shot from the top of a crowded crease area (10:24) … Inman scored in the final minute of the second period, after Joe Dusbabek sent a pass from the left corner that slid to the top of the slot, with Inman redirecting a low shot that beat Snee to the glove side … Notre Dame held a 36-19 edge in shots on goal (20-3 in the third) … the Irish padded their lead with a pair of goals midway through the final period … Dan Carlson emerged with the puck in the Irish zone and passed to Dunlop, who worked down the right boards before sliding the puck towards the faceoff circle … Matt Van Arkel then skated onto the puck and crossed the center of the blue line before unleashing a low shot that tucked inside the left post (9:49) … two minutes later, Brett Henning scored Notre Dame’s second PPG of the night … Sean Molina set up the goal by sweeping the puck behind the Union net and Dunlop poked a pass into the slot area (for his third assist of the night), with Henning converting for his first goal of the season (11:46).

PC RECAP (10/15/99) – Providence struck for two quick goals in the second period and rode the strong goaltending of junior Boyd Ballard the rest of the way, as the Friars held on for a 2-1 victory … Notre Dame held a 31-18 edge in shots on goal but Boyd made 30 saves while helping stop five of six ND power plays … PC opened the scoring with a pair of goals in a 29-second span of the second period, on a rebound PPG by Peter Fregoe and a counterattack score from Marc Suderman … the Irish scored less than two minutes later, cashing in a 5-on-3 chance on a goal by Tyson Fraser … Dan Carlson and Connor Dunlop worked the puck to Fraser, who uncorked a shot from the top of the left circle that beat Ballard to the far glove side … both teams hit the pipes on near-goals in the ensuing minutes of the game, including a shot from the slot by ND’s David Inman that clanged loudly off the left post

WHO’S BACK: The Irish return several of the principal parts-18 of 24 letterwinners-from a 1998-99 team that went 19-14-5 overall and finished fourth in the CCHA. The team’s top scorer returns in senior captain Ben Simon, who totaled 18 goals and 24 assists as a junior center and has averaged nearly a point per game during his Irish career (31 goals, 67 assists in 104 games). The Irish return eight other players who totaled 10-plus points in that breakthrough 1998-99 season. After Simon, a handful of other players could emerge as difference makers. Those stars-in-waiting include junior left wings Dan Carlson and Chad Chipchase and sophomore forwards David Inman and Brett Henning. The Irish also will need to compensate for the loss of graduated Brian Urick’s 41 points at right wing, where physical senior Joe Dusbabek and speedy junior Matt Van Arkel will be looking to post the top seasons of their careers. Defensively, seniors Nathan Borega, Tyson Fraser and Sean Molina lead a veteran contingent at the blue line while promising sophomore Jeremiah Kimento is the leading candidate to fill Forrest Karr’s pads between the pipes.

WHO’S NEW: Helping to counteract the loss of the class of ’99 is one of the nation’s top freshman classes, a seven-player group that includes four players who spent time with the USA Developmental Program, another who was invited to train with the USA but elected to return to his east-coast boarding school, and the top goaltender in the competitive United States Hockey League during 1998-99.

WJVA (1580 AM) TO CARRY IRISH HOCKEY: Notre Dame hockey games will be broadcast during the 1999-2000 season by South Bend’s WJVA 1580 AM, with live internet broadcasts also available via the Notre Dame Athletic Department’s official website (www.und.com). The broadcasts also are available in an archived form via the real-audio link at und.com … The voice of Notre Dame hockey in 1999-2000 is Dave Mager, whose play-by-play experience includes stints with Colgate and Merrimack. A native of Middletown, N.J., Mager is a graduate of Syracuse University’s highly-respected broadcast journalism program. He was the winner of the 1992 Bob Costas award, which recognizes the top graduating sportscaster at Syracuse.

