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Men's Hockey Takes Week Off Before Final Four Games Of The Season

Feb. 12, 2002

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  • Next Games: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-15-5/8-12-4) at Lake Superior State Lakers (7-20-1/4-17-1)
  • Date/Site/Times: Fri.-Sat., Feb. 22-23, 2002 – Taffy Abel Arena (4,000) – 7:05 p.m.
  • Broadcast Information: The games can be heard live on WDND South Bend’s ESPN Radio 1620 with Dave Mager calling the action.

TAKING A WEEK OFF: Notre Dame takes a break from action this weekend before closing the regular season with two games at Lake Superior State (Feb. 22-23) and then two at home versus Bowling Green (March 1-2). The Irish are coming off a weekend split at Michigan State where they lost 2-0 on Feb. 8 before snapping the Spartan’s 33-game home unbeaten streak on Feb. 9 with a 3-2 victory at Munn Arena. Saturday’s win also snapped Notre Dame’s four-game losing streak and keeps them alive in the hunt for the final home-ice playoff spot. The Irish enter this week’s schedule in ninth place in the CCHA with 20 points and trail eighth-place Ohio State by two points while the Buckeyes have two games in hand. The Irish lead 10th-place Miami by two points and the RedHawks also have two games in hand. Ohio State plays host to Ferris State this weekend while Miami travels to Northern Michigan.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK, PART II: Notre Dame’s freshman goaltender Morgan Cey (Wilkie, Sask.) was selected as the CCHA’s Rookie of the Week for the week ending Feb. 10. The 6-3, 174-pound netminder stopped 75 of 78 shots in helping the Irish to a split at #3/#4 Michigan State. In Friday’s 2-0 loss to the Spartans, Cey made a career-high 41 saves while giving up just a second-period power play goal. Michigan State added an empty net goal with 12 seconds left for the 2-0 final. In Saturday’s 3-2 win, Cey made 34 saves, 19 in the second period to help snap Michigan State’s 33-game (30-0-3) home unbeaten streak. On the weekend, Cey was 1-1 with a 1.51 goals against average and a .962 save percentage. The rookie goaltender was also named the CCHA Rookie of the Week for the week ending Dec. 31.

STREAK BUSTERS: Besides stopping Michigan State’s 33-game home unbeaten streak at Munn Arena, the Irish also stopped several other streaks between the two schools. Saturday’s 3-2 win at Munn snapped a six-game losing streak at East Lansing for the Irish. Their last win there came on Nov. 1, 1997. The Feb. 9 win was just the second for Notre Dame at Michigan State (2-14-0) since the Irish returned to the CCHA in 1992-93 and was only ND’s third in that same span (3-22-5). The win snapped a five-game winning streak and a seven-game Spartan unbeaten streak (6-0-1) versus the Irish. Notre Dame’s last win versus Michigan State came on Dec. 4, 1999 – a 1-0 Tony Zasowski shutout at the Joyce Center. The Spartans lead the all-time series 49-29-6.

MICHIGAN STATE RECAP: After giving up 20 goals in its previous three games, Notre Dame did a complete turnaround, limiting Michigan State to four goals (one empty-netter), in the weekend split with the Spartans. Friday’s 2-0 Michigan State win was a battle of goaltenders as MSU’s Ryan Miller (39 saves) and Notre Dame’s Morgan Cey (a career-high 41 saves) combined to stop 80 of 82 shots in the game. John-Michael Liles’ second-period power play goal (19:26) was the only shot that got past Cey. Adam Hall added the empty-net goal at 19:48 for the 2-0 final. Saturday night saw the Irish score first as Neil Komadoski (So., Chesterfield, Mo.) whipped a wrist shot past Miller from inside the right faceoff circle at 14:02 off a centering pass from behind the net off the stick of Jon Maruk (Sr., Eden Prairie, Minn.). MSU’s Duncan Keith banked a shot from the right wing boards off Cey at 16:50 to tie the score at one. David Inman (Sr., Toronto, Ont.) and John Wroblewski (Jr., Neenah, Wis.) combined on a two-on-one at 19:42 as Inman picked a pass out of the air and redirected it past Miller for a 2-1 Irish lead. The lead would go to 3-1 when Brett Lebda (So., Buffalo Grove, Ill.) fired a wrist shot through Miller’s pads at 1:43 to cap a two-on-one with Rob Globke (So., West Bloomfield, Mich.). Brad Fast made it 3-2 at 6:36, but that was all the scoring as Cey shut down Michigan State’s offense the remainder of the game. The Irish were outshot 36-24 in the game. On the weekend, Notre Dame surrendered just one power play goal in seven chances to the CCHA’s top power play unit.

