Oct. 3, 2010
Notre Dame, Ind. –
Complete Release in PDF Format
– The Games: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-0) vs. University of Guelph Gryphons (3-2-0)
– Date/Site/Time: Sunday, October 3, 2010 – Joyce Center (2,713) – 5:05 p.m.
– Broadcast Information: Radio: Notre Dame hockey can be heard live on Cat Country 99.9 FM, starting with the pre-game show 20 minutes before the opening faceoff. Darin Pritchett will call the action for the Irish.
– Internet: Audio: Notre Dame’s preseason gave with the University of Guelph will be have live audio streaming available free of charge on the Notre Dame website – und.com.
A NEW SEASON IS UPON US: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish open the 2010-11 season on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 5:05 p.m., with an exhibition game versus the University of Guelph Gryphons at the Joyce Center. This is the the 43rd season of the modern era of Notre Dame hockey and is the final full season for the Irish in the Joyce Center. During the previous 42 campaigns, the Irish own a record of 360-285-57 on home ice. In the modern era, the Irish are 664-734-118 overall as a Division I program.
WHERE IS GUELPH: Pronounced Gwelf, the University of Guelph is in Guelph, Ontario, located 28 kilometers (17 miles) east of Kitchener-Waterloo and 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of downtown Toronto, Ont. The University of Guelph hockey team plays in the Western Division of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and has played five exhibition games to date and are 3-2-0 in the those games. The Gryphons have won twice versus Brock University, 3-0 and 5-1, and 5-1 over Wilfrid Laurier in winning the Steel Blade Tournament in St. Catharine’s, Ont., Sept. 16-19. Last weekend, they dropped two games at Fredericton, N.B., to the University of New Brunswick, 4-2 and 6-5 in overtime. During the 2009-10 season, Guelph finished fifth in the West Division of the OUA with a 14-10-0 record and were led in scoring by forwards Thomas Kiriakou (14-18-32), Ed Gale (8-19-27) and Kris Belan (16-10-26). Scott VonBommel was the Gryphons’ top goaltender with a 9-4-3 record to go with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage. The University of Guelph opens the regular season at home on Thur., Oct. 7 with a home game versus the Western Mustangs.
IRISH VERSUS GRYPHONS: Notre Dame has met the University of Guelph once before on Oct. 13, 1995 at the Joyce Center in an exhibition game. The Gryphons won that contest in overtime, 2-1. The lone Irish goal was scored by Jamie Ling `96, a short-handed tally.
NEXT FOR THE IRISH: Notre Dame opens the 2010-11 season on Friday, Oct. 8 at the Warrior College Hockey Icebreaker Tournament in St. Louis, Mo., at the Scottrade Center, home of the NHLs St. Louis Blues. The Irish will face the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders in the opening game at 5:30 p.m. (CT). The second game features Wisconsin vs. Boston University at 8:30 p.m. (CT). After an off day on Saturday, the teams will play the third-place and championship games at noon (CT) and 3:00 p.m. (CT) respectively.
CAN’T TELL THE PLAYERS WITHOUT A SCORECARD: The Notre Dame hockey team that takes the ice this evening will be much different than last season’s 13-17-8 team as 13 players from that team are gone and 12 freshmen will take their place. Seven players – seniors Brett Blatchford, Kevin Deeth, Dan Kissel, Kyle Lawson, Christiaan Minella, Tom O’Brien and Ryan Thang – have graduated. Three players – defensemen Ian Cole and Teddy Ruth along with forward Kyle Palmieri – signed with the NHL teams that drafted them. Cole (St. Louis) and Ruth (Columbus) left after their junior seasons while Palmieri (Anaheim) left after his freshman year. Three are no longer with the team. Junior goaltender Brad Phillips is currently with the Rio Grande Killer Bees of the Central Hockey League. Sophomore left wing Kyle Murphy returned to junior hockey for more playing time and is with the Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). The third player, defenseman Eric Ringel has retired from hockey after a concussion and the concussion symptoms that occurred last season. He was not cleared to play by doctors and will serve as an undergraduate student assistant coach. The 12 freshmen include two goaltenders, four defensemen and six forwards.