SIMON REACHES 100: Following the departure of MSU’s Mike York and OSU’s Hugo Boisvert to pro hockey, Notre Dame senior C Ben Simon (Shaker Heights, Ohio) enters 1999-2000 as arguably the top returning forward in the CCHA and has earned preseason CCHA “player of the year” honors from Hockey News … Simon registered a goal and assist in the season-opening Michigan series, giving him 100 points (32G-68A) in 107 career games … Simon (18G-24A), whose junior-year goal total surpassed his first two seasons combined (13), scored three game-winning goals as a junior while assisting on seven others (including the 3-2 win over Michigan) … he also scored game-tying goals in ’98-’99 against Michigan and Michigan State (both 2-2) … Simon is the fourth Irish player to reach 100 points during the five-year tenure of head coach Dave Poulin, joining 1996 graduate Jamie Ling (51-102) and ’99 grads Brian Urick (57-69) and Aniket Dhadphale (61-44) … Simon needs 18 more goals to become the 29th Notre Dame player ever to total 50-plus goals and 50-plus assists in his career … he is 31 points shy of cracking Notre Dame’s top-20 career scoring list and needs 29 more assists to crack the top 10 of that list.

PP PERSONNEL: Graduation took its toll on the vaunted Notre Dame power play (the Irish PP was just 1-for-13 in the Michigan series, 3-10 at the IceBreaker) but three crucial PP performers return while others are poised to boost their contributions. Three 1999 grads-RW Brian Urick (16-25), LW Aniket Dhadphale (18-11) and D Benoit Cotnoir (7-18)-played key roles in the 1998-99 Irish power play that ranked second in the CCHA (19.1 percent), with that trio collecting a combined 42 points on the PP: Cotnoir (3 PPG-8 PPA), Dhadphale (9 PPG-5 PPA) and Urick (6 PPG-11 PPA). Those three combined for nearly half of the Irish PPGs in ’98-’99 (18 of 38, .474) while totaling 42.9 percent of the PP points (42 of 98). Cotnoir set up power-play scores by 17 different Irish teammates during his career and totaled 36 career PP assists and 10 PPGs (accounting for 53 percent of his 88 career points). Senior C Ben Simon (5 PPG/8 PPA in ’98-’99 is back as the team’s go-to player in man-up situations while two of the top power-play point men in the CCHA also return: senior D Tyson Fraser (0 PPG-8 PPA) and junior LW Dan Carlson (3 PPG-9 PPA).

FORWARD THINKING: Notre Dame’s offense could be the deepest in team history, with nine of the current Irish forwards having NHL draft status and/or experience with USA Hockey on their playing resume. Senior C Ben Simon played on the USA junior national team in ’96-’97 and ’97-’98 and is a ’97 fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks. Senior RW Joe Dusbabek played on the ’97-’98 USA junior national team and is a 1997 seventh-round pick of the San Jose Sharks. Junior LW Dan Carlson played on the ’98-’99 USA junior national team while junior LW Jay Kopischke (8th round, L.A. Kings) was a 1997 draft pick. Two current sophomore forwards-David Inman (2nd round, New York Rangers) and Brett Henning (9th round, N.Y. Islanders)-were selected in the 1999 NHL draft, with Henning playing for the USA Developmental Program in ’97-’98 while Inman has attended several USA tryout camps and could be named to the 1999-2000 junior national team. Three freshmen forwards are products of the USA Development Program: C Connor Dunlop, RW Michael Chin (1997-98) and F John Wroblewski (who joined Dunlop on the team during the past two seasons).

FRONT & CENTER: Notre Dame continues to explore its options due to a talented four-player crowd at center. The Irish moved sophomore David Inman to the left wing of the first line for the season-opening Michigan series while Inman returned to second-line center at the IceBreaker. Senior Ben Simon skated at first-line left wing in the Providence game, alongside freshman C Connor Dunlop and senior RW Joe Dusbabek (Simon did not play in the Union game). Sophomore Brett Henning has centered the third line this season, as he did for most of 1998-99.