HEAD COACH DAVE POULIN: Irish head coach Dave Poulin is now in his seventh season behind the Notre Dame bench. He owns a 91-136-34 (.414) overall record and is 65-102-30 (.406) in CCHA contests. Against Lake Superior State, Poulin-coached teams are 6-10-2.

OUT OF THE LINEUP: Freshman left wing Alex Lalonde (Newmarket, Ont.) has been ruled academically ineligible for the spring semester.

CEY HEY TURNAROUND: Irish goaltender Morgan Cey picked a tough team to find his game against in Michigan State, but it looks like it was just what the doctor ordered. In his previous three starts, Cey had played just 71:45 (he was pulled after one period twice and at the 11:45 mark of the second period in the other) while making 40 saves (.769 sv. pct.) and giving up 12 goals (10.03). Versus Michigan State, Cey was 1-1 with a 1.51 goals against (three goals against) and a .962 save percentage (75 of 78). For the year, Cey is 9-12-3 overall with a 3.16 goals against and a .900 save percentage. Prior to the second Miami game (1/26), Cey had started 12 of Notre Dame’s previous 13 games and was 6-5-1 with a 2.32 goals against average and a .923 save percentage.

THE DEFENSE MAKES ITS CASE: Defense was the name of the game in Notre Dame’s weekend series at Michigan State. Besides the fact that the two teams combined for just seven goals (including one empty-netter), both offenses had little to do in the outcome. Of the seven goals scored on the weekend, defensemen accounted for five of them. Michigan State’s defense scored three of its four goals (John-Michael Liles, Duncan Keith and Brad Fast), while Neil Komadoski and Brett Lebda had two of Notre Dame’s three goals on the weekend.

LETHAL LEBDA: With his game-winner versus Michigan State, Irish defenseman Brett Lebda became the 10th Notre Dame player to score a game-winning goal this season. His second-period goal also snapped a 15-game scoring drought for the speedy defenseman. His last goal came on Nov. 10 in a 3-3 tie with Ferris State.

RACKING UP THE POINTS: Notre Dame defenseman Neil Komadoski is known for his hard-hitting, bone-crunching checks, but as of late he is becoming an offensive force on the Irish blueline. Komadoski has scored goals in two of the last three games and has points in five of his last seven (2-3-5). For the season, Komadoski has career-highs in assists (8) and points (10) while equalling his goal total of two as a freshman.

PROLIFIC POINT PRODUCER: Center Connor Dunlop has become one of the CCHA’s top centers during the 2001-02 season. Dunlop racked up seven points (two goals, five assists) in the weekend series with Alaska Fairbanks including his second four-point game of the season. He led Notre Dame’s comeback bid in Saturday’s game as he scored the first Irish goal and then set-up the next three. For the season, Dunlop has recorded two four-point games, two three-point games and 11 multiple-point games in all. He has career-highs in goals (8), assists (26) and points (34). His 26 assists are the most by an Irish player since the 1994-95 season when Jamie Ling recorded 31. Dunlop is tied for fourth in the CCHA in scoring and is tied for third in assists.

DOUBLING UP: Connor Dunlop came into the 2001-02 season with 10 goals and 25 assists for 35 points in the first 65 games of his Irish hockey career. Dunlop has doubled his points total and passed the assists mark in 30 games this season. For the year, Dunlop has eight goals and 28 assists for 36 points. His career totals stand at 18 goals and 53 assists for 71 points in 95 career games.

HAVING A SEASON: Senior forward David Inman scored his career-high 15th goal of the season in Notre Dame’s 3-2 win over Michigan State. Prior to last weekend’s games, Inman had picked up his second four-point game of the season in the 7-5 loss to Alaska Fairbanks (Feb. 2). Inman chipped in a goal and three assists in the game. His first four-point game came on Nov. 2 at Northern Michigan when he had two goals and two assists in that game. His 15 goals this season are a career-best as are his 18 assists, 33 points and seven power play goals. For the year, Inman now has eight multiple-point games. He collected his second two-goal game of the season and the sixth of his career on Jan. 4 versus Michigan. He has had one three-point game (1g, 2a) in the 4-1 win over Northern Michigan (Jan. 11) and a four-point night (2g-2a) at Northern Michigan (Nov. 2). His 21 career power play goals rank him 11th on the school’s all-time power play goal list.

RIGHT ON THE CHIN: After suffering a sprained right ankle after going hard into the boards versus Alaska Fairbanks (2/1) and missing the following night’s game, junior right wing Michael Chin returned to the lineup at Michigan State. The junior right wing scored three goals and added an assist for a four-point weekend at Miami (Jan. 25-26). His totals give him career-highs in goals (13), assists (8), points (21) and power play goals (3). He is second on the team with 13 goals on the season. The two-goal game at Miami was the second of Chin’s career as he had one his freshman year versus Nebraska-Omaha (2/12/00). Versus Miami (Jan. 25), he equalled his career-high with nine shots on goal.