HOME OPENER: The Irish will open the home schedule on Thursday, Oct. 14 when they play host to the Lake Superior State Lakers in a 7:35 p.m. game. That game opens CCHA play for both teams and they will again meet on Friday, Oct. 15 in game two of the series in another 7:35 p.m. game.
BEST OFâ⒬ˆTHEâ⒬ˆBEST: Over the past four seasons, the Notre Dame hockey program ranks among the top five programs in the country. Since the start of the 2006-07 season, the Irish have won 103 games and have a .671 winning percentage. The Irish are third in that time period in wins, trailing Michigan (114) and Miamiâ⒬ˆ(109). Notre Dame’s .675 winning percentage is also third behind Miami (.695) and Michigan (.688). Here are the top five teams by wins and winning percentage since 2006-07.
WINS WINNINGââ'¬Ë†.PCTMichigan 114 Miami (.695)Miami 109 Michigan (.688)Notre Dame 103 Notre Dame (.671)Boston College 101 Boston College (.664)North Dakota 101 RIT (.643)
CAPTAINS: Four members of the Irish senior class will serve as captains for the 2010-11 season. Defenseman Joe Lavin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) will wear the “C” for Jeff Jackson’s squad this year. His three assistant captains will be Calle Ridderwall (Stockholm, Sweden), Ben Ryan (Brighton, Mich.) and Ryan Guentzel (Woodbury, Minn.). For all four players, this is their first time as captains at Notreâ⒬ˆDame.
EXTRA HOCKEY: During the `09-’10 season, the Irish were involved in nine overtime contests, finishing 1-0-8 in those games. The eight ties equaled a Notre Dame record set during the 1999-2000 season. All eight ties in `09-’10 went to a shootout where the Irish were 3-5 in those games. The lone overtime win came on Nov. 27, 2009 versus Bowling Green (2-1) and was the first for the Irish since Feb. 20, 2009 at Nebraska-Omaha, a 4-3 win. Notre Dame is now 3-0-11 in overtime since its last overtime loss, a 2-1 decision to Miami on March 21, 2008, in the CCHA semifinal game.
FAMILY GUYS: Three members of the Notre Dame hockey team – sophomore forwards Kevin Nugent (New Canaan, Conn.) and Riley Sheahan (St. Catharine’s, Ont.) and freshman goaltender Joe Rogers (Marysville, Mich.) – have family ties to the Irish hockey program. Nugent’s father, Kevin Nugent, Sr. `78 was a member of the Notre Dame hockey team from 1974-78. During his career he played in 131 games, scoring 54 goals with 75 assists for 129 career points. His son becomes the second Irish player to follow his father to Notre Dame. He joins Rory Walsh `06 who followed his father, Brian Walsh `77 who was a teammate of Nugent, Sr. Sheahan is a second cousin of former Irish defenseman Brock Sheahan `08 who played for the Irish from 2004-08. Rogers is a cousin of former Notre Dame defenseman Tony Bonadio `83 is a Port Huron, Mich., native. Bonadio played in 79 games between 1980-83, scoring one goal with nine assists for 10 points.
FULLâ⒬ˆHOUSE: Notre Dame hockey games were a tough ticket during the 2009-10 season as the Irish had 14 sellouts in 18 home dates and averaged 2,765 fans per game. Since Dec. 13, 2008, the Irish have recorded sellouts in 23 of their last 27 home games. A sellout at the Joyce Center is 2,713 with 2,857 capacity with standing room. Twice during the season, Jan. 15 vs. Michigan State and Jan. 29 against Nebraska-Omaha, 3,007 fans jammed into the Joyce Center. Prior to that number, the largest crowd to see an Irish hockey game was 3,310 on March of 1995 when Notre Dame play Illinois-Chicago. The following season, new seating was installed and capacity was reconfigured.
HOMETOWNS: The 2010-11 Notre Dame hockey team features players from 11 states, two Canadian provinces and Sweden. Over the past 15 seasons, the Irish have had monogram winners from 26 different states and provinces – those listed below, plus: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, Alberta, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan. Junior Calle Ridderwall (Stockholm) is the first Notre Dame hockey player from Sweden.
