Senior Peter Christman not only leads the Irish midfield unit, he also is one of the top students on the team.

Irish To Begin Five-Game Road Trip At Penn State On Sunday

Feb. 23, 2007

#11 Notre Dame at Penn State
Sunday, Feb. 25 • 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Holuba Hall • State College, Pa.

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The No. 11 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team will take to the road for a matchup with Penn State on Sunday, Feb. 25 in Holuba Hall in State College, Pa. Game time between the Fighting Irish and Nittany Lions is slated for 1:00 p.m. (ET). The Irish are coming off a 9-7 victory over No. 13 Loyola in the season opener last Saturday. Penn State suffered a 10-5 setback against Denver in its first game of the season on Saturday. This will be the first of five straight road contests for Notre Dame.

ND-PENN STATE SERIES NOTES: Sunday will be the 14th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Penn State, with the Fighting Irish holding a 9-4 advantage in the previous 13 contests … this encounter will mark just the second time that the two teams will meet without it being a season opener … the previous time was back in 1989, which was the first-ever meeting between the two schools, a 9-1 Penn State victory … the Irish have won the past four contests in the series, including last season’s 8-4 victory inside the Loftus Sports Center … that is the longest winning streak for either team in the history of the series … Notre Dame is 4-3 all-time at Penn State … the Irish won 14-6 during their last trip to State College, Pa.

ABOUT THE IRISH: Notre Dame is 1-0 and coming off a 9-7 victory over No. 13 Loyola on Saturday (Feb. 17) … fifth-year senior attackman Brian Hubschmann led the Irish with four points on three goals and one assist against the Greyhounds … senior Lucius Polk (2G, 1A), sophomore Ryan Hoff (2G, 1A) and freshman Will Yeatman (1G, 2A) all had three-point efforts in the Irish victory … junior goaltender Joey Kemp made nine saves, while holding Loyola scoreless over the final 22:56 of the contest … he was named the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) Player of the Week for his effort against the Greyhounds … the Fighting Irish return six starters and 16 letterwinners from last year’s team that posted a 10-5 record and earned a berth to the NCAA tournament … Kemp earned honorable mention All-America honors from the USILA last season … he ranked in the top-12 nationally in both save percentage and goals-against average … Kemp also is a preseason honorable mention All-America selection by Inside Lacrosse along with Hubschmann … Hubschmann led the team with 31 goals last season and tied for team-high honors in points with 50 … the Irish are currently 11th in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll and 12th according to Lacrosse Magazine … Kevin Corrigan is in his 19th season as the head coach of Notre Dame … Corrigan has an overall record of 157-88 (.641) with the Fighting Irish.

ABOUT PENN STATE: The Nittany Lions are 0-1 and coming off a 10-5 loss to Denver on Saturday (Feb. 17) in State College, Pa. … midfielder Chris Hogan netted two goals for Penn State, while Max VanArsdale, Gil Pearsall and Bubba Scott all chipped in one goal apiece … goaltender Drew Adams stopped seven Pioneer shots, while allowing 10 goals … the Nittany Lions return seven starters and 25 letterwinners from a team that went 8-5 last season, including a 5-2 mark in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) … Adams, a sophomore, and senior midfielder Patrick Heim were both USILA honorable mention All-America selections last year … Heim is the team’s leading returning scorer from one season ago as he posted 22 points on 17 goals and five assists … Glenn Thiel is in his 30th season at the helm of the Penn State program … he owns a 213-156 (.577) record with the Nittany Lions.

THE LAST TIME: Notre Dame topped Penn State 8-4 in 2006 … the contest, which was held inside Notre Dame’s Loftus Sports Center, was the season opener for both teams … Ryan Hoff and Peter Christman both notched two goals for the Irish in their collegiate debuts … Joey Kemp made 13 saves, while only allowing four goals in the victory … midfielder Michael Podgajny registered three points on one goal and two assists, while Brian Hubschmann also collected a pair of assists … Penn State’s Nate Whitaker recorded a hat trick in the loss.

