March 21, 2007
Notre Dame, Ind. –
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NCAA Midwest Regional • Van Andel Arena • Grand Rapids, Michigan
• The Games: #1/#1 Notre Dame (31-6-3) vs. Alabama-Huntsville (13-19-3) #9/#9 Boston University (20-9-9) vs. #10/#10 Michigan State(22-13-3)
• Date/Site/Time: Friday, March 23, 2007 • 5:00 p.m./8:30 p.m.
• Broadcast Information: Radio: Notre Dame hockey can be heard live on ESPN Radio 1490 South Bend’s SportsCenter. Steve Penstone will call the action for the Irish.
• Internet: Irish hockey can be heard on the internet at the Notre Dame website – www.und.com. All Notre Dame home games and all CCHA games are available via gametracker.
• Television: Both games of the Midwest Regional will be televised by ESPNU with Ben Holden and Sean Ritchlin calling the action. Notre Dame’s game with Alabama-Huntsville can be seen on tape delay at 11:00 p.m. on ESPNU. Saturday’s game will be televised live at 8:30 p.m.
BACK IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish make their second NCAA tournament appearance ever and their first since 2004 when they hit the ice in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Friday, March 23 versus Alabama-Huntsville. Game two of the Midwest Regional will feature Boston University and Michigan State at 8:30 p.m. The regional championship game will be played on Saturday, March 24 at 8:30 p.m. with the winner advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Louis, Mo., April 5 and 7. Notre Dame comes into the regional ranked No. 1 in the nation for the seventh straight week and owns a 31-6-3 overall record. The second seed in the entire tournament, the Irish are the top seed in Grand Rapids, Mich. Notre Dame’s opponent, Alabama-Huntsville is 13-19-3 overall and is the fourth-seeded team in the regional. The Chargers represent College Hockey America (CHA). The number two seed this weekend is Boston University from Hockey East. The Terriers are ranked ninth in both polls coming into the NCAAs and are 20-9-9 on the year. Michigan State is no stranger to the Irish as they advance to Grand Rapids from the CCHA. The Spartans are ranked 10th in both polls and are the third seed this weekend with a 22-13-3 overall record.
NOTRE DAME NCAA HISTORY: Notre Dame’s history in the NCAA Tournament is brief. The Irish made their first and only visit until this weekend on March 27, 2004 when they were in the Grand Rapids Regional, facing two-time NCAA Champion, Minnesota. The Irish scored twice in the first period to build a 2-0 lead, but dropped a 5-2 decision to the Gophers to give Notre Dame an 0-1 record in NCAA Tournament play.
IRISH IN VAN ANDEL: The Irish have played three times at Van Andel Arena in their history and own an 0-3 record in Grand Rapids, Mich. Notre Dame played here on Nov. 24, 1998, dropping a 4-2 decision to Ferris State. On Oct. 24, 1999, the Irish again faced Ferris State in Grand Rapids and lost a second 4-2 decision. Then on March 27, 2004, Notre Dame paced Minnesota in a Midwest Regional game and lost a 5-2 game.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Irish advanced to the Midwest Regional after getting the automatic bid for winning the 2007 CCHA title on Saturday, March 17 with a 2-1 win over Michigan. The Irish were 4-0 in the CCHA playoffs. Alabama-Huntsville, received the CHA automatic bid after winning the CHA Tournament with wins over Wayne State, Niagara and Robert Morris in the championship game. Boston University received an at-large bid after falling to Boston College in the Hockey East semifinals last weekend in Boston and will be the second seed at Grand Rapids. The Terriers’ opponent, Michigan State joined Notre Dame in Detroit at Joe Louis Arena for the CCHA Championship. The Spartans, the region’s third-seeded team lost to Michigan, 5-2, in the semifinals and then defeated Lake Superior State, 7-6 in overtime. IRISH AND CHARGERS: Notre Dame and Alabama-Huntsville have met 16 times in the all-time series with the Chargers holding an 8-7-1 edge. The two teams have not met since Nov. 23-24, 1990 when the Irish swept a series in South Bend by 8-7 and 3-2 scores. The Irish have won the last two meetings in the series.
