Sept. 26, 2011
Notre Dame, Ind. – September 26, 2011 //FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE// Notre Dame hockey coach Jeff Jackson has named his captains for the 2011-12 season as the Irish look ahead to the first official team practice on Sat., Oct. 1 as they begin preparations for their preseason tilt with the University of Western Ontario Mustangs on Sun., Oct. 2 at 6:05 p.m. at the Joyce Center.
Senior defenseman Sean Lorenz (Littleton, Colo.) and senior forward Billy Maday (Burr Ridge, Ill.) will serve as team captains while sophomore forward Anders Lee (Edina, Minn.) will be the lone alternate captain this season. All three players will serve as captains for the first time in their Notre Dame careers.
In making the announcement, Jackson said, “Sean (Lorenz), Billy (Maday) and Anders (Lee) give us a solid leadership group. They have the right mindset to take us where we want to go as a team this season. They all lead by example; stay focused on the process and understands the importance of balance, consistency and humility. Their biggest challenge will be to build on what last season’s captains accomplished with the added dimension of higher expectations.”
Jackson added, “Billy and Sean have been through many highs and lows over the last three years and seen how the leadership has handled both. They understand the importance of doing things the Irish way and the commitment necessary to achieve our goals. Anders has made a very positive impression on his teammates and our staff in his short time here. He leads by example through his mature approach to school, hockey and being a good teammate.”
Lorenz had a break out season for the Irish in his junior year as one of the leaders of a young Notre Dame defense. He became a top all-around blue liner, turning in career highs in goals (4), assists (11) and points (15) while leading the Irish and the CCHA with a +33 rating. He scored once short-handed and had a pair of game winners among his four goals last season. He was named the CCHA defensive defenseman of the year for is play in 2010-11 and was the winner of the William Donald Nyrop Award as the team’s top defenseman a season ago. For his career, Lorenz has played in 118 games with six goals and 15 assists for 21 points. He will be the lone senior on a young Irish blue line in 2011-12.
Sophomore left wing Anders Lee joins captains Billy Maday and Sean Lorenz as an alternate captain with the Irish in 2011-12.
|
 |
Maday, who has seen action at both right wing and center, has been a strong contributor to the Notre Dame offense in each of his first three seasons. As a junior, he scored 10 goals and added a career-best 17 assists for 27 points to finish fourth on the team in scoring during the 2010-11 campaign. He scored two power-play goals, one short-handed tally and a pair of game winners while being +2 on the season. In the postseason, he was named to the NCAA Northeast Regional all-tournament team after scoring the game-tying goal in the 4-3 overtime win against Merrimack and the game winner in the 2-1 victory versus New Hampshire. Maday is Notre Dame’s top returning scorer coming into the 2011-12 season as he has played in 113 career games and has 33 goals to go with 45 assists for 78 points.
Lee got his Notre Dame career off to a fast start as a freshman in 2010-11, leading the team in goals with 24 while finishing second in points with 44, the eighth-best mark by a Notre Dame freshman. The 24 goals were the third most by an Irish rookie. Among his 24 goals were six power-play goals (tied for the team lead), one short-handed goal and seven game winners (tying a single-season Notre Dame record). Lee, who was +19 for the year, was named second team all-CCHA and was selected to the CCHA’s all-rookie team while being Notre Dame’s co-rookie of the year along with T.J. Tynan (Orland Park, Ill.). During the season, Lee was a three-time CCHA rookie of the week, a three-time CCHA rookie of the month (Oct., Dec., and Feb.) and the Hockey Commissioner’s Association (HCA) national rookie of the month in December. He capped his season by being named to the NCAA Northeast Regional all-tournament team as he scored twice, including the overtime game winner versus Merrimack and set up a goal in the 2-1 win versus New Hampshire that sent the Irish to the Frozen Four for the second time in the last four years.
The trio will make their first appearances as captains on Sun., Oct. 2 when Notre Dame plays host to the University of Western Ontario Mustangs in a 6:05 p.m. preseason game at the Joyce Center. The Irish then open the regular season with a pair of games on the road at Minnesota-Duluth on Oct. 7-8. Both games start at 7:07 p.m. (CT) from Duluth, Minnesota.