DRAFT RECAP: Notre Dame sophomore forwards David Inman (Toronto, Ont.) and Brett Henning (Huntington, N.Y.) were selected in the 1999 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Inman was drafted in the second round by the N.Y. Rangers while Henning went to the crosstown rival N.Y. Islanders in the ninth and final round. … Nine Irish hockey players have been selected in the NHL draft since ’94, including six in the last three years. The selection of Inman and Henning marks the fifth time in Notre Dame history-and just the second time since ’82-that multiple Irish players have been selected in the first nine rounds. Inman was the 12th college player, the sixth college forward and the fourth player from a CCHA school selected. Four previous Irish players have been drafted higher than Inman, who is the highest-drafted Irish hockey player (in terms of overall pick) since 1976 and is the only Irish played ever selected in the first two rounds.

FIVE SENIORS LEAD VETERAN D: The Irish return a veteran corps of defensemen that includes five seniors who have combined for 418 career games played. Nathan Borega (Wasilla, Alaska) and Tyson Fraser (Surrey, B.C.) are the battle-tested leaders of the defense and have skated together in 67 career games. The pair serve as alternate captains in 1999-2000-the first time since 1974 that two D have served as captains or alternate captains for the Irish hockey team. … The 6-2, 225-pound Borega has been a disciplined presence throughout his career-totaling just 62 penalty minutes in 101 career games while not sacrificing his aggressive style. … Fraser’s subtle skills and high value finally were recognized after the ’98-’99 season, when he was one of three finalists for the CCHA’s “top defensive defenseman” award. A gritty player who combines uncanny instincts with timely passes, Fraser has totaled 39 career assists while helping the Irish make major defensive improvements during his first three seasons. … Seniors Sean Molina (Skokie, Ill.) and Andy Jurkowski (Madison, Wis.) were two of the unsung heroes in 1998-99 and will help bolster Notre Dame’s deepest position. Molina-who leads all Irish returners with 110 career games played and could become the third Notre Dame player ever to appear in 150 games-rose to the challenge as a junior, turning in the best season of his career while helping the Irish post a team-record 2.60 goals-against average. The 6-2, 200-pound Jurkowski was one of four Irish skaters who appeared in all 38 games in ’98-’99 and has been a valuable option in the Irish lineup as both a defenseman and left wing. … Rounding out the five-man contingent of senior defensemen is Sean Seyferth (Ann Arbor, Mich.), who has made valuable contributions while appearing in 35 career games during the past three seasons.

GOOD TO BE BACK: Hard-hitting junior defenseman Ryan Clark (Littleton, Colo.) has returned from Dec. of 1998 shoulder surgery that sidelined him for the final 24 games of 1998-99 … Clark assisted on Ryan Dolder’s goal in the 5-3 loss to Michigan but did not play in the second game vs. UM (coach’s decision)

HOMESTANDERS: In its last 22 regular-season home games, Notre Dame is 14-5-3 with a 82-47 scoring edge (two 7-1 wins, one 9-5 win) … Notre Dame’s last 14 home wins have included nine by three goals or more … despite opening the ’98-’99 season with a 10-0-2 mark at home, the Irish are just 2-5-1 in their last eight home games (including the CCHA playoff series with Northern Michigan) and have been outscored 28-15 in those games.

TOUGH SLATE: Notre Dame’s 39-game, regular-season schedule includes as many as 21 different opponents, with as many as 14 games vs. teams that qualified for the 12-team NCAAs in 1999. The Irish also will play host to Miami during the week of the Navy football game (Thur., Oct. 28, Fri., Oct. 29). Other remaining home opponents include Michigan State (Dec. 4, March 3), Massachusetts (Dec. 10-11) and Princeton (Dec. 19-20). … The road schedule includes a pair of conference games at Michigan State (Dec. 5, March 4) and Ohio State (Feb. 4-5), a series at new CCHA member Nebraska-Omaha (Nov. 5-6) and the long trip to Alaska Fairbanks (Jan. 28-29). … The Irish will play several noteworthy tournaments, including the Norwest Denver Cup (Dec. 31-Jan. 1), with defending national champ Maine and perennial power Colorado College. Notre Dame will spend Thanksgiving weekend in the northeast, with games at the University of New Hampshire versus UNH and Vermont (Nov. 27-28).