2009-10 NOTRE DAME HOCKEY - BY STATE, COUNTRY OR PROVINCE:Michigan (4): Ben Ryan, Joe Rogers, Bryan Rust, Mike VoranIllinois (4): Billy Maday, Sam Calabrese, Kevin Lind, T.J. TynanMinnesota (4): Ryan Guentzel, Brian Brooke, Nick Larson, Anders LeeWisconsin (3): Nick Condon, Mike Johnson, Jeff CostelloOntario (2): Richard Ryan, Riley SheahanPennsylvania (2): Patrick Gaul, Stephen JohnsAlaska (1): Steven SummerhaysBritish Columbia (1): Shayne TakerColorado (1): Sean LorenzConnecticut (1): Kevin NugentIndiana (1): Jared BeersIowa (1): David GerthsMassachusetts (1): Joe LavinSweden (1): Calle Ridderwall
NHL DRAFTEES: The Irish have 10 players on the 2010-11 roster who have been selected in the National Hockey League’s Entry Draft. Leading the way is sophomore Riley Sheahan (St. Catharine’s, Ont.) who became Notre Dame’s third-ever, first-round pick last June when he was chosen 21st overall by the Detroit Red Wings. He joins former defenseman Ian Cole (2007 – St. Louis) who was selected 18th overall and former right wing Kyle Palmieri (2009 – Anaheim), the 26th pick overall. Sheahan was followed by freshman defenseman Stephen Johns (Wampum, Pa.), who went in the second round, 60th overall to the Chicago Black Hawks. One round later in the third round, with the 80th overall pick, freshman forward Bryan Rust (Novi, Mich.) was chosen by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Notre Dame’s final player selected in 2010 was defenseman Kevin Lind (Homer Glen, Ill.), who was picked in the sixth round, 177th overall by the Anaheim Ducks. Two other Irish freshman were selected in the 2009 draft. Left wing Jeff Costello (Milwaukee, Wis.) was chosen by the Ottawa Senators in the fifth round, 146th overall and six picks later, center Anders Lee (Edina, Minn.) was a New York Islanders’ choice in the sixth round, 152nd overall. The new group of draftees join sophomore left wing Nick Larson (Apple Valley, Minn.), a 2008 selection of the Calgary Flames in the fourth round, 108th overall; junior defenseman Sean Lorenz (Littleton, Colo.), a member of the 2008 draft class, by the Minnesota Wild in the fourth round, 115th overall and seniors Ben Ryan (Brighton, Mich.) and Joe Lavin (Shrewsbury, Mass.). Ryan was picked in the 2007 entry draft by Nashville in the fourth round with the 114th pick and Lavin was a Chicago Black Hawks choice in the fifth round, 126th overall.
PLAYING GAMES: Graduated center Kevin Deeth `10 finished his Notre Dame career as the program’s all-time leader in games played with 164 career games. That moved him ahead of Mark Van Guilder `08, who played in 163 consecutive games in his career. Two of Deeth’s classmates also finished their careers in the top 10 for games played. Kyle Lawson `10 tied for third all-time with Brock Sheahan `08, as both players played in 161 career games. Ryan Thang `10 tied for fifth with Erik Condra `09 as both played in 159 career games.
THEâ⒬ˆSWEDISHâ⒬ˆSNIPER: Senior left wing Calle Ridderwall has been Notre Dame’s top goal scorer over the last two seasons, scoring 17 and 19 goals respectively for a total of 36. Of his 36 goals, 22 have come on the power play. In `09-’10, Ridderwall’s 19 goals tied him for fourth in the CCHA and his 11 power-play tallies led the conference. In `08-’09, the Stockholm, Sweden native’s 17 goals tied him for fifth in the league and his 11 power-play goals tied him for second. His 22 career power-play goals tie him for 10th on Notre Dame’s all-time power play list.
NEW HOME FOR THE IRISH: Construction on Notre Dame’s new, on-campus ice facility – The Compton Family Center – began in March of 2010 and is on pace to be finished for the Notre Dame hockey team to begin play there during the 2011-12 campaign. On Sept. 11, 2010, a project blessing ceremony for the $50-million facility was held with many of the key benefactors in attendance. At the ceremony, Notre Dame director of athletics, Jack Swarbrick, announced that the building would be named the Compton Family Center in honor of the generous donation from Kevin and Gayla Compton and their family. The Comptons are part of the ownership group of the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks. Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s President began the ceremony with a blessing of the site and offering of a prayer for the safety of those working on the project. Irish head coach Jeff Jackson followed by talking about the original plans and how those plans changed to become the Compton Family Center. “When I first came here, we were talking about a renovation in the Joyce Center,” said Jackson, now in his sixth season behind the Notre Dame bench. “With Jack’s (Swarbrick) foresight and Tom [Nevala] and everyone involved in pushing for this to happen, waiting an additional year to have a new facility is something that is going to have a tremendous impact on the future of our program, and we’re very proud of that.” Jackson also thanked the benefactors in attendance for their generosity towards the project. Notre Dame’s head coach was followed by Irish junior Billy Maday (Burr Ridge, Ill.) who spoke for his teammates to the benefactors in attendance. Swarbrick spoke last at the ceremony, and touched upon how important the Compton Family Center will be for the Michiana community. “There’s a limit to how much the community can use our dormitories and our classrooms and our laboratories, but the athletic facilities can be a special point of contact,” Swarbrick said. “I hope we win national championships with teams that train here and I hope we build new programs for our athletes and our students. But the ultimate success of this facility will be if we inspire a young boy or a young girl from the community to shoot higher, if we challenge them to be better people because they spend time on our campus. Then we’ve realized the potential of athletics at Notre Dame.” The original announcement for the new building was made on Feb. 12, 2009 by Notre Dame executive vice-president John Affleck-Graves and Swarbrick after the University’s Board of Trustees approved the plan. The Compton Family Center will house both the Charles “Lefty” Smith rink, within the new 5,000-person capacity, home of the Irish hockey team and a second sheet of ice (Olympic-sized) with limited seating availability. The majority of the general public arena seating will be of the chair-back variety. The Compton Family Center also will include offices for the Notre Dame coaching staff, a state-of-the art locker room suite that includes both wet and dry locker rooms, meeting rooms, a sports medicine area that includes hot and cold hydrotherapy, cardio and weight rooms, a players’ lounge, equipment areas, video operations and a multi-purpose room that will be the location for weekly team Mass and serve as a study lounge and dining area. The arena also will feature a balcony level with a 200-seat, Irish pub-themed club, multiple concession areas on both levels, spacious restrooms and a merchandise shop. The Compton Family Center also will serve the Notre Dame and South Bend community as a place for the Irish Youth Hockey League (IYHL) and local figure skating groups to flourish. On campus it will become the home of club and interhall hockey, the figure skating club and intramural broomball, curling and physical education classes. Multiple locker rooms also will be available for campus and community use of the facility. Design and construction of the Compton Family Center are under the auspices of the Southfield, Mich., office of Barton Malow, a national design and construction services firm and their project partner Rossetti Architects, also of Southfield, Mich.
LEFTY’S RINK: When Notre Dame’s new ice hockey arena is built the new ice hockey rink will be named the Charles W. “Lefty” Smith, Jr., Rink, in honor of the first coach in the program’s history, Charles “Lefty” Smith. The announcement was made in April of 2008 at the team’s annual awards banquet. The plans for naming the new ice surface in honor of Smith were made possible by the generosity of the John and Mary Jo Boler family of Inverness, Ill., and Sanibel Island, Fla., their daughter Jill Boler McCormack `84 and her husband, Dan; and their son Matthew Boler `88 and his wife, Christine. They were joined by the family of Frank `57 and Mary Beth O’Brien of Albany, N.Y., who have six children who all graduated from Notre Dame. Their late son, Frankie, played both lacrosse and hockey for the Irish from 1984-88. Smith came to Notre Dame in 1968 to start the varsity hockey program and coached the Irish for 19 years, retiring in 1987 with 307 career victories. Under his tutelage, Notre Dame produced six All-Americans but most importantly, all 126 student-athletes who played for him completed their collegiate eligibility and earned college degrees. Smith, who continues to work as the director of the Loftus Sports Center on campus, served two years as the president of the American Hockey Coaches Association. He was inducted into the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1992. He played an integral in bringing the International Special Olympics to Notre Dame in 1987. Married for 57 years, Lefty, who lost his wife, Mickey on Nov. 9, 2009, is the father of seven living children, 16 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.