Irish Hockey Opens Five-Game Homestand With Wayne State And Northeastern

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HOME STAND:
After opening the 2000-2001 season on the road for three games, the Notre Dame hockey team opens a five-game home stand at the friendly confines of the Joyce Center with three games on the docket this week…On Tuesday, October 17th, the Irish host the Wayne State Warriors (0-2-0) in a 7:05 p.m. game…Notre Dame then plays host to the Northeastern University Huskies (1-0-0) on Friday and Saturday, October 20-21 with face-off both nights set for 7:05 p.m….All 2000-01 Irish hockey games will be broadcast on WHLY radio (1620 AM) with the play-by-play also available via the internet at www.und.com.

THE WAYNE STATE SERIES:
Notre Dame and Wayne State University will meet for the first time in college hockey action…The Warriors are in their second season on the Division I level…They compete in the College Hockey America (CHA) Conference…Former Western Michigan coach Bill Wilkinson is in his second season as head coach at Wayne State where his squad was 6-23-1 in its first Division I season…In this his 19th season, Wilkinson owns a 319-326-54 career record.

WARRIORS TO DATE:
Wayne State opened its season last weekend at Lake Superior State dropping 2-1 and 6-3 decisions to the Lakers…In Friday’s game, Wayne State led 1-0 in the second period before giving up two late second period goals for the 2-1 loss…Sophomore goaltender David Guerrera made 21 saves in the loss…On Saturday night, the Warriors battled the Lakers to a 2-2 tie over the first 30 minutes before giving up four unanswered goals on the way to the 6-3 loss…Sophomore goaltender Marc Carlson faced 47 shots, making 41 saves in the loss…Sophomore forward Maxim Starchenko leads the team in scoring with a goal and an assist.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS:
Wayne State University hockey information can be found at www.wayne.edu…

TWO WITH THE HUSKIES:
Notre Dame owns a 2-1 edge in the all-time series versus Northeastern winning once at the Joyce Center and once at Matthews Arena in Boston while losing to the Huskies on neutral ice in Minnesota…The Huskies are making their first visit to the Joyce Center since December 28, 1970…ND won that game, 4-1…The two teams played in the opening game of the Mariucci Classic on December 27, 1997 where the Huskies took a 4-2 decision…The last time the two teams played, was November 7, 1998 in Boston, where Notre Dame took a 4-3 win…Senior Matt Van Arkel (Richton Park, Ill.) led the Irish with a goal and an assist in that game…Junior center David Inman (Toronto, Ont.) also scored while junior defenseman Sam Cornelius (Edina, Minn.) added an assist…The Huskies are coached by Bruce Crowder who is 53-79-14 in this his fifth year in Boston. Overall, he owns a 152-154-33 record in ten seasons as a Division I head coach.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES:
Northeastern University hockey information can be found at www.GoNU.com…

MAVERICK STAMPEDE WRAP UP:
Notre Dame opened the Maverick Stampede in Omaha, Nebraska with a 4-1 loss to the fourth-ranked Boston College Eagles on Friday, October 13th…The Irish trailed 1-0 after the first period where they were outshot, 14-10, but had plenty of scoring chances but ran into a stone wall in BC goaltender Scott Clemmensen…In the second period, the Eagles got three goals to up their lead to 4-0 after two stanzas. Sophomore goaltender Tony Zasowski (Darien, Ill.) gave up three of the goals in 32:58 of the game while making 16 saves…Jeremiah Kimento (Jr., Palos Hills, Ill.) came into the game following BC’s third goal and gave up just one marker on 16 shots ove the final 27:02…The Irish broke the shutout just 43 seconds into the third period as Ryan Dolder (Sr., Hutchinson, Minn.) converted a nice feed from freshman center Aaron Gill (Rochester, Minn.) for his first goal of the season…ND was outshot in the game, 35-26 and was 0-8 on the power play while BC scored once on six chances.

On Saturday night, the Fighting Irish battled Niagara University for the first time ever…The two teams battled to a 3-3 overtime tie, but Notre Dame took third place in the tournament by winning a shootout, 2-1…The Irish jumped on the scoreboard first, taking their first lead of the season on the first shot of the game at 1:11, as Aaron Gill got his first collegiate goal on a set up by Dan Carlson (Sr., Edina, Minn.)…Niagara scored the periods’ next two goals before the Irish evened the score at 2-2 at the 14:28 mark of the first…Chad Chipchase (Sr., Clinton, Ont.) got his first goal of the season and his first since the 1998-99 season when he drilled a centering feed from Michael Chin (So., Urbana, Ill.) past Niagara goaltender Scott Lindsay…Chipchase saw limited playing time a year ago due to knee problems and did not play after January 7th…Notre Dame would take a 3-2 lead at 7:24 of the second period with their first power play goal of the season…Ryan Dolder’s slapshot from the center point was deflected between the hashmarks by Rob Globke (Fr., West Bloomfield, Mich.) and then redirected a second time by David Inman (one of his team-high eight shots in the game) for the score…The power play tally snapped an 0-16 skein through the first three games of the season…Niagara’s Chris Sebastian tied the game with 10:27 left after the Irish failed to clear the puck in front…Jeremiah Kimento, making his first start of the season, made a pair of stops on Randy Harris in front, but Sebastian converted the third shot for the 3-3 tie…Kimento turned in an outstanding performance in goal, making 30 saves, including stopping a pair of Niagara breakaways in the final nine minutes of the game…In the shootout, Matt Van Arkel and David Inman scored on penalty shots while Kimento stopped four of five Niagara scoring chances…Inman was named th games’ first star and was selected to the all-tournament team…Notre Dame outshot Niagara, 35-33 in the game…The Irish converted on one of six power play chances, while Niagara was 1-8 with the man-advantage…

POULIN ON THE MAVERICK STAMPEDE:
“I thought the tournament was run in a first class way and it was great being part of the first-ever tournament. As a team, I thought we played better than we did the first week (at Minnesota), but we still have some things to work on and that’s what we’ll do this week. I was encouraged by the way we played against Boston College, but we didn’t play as well on Saturday versus Niagara.?

POULIN ON THE WEEK AHEAD:
“We need to win a hockey game, that’s what we will be trying to do this week. We have to work on our team defense – that’s what we will concentrate on this week. We need to tighten up defensively.?

INJURY REPORT:
Freshman defenseman Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.) will be out of the lineup indefinitely after suffering a shoulder injury in the first period of the Boston College game.

HOME OPENERS:
Notre Dame is 18-13 in home openers at the Joyce Center since the building opened for the 1968-69 season… the Irish are 3-2-0 in home openers during the Dave Poulin era (2-1 loss to Guelph, 2-1 win over Western Ontario, 5-1 win over Western Ontario, 4-2 win over Lake Superior State and a 5-3 loss to Michigan last season.

RADIO WAVES:
Notre Dame hockey action can now be heard on WHLY Radio 1620-AM, a sister-station of South Bend’s WJVA 1580 and U-93 FM…WHLY will carry all Notre Dame hockey games with the exception of the February 23-24 series at Alaska-Fairbanks…Notre Dame hockey can also be heard on the official Notre Dame website (www.und.com)… SPECIAL TEAMS: David Inman’s power play goal at 7:24 of the second period versus Niagara snapped an 0-16 drought by the Irish with the man-advantage…Notre Dame was 0-6 versus Minnesots, 0-8 versus Boston College and finished with a one-for-six night versus Niagara…On the year, the Irish are just one-for-20 (5.0 %) on the power play…Opponents have converted five-of-20 (25.0%) power play chances versus Notre Dame.

IRISH FIRSTS:
Freshman center Aaron Gill collected his first collegiate goal in the tie versus Niagara. Gill finished the weekend with a goal and an assist. He joins Rob Globke and Brett Lebda who got the the first goals of their Notre Dame careers in the Hall of Fame Classic versus Minnesota.