NIFTY NIELSEN: Defenseman Evan Nielsen (Jr., Evanston, Ill.) equalled his career-high with three points (a goal and two assists) in the 7-5 loss to Alaska Fairbanks (Feb. 2). The 6-3, 212-pound blueliner also had a three-point game versus Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 12, 2000. The junior captain added an assist in the second game of the series with Alaska Fairbanks to give him a four-point weekend. For the season, Nielsen has career-highs in goals (5), assists (11) and points (16).

YOUNG GUN: Freshman forward Yan Stastny (Fr., St. Louis, Mo.) is quietly developing into a solid all-around performer for the Irish. He had his three-game goal and point streak snapped in the 2-0 loss at Michigan State, but got back on the scoresheet the following night with an assist on Brett Lebda’s game-winning goal. Stastny now has points in four of his last five games (3-3-6). He leads the Notre Dame freshmen with four goals and 10 assists for 14 points this season.

DON’T LOOK NOW: Sophomore forward Rob Globke has began to find his scoring touch. While getting stopped goal scoring-wise at Michigan State, Globke set up the game-winning goal in the 3-2 win versus the Spartans. Globke took an outlet pass from Yan Stastny and used his speed to turn it in to a two-on-one that Brett Lebda converted for the game-winning goal. He has now scored points in six of Notre Dame’s last seven games (3-3-6). Since returning from the World Junior Championships, has four goals and four assists for eight points in 10 games. After scoring two goals in the second game of the season, Globke went 10 games without a goal. Since Dec. 1, he has scored seven goals in 12 games. He has a pair of two-goal games this season (vs. Union, vs. Lake Superior State). For the year, Globke has nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points.

SCORING BY CLASS: The Notre Dame junior class leads the Irish in scoring through 30 games this season.

IRISH STREAKS: Forward Yan Stastny has points in four of his last five games (3-3-6) … right wing Rob Globke has points in six of his last seven games (3-3-6) … defenseman Neil Komadoski has points in three of his last four games (2-1-3) and has points in five of his last seven games (2-3-5).

TURNAROUND: After giving up 20 goals in its previous three games, the Irish surrendered just four goals in two games at Michigan State. Miami scored seven goals in a 7-3 win on Jan. 26 and Alaska Fairbanks took 7-5 and 6-5 wins Feb. 1-2. Prior to that, the Irish had given up 20 goals over the previous seven games (Jan. 4 to Jan. 25).

PENALTY KILLING STRUGGLES: The Irish saw their streak of giving up at least one power play goal go to seven straight games in the 2-0 loss at Michigan State (Feb. 8). The Spartans, who came into the game with the best power play in the CCHA, were 1-for-4 on the night. The following night, the Irish shut them down on three chances (killed six of seven on the weekend) marking the first time since Jan. 12 (vs. No. Michigan) that the Irish did not give up a power play goal. Over the last eight games, the Irish have given up 12 power play goals in 43 chances for a 72.1% success rate. During December Irish penalty killers killed 35 of 38 opponent power play chances for a 92.1% success rate. For the season, the Irish have killed 133 of 162 for an 82.1% rate which is eighth in the CCHA and 21st in the nation.

A CCHA OFFENSIVE: After 24 CCHA league games, the Fighting Irish rank second in the league with 78 goals (3.25) which trails Alaska Fairbanks as the Nanooks have 86 in 26 games for a 3.31 average. The Irish lead Michigan (77) by one and Michigan State by two (76). Individually, Connor Dunlop is second in league game scoring with eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points. David Inman is tied for third with 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points and Michael Chin is tied for 22nd with 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points. In 30 games overall, the Irish are eighth among CCHA teams with 93 (3.10 per game).

OVERTIME GAME-WINNERS: Aaron Gill’s overtime game-winner versus Miami (Jan. 25) was the first by an Irish player in a CCHA game since Feb. 5, 2000 when Dan Carslon got the winning goal in overtime at Ohio State. The last time Notre Dame won a game in overtime was Oct. 17, 2000 when Connor Dunlop got the game-deciding goal in overtime at home versus Wayne State. Over the last three seasons, Notre Dame is 4-1-20 in overtime. The lone loss came during January of 2000 when the Irish lost at home to Ferris State.

KIMENTO IN ACTION: Senior goaltender Jeremiah Kimento (Palos Hills, Ill.) has taken over for Morgan Cey in two of Notre Dame’s last three games. Kimento played 40 minutes at Miami (1/26) and gave up four goals on 19 shots to take the loss. On Feb. 2 versus Alaska Fairbanks, Kimento played 38:55, giving up two goals on 20 shots and was credited with the loss since he surrendered the eventual game-winning goal. For the year, Kimento is 0-2-0 with a 4.56 goals against average and a .846 save percentage.