SCHEDULE CLARIFICATIONS: Fans and media should be aware of the following adjustments to earlier, non-official versions of the Irish schedule. … Two home series in Oct. were shifted from Fri-Sat. to a Thur.-Fri. format, due to logistical conflicts with home Notre Dame football games. Notre Dame will close the month at home vs. Miami University, on Thur., Oct. 28, and Fri., Oct. 29. … Notre Dame will spend the Thanksgiving weekend in the northeast, with a game at New Hampshire on Sat., Nov. 27 (5:00 p.m), followed by a Sun. afternoon game vs. Vermont (at UNH), at 2:00 p.m. … The Irish added a series vs. Princeton, after the end of finals week. Those games will be held at the Joyce Center, on Sunday, Dec. 19, and Monday, Dec. 20. … The Denver Cup is slated for Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 (previous schedules may have indicated earlier dates). The Irish are scheduled to play on New Year’s Eve vs. DU at 7:35 p.m., with a New Year’s Day game vs. Colorado College or Maine (4:35/7:35).

BORN IN THE USA: The Notre Dame hockey program has played a leading role in the USA Hockey junior national program, particularly in recent years. After concluding his Notre Dame career, All-American defenseman Jack Brownschidle was a member of the USA hockey team in 1976-77 and ’78-’79. Twenty years later, a total of eight current Irish players have been part of the USA Hockey, with the junior national team or the under-18 developmental program. Current senior C Ben Simon played on the ’96-’97 team that won the silver medal at the World Junior Championship while current junior RW Joe Dusbabek joined Simon on the ’97-’98 U.S. team that finished fifth. Current junior LW Dan Carlson kept the tradition going, when he earned a spot on the ’98-’99 junior national team (current Irish sophomore F David Inman was one of the final two forwards cut from that team). Four current Irish players-Inman, sophomore C Brett Henning and freshman forwards Connor Dunlop and John Wroblewski-were among 44 invitees to the USA Hockey tryout camp in August of 1999 and will remain among the top candidates for the 1999-2000 junior national team.

FAMILIAR WITH ANN ARBOR: The 1999-2000 Notre Dame hockey team includes five players who are products of the USA Hockey Under-18 Developmental program, which began training in ’97-’98 at The Ice Cube facility in Ann Arbor, Mich. Sophomore center Brett Henning was a member of that inaugural USA developmental program, as were four incoming Irish freshmen: forwards Michael Chin, Connor Dunlop and John Wroblewski and defenseman Paul Harris. Dunlop, Wroblewski and Harris returned to the USA program for the 1998-99 season before each decided to continue their playing careers at Notre Dame. Yet another member of Notre Dame’s current freshman class-defenseman Evan Nielsen-received an invitation to train with the USA developmental program in ’98-’99 but he elected to return for his senior season to The Taft School in Watertown, Conn. … Dunlop ranked second on the ’98-’99 under-18 team with 65 points (23 goals, 42 assists) in 70 games. He also helped the USA post a .213 power-play pct. in the ’98-’99 season. … Wroblewski ranked ninth on the ’98-’99 USA squad with 26 points (team-best 11 power-play goals) … Harris played a leading role on the ’98-’99 USA Under-18 team that posted the best penalty-killing percentage (.882) in the United States Hockey League.

FEELING A DRAFT: Notre Dame and Boston College both had four players selected in the 1997 National Hockey League draft, most by any Division I school. The drafted players included current senior forwards Ben Simon (5th round, Chicago Blackhawks) and Joe Dusbabek (7th round, San Jose Sharks), plus current juniors Jay Kopischke (8th round, Los Angeles Kings) and Ryan Clark (9th round, New York Islanders). Four Notre Dame players have been selected in the first nine rounds of the same NHL draft just once previously, in 1975.