FIRST YEAR SCORING:
Notre Dame’s six newest players have stepped right in and contributed through the first three games the Irish have played…First-year players have contributed three goals and five assists for eight points on the Irish scoresheet…Freshmen Rob Globke, Brett Lebda and Aaron Gill have each scored a goal and an assist while junior transfer Jon Maruk leads the team with a pair of assists…On the year, Notre Dame has scored seven goals and added eight assists for 15 points…

GOOD TO BE BACK:
Senior center Chad Chipchase scored his first goal since the 1998-99 season in the tie with Niagara…Chipchase played a limited role in 1999-2000 (15 GP) due to a knee injury that ultimately require surgery in February of 2000 (he did not play in the final 19 games of his junior season). CENTURY CLUB: Senior right wing Dan Carlson needs just nine more points to become the 38th player in Notre Dame hockey history to score 100 or more points in his career…Carlson comes into the weekend with 35 goals and 56 assists for 91 career points…He currently ranks 44th on ND’s all-time scoring list.

IRISH VERSUS RANKED TEAMS:
Notre Dame could face as many as 14 ranked teams (preseason) on their 39-game schedule this season…The Irish have faced two teams among their first three games…

Closing The Deal:
Notre Dame quietly has laid claim to a lengthy streak, as the Irish head into the continue this season with an unbeaten record in their previous 41 games when holding a lead at the second intermission (34-0-6, including 11-0-3 in 1999-2000) … the Irish are 0-0-1 in 2000-01 when leading after two periods…ND led 3-2 after the second period versus Niagara…the last time ND lost after holding a second-intermission lead was Jan. 9, 1998, in the second of three games at Alaska Fairbanks … UAF’s Sean Fraser tied the game (2-2) with a power-play goal in the third minute of the final period before Chris Kirwan converted a breakaway with 0:45 left in overtime … the Irish also are 22-2-3 during the past two seasons when leading at the first intermission (10-1-1 in 1999-2000).

GAME-BY-GAME RECORDS:

When Notre Dame scores first……………………..0-0-1
When opponents score first………………………..0-2-0
When Notre Dame leads after one Period………..0-0-0
When Notre Dame trails after one Period………..0-2-0
When Score is tied after one period………………0-0-1
When Notre Dame leads after two periods……….0-0-1
When Notre Dame trails after two periods……….0-2-0
When score is tied after two periods……………..0-0-0
When Notre Dame outshoots opponent…………..0-0-1
When opponent outshoots Notre Dame…………..0-2-0
When shots are even…………………………………0-0-0
Notre Dame at home………………………………….0-0-0
Notre Dame on the road……………………………..0-0-0
Notre Dame on neutral ice…………………………..0-2-1
Notre Dame in overtime……………………………..0-0-1

USHL VETERANS:
Notre Dame’s 2000-01 roster-and particularly the freshman class-has plenty of experience with the United States Hockey League, as each of the five scholarship freshman-and junior newcomer Jon Maruk (Twin City Vulcans)-played in the USHL last season … all told, 17 different ND players have skated in the USHL, as members of that league’s traditional programs or the USA Hockey Under-18 Team … that group includes senior D Ryan Clark and sophomore LW Jake Wiegand (Lincoln Stars), senior LW Jay Kopischke (North Iowa Huskies), senior RW Ryan Dolder and Maruk (Twin City Vulcans), sophomore RW Michael Chin and freshman F Kyle Dolder (Twin City Vulcans) and sophomore G Tony Zasowski (Omaha Lancers) … Chin also played one year with the USA program, as did nine other current Irish players (see note below).

A PATRIOTIC GROUP:
Notre Dame’s current roster includes 10 players who have past experience with USA Hockey, as members of the National Team Development Program (NTDP) and/or the National Junior Team … Notre Dame’s current total of eight NTDP alums is the most at any Division I school … that group includes junior F Brett Henning and four members of the sophomore class-RWs Michael Chin and John Wroblewski, C Connor Dunlop and D Paul Harris-plus a trio of freshmen: RW Rob Globke and D Neil Komadoski and Brett Lebda … senior LW Dan Carlson played with Team USA at the 1998-99 World Junior Championship while Henning, Dunlop and junior C David Inman played with the USA at the 1999-2000 World Juniors … four Irish players-Dunlop, Globke, Komadoski and Wroblewski-remain among the top candidates for the USA’s 2000-01 National Junior Team while a pair of 2000 Irish graduates-center Ben Simon and RW Joe Dusbabek-played for the USA at the World Juniors in ’96-’97 (Simon) and ’97-’98 (Simon and Dusbabek).

JUNIOR JUMP:
Junior C David Inman-who had 10G-10A as a freshman and 13G-7A as a sophomore-will be hoping to be the latest in a recent trend of Notre Dame forwards who have made huge goal scoring jumps in their junior seasons … that group includes LW Aniket Dhadphale (18 combined goals in his first two seasons, 25 as a junior in 1997-98), C Ben Simon (13G in first two years, 18 as a junior in 1998-99) and current senior LW Dan Carlson (18G in first two seasons, 17 as a junior in 1999-2000).

IRON MEN:
Current senior RW Ryan Dolder and senior LW Dan Carlson were the only Irish players to appear in all 42 games of 1999-2000 … Dolder takes a team-best streak of 67 consecutive games played into this week’s action … Carlson has played in 122 of 125 games during his first three-plus seasons (missing two while at the ’98-’99 World Juniors) and needs to appear in 30 more games to break John Schmidt’s ND record for career games played (152, ’78-’82).

CENTURY MARK:
Senior right wing Matt Van Arkel played in his 100th career game versus Minnesota and has now played in 102 overall…He is one of four members of the 2000-2001 squad to have play in 100 or more games for the Irish…That group includes Dan Carlson (122), Ryan Dolder (106), Jay Kopischke (105) and Van Arkel (102). Chad Chipchase needs just three more games to reach 100 as he checks in with 97 going into the weekend.

GOAL SCORERS WANTED:
Notre Dame will be looking to develop several new goalscorers in 2000-01, as just three returners (senior LW Dan Carlson, junior C David Inman and senior RW Ryan Dolder) had more than six goals in 1999-2000.

RISING PROSPECTS:
Two members of Notre Dame’s freshman class are considered top prospects for upcoming NHL drafts … defenseman Neil Komadoski was rated by NHL Central Scouting as the No. 51 prospect for the 2000 draft (even though he is not eligible for the draft until 2001) … first-year RW Rob Globke likewise could develop into a high-end draft prospect but will not be eligible for the draft until 2002.

YOUNG D:
Notre Dame’s group of eight defensemen came into this season with a combined 190 career games played, compared to 419 games of experience on the blue line heading into 1998-99 … the four veteran D include senior Ryan Clark (88 GP), junior Sam Cornelius (52) and sophomores Evan Nielsen (41) and Paul Harris (9) … half of the blue-line group is comprised of freshmen, including former USA Hockey teammates Neil Komadoski and Brett Lebda, plus Tom Galvin and walk-on T.J. Mathieson.

DISCIPLINED PLAY:
Since ranking as the CCHA’s most-penalized team in ’95-’96 (11.31 penalties/gm), ND has ranked as the conference’s least-penalized … the Irish averaged the fewest penalties per game by any CCHA team in ’96-’97 (8.69) and ’97-’98 (6.37) before ranking as the CCHA’s third-least penalized in ’98-’99 (8.40) … ND again was the CCHA’s least-penalized team in 1999-2000, averaging just 7.69 penalties (16.59 PIM), leading to just 5.67 opponent power-play chances per game … over the course of the past four seasons, ND has averaged an impressive 7.74 penalties per game…this season, through three games, the Irish are averaging 11.7 penalties per game for 27 minutes per game…that number is a bit inflated by an opening night mark of 20 penalties for 51 minutes…in the two games at the Maverick Stampede, ND averaged just eight penalties ber game for 16 minutes.

Bloodlines:
Four current members of the Notre Dame hockey program-junior F Brett Henning, junior LW Jon Maruk, sophomore C Connor Dunlop and freshman D Neil Komadoski-hold a unique connection, as each of their fathers enjoyed a lengthy career in the National Hockey League (see p. 39 of the 2000-01 Notre Dame mdia guide for photos from their playing days).