OH-FOR-TWO: Notre Dame and Boston University have met just twice in the all-time series between the two schools with the Terriers winning both games. On Dec. 29, 1970, Notre Dame dropped a 7-3 decision to the Terriers in the Boston Arena Christmas Tournament in Boston. The teams would next meet on Dec. 29, 1995 at the Bank One Badger Hockey Showdown, in Milwaukee, Wis., with the Terriers again winning, 7-3, in the championship game.
IRISH AND SPARTANS: Notre Dame and Michigan State have been getting together on the ice since the 1921-22 season and have met 96 times with the Spartans holding a 57-31-8 edge in the series. The two teams met twice this year in a home-and-home series with the Irish winning, 4-1, on Nov. 17 at the Joyce Center. Michigan State followed that by handing Notre Dame a 2-0 loss at Munn Arena on Nov. 18. That game was the only time this season that Notre Dame was held scoreless.
NCAA EXPERIENCE: Seven members of the Irish senior class were team members (Tom Sawatske transferred from Wisconsin after the 2004-05 season) when Notre Dame played Minnesota in the 2004 NCAA tournament. Six members of that class saw action in the game as goaltender David Brown (Stoney Creek, Ont.) served as Morgan Cey’s back up in goal. Noah Babin (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Wes O’Neill (Essex, Ont.) saw action on the blue line in the game. Current captain, T.J. Jindra (Faribault, Minn.) had six minutes in penalties and three shots on goal. Josh Sciba (Westland, Mich.) had four minutes in penalties, Michael Bartlett (Morton Grove, Ill.) had two penalty minutes and two shots on goal while Jason Paige (Saginaw, Mich.) had two shots in the game.
SOLID REPRESENTATION: The CCHA has sent four teams to this year’s NCAA tournament. Joining Notre Dame in the Midwest Regional is Michigan State. The Spartans are making their 25th appearance in the NCAA tournament. Michigan State was fourth in the league this season. Participating in the West Regional in Denver is the University of Michigan. The Wolverines are a two seed in Denver where they will open with North Dakota on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Michigan was second to the Irish in the regular season and the CCHA Tournament this year. The fourth CCHA team is Miami. The RedHawks, who lost in the first round of the CCHA tournament to Lake Superior, are a number-four seed in Manchester, N.H., where they will face New Hampshire in a 1:00 p.m. game on Saturday. The RedHawks were third in the CCHA this season.
CCHA CHAMPIONS: Notre Dame won its first ever CCHA Tournament championship in 17 years as a member of the conference on Saturday, March 17 when they defeated Michigan, 2-1, in the championship game. Notre Dame advanced to the title game by defeating Lake Superior State, 3-0 in the semifinal game. Notre Dame had participated in two previous CCHA finals. In 1981-82, the first year the Irish were in the CCHA, they defeated Bowling Green, 8-5, in the semifinals before losing to Michigan State, 4-1 in the finals. In 1999-2000, Notre Dame advanced to the semifinals only to have the season come to an end at the hands of Michigan State, 4-0, in the semis.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: Three members of the Notre Dame team were selected to the 2007 CCHA all-tournament team. Leading the way was goaltender David Brown who gave up one goal in two games for a 0.50 goals-against average and a .980 save percentage (48 of 49 saves) and a 2-0 record. Defenseman Wes O’Neill joined Brown on the team. He score the game winner in the 3-0 win against Lake Superior in the semifinals. Right wing Erik Condra (So., Livonia, Mich.) led Notre Dame in scoring with a goal and two assists for three points. Brown was then named the tournament’s most valuable player.
TWICE AS NICE: By winning the CCHA tournament, Jeff Jackson became the third coach in the conference’s history to win the tournament with two teams. Jackson won this year with Notre Dame and four times with Lake Superior (`91, `92,’93, `95). He joins Ron Mason who won three times with Bowling Green (`77,’78,’79) and 10 times with Michigan State. Rick Comley won twice with Northern Michigan (`80, `81) and once at Michigan State (2006).
ONLY THE SECOND: By guiding Notre Dame to its first-ever CCHA regular-season championship, Irish head coach Jeff Jackson became just the second coach in CCHA history to win titles with two different teams. Jackson won regular-season titles at Lake Superior State (1990-91, `94-’95) prior to this season’s title with Notre Dame. He joins Michigan State Athletics Director Ron Mason who won two league titles while coaching at Bowling Green (`77-’78 and `78-’79) and five while behind the bench at Michigan State (`88-’89, `89-’90, `97-’98, `98-’99 and 2000-01).
THE BEST OFFENSE: Notre Dame’s defensemen scored six of the teams’ 15 goals in the CCHA playoffs. Wes O’Neill had three goals while Brock Sheahan (Jr., Lethbridge, Alb.) scored a pair and Kyle Lawson (Fr., New Hudson, Mich.) had a single goal.
HOBEY BAKER CANDIDATE – David Brown: Notre Dame senior goaltender David Brown (Stoney Creek, Ont.) was one of 10 players selected as finalists for the Hobey Baker Award on March 15. Brown did his part in the CCHA Championship, showing the committee that he was deserving by giving up just one goal in the tournament on 49 shots, shutting out Lake Superior (3-0) and knocking off Michigan, 2-1. The senior was named to the CCHA all-tournament team and was the tournament’s most valuable player. Earlier in the weekend, Brown was named the CCHA player of the year and was a first team all-CCHA selection. In four CCHA playoff games, Brown was 4-0 with a 0.75 goals-against average and a .966 save percentage with one shutout. For the entire season, Brown is 29-6-3 with a 1.58 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage with six shutouts. He leads the CCHA and the nation in wins and goals-against average. His six shutouts are tops in the CCHA and tied for second nationally while his save percentage is tied for best in the CCHA and second in the nation. He is currently ranked second by CSTV.com’s Hobey Watch and second by Inside College Hockey.com’s Hobey Tracker.
PLAYOFF SUCCESS: Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson has had his share of success in the CCHA playoffs during his career. In eight seasons between Notre Dame and Lake Superior State, he is 28-4 (.875), including 24-2 in six years at Lake Superior State. The two losses came in CCHA tournament championship games as his team played for the title in all six seasons, winning four times. Jackson has now led his teams to the CCHA finals in seven of his eight seasons, winning CCHA tournament titles five times, four with Lake Superior and once with Notre Dame.
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST: Irish defenseman Wes O’Neill (Sr., Essex, Ont.) went 36 regular-season games without scoring a goal while racking up 17 assists. He finally got on the scoreboard versus Alaska (Mar. 9) with a first-period goal in the 7-1 win over the Nanooks. He added an assist for two points in that game. In game two of the series, O’Neill scored his second goal of the weekend and his first of the year on the power play. He ran his goal-scoring streak to three games with a first-period, game-winning, power-play goal in the 3-0 win over Lake Superior State in the semifinals. In 40 games this season, O’Neill has three goals and 18 assists for 21 points.
ON THE SIDELINES: Irish radio announcer Mike Lockert will be on the sidelines for the Midwest Regional due to eye surgery last week. Steve Penstone, the play-by-play announcer for Penn State hockey, will fill in for Lockert. He did four games earlier this season when Lockert was out with eye problems.
TAKING IT TO THE LIMIT: Notre Dame’s two-game sweep of Alaska marked the first time since 1981-82 that the Irish swept a playoff series. The Irish downed Michigan by 6-5 and 5-3 scores that season.
BY THE NUMBERS: The Irish have now won five straight games since their Feb. 23 loss to Ferris State. The five goals scored by Ferris were the most given up all season by Notre Dame. They are are now 12-1-2 in their last 15 games and since Dec. 2, have a 21-3-2 record. The 139 goals scored by the Irish this season are the most by a Notre Dame team since 1989-90 when that team scored 151 goals in 33 games.
CCHA AWARDS: Several Notre Dame players picked up honors at the CCHA’s annual award night on March 15. Leading the way was goaltender David Brown who was named the CCHA player of the year and was a first team all-CCHA selection. That makes him just the second Notre Dame player ever to take first team honors from the CCHA. Defenseman Benoit Cotnoir `99 was a first team choice in 1998-99. In all, the Irish have only had seven other players selected second team by the league’s coaches. Right wing Erik Condra and defenseman Noah Babin (Sr., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) received honorable mention honors and defenseman Kyle Lawson also received votes. Brown also was Notre Dame’s Perani Cup Three Star winner and the league’s top goaltender. Three Notre Dame freshmen were selected to the all-rookie team. Forwards Kevin Deeth (Gig Harbor, Wash.) and Ryan Thang (Edina, Minn.) were joined by Lawson among the conference’s top six freshmen. Off the ice, senior Jason Paige was Notre Dame’s scholar-athlete choice by the CCHA. Head coach Jeff Jackson became the first Notre Dame coach selected as the conference’s coach of the year. Defenseman Brock Sheahan is a finalist for defensive defenseman honors while Thang is a finalist for rookie of the year.
PLAYOFF SHUTOUT: David Brown’s 17-save, 3-0 shutout of Lake Superior State in the CCHA semifinals was the fourth by a Notre Dame goaltender in the program’s 39-year history. The first came in the 1973 WCHA playoffs when Mark Kronholm `74 had 26 saves in a 2-0 blanking of North Dakota. Morgan Cey `05 recorded back-to-back shutouts of Miami in the 2003 CCHA playoffs, making 37 and 32 saves in 1-0 and 5-0 wins to take the series, 2-1, over the RedHawks.
BIGGEST PLAYOFF WIN: Notre Dame’s game one win over Alaska, 7-1, was the biggest margin for Notre Dame in any playoff game in the school’s history. The Irish have scored eight goals twice in the past: March 6, 1973, an 8-3 win over North Dakota in the WCHA playoffs and on March 13, 1982, an 8-5 win over Bowling Green in the CCHA playoffs.
CRAFTY CONDRA: Sophomore right wing Erik Condra (Livonia, Mich.) recorded the third four-assist game of his career and the second of the season in the 7-1 win over Alaska in game one of the series on March 9. Condra had four assists on Jan. 5 in a 6-2 win at Robert Morris in a game that he scored once for a five-point night. He now leads the Irish in scoring with 14 goals and 33 assists for 47 points. That’s the most points by a Notre Dame player since Curtis Janicke `93 had 50 points in the 1990-91 season. His 33 assists are the most since Connor Dunlop `03 had 36 assists in the 2001-02 campaign. Condra is Notre Dame’s leading playoff scorer with a goal and seven assists for eight points.
MONEY SCORER: Senior center Jason Paige has scored two of the biggest goals in the history of the program. As a freshman in 2004, he scored the overtime game winner in game three of the first round series versus Western Michigan. The win sent the Irish to the CCHA Super Six and helped wrap up the first-ever NCAA tournament bid for the Irish. His game winning goal against Michigan when he fired the rebound of a Garrett Regan (So., Hastings, Minn.) shot over Billy Sauer for the 2-1 lead helped Notre Dame to its first CCHA tournament championship. The goal was the 11th of the year for Paige, giving him career highs in goals (11), assists (10) and points (21).
REGANOMICS: Garrett Regan continued his strong play this season as he helped set up Jason Paige’s game winner against Michigan in the CCHA finals. He had the first three-point game of his career in the 7-1 win over Alaska with two goals and one assist. The two-goal game was his team-best fourth of the season and his first goal of the game was his fourth game-winning goal of the year, tying him for second on the team. Regan now has career highs in goals (14), assists (12), points (26), power-play goals (4), short-handed goals (1) and game winners (4). He is fifth on the team in scoring overall and has two goals and three assists in four postseason games.
WIN RECORD: Notre Dame’s 31 wins this season are a school record. The previous record was 27 wins as the 1987-88 team was 27-4-2 playing as a Division I independent.
THE REAL THANG: Freshman right wing Ryan Thang continued his impressive rookie season in the CCHA tournament, getting three assists in the two Irish wins. He is now tied for the team lead in goals (18) and leads in power-play goals (9), game winners (5) and shots on goal (115). Thang’s 18 goals are most by an Irish freshman since Tom Mooney `85 had 19 in 1984-85. He ranks seventh all-time with 18 goals. Thang is second in the CCHA among freshmen goal scorers, trailing Western Michigan’s Mark Letestu who has 24. Fellow freshman Kevin Deeth, with 17 goals this season, is tied with Rob Globke `04 and Brian Walsh `74 for eighth with 17 goals.
Irish Freshman Goal Scoring Leaders Player Goals1. Dave Poulin (78-79) 282. Paul Regan (69-70) 273. Kevin Hoene (68-69) 24 John Noble (68-69) 245. Greg Meredith (76-77) 236. Tom Mooney (84-85) 197. Ryan Thang (06-07) 188. Brian Walsh (73-74) 17 Rob Globke (00-01) 17 Kevin Deeth (06-07) 17
FRESHMEN POINT PRODUCERS: Irish freshmen Ryan Thang and Kevin Deeth are tied for second on the team in scoring with 39 points each. Thang now has 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points and Deeth has 17 goals and 22 assists for his 39 points. The dynamic duo are rapidly climbing the charts on Notre Dame’s single-season freshman scoring list and are tied for 10th with Tom Mooney `88. They currently rank second among CCHA freshmen scorers and tied for 12th nationally.
Irish Freshman Point Scoring Leaders
Player Points1. John Noble (69-70) 24-35-59 Dave Poulin (78-79) 28-31-593. Paul Regan (69-70) 27-20-474. Kevin Hoene (68-69) 24-22-465. Greg Meredith (76-77) 23-22-45 David Bankoske (88-89) 11-34-457. Mike McNeill (84-85) 16-26-428. Ian Williams (70-71) 15-26-419. Jamie Ling (92-93) 14-26-4010. Tom Mooney (84-85) 19-20-39 Ryan Thang (06-07) 18-21-39 Kevin Deeth (06-07) 17-22-39
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU: Senior goaltender David Brown continues to be one of the leading contenders for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award for college hockey’s top player. He has been selected the CCHA player of the year, first team all-CCHA and was named to the all-tournament team and was the tournament MVP. He also is a finalist for Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. Brown owns single-season school records for wins (29), goals-against average (1.58), save percentage (.931) and shutouts (6). Overall, he has now appeared in 37 of Notre Dame’s 40 games and has a 1.58 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage to go with a 29-5-3 record. The Hobey Baker candidate is first among CCHA goaltenders in wins (29), goals-against average (1.58) and shutouts (6). He is tied for second in save percentage (.931) and second in minutes played (2,235:37). He ranks first nationally in wins, first in goals-against average, second in minutes played, third in shutouts and tied for third in save percentage. His .823 winning percentage is first in the CCHA and second nationally. Brown and the Irish defense are best in the nation, giving up just 1.65 goals-per-game (66 in 40 contests). The senior goaltender now has 54 career wins at Notre Dame to rank second on the all-time wins list. (record is 56). A three-time CCHA goaltender of the week (Oct. 23, Nov. 6 and Jan. 29), Brown was also the all-tournament goaltender at the Lightning College Hockey Classic. This season, Brown has taken over Notre Dame’s all-time top spot for career goals-against average (2.38), save percentage (.914) and shutouts (12). Brown’s 2,235:37 minutes this season is the most by any Irish goaltender in the program’s history.
HOME SWEET HOME: Notre Dame is 13-2-2 at home this season for an .824 winning percentage that is the best since the 2003-04 season when the Irish were 14-2-2 at the Joyce Center for an .833 winning percentage. Only two other Irish teams have had better home records – 1987-88 team was 18-2-0 (.900) and the 1969-70 team was 12-1-1 (.893).
PENALTY-KILLING SUPREME: Notre Dame’s penalty killers gave up just one power-play goal in four CCHA playoff games, stopping 20-of-21 (.952) opponent chances. The Irish have now killed 38-of-40 (.950) opponent power plays in the last nine games. Since Jan. 13, a span of 17 games, the Irish have given up just five power-play goals in 85 chances (94.4%). Notre Dame has the top-rated penalty killers in the CCHA and the nation, killing penalties at a 91.0% success rate in 2006-07.
SCORING IN BUNCHES: Through the first 40 games of the season, Notre Dame has scored two or more goals in a period a total of 36 times, including five goals in the opening period of the 7-1 win over Alaska on March 9. Twice this season, the Irish have scored five goals in a period (Dec. 3 vs. Alaska). The totals include 24 periods with two goals, nine periods with three goals, two periods with four goals and two with five lamplighters.
GAMES PLAYED LIST: Four Notre Dame seniors continue to climb on the all-time games played list as Jason Paige and Wes O’Neill have climbed into the top 10 with 152 games in their careers while Michael Bartlett (Sr., Morton Grove, Ill.) and T. J. Jindra (Sr., Faribault, Minn.) have played in 150 in their careers.
Irish Games Played List Player Games1. Dan Carlson (1997-01) 1582. Evan Nielsen (1999-03) 1563. Tim Wallace (2002-06) 153 Aaron Gill (2000-04) 1535. Wes O'Neill (2003-07) 152 Jason Paige (2003-07) 152 Brett Lebda (2000-04) 152 John Schmidt (1978-82) 1527. Cory McLean (2001-05) 1518. Jack Brownschidle (1973-77) 150 Michael Bartlett (2003-07) 150 T.J. Jindra (2003-07) 150
THE KID LINE: Notre Dame’s line of Ryan Thang, Kevin Deeth and Erik Condra (two freshmen and a sophomore) has been the team’s top scoring trio this season. The threesome has three goals and 15 assists for 18 points in four playoff games. Condra leads the way with a goal and seven assists for eight points while Deeth and Thang each have a goal and four assists for five points. For the season the trio now has 49 goals and 76 assists for 125 points. Included in the 49 goals are 19 power-play goals, three short-handed goals and 12 game winners. The three players are a combined +77. Condra and Deeth are second and third respectively while Thang is ninth in the CCHA +/- rankings.
MR. STEADY: Junior Mark Van Guilder continues to be Notre Dame’s steadiest player as he is tied for the team lead with 18 goals and is fourth with 34 points. He is second on the Irish with eight multiple-point games on the year. His 18 goals are a career high, surpassing his eight goals of a year ago. The Roseville, Minn., native now has his eyes set on Notre Dame’s “Iron Man” record of 153 consecutive games, set by Tim Wallace (2002-06) as he has now played in 114 consecutive games in his career.
MOVING TO THE TOP: Last season (2005-06), Notre Dame tied for eighth in the CCHA with an 11-13-4 record for 26 points. Only one other CCHA team has made a bigger jump in a season to first place in the conference’s history over one season. In 2001-02, Ferris State finished in ninth place in the conference with 25 points. The following season (2002-03), the Bulldogs finished first with 45 points, going from ninth to first in one season.
WORST TO FIRST: Just two seasons ago, Notre Dame was 5-27-6 overall and finished last in the CCHA with a 3-20-5 record. In the CCHA’s 35-year history, no team has ever gone from worst-to-first in one season. There have been three teams go from worst to first in a two-season span. They are:
1975-76 Bowling Green – Falcons finished last in 1973-74 in a three team conference and finished first in ’75-’76 in a five-team league.
1992-93 Miami – RedHawks were last in 1990-91 with nine points in a nine-team conference. They finished first in 1992-93 with 49 points in a 12-team conference for a 40-point improvement over two seasons.
2006-07 Notre Dame – Irish were last in 2004-05 with 11 points in a 12-team conference. This season, the Irish take first place with 43 points (with two games remaining) for a 32-point improvement over two seasons.
JOYCE CENTER SELLOUTS: Notre Dame closed out its’ home schedule on March 10 with the eighth consecutive sellout crowd and 10th in the last 11 games going back to Dec. 10. On the year, the Irish had 11 sellouts in 17 home games and for the year averaged 2,478 per game. Standing room capacity at the Joyce Center is 2,763.
ALL TIED UP: Notre Dame’s 3-2 overtime win at Alaska on Feb. 17 was the second overtime win for the Irish this season and they are now 2-1-3 in the extra session. The two wins mark the first time the Irish have won two overtime games since the 2001-02 season when they were 2-1-5. Notre Dame has never won more than two games in overtime in a season. The 2-2 tie with Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 10 was the fifth overtime game for the Irish this season. On Jan. 27, the Irish battled back from a 2-0 deficit to tie Miami, 2-2. On Jan. 12, at Lake Superior, the Irish took a 4-3 overtime win that was the first for the Irish since Dec. 10, 2004 when the Irish defeated Michigan State, 3-2, at the Joyce Center. The last time that the Irish won an overtime game on the road was March 9, 2002, a 2-1 win at Nebraska-Omaha in the CCHA playoffs. In 58 overtime games since the start of the 1999-2000 season, the Irish are 9-7-42 in overtime.