SUPER SIX: The current Notre Dame hockey team includes six players that have been selected in the NHL draft, with five of those players skating on the forward line. In addition to the above four, Notre Dame’s drafted players include a pair of sophomore centers who were selected in the ’99 NHL draft: David Inman (2nd rd, N.Y. Rangers) and Brett Henning (9th round, N.Y. Islanders). Just one other team in the CCHA-Michigan (8)-has more draft picks on its 1999-2000 roster than Notre Dame.

TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL: Six recent members of the Notre Dame hockey program-including ’99 graduates Benoit Cotnoir, Aniket Dhadphale, Forrest Karr and Brian Urick-currently are pursuing their careers in pro hockey. Urick signed with the Edmonton Oilers and reported to the Hamilton (Ont.) Bulldogs of the American Hockey League. Dhadaphale and Matt Eisler (’98) made the opening-day roster with the Greensboro (N.C.) Generals in the East Coast Hockey League while Cotnoir made the roster of the ECHL’s Mobile (Ala.) Mystics. Karr was among the final cuts for the Mystics, after former Michigan State goalie Chad Alban was sent back down to Mobile. Defenseman Mark Eaton-who in the summer of ’98 opted to forego his final three years at Notre Dame and signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Flyers-had a solid ’98-’99 season with the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms and is considered to be one of the top young prospects in the Flyers organization (he made the Flyers’ opening-day roster).

Academics Job One: The Notre Dame hockey team posted a 3.10 team GPA in the spring of ’99 semester while the program held a 3.00 cumulative team GPA at the end of the ’99 spring … nine players on the ’98-’99 team posted at least one Dean’s List semester (3.4 GPA or higher), including two who made the Dean’s List in both the fall of ’98 and the spring of ’99. The four returning players who turned in Dean’s List semesters in ’98-’99 are: senior D Andy Jurkowski (both semesters), sophomore F David Inman (both semesters), junior LW Dan Carlson (spring ’99) and senior D Tyson Fraser (fall ’98). … The six-member class of ’99 graduated with an average cumulative GPA of 3.30, led by Forrest Karr’s Academic All-America showing (3.70 cumulative GPA) and Aniket Dhadphale’s 3.43. Both Karr and Dhadphale were named to the prestigious six-player CCHA all-academic team. … Notre Dame hockey players have combined to post nine perfect 4.0 semesters in the past five years, including one by Jurkowski in the fall of ’97. … Top Academic All-America candidates for 1999-2000 include Jurkowski (3.83 cumulative GPA), Carlson (3.42) and Inman (3.60). … Steve Noble graduated in the spring of ’98 with a 3.956 cumulative GPA (five 4.0 semesters, 34 A’s, three A-‘s, one B+) as a finance major, ranking second in the College of Business Administration. Noble twice earned Academic All-America honors for men’s fall and winter “at-large sports” and was first runner-up for the 1998 national Hockey Humanitarian Award.

SCHEDULE OF CHAMPIONS: Notre Dame’s ’98-’99 schedule included five teams that combined for seven of the NCAA titles in the 1990s: Wisconsin (’90), Northern Michigan (’91), Lake Superior (’92, ’94), Michigan (’96, ’98) and North Dakota (’97) … the Irish did not face recent NCAA champs Maine (’93, ’99) or Boston University (’95) in ’98-’99 but could play Maine this season, at the Denver Cup.

OH, SO CLOSE: Notre Dame has ended each of the previous two seasons with first-round CCHA playoff series losses, despite winning the first game. The Irish lost at Michigan in 1998 (4-2, 1-2 in OT, 3-4) before dropping a home series to Northern Michigan (3-2, 1-7, 2-3).