Lorne Henning played nine seasons with the New York Islanders (’72-’81) and has spent the past 15 years as an assistant and head coach in the NHL. An original member of the Islanders, Henning compiled 73G-111A as a forward over his 543-game career and played a major role in a four-year Stanley Cup dynasty (’80-’83). Henning served as an assistant with the Islanders from ’80-84 and ’87-’94, as head coach for the Minnesota North Stars (’85-’87) and the Islanders (’94-’95), and as a Chicago Blackhawks assistant from ’95-’98 before returning in ’98-’99 to the Islanders, as associate coach.

Dennis Maruk played 14 NHL seasons-with the California Seals (’75-’76), Cleveland Barons (’76-’78), Minnesota North Stars (’78-’79, ?83-’88) and the Washington Capitols (’78-’83)-and finished as the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer in 1982 (60G-76A) while compiling 878 career points (356G-522A) in 888 games.

Blake Dunlop played 11 seasons in pro hockey (’73-’84), including NHL stints with the Minnesota North Stars (’73-’77), Philadelphia Flyers (?77-’79), St. Louis Blues (?79-’84) and Detroit Red Wings (’83-’84), while totaling 130G-274A in 550 career NHL games.

Rounding out the quartet is Neil Komadoski, Sr., who played eight NHL seasons as a defenseman with the Los Angeles Kings (’72-’78) and the St. Louis Blues (’77-’80), totaling 16G-76A and 632 penalty minutes in 501 career games.

C

ARLSON BREAKS THROUGH:
Senior LW Dan Carlson (Edina, Minn.) had a big junior season that netted his team MVP honors … Carlson’s 35-point season in 1999-2000 included 17 goals (he had 18 in the previous two seasons combined), plus five game-winning goals and nine power-play goals (he totaled just three GWGs and six PPGs over the course of his first two seasons … Carlson also boosted his shot percentage as a junior (.140, compared to .098 his first two seasons) … Carlson heads into 2000-01 tied for ninth in ND history with eight career game-winning goals, needing five to tie the record shared by Irish head coach Dave Poulin (’82) and Brian Urick (’99).

RISING TO THE TOP:
Senior LW Dan Carlson is one of the top returning scorers in the CCHA, as his 35 points in 1999-2000 (17G-18A) rank sixth among current CCHA players, behind Western Michigan’s David Gove (18G-28A), Michigan State’s Adam Hall (26G-13A), Miami’s Pat Leahy (16G-22A), MSU’s Rustyn Dolyny (18G-19A) and Ferris State’s Kevin Swider (15G-21A).

A SPECIAL PLAYER:
Dan Carlson has played a key role on both special-teams units during his Notre Dame career and could become the fifth player to rank among Notre Dame career top 10 for both power-play goals and shorthanded goals … Carlson needs seven PPGs to crack that ND career top-10 list (10 shy of fifth) while his four career shorthanded goals rank 11th in ND history, three back of the record shared by three players.

TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL:
During the past three seasons, the Notre Dame hockey program has sent several players on to the professional ranks, with 10 of those recent players competing in 2000-01 … D Mark Eaton-who in the summer of 1998 opted to forego his final three years of college eligibility at Notre Dame and signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Flyers-had a solid 1998-99 season with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League and played 27 games with the Flyers in 1999-2000 before being traded to the Nashville Predators prior to the start of the season … G Matt Eisler (’98) has joined the East Coast Hockey League’s Dayton Bombers, where his teammates include former Irish center and ’96 graduate Jamie Ling (who serves as a player assistant coach with the Bombers) … RW Brian Urick (’99) had a solid preseason camp with the Edmonton Oilers and has been assigned to the AHL’s Hamilton (Ont.) Bulldogs … LW Aniket Dhadphale (’99) currently is trying out with the AHL’s Providence (R.I.) Bruins while another ’99 graduate, D Benoit Cotnoir, was in the tryout camp of the International Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves before returning to the Mobile (Ala.) Mystics of the East Coast Hockey League (he also played in Mobile last season) … five 2000 graduates likewise are active in pro hockey … C Ben Simon was in the camp of the Atlanta Thrashers and played in several preseason games before being assigned to the IHL’s Orlando (Fla.) Solar Bears … RW Joe Dusbabek attended the San Jose Sharks preseason camp and has joined the ECHL’s Roanoke Express … D Sean Molina tried out with the Chicago Wolves and has signed on with the ECHL’s Trenton (N.J.) Titans … D Nathan Borega currently is a member of the ECHL’s Louisiana Ice Gators while D Sean Seyferth is in camp with the IHL’s Detroit Vipers.

Academic All-Americans:
Notre Dame is the nation’s only Division I hockey program to produce a GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American during each of the past four seasons (as part of the fall-winter at-large program), with C Steve Noble earning second-team honors in 1996-97 and first-team honors in ’97-’98, followed by G Forrest Karr in ’98-’99 (second team) and LW Andy Jurkowski in 1999-2000 (third team).

Battle-Tested:
ND prevailed in its 2000 CCHA playoff series with Ferris State, after a frantic regular season that saw the Irish post a 7-4 record in one-goal games while playing 10 overtime games (eight in final nine weeks). … the senior class has acquired plenty of experience in pressure-packed playoff action, as the Irish were extended to a decisive third game in the first round of the CCHA playoffs each of the past three seasons (after winning the first game each year).

CENTURY MEN:
Senior LW Dan Carlson is on the verge of becoming the fourth ND hockey player in the last three seasons to reach 100 points, entering his final season with 35G-55A … RW Brian Urick (57G-69A) and LW Aniket Dhadphale (61G-44A) each reached 100 in the ’98-’99 season while C Ben Simon (44G-86A) reached the milestone in 1999-2000 … Carlson needs 15 goals in his final season to join Urick and center Jamie Ling (’92-’96) as the third Irish player since 1993-and 28th overall-to reach 50G-50A in his career (he needs 25G-5A to become ND’s 17th 60-60 player and first since Dave Bankoske did it from 1988-93) … a 41-point season in 2000-01 would land Carlson among ND’s top-20 career scorers (Ling, with 51G-102A, is the only post-1993 player on that list, at 13th).

CLUSTER CLUTTER:
ND’s experience with the CCHA’s new cluster scheduling format in 1999-2000 yielded only a handful of weekend sweeps, as just four of the 14 series saw one team emerge with a pair of wins … three of those sweeps featured at least one close game, with Michigan sweeping the Irish in the opening week (5-3 with an empty-netter, 6-1) and Ferris State doing the same two weeks later (4-1, 4-2) … ND then needed a pair of one-goal wins to sweep Alaska Fairbanks (1-0, 3-2) before rallying to beat Western Michigan in overtime (4-3, followed by a 4-1 win).

CLUSTER PARTNERS, PART II:
The rotating CCHA cluster schedule has yielded four games for the Irish in 2000-01 versus Ohio State, Miami and Western Michigan-with two vs. the other eight squads in the 28-game schedule … the following CCHA teams will not visit the Joyce Center in 2000-01: Alaska Fairbanks, Lake Superior, Michigan and Nebraska Omaha … the Irish will not make regular-season trips in 2000-01 to Bowing Green, Ferris State, Northern Michigan and Michigan State … ND’s 1999-2000 cluster partners were UAF, MSU and UNO, with the 2001-02 partners to include Bowling Green, Ferris State and Michigan.

Double (OT) Dip:
Current Irish senior Dan Carlson turned in a rare feat during a three-week stretch of the 1999-2000 season, as the speedy left wing scored in overtime to beat both Western Michigan (4-3) and Ohio State (2-1) … that marked just the second time-and the first in 28 years- that an ND player has scored two overtime goals in the same season, as then-junior winger Paul Regan scored overtime goals in 1971-72 versus Michigan Tech (6-5) and Cornell (5-4).