SCORING EARLY: Senior David Inman and juniors Connor Dunlop and John Wroblewski (Neenah, Wis.) have combined to score 11 of Notre Dame’s first goals of the game this season. Inman leads the team with four while Dunlop and Wroblewski have three each.

SCORING FIRST: The Irish have scored the first goal of the game in 17 of their first 30 games and are 10-5-2 in those games. A year ago, the Irish scored the first goal in just 14 of their 39 games and were 7-3-4 in those games.

TURNING ON THE POWER: The Irish power play failed to score in five chances on the weekend at Michigan State after scoring twice in the 6-5 loss to Alaska Fairbanks (Feb. 2). Over the last 11 games, the Irish power play has scored seven times in 59 chances (11.9%). For the season, the Irish are 22 for 150 (14.6%). David Inman leads the team with seven power play goals while Aaron Gill and Michael Chin have three each. John Wroblewski, Connor Dunlop and Rob Globke each have two goals with the man-advantage while Brett Lebda, Yan Stastny and Alex Lalonde each have one.

GALVIN-IZED: Defenseman Tom Galvin (So., Miller Place, N.Y.) has proven to be an offensive force on the Notre Dame blueline this season. The sophomore defenseman leads the Irish defensive corps with 17 points on three goals and 14 assists this season to rank sixth in team scoring. Galvin picked up a pair of assists in the 6-5 loss to Alaska Fairbanks (2/2) and now has four multiple-point games this season. As a freshman, Galvin recorded four assists in 26 games played.

FIRST TIME OUT: Freshman Ryan Mundt (Edgartown, Mass.) made his first appearance of the season for the Irish versus Alaska Fairbanks. The 5-7, 150-pound walk-on center won nine of 16 face-offs and was -1 in the game.

CENTRAL SCOUTING RATINGS: The National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Service has released it’s midseason rankings of North American players eligible for the 2002 Entry Draft which will be held in Toronto, June 22-23. Included in the list of 240 players are 13 players from the CCHA including three Notre Dame players. Forward Rob Globke is ranked eighth overall while center Yan Stastny is ranked 94th and forward Alex Lalonde is 240th.

SHOT STUFF: The Irish won their third game of the season while being outshot in the 3-2 win at Michigan State. Notre Dame was outshot 36-24 in the game. The Irish are 3-8-4 when outshot in games. They are 7-6-1 when outshooting the opposition.

PUCK SLOWDOWN: The 19 shots on goal by Nebraska-Omaha on Jan. 18 was the fewest shots the Irish have given up in a game. The previous low was 20 by Lake Superior State on Dec. 1, 2001.

ROAD SWEEPS: Notre Dame’s two wins over Princeton marked the first time the Irish swept a series on the road since Oct. 17-18, 1997 when they won two games at St. Cloud State (4-3 in ot and 4-1).

USA…USA…USA: Notre Dame’s Rob Globke and Brett Lebda represented the United States as members of the U.S. Junior National team that finished 4-1-2 (fifth place) at the World Championships in early January. Globke, making his second appearance with the team, had two goals and an assist for three points in seven games while Lebda had two goals in the tournament. The Irish have had at least one player on the National Junior team in each of the last six years and along with Boston College have had 11 players in that period.

EVERYONE CONTRIBUTES: Through 30 games this season, the Irish have gotten goals from 18 different players. Only two players – Cory McLean and Joe Zurenko – who have played in eight or more games have not scored this season. The Irish have also had nine different players score game-winning goals this season.

PENALTY SHOTS: After not being involved with a penalty shot either for or against for over two seasons, Notre Dame has had two called this season. On Dec. 8 at Bowling Green, Irish goaltender Morgan Cey stopped BG’s Greg Day at 9:52 of the second period. That was the first penalty shot called against the Irish since Mar. 13, 1999 when Matt Eisler stopped Michigan’s Bill Muckalt in a 4-2 Notre Dame win in the CCHA playoffs. Earlier this season (Oct. 12), sophomore Rob Globke scored on a penalty shot versus Union College’s Brandon Snee at 3:41 of the third period in the 7-4 loss to Union College. That was the first penalty shot by an an Irish player since Feb. 5, 1998 when Brian Urick was stopped by Ohio State’s Jeff Maund.

SAM’S THE MAN: Senior left wing Sam Cornelius, playing in just his third game of the season, scored the winning goal in the 4-2 win over Princeton (Dec. 29). Cornelius followed the goal versus Princeton by helping set up Michael Chin’s goal in the 2-1 loss to Michigan. A converted defenseman, Cornelius has now scored three goals in his career