RECAPPING LOYOLA: A four-point day from senior attackman Brian Hubschmann propelled No. 11 Notre Dame past No. 13 Loyola (Md.), 9-7, in the season opener for both squads on Saturday (Feb. 17) in front of 1,017 fans inside the Loftus Sports Center. Hubschmann notched his eighth career hat trick and dished out an assist as the Irish won their fifth straight season-opener. Notre Dame trailed 7-5 with 7:56 remaining in the third quarter before running off four straight goals to take the lead and hold on for the victory. Michael Podgajny began the surge with a tally off a feed from senior Lucius Polk with 4:43 left in the third period. Hubschmann then knotted the game less than a minute later with his third goal of the afternoon. Two goals from sophomore Ryan Hoff in the fourth quarter would put the game away for Notre Dame. His first tally, which was one of three man-up goals for the Irish on the day, came off a Will Yeatman feed with 8:03 left. The second score came with 5:55 remaining as Hubschmann sent a pass ahead to Hoff and the attackman scooped up the ball and scored to put the Fighting Irish on top 9-7. Goaltender Joey Kemp had a big day for the Fighting Irish as he made nine saves and held the Greyhounds scoreless over the final 22:56 of the contest. Yeatman put the Irish on the board early as he notched an unassisted goal just 28 seconds into the game. The freshman attackman collected three points during his collegiate debut on one goal and two assists. Hoff and Polk also notched three points apiece for Notre Dame. Loyola used a 3-0 spurt to gain a two-goal advantage by the early stages of the second quarter. Greg Leonard scored with 2:50 left in the first period and Patrick Kennedy made it 2-1 in favor of the Greyhounds with just six seconds left in the opening stanza. Leonard recorded another goal with 13:11 left in the second period. Hubschmann put a halt to the streak with an unassisted tally at the 11:14 mark. Polk then took a feed from Yeatman and deposited it to tie the game at three with 7:35 remaining before halftime. Dan Bauers put Loyola back on top, 4-3, before Hubschmann and Polk struck again to give the Irish a 5-4 advantage with 3:25 left in the second period. A goal from Kennedy with 35 seconds left in the half would make it a 5-5 contest at the intermission. The Greyhounds struck first in the second half with goals from Shane Koppens and Bauers to make it a 7-5 game with 7:56 left in the third quarter. That would be the last score for Loyola as the Irish defense held tight. Loyola had a 39-37 advantage in shots, while both teams made nine saves. Notre Dame was 3-for-6 in man-up opportunities and the Greyhounds were 1-for-5.

KEMP NAMED GWLL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Joey Kemp was named the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) Player of the Week for Feb. 12-18 … the junior goaltender helped Notre Dame capture a 9-7 season-opening victory over No. 13 Loyola on Saturday (Feb. 17) by making nine saves and holding the Greyhounds scoreless over the final 22:56 of the contest, while the Irish went on a 4-0 run to seal the victory … this was Kemp’s first-ever GWLL Player of the Week honor.

SCORELESS STRETCH: Junior goaltender Joey Kemp held Loyola without a goal over the final 22:56 of the 9-7 Irish victory on Saturday (Feb. 17) … that marks his longest scoreless stretch in a game since holding Bellarmine without a goal in the second half during last season’s 8-2 win over the Knights on March 18 … his career-long scoreless stretch is 36:23, which occurred last season during the Bellarmine and Hofstra contests.

HAT TRICK FOR HUBSCHMANN: Brian Hubschmann recorded his eighth-career hat trick with a three-goal effort against Loyola … the fifth-year senior has 18 multiple-goal games during his Fighting Irish career.

PUTTING UP POINTS: Brian Hubschmann has recorded at least three points in the last six games dating back to last season … that is the longest such streak of his career.

OPENING ACT: Freshman Will Yeatman had a fine collegiate debut as he notched three points in a 9-7 victory over Loyola on Saturday (Feb. 17) … the attackman put the Irish on the board with a goal just 28 seconds into the contest … he also added two assists in the winning effort.

HOME SWEET HOME: Notre Dame has won its past eight home contests … the streak stems back to the 2005 season, a 14-13 overtime win over Air Force (4-10-05) … the Irish went a perfect 6-0 at home during the 2006 campaign … the Irish are 1-0 at home so far this season … two of the games during the streak have been played in the Loftus Sports Center, while the other six have taken place outside at Moose Krause Stadium … Notre Dame owns an overall home record of 110-35 (.759) during the 26-plus years of varsity lacrosse at the University.

IRISH IN SEASON OPENERS: With the win over Loyola, Notre Dame is 20-7 all-time in season openers, including a 14-5 mark in the Kevin Corrigan era … the Irish have won the last five lid-lifters … the Irish last dropped a season opener in 2002, a 10-9 overtime setback at home against No. 16 Penn State … including this year, the Fighting Irish have opened their slate against a ranked opponent for 14 consecutive seasons, with 12 of those contests coming against Penn State … the Irish’s current streak of wins in season openers matches the program’s longest such stretch, which occurred from 1990-94.

IRISH EARN PRESEASON HONORS: Senior attackman Brian Hubschmann and junior goaltender Joey Kemp were selected as preseason honorable mention All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse/Faceoff Yearbook … Hubschmann was the team’s co-leading scorer last season with 50 points on a team-high 31 goals and 19 assists … Kemp was a USILA honorable mention All-America selection in 2006 … he started all 15 games, posting a 7.54 goals-against average and a .596 save percentage … he ranked eighth nationally in save percentage and 12th in goals-against average … Kemp was joined on the Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-GWLL Team by his classmates Taylor Clagett (M/FO) and Ross Zimmerman (D).

HUBSCHMANN AND KEMP NAMED TO TEWAARATON TROPHY WATCH LIST: Brian Hubschmann (Sr., A) and Joey Kemp (Jr., G) have been named to the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy Preseason Watch List … the award is presented annually to the nation’s top player … the athletes on the list are considered early season indicators of who to watch as the 2007 lacrosse season begins … the list of 51 players will be voted upon by coaches and narrowed as the season progresses, ultimately reaching a final list of five who constitute the award’s finalists.