FEELING A DRAFT:
ND and Boston College both had four players selected in the ’97 NHL draft, most by any Division I school … the drafted players included a pair of forwards who graduated in 2000-Ben Simon (5th round, Chicago Blackhawks) and Joe Dusbabek (7th round, San Jose Sharks)-plus current seniors Jay Kopischke (8th round, L.A. Kings) and Ryan Clark (9th round, N.Y. Islanders) … four ND players have been selected in the first nine rounds of the same NHL draft just once previously, in ’75 … the 2000-01 ND hockey team includes five players that have been selected in the National Hockey League draft … in addition to Clark and Kopischke, ND’s drafted players include a pair of junior forwards who were selected in the 1999 NHL draft-David Inman (2nd round, New York Rangers) and Brett Henning (9th round, New York Islanders)-plus sophomore D Evan Nielsen (8th round, Atlanta Thrashers, 2000) … just two other teams in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association-Michigan (7) and Michigan State (6)-have more draft picks on their 2000-2001 rosters than Notre Dame.

Midwest Magic:
Notre Dame continues to reap the benefits of the rapidly-improving youth hockey programs in the lower Midwest (namely Illinois and Missouri), as one-third of the current roster includes players from Illinois (6) or Missouri (2) … four of those players also are products of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP): sophomore RW Michael Chin (Urbana, Ill.), sophomore C Connor Dunlop (St. Louis, Mo.) and first-year D Brett Lebda (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.) … sophomore D Evan Nielsen (Evanston, Ill.) was invited to join the NTDP but returned for his senior year at The Taft School … ND’s other Illinois natives include the team’s top two returning goaltenders-junior Jeremiah Kimento (Palos Hills) and Tony Zasowski (Darien)-plus senior RW Matt Van Arkel (Richton Park). … prior to 1995, the ND hockey program had produced just eight total letterwinners from Illinois and two from Missouri.

ROAD WARRIORS:
Despite a 5-9-6 road record in 1999-2000 (3-6-6 on opponent ice), ND finished 3-4-3 in its final 10 road games and has turned in its share of big road wins during the past few seasons … in fact, the Irish posted wins in 22 different road arenas during the first five seasons of the Dave Poulin era (20 in the past three seasons). … the ’97-’98 and ’98-’99 seasons saw the Irish post road wins over all 10 CCHA opponents, including a 4-2 CCHA playoff win at Michigan and wins over Ohio State at the OSU Ice Arena and the off-campus Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum (the Irish last season added a win over OSU at yet another Columbus venue, with the 2-1 OT win at Value City Arena) … ND also owns three road wins over Wisconsin during the Poulin era, at different sites: Milwaukee’s Bradley Center, the Dane County Coliseum and the Kohl Center … 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 and a pair of 2-2 ties last season at the Omaha Civic Auditorium and Northern Michigan’s Berry Events Center … finally, Notre Dame has posted recent neutral-site wins at the University of Minnesota (vs. Brown), the University of Denver (vs. Union) and the University of New Hampshire (vs. Vermont).

ROAD TRIP ANYONE?:
The Notre Dame hockey program again will travel plenty of miles during the 2000-01 season, as the Irish are slated to traverse the equivalent of nearly 17,000 miles in the upcoming season-after travelling nearly 18,000 in 1999-2000 (17,907, or close to three-quarters of the Earth’s diameter) … the longer trips of 2000-01 include the season-opening game versus Minnesota, a trip to Omaha for the Maverick Shootout (plus a later series with Nebraska Omaha), an upper-peninsula visit to Lake Superior, the RPI Christmas Tournament in Troy, N.Y., a pair of games versus Yale in New Haven, Conn., and a return journey to Fairbanks, Alaska (ND’s third trip to UAF in the last four seasons) … the 1999-2000 campaign likewise included trips to Omaha and Fairbanks, plus a pair of visits to tournaments in Denver, Colo., a Thanksgiving tournament at New Hampshire and an upper-peninsula visit to Northern Michigan … here’s a breakdown of the 2000-01 trips, based on average roundtrip land mileage:

WHO’S BACK:
Notre Dame returns 16 of 24 letterwinners from the 1999-2000 team that went 16-18-8, finished fifth in the CCHA and advanced to the CCHA semifinals … the Irish also return junior D Sam Cornelius (lettered in ’98-’99, 16 GP last season) and sophomore D Paul Harris (9 GP last season) … all told, ND’s 15 returning skaters accounted for two-thirds of the goals and 60 percent of the total offense in 1999-2000 … ND returns five of its top-seven scorers from 1999-2000, including its leading scorer in senior LW Dan Carlson (17G-18A, 9 PPG, 5 GWG) … senior RW and team captain Ryan Dolder (10G-14) was ND’s fourth-leading scorer last season, followed by junior C David Inman (13G-7A) and sophomore C Connor Dunlop (3G-13A) … Inman and Dunlop combine to give ND two of the top young centers in the CCHA while junior Brett Henning (3G-7A) could shift from C to LW this season … including Henning, ND has six veterans who could play at left wing-with that group having a combined 14 years of Division I experience … other top candidates at LW include seniors Chad Chipchase (15 GP during injury-plagued 1999-2000 season) and Jay Kopischke (6G-5A), with Chipchase also capable of playing at C or RW … for the second consecutive season, ND must replace a four-year regular at RW (Joe Dusbabek, with Brian Urick moving on after ’98-’99) … other top returners at RW include sophomore Michael Chin (6G-7A) and senior Matt Van Arkel (4G-1A) … just two 1999-2000 letterwinners return in the D: 6-4, 230-pound senior Ryan Clark and sophomore Evan Nielsen (4G-10A), who could fill the power-play point role filled the past two seasons by Benoit Cotnoir (’99) and Tyson Fraser (’00) … Clark and Nielsen skated together in 30 games last season (including the final 22) … all three Irish Gs are back, led by sophomore Tony Zasowski (ND record 2.56 GAA, 13-9-6 record, .901 save pct.) and junior Jeremiah Kimento (3-8-2 career record, 2.88 GAA, .890 save pct.).

WHO’S GONE:
With two of the top-three scorers lost to graduation, ND is one of several CCHA teams looking to receive boosts in goalscoring from other players … the Irish also must replace four of their top-six defenseman from last season: Nathan Borega, Tyson Fraser, Sean Molina and Sean Seyferth … the 6-2, 225-pound Borgea (70 PIM last season) was a four-year enforcer with the Irish while Fraser’s subtle skills included serving as the point man on the Irish power play (he had 3G-11A last season, 7G-49A for his career) … Molina (1G-8A in 1999-2000) appeared in 148 career games (tied for 4th in ND history) and played a role on the second PP unit in 1999-2000 … the graduated D foursome combined to appear in 486 career games (140 for Borega, 131 for Fraser, 67 for Seyferth) … top losses from the forward line include C and team captain Ben Simon and RW Joe Dusbabek … Simon’s 1999-2000 season included 13G-19A and a team-best 10 PPGs … he averaged nearly a point per game in his career (44G-85A, 143 GP) and is ND’s second-leading career scorer since the Irish rejoined the CCHA in 1992 … Dusbabek (8G-19A in 1999-2000) totaled 26G-49A in 126 career games … Academic All-American Andy Jurkowski (5G-8A) made a successful transition from D to LW as senior in 1999-2000 while C Troy Bagne rounds out the 2000 graduates (he had 2G-3A in 1999-2000, 5G-10A in 123 career games).

WHO’S NEW:
ND’s fifth consecutive highly-regarded recruiting class includes three products of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program: D Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.) and Brett Lebda (Buffalo Grove, Ill) and RW Rob Globke (West Bloomfield, Mass.) … the other two freshmen signees include C Aaron Gill (Rochester, Minn./Rochester Mustangs) and D Tom Galvin (Miller Place, NY./Waterloo Blackhawks) … one other newcomer is junior LW Jon Maruk, who played two seasons at Alaska Anchorage before scoring 32G-42A in 71 games last season with the Twin City Vulcans (which won the 1999-2000 national junior-A title) … Globke is known for strong wide-reaching offensive skills, after ranking as the third-leading scorer on the 1999-2000 USA Under-18 National Team (15G-21A) … Gill is a strong all-around centerman who totaled 26G-23A in 55 games with the Mustangs last season … the 6-1, 205-pound Komadoski-who could help replace the imposing presence of graduated Nathan Borega (6-2, 225)-made a name for himself as the top enforcer on the USA Under-18 National Team and is considered one of the nation’s top prospects for the 2001 NHL draft … Lebda is known for his smooth skating and offensive ability while Galvin is a steady performer with strong all-around skills (both could play roles on the power play).

Notre Dame Hockey – By The Numbers

6,901
Career minutes played by goaltender Lance Madson (1986-90)

1968
First varsity hockey season of the modern area

1912
First varsity hockey season

1580
WJVA radio (AM) is scheduled to broadcast most of the 2000-01 Notre Dame hockey season

724
Career games played in the NHL by Irish head coach Dave Poulin

307
Career coaching wins by Lefty Smith, in 19 seasons at Notre Dame

152
Notre Dame record for career games played, set by defenseman John Schmidt (1978-82)

130:36
Shutout streak posted by Tony Zasowski, spanning 1999-2000 games versus New Hampshire and Michigan State (2)

104
ND record for career goals, set by Greg Meredith (1976-80) after scoring twice in his final game to best (see new note) …

103
Previous Irish career goals record, set by Eddie Bumbacco (1970-74)

86
Consecutive games played by Andy Jurkowski, from 1998-2000

79
All-time Notre Dame hockey letterwinners from the state of Minnesota

59
Pick used by New York Rangers to select Notre Dame’s David Inman in second round of 1999 NHL Draft

47
Saves posted by Matt Eisler in 3-0 win over Ohio State on Oct. 25, 1996 (most ever in a Notre Dame shutout)

32
Consecutive seasons spent working with the Notre Dame hockey program by current athletic trainer John Whitmer (covering all but the first season of the program’s modern era)

20
States and provinces represented among list of letterwinners during six-year tenure of head coach Dave Poulin (1995-present)

+15
Improvement in CCHA standings by Notre Dame from the 1996-97 to ’97-’98 seasons

15
Jersey number worn by noteworthy Irish players such as Paul Regan, Eddie Bumbacco, Dave Poulin and Brian Urick

10
Players on current Notre Dame roster who have played with USA Hockey (on the National Team Development Program or World Junior Championship team)

9
Jersey number worn by noteworthy Irish players such as Don Fairholm, Steve Schneider, Bill Rothstein, Curtis Janicke and Ankiet Dhadphale

6’6”
Tallest player in Notre Dame hockey history-defenseman Davide dal Grande (1992-96)

6:50
Quickest hat trick in Notre Dame history, by Sterling Black in 1973

5
Number of NHL draft picks on 2000-01 Notre Dame roster

4.0
Semester GPA posted 11 times by Notre Dame hockey players during past six years

2.56
Tony Zasowski’s Irish record season goals-against-average (1999-2000)

0
Combined goals scored by Notre Dame and Miami on Dec. 10, 1994-the CCHA’s first scoreless tie

PRESEASON CCHA POLLS:
In the fall of 1999, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association coaches correctly predicted the regular-season finishes of Michigan (1st), Michigan State (2nd), Northern Michigan (3rd, ended tied for 3rd), Miami (9th, ended tied for 9th), Western Michigan (10th, ended tied for 9th) and Alaska Fairbanks (12th) while the CCHA media poll correctly predicted the finishes of NMU, Notre Dame (5th), Miami, WMU and UAF.

Heading into 2000-2001, the polls both have picked Michigan and Michigan State to repeat at the top spots. Michigan received 11 of 12 first-place votes in the coaches poll but the Spartans garnered 19 first-place votes and 467 voting points in the media poll to edge Michigan (which had 20 first-place votes and 460 points).

Nebraska-Omaha was picked third by the coaches, followed by Lake Superior, Notre Dame, Miami, Ferris State, Northern Michigan, Bowling Green, and Ohio State-while Western Michigan and Alaska-Fairbanks were predicted to finish out of the playoffs.

The media poll tabbed Lake Superior and Northern Michigan in third and fourth, followed by UNO, which received one first-place vote. Notre Dame, Bowling Green and Ferris State were next in the media poll, followed by Miami (which also received a first-place ballot), OSU, WMU and UAF.

HOME STAND:
After opening the 2000-2001 season on the road for three games, the Notre Dame hockey team opens a five-game home stand at the friendly confines of the Joyce Center with three games on the docket this week…On Tuesday, October 17th, the Irish host the Wayne State Warriors (0-2-0) in a 7:05 p.m. game…Notre Dame then plays host to the Northeastern University Huskies (1-0-0) on Friday and Saturday, October 20-21 with face-off both nights set for 7:05 p.m….All 2000-01 Irish hockey games will be broadcast on WHLY radio (1620 AM) with the play-by-play also available via the internet at www.und.com.

THE WAYNE STATE SERIES:
Notre Dame and Wayne State University will meet for the first time in college hockey action…The Warriors are in their second season on the Division I level…They compete in the College Hockey America (CHA) Conference…Former Western Michigan coach Bill Wilkinson is in his second season as head coach at Wayne State where his squad was 6-23-1 in its first Division I season…In this his 19th season, Wilkinson owns a 319-326-54 career record.

WARRIORS TO DATE:
Wayne State opened its season last weekend at Lake Superior State dropping 2-1 and 6-3 decisions to the Lakers…In Friday’s game, Wayne State led 1-0 in the second period before giving up two late second period goals for the 2-1 loss…Sophomore goaltender David Guerrera made 21 saves in the loss…On Saturday night, the Warriors battled the Lakers to a 2-2 tie over the first 30 minutes before giving up four unanswered goals on the way to the 6-3 loss…Sophomore goaltender Marc Carlson faced 47 shots, making 41 saves in the loss…Sophomore forward Maxim Starchenko leads the team in scoring with a goal and an assist.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS:
Wayne State University hockey information can be found at www.wayne.edu…

TWO WITH THE HUSKIES:
Notre Dame owns a 2-1 edge in the all-time series versus Northeastern winning once at the Joyce Center and once at Matthews Arena in Boston while losing to the Huskies on neutral ice in Minnesota…The Huskies are making their first visit to the Joyce Center since December 28, 1970…ND won that game, 4-1…The two teams played in the opening game of the Mariucci Classic on December 27, 1997 where the Huskies took a 4-2 decision…The last time the two teams played, was November 7, 1998 in Boston, where Notre Dame took a 4-3 win…Senior Matt Van Arkel (Richton Park, Ill.) led the Irish with a goal and an assist in that game…Junior center David Inman (Toronto, Ont.) also scored while junior defenseman Sam Cornelius (Edina, Minn.) added an assist…The Huskies are coached by Bruce Crowder who is 53-79-14 in this his fifth year in Boston. Overall, he owns a 152-154-33 record in ten seasons as a Division I head coach.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES:
Northeastern University hockey information can be found at www.GoNU.com…

MAVERICK STAMPEDE WRAP UP:
Notre Dame opened the Maverick Stampede in Omaha, Nebraska with a 4-1 loss to the fourth-ranked Boston College Eagles on Friday, October 13th…The Irish trailed 1-0 after the first period where they were outshot, 14-10, but had plenty of scoring chances but ran into a stone wall in BC goaltender Scott Clemmensen…In the second period, the Eagles got three goals to up their lead to 4-0 after two stanzas. Sophomore goaltender Tony Zasowski (Darien, Ill.) gave up three of the goals in 32:58 of the game while making 16 saves…Jeremiah Kimento (Jr., Palos Hills, Ill.) came into the game following BC’s third goal and gave up just one marker on 16 shots ove the final 27:02…The Irish broke the shutout just 43 seconds into the third period as Ryan Dolder (Sr., Hutchinson, Minn.) converted a nice feed from freshman center Aaron Gill (Rochester, Minn.) for his first goal of the season…ND was outshot in the game, 35-26 and was 0-8 on the power play while BC scored once on six chances.