NOTRE DAME IN THE POLLS: Notre Dame was ranked 16th in the Inside Lacrosse/Face-Off Yearbook … the Irish are currently ranked 11th in the latest Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll … the Irish are 12th in the Lacrosse Magazine preseason poll and 17th in the USILA preseason rankings.

QUALITY COMPETITION: The Fighting Irish have five teams that appear in the latest Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll on the 2007 regular season schedule … Notre Dame defeated then-No. 13 Loyola 9-7 in the season opener on Feb. 17 … the Greyhounds are now ranked 16th … the Irish will have three straight road tilts against ranked foes beginning with No. 7 Cornell (March 3) … Notre Dame then faces No. 14 North Carolina (March 10) and No. 17 Drexel (March 13) … the Cornell contest will take place at Hewlett High School in Hewlett, N.Y. … the Irish also will host No. 12 Denver in a GWLL showdown on April 15.

HUBSCHMANN, LIVA AND KEMP NAMED `07 IRISH CAPTAINS: Seniors Brian Hubschmann and Bill Liva along with junior Joey Kemp have been named captains for the 2007 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team … Hubschmann, an attackman, is in his fifth season with the Irish after missing all of his junior campaign with a knee injury … he led the team in goals last season with 31 and tied for the team lead in points with 50 … Liva has been a fixture in the Irish lineup during his first three seasons … he has played in 32 games, totaling 20 points on 12 goals and eight assists … Kemp has emerged as one of the top goaltenders in the nation throughout his first two seasons, ranking in the top-10 nationally in save percentage both years … he also was an honorable mention All-American in 2006.

COACHING CHANGES: The freshmen will not be the only new faces on the Irish this season … head coach Kevin Corrigan has brought in two new assistant coaches, Gerry Byrne and Brian Fisher, to replace Kevin Anderson and Dave Cornell … Anderson stepped away from coaching, while Cornell took the head coaching job at Connecticut College … Byrne will not be a new face to everyone at Notre Dame since he served as an assistant under Corrigan from 1989-91 … most recently he held the head coaching position at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. … Fisher comes to Notre Dame from Rutgers, where he had a stellar four-year career from 1998-2001 followed by a five-year coaching stint with the Scarlet Knights.

DOUBLE DUTY: Freshman attackman Will Yeatman spent this past fall playing tight end for the Fighting Irish football team … Yeatman played in 12 of Notre Dame’s 13 games on the gridiron … the San Diego native was a prep All-American in lacrosse at Rancho Bernardo High School and he will look to be a major contributor for the Irish this spring.

BACK TO THE DANCE: Notre Dame returned to the NCAA tournament in 2006 for the first time since the 2001 season … the Fighting Irish posted a 10-5 record last season, including a 3-2 mark in the GWLL, which placed them second behind conference champion Denver.

IRISH DEFENSE: Notre Dame boasted the nation’s 11th-best scoring defense in 2006 by allowing just 7.67 goals per game … several key components to the Irish defense are back this season, including goaltender Joey Kemp and defensemen Joey Rallo, Ross Zimmerman and Regis McDermott along with defensive midfielders Brannon Halvorsen and Sean Dougherty … the Irish also ranked third in man-down defense by allowing just seven goals in 33 chances (.788).

SAVING THE DAY: Notre Dame junior goaltender Joey Kemp has had a huge impact on the Irish during his first two campaigns … as a freshman, he started nine games, posting a 5-2 record and led the nation with a .652 save percentage en route to being tabbed the Great Western Lacrosse League Rookie of the Year … he followed that up with another stellar season in 2006 … he ranked eighth nationally with a .596 save percentage and 12th with a 7.54 goals-against average … he earned USILA Honorable Mention All-America honors along with being a first-team all-GWLL selection.

FACING OFF: Junior midfielder and faceoff specialist Taylor Clagett has been a valuable asset for the Irish during his first two seasons in an Irish uniform … he won 126 of 205 faceoff attempts last season … his .615 winning percentage would have ranked him sixth nationally, however he missed four games due to injury and could not qualify among NCAA statistical leaders in that category … he has a .608 (267-439) career winning percentage.

FOLLOW ALL ND HOME GAMES ONLINE: All six of Notre Dame’s true home games will feature livestats available through und.com, the official web site of all 26 varsity athletic programs at the University … simply go to the men’s lacrosse page and click on `Schedule’ at the top of the page and find the game that is being played that day and click on `Gametracker’ to follow the game for free.

SIGN UP FOR IRISH ALERT TEXT MESSAGE SERVICE: Go to und.com to sign up for Irish ALERT, a text messaging service designed to give fans up-to-the-minute game updates for all 26 varsity sports at Notre Dame.

KEEPING UP WITH ND MEN’S LACROSSE: For results of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse games, call the Notre Dame Sports Hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #5 and #1 … the hotline provides schedules and result information for all 26 varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the match recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletic website, www.und.com … in addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting assistant sports information director Sean Carroll at Carroll.64@nd.edu … all requests for story ideas, interview access, match credentials, and further information on Irish men’s lacrosse should similarly be directed to Carroll … credential and interview requests should be made at least 24 hours in advance.