On Saturday night, the Fighting Irish battled Niagara University for the first time ever…The two teams battled to a 3-3 overtime tie, but Notre Dame took third place in the tournament by winning a shootout, 2-1…The Irish jumped on the scoreboard first, taking their first lead of the season on the first shot of the game at 1:11, as Aaron Gill got his first collegiate goal on a set up by Dan Carlson (Sr., Edina, Minn.)…Niagara scored the periods’ next two goals before the Irish evened the score at 2-2 at the 14:28 mark of the first…Chad Chipchase (Sr., Clinton, Ont.) got his first goal of the season and his first since the 1998-99 season when he drilled a centering feed from Michael Chin (So., Urbana, Ill.) past Niagara goaltender Scott Lindsay…Chipchase saw limited playing time a year ago due to knee problems and did not play after January 7th…Notre Dame would take a 3-2 lead at 7:24 of the second period with their first power play goal of the season…Ryan Dolder’s slapshot from the center point was deflected between the hashmarks by Rob Globke (Fr., West Bloomfield, Mich.) and then redirected a second time by David Inman (one of his team-high eight shots in the game) for the score…The power play tally snapped an 0-16 skein through the first three games of the season…Niagara’s Chris Sebastian tied the game with 10:27 left after the Irish failed to clear the puck in front…Jeremiah Kimento, making his first start of the season, made a pair of stops on Randy Harris in front, but Sebastian converted the third shot for the 3-3 tie…Kimento turned in an outstanding performance in goal, making 30 saves, including stopping a pair of Niagara breakaways in the final nine minutes of the game…In the shootout, Matt Van Arkel and David Inman scored on penalty shots while Kimento stopped four of five Niagara scoring chances…Inman was named th games’ first star and was selected to the all-tournament team…Notre Dame outshot Niagara, 35-33 in the game…The Irish converted on one of six power play chances, while Niagara was 1-8 with the man-advantage…

POULIN ON THE MAVERICK STAMPEDE:
“I thought the tournament was run in a first class way and it was great being part of the first-ever tournament. As a team, I thought we played better than we did the first week (at Minnesota), but we still have some things to work on and that’s what we’ll do this week. I was encouraged by the way we played against Boston College, but we didn’t play as well on Saturday versus Niagara.?

POULIN ON THE WEEK AHEAD:
“We need to win a hockey game, that’s what we will be trying to do this week. We have to work on our team defense – that’s what we will concentrate on this week. We need to tighten up defensively.?

INJURY REPORT:
Freshman defenseman Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.) will be out of the lineup indefinitely after suffering a shoulder injury in the first period of the Boston College game.

HOME OPENERS:
Notre Dame is 18-13 in home openers at the Joyce Center since the building opened for the 1968-69 season… the Irish are 3-2-0 in home openers during the Dave Poulin era (2-1 loss to Guelph, 2-1 win over Western Ontario, 5-1 win over Western Ontario, 4-2 win over Lake Superior State and a 5-3 loss to Michigan last season.

RADIO WAVES:
Notre Dame hockey action can now be heard on WHLY Radio 1620-AM, a sister-station of South Bend’s WJVA 1580 and U-93 FM…WHLY will carry all Notre Dame hockey games with the exception of the February 23-24 series at Alaska-Fairbanks…Notre Dame hockey can also be heard on the official Notre Dame website (www.und.com)… SPECIAL TEAMS: David Inman’s power play goal at 7:24 of the second period versus Niagara snapped an 0-16 drought by the Irish with the man-advantage…Notre Dame was 0-6 versus Minnesots, 0-8 versus Boston College and finished with a one-for-six night versus Niagara…On the year, the Irish are just one-for-20 (5.0 %) on the power play…Opponents have converted five-of-20 (25.0%) power play chances versus Notre Dame.

IRISH FIRSTS:
Freshman center Aaron Gill collected his first collegiate goal in the tie versus Niagara. Gill finished the weekend with a goal and an assist. He joins Rob Globke and Brett Lebda who got the the first goals of their Notre Dame careers in the Hall of Fame Classic versus Minnesota.

FIRST YEAR SCORING:
Notre Dame’s six newest players have stepped right in and contributed through the first three games the Irish have played…First-year players have contributed three goals and five assists for eight points on the Irish scoresheet…Freshmen Rob Globke, Brett Lebda and Aaron Gill have each scored a goal and an assist while junior transfer Jon Maruk leads the team with a pair of assists…On the year, Notre Dame has scored seven goals and added eight assists for 15 points…

GOOD TO BE BACK:
Senior center Chad Chipchase scored his first goal since the 1998-99 season in the tie with Niagara…Chipchase played a limited role in 1999-2000 (15 GP) due to a knee injury that ultimately require surgery in February of 2000 (he did not play in the final 19 games of his junior season). CENTURY CLUB: Senior right wing Dan Carlson needs just nine more points to become the 38th player in Notre Dame hockey history to score 100 or more points in his career…Carlson comes into the weekend with 35 goals and 56 assists for 91 career points…He currently ranks 44th on ND’s all-time scoring list.

IRISH VERSUS RANKED TEAMS:
Notre Dame could face as many as 14 ranked teams (preseason) on their 39-game schedule this season…The Irish have faced two teams among their first three games…

Closing The Deal:
Notre Dame quietly has laid claim to a lengthy streak, as the Irish head into the continue this season with an unbeaten record in their previous 41 games when holding a lead at the second intermission (34-0-6, including 11-0-3 in 1999-2000) … the Irish are 0-0-1 in 2000-01 when leading after two periods…ND led 3-2 after the second period versus Niagara…the last time ND lost after holding a second-intermission lead was Jan. 9, 1998, in the second of three games at Alaska Fairbanks … UAF’s Sean Fraser tied the game (2-2) with a power-play goal in the third minute of the final period before Chris Kirwan converted a breakaway with 0:45 left in overtime … the Irish also are 22-2-3 during the past two seasons when leading at the first intermission (10-1-1 in 1999-2000).

GAME-BY-GAME RECORDS:
When Notre Dame scores first……………………..0-0-1
When opponents score first………………………..0-2-0
When Notre Dame leads after one Period………..0-0-0
When Notre Dame trails after one Period………..0-2-0
When Score is tied after one period………………0-0-1
When Notre Dame leads after two periods……….0-0-1
When Notre Dame trails after two periods……….0-2-0
When score is tied after two periods……………..0-0-0
When Notre Dame outshoots opponent…………..0-0-1
When opponent outshoots Notre Dame…………..0-2-0
When shots are even…………………………………0-0-0
Notre Dame at home………………………………….0-0-0
Notre Dame on the road……………………………..0-0-0
Notre Dame on neutral ice…………………………..0-2-1
Notre Dame in overtime……………………………..0-0-1

USHL VETERANS:
Notre Dame’s 2000-01 roster-and particularly the freshman class-has plenty of experience with the United States Hockey League, as each of the five scholarship freshman-and junior newcomer Jon Maruk (Twin City Vulcans)-played in the USHL last season … all told, 17 different ND players have skated in the USHL, as members of that league’s traditional programs or the USA Hockey Under-18 Team … that group includes senior D Ryan Clark and sophomore LW Jake Wiegand (Lincoln Stars), senior LW Jay Kopischke (North Iowa Huskies), senior RW Ryan Dolder and Maruk (Twin City Vulcans), sophomore RW Michael Chin and freshman F Kyle Dolder (Twin City Vulcans) and sophomore G Tony Zasowski (Omaha Lancers) … Chin also played one year with the USA program, as did nine other current Irish players (see note below).

A PATRIOTIC GROUP:
Notre Dame’s current roster includes 10 players who have past experience with USA Hockey, as members of the National Team Development Program (NTDP) and/or the National Junior Team … Notre Dame’s current total of eight NTDP alums is the most at any Division I school … that group includes junior F Brett Henning and four members of the sophomore class-RWs Michael Chin and John Wroblewski, C Connor Dunlop and D Paul Harris-plus a trio of freshmen: RW Rob Globke and D Neil Komadoski and Brett Lebda … senior LW Dan Carlson played with Team USA at the 1998-99 World Junior Championship while Henning, Dunlop and junior C David Inman played with the USA at the 1999-2000 World Juniors … four Irish players-Dunlop, Globke, Komadoski and Wroblewski-remain among the top candidates for the USA’s 2000-01 National Junior Team while a pair of 2000 Irish graduates-center Ben Simon and RW Joe Dusbabek-played for the USA at the World Juniors in ’96-’97 (Simon) and ’97-’98 (Simon and Dusbabek).

JUNIOR JUMP:
Junior C David Inman-who had 10G-10A as a freshman and 13G-7A as a sophomore-will be hoping to be the latest in a recent trend of Notre Dame forwards who have made huge goal scoring jumps in their junior seasons … that group includes LW Aniket Dhadphale (18 combined goals in his first two seasons, 25 as a junior in 1997-98), C Ben Simon (13G in first two years, 18 as a junior in 1998-99) and current senior LW Dan Carlson (18G in first two seasons, 17 as a junior in 1999-2000).

IRON MEN:
Current senior RW Ryan Dolder and senior LW Dan Carlson were the only Irish players to appear in all 42 games of 1999-2000 … Dolder takes a team-best streak of 67 consecutive games played into this week’s action … Carlson has played in 122 of 125 games during his first three-plus seasons (missing two while at the ’98-’99 World Juniors) and needs to appear in 30 more games to break John Schmidt’s ND record for career games played (152, ’78-’82).

CENTURY MARK:
Senior right wing Matt Van Arkel played in his 100th career game versus Minnesota and has now played in 102 overall…He is one of four members of the 2000-2001 squad to have play in 100 or more games for the Irish…That group includes Dan Carlson (122), Ryan Dolder (106), Jay Kopischke (105) and Van Arkel (102). Chad Chipchase needs just three more games to reach 100 as he checks in with 97 going into the weekend.

GOAL SCORERS WANTED:
Notre Dame will be looking to develop several new goalscorers in 2000-01, as just three returners (senior LW Dan Carlson, junior C David Inman and senior RW Ryan Dolder) had more than six goals in 1999-2000.

RISING PROSPECTS:
Two members of Notre Dame’s freshman class are considered top prospects for upcoming NHL drafts … defenseman Neil Komadoski was rated by NHL Central Scouting as the No. 51 prospect for the 2000 draft (even though he is not eligible for the draft until 2001) … first-year RW Rob Globke likewise could develop into a high-end draft prospect but will not be eligible for the draft until 2002.

YOUNG D:
Notre Dame’s group of eight defensemen came into this season with a combined 190 career games played, compared to 419 games of experience on the blue line heading into 1998-99 … the four veteran D include senior Ryan Clark (88 GP), junior Sam Cornelius (52) and sophomores Evan Nielsen (41) and Paul Harris (9) … half of the blue-line group is comprised of freshmen, including former USA Hockey teammates Neil Komadoski and Brett Lebda, plus Tom Galvin and walk-on T.J. Mathieson.

DISCIPLINED PLAY:
Since ranking as the CCHA’s most-penalized team in ’95-’96 (11.31 penalties/gm), ND has ranked as the conference’s least-penalized … the Irish averaged the fewest penalties per game by any CCHA team in ’96-’97 (8.69) and ’97-’98 (6.37) before ranking as the CCHA’s third-least penalized in ’98-’99 (8.40) … ND again was the CCHA’s least-penalized team in 1999-2000, averaging just 7.69 penalties (16.59 PIM), leading to just 5.67 opponent power-play chances per game … over the course of the past four seasons, ND has averaged an impressive 7.74 penalties per game…this season, through three games, the Irish are averaging 11.7 penalties per game for 27 minutes per game…that number is a bit inflated by an opening night mark of 20 penalties for 51 minutes…in the two games at the Maverick Stampede, ND averaged just eight penalties ber game for 16 minutes.

Bloodlines:
Four current members of the Notre Dame hockey program-junior F Brett Henning, junior LW Jon Maruk, sophomore C Connor Dunlop and freshman D Neil Komadoski-hold a unique connection, as each of their fathers enjoyed a lengthy career in the National Hockey League (see p. 39 of the 2000-01 Notre Dame mdia guide for photos from their playing days).

Lorne Henning played nine seasons with the New York Islanders (’72-’81) and has spent the past 15 years as an assistant and head coach in the NHL. An original member of the Islanders, Henning compiled 73G-111A as a forward over his 543-game career and played a major role in a four-year Stanley Cup dynasty (’80-’83). Henning served as an assistant with the Islanders from ’80-84 and ’87-’94, as head coach for the Minnesota North Stars (’85-’87) and the Islanders (’94-’95), and as a Chicago Blackhawks assistant from ’95-’98 before returning in ’98-’99 to the Islanders, as associate coach.

Dennis Maruk played 14 NHL seasons-with the California Seals (’75-’76), Cleveland Barons (’76-’78), Minnesota North Stars (’78-’79, ?83-’88) and the Washington Capitols (’78-’83)-and finished as the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer in 1982 (60G-76A) while compiling 878 career points (356G-522A) in 888 games.

Blake Dunlop played 11 seasons in pro hockey (’73-’84), including NHL stints with the Minnesota North Stars (’73-’77), Philadelphia Flyers (?77-’79), St. Louis Blues (?79-’84) and Detroit Red Wings (’83-’84), while totaling 130G-274A in 550 career NHL games.

Rounding out the quartet is Neil Komadoski, Sr., who played eight NHL seasons as a defenseman with the Los Angeles Kings (’72-’78) and the St. Louis Blues (’77-’80), totaling 16G-76A and 632 penalty minutes in 501 career games.

CARLSON BREAKS THROUGH:
Senior LW Dan Carlson (Edina, Minn.) had a big junior season that netted his team MVP honors … Carlson’s 35-point season in 1999-2000 included 17 goals (he had 18 in the previous two seasons combined), plus five game-winning goals and nine power-play goals (he totaled just three GWGs and six PPGs over the course of his first two seasons … Carlson also boosted his shot percentage as a junior (.140, compared to .098 his first two seasons) … Carlson heads into 2000-01 tied for ninth in ND history with eight career game-winning goals, needing five to tie the record shared by Irish head coach Dave Poulin (’82) and Brian Urick (’99).

RISING TO THE TOP:
Senior LW Dan Carlson is one of the top returning scorers in the CCHA, as his 35 points in 1999-2000 (17G-18A) rank sixth among current CCHA players, behind Western Michigan’s David Gove (18G-28A), Michigan State’s Adam Hall (26G-13A), Miami’s Pat Leahy (16G-22A), MSU’s Rustyn Dolyny (18G-19A) and Ferris State’s Kevin Swider (15G-21A).

A SPECIAL PLAYER:
Dan Carlson has played a key role on both special-teams units during his Notre Dame career and could become the fifth player to rank among Notre Dame career top 10 for both power-play goals and shorthanded goals … Carlson needs seven PPGs to crack that ND career top-10 list (10 shy of fifth) while his four career shorthanded goals rank 11th in ND history, three back of the record shared by three players.

TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL:
During the past three seasons, the Notre Dame hockey program has sent several players on to the professional ranks, with 10 of those recent players competing in 2000-01 … D Mark Eaton-who in the summer of 1998 opted to forego his final three years of college eligibility at Notre Dame and signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Flyers-had a solid 1998-99 season with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League and played 27 games with the Flyers in 1999-2000 before being traded to the Nashville Predators prior to the start of the season … G Matt Eisler (’98) has joined the East Coast Hockey League’s Dayton Bombers, where his teammates include former Irish center and ’96 graduate Jamie Ling (who serves as a player assistant coach with the Bombers) … RW Brian Urick (’99) had a solid preseason camp with the Edmonton Oilers and has been assigned to the AHL’s Hamilton (Ont.) Bulldogs … LW Aniket Dhadphale (’99) currently is trying out with the AHL’s Providence (R.I.) Bruins while another ’99 graduate, D Benoit Cotnoir, was in the tryout camp of the International Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves before returning to the Mobile (Ala.) Mystics of the East Coast Hockey League (he also played in Mobile last season) … five 2000 graduates likewise are active in pro hockey … C Ben Simon was in the camp of the Atlanta Thrashers and played in several preseason games before being assigned to the IHL’s Orlando (Fla.) Solar Bears … RW Joe Dusbabek attended the San Jose Sharks preseason camp and has joined the ECHL’s Roanoke Express … D Sean Molina tried out with the Chicago Wolves and has signed on with the ECHL’s Trenton (N.J.) Titans … D Nathan Borega currently is a member of the ECHL’s Louisiana Ice Gators while D Sean Seyferth is in camp with the IHL’s Detroit Vipers.

Academic All-Americans:
Notre Dame is the nation’s only Division I hockey program to produce a GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American during each of the past four seasons (as part of the fall-winter at-large program), with C Steve Noble earning second-team honors in 1996-97 and first-team honors in ’97-’98, followed by G Forrest Karr in ’98-’99 (second team) and LW Andy Jurkowski in 1999-2000 (third team).

Battle-Tested:
ND prevailed in its 2000 CCHA playoff series with Ferris State, after a frantic regular season that saw the Irish post a 7-4 record in one-goal games while playing 10 overtime games (eight in final nine weeks). … the senior class has acquired plenty of experience in pressure-packed playoff action, as the Irish were extended to a decisive third game in the first round of the CCHA playoffs each of the past three seasons (after winning the first game each year).

CENTURY MEN:
Senior LW Dan Carlson is on the verge of becoming the fourth ND hockey player in the last three seasons to reach 100 points, entering his final season with 35G-55A … RW Brian Urick (57G-69A) and LW Aniket Dhadphale (61G-44A) each reached 100 in the ’98-’99 season while C Ben Simon (44G-86A) reached the milestone in 1999-2000 … Carlson needs 15 goals in his final season to join Urick and center Jamie Ling (’92-’96) as the third Irish player since 1993-and 28th overall-to reach 50G-50A in his career (he needs 25G-5A to become ND’s 17th 60-60 player and first since Dave Bankoske did it from 1988-93) … a 41-point season in 2000-01 would land Carlson among ND’s top-20 career scorers (Ling, with 51G-102A, is the only post-1993 player on that list, at 13th).

CLUSTER CLUTTER:
ND’s experience with the CCHA’s new cluster scheduling format in 1999-2000 yielded only a handful of weekend sweeps, as just four of the 14 series saw one team emerge with a pair of wins … three of those sweeps featured at least one close game, with Michigan sweeping the Irish in the opening week (5-3 with an empty-netter, 6-1) and Ferris State doing the same two weeks later (4-1, 4-2) … ND then needed a pair of one-goal wins to sweep Alaska Fairbanks (1-0, 3-2) before rallying to beat Western Michigan in overtime (4-3, followed by a 4-1 win).

CLUSTER PARTNERS, PART II:
The rotating CCHA cluster schedule has yielded four games for the Irish in 2000-01 versus Ohio State, Miami and Western Michigan-with two vs. the other eight squads in the 28-game schedule … the following CCHA teams will not visit the Joyce Center in 2000-01: Alaska Fairbanks, Lake Superior, Michigan and Nebraska Omaha … the Irish will not make regular-season trips in 2000-01 to Bowing Green, Ferris State, Northern Michigan and Michigan State … ND’s 1999-2000 cluster partners were UAF, MSU and UNO, with the 2001-02 partners to include Bowling Green, Ferris State and Michigan.

Double (OT) Dip:
Current Irish senior Dan Carlson turned in a rare feat during a three-week stretch of the 1999-2000 season, as the speedy left wing scored in overtime to beat both Western Michigan (4-3) and Ohio State (2-1) … that marked just the second time-and the first in 28 years- that an ND player has scored two overtime goals in the same season, as then-junior winger Paul Regan scored overtime goals in 1971-72 versus Michigan Tech (6-5) and Cornell (5-4).

FEELING A DRAFT:
ND and Boston College both had four players selected in the ’97 NHL draft, most by any Division I school … the drafted players included a pair of forwards who graduated in 2000-Ben Simon (5th round, Chicago Blackhawks) and Joe Dusbabek (7th round, San Jose Sharks)-plus current seniors Jay Kopischke (8th round, L.A. Kings) and Ryan Clark (9th round, N.Y. Islanders) … four ND players have been selected in the first nine rounds of the same NHL draft just once previously, in ’75 … the 2000-01 ND hockey team includes five players that have been selected in the National Hockey League draft … in addition to Clark and Kopischke, ND’s drafted players include a pair of junior forwards who were selected in the 1999 NHL draft-David Inman (2nd round, New York Rangers) and Brett Henning (9th round, New York Islanders)-plus sophomore D Evan Nielsen (8th round, Atlanta Thrashers, 2000) … just two other teams in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association-Michigan (7) and Michigan State (6)-have more draft picks on their 2000-2001 rosters than Notre Dame.

Midwest Magic:
Notre Dame continues to reap the benefits of the rapidly-improving youth hockey programs in the lower Midwest (namely Illinois and Missouri), as one-third of the current roster includes players from Illinois (6) or Missouri (2) … four of those players also are products of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP): sophomore RW Michael Chin (Urbana, Ill.), sophomore C Connor Dunlop (St. Louis, Mo.) and first-year D Brett Lebda (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.) … sophomore D Evan Nielsen (Evanston, Ill.) was invited to join the NTDP but returned for his senior year at The Taft School … ND’s other Illinois natives include the team’s top two returning goaltenders-junior Jeremiah Kimento (Palos Hills) and Tony Zasowski (Darien)-plus senior RW Matt Van Arkel (Richton Park). … prior to 1995, the ND hockey program had produced just eight total letterwinners from Illinois and two from Missouri.

ROAD WARRIORS:
Despite a 5-9-6 road record in 1999-2000 (3-6-6 on opponent ice), ND finished 3-4-3 in its final 10 road games and has turned in its share of big road wins during the past few seasons … in fact, the Irish posted wins in 22 different road arenas during the first five seasons of the Dave Poulin era (20 in the past three seasons). … the ’97-’98 and ’98-’99 seasons saw the Irish post road wins over all 10 CCHA opponents, including a 4-2 CCHA playoff win at Michigan and wins over Ohio State at the OSU Ice Arena and the off-campus Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum (the Irish last season added a win over OSU at yet another Columbus venue, with the 2-1 OT win at Value City Arena) … ND also owns three road wins over Wisconsin during the Poulin era, at different sites: Milwaukee’s Bradley Center, the Dane County Coliseum and the Kohl Center … 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 and a pair of 2-2 ties last season at the Omaha Civic Auditorium and Northern Michigan’s Berry Events Center … finally, Notre Dame has posted recent neutral-site wins at the University of Minnesota (vs. Brown), the University of Denver (vs. Union) and the University of New Hampshire (vs. Vermont).

ROAD TRIP ANYONE?:
The Notre Dame hockey program again will travel plenty of miles during the 2000-01 season, as the Irish are slated to traverse the equivalent of nearly 17,000 miles in the upcoming season-after travelling nearly 18,000 in 1999-2000 (17,907, or close to three-quarters of the Earth’s diameter) … the longer trips of 2000-01 include the season-opening game versus Minnesota, a trip to Omaha for the Maverick Shootout (plus a later series with Nebraska Omaha), an upper-peninsula visit to Lake Superior, the RPI Christmas Tournament in Troy, N.Y., a pair of games versus Yale in New Haven, Conn., and a return journey to Fairbanks, Alaska (ND’s third trip to UAF in the last four seasons) … the 1999-2000 campaign likewise included trips to Omaha and Fairbanks, plus a pair of visits to tournaments in Denver, Colo., a Thanksgiving tournament at New Hampshire and an upper-peninsula visit to Northern Michigan … here’s a breakdown of the 2000-01 trips, based on average roundtrip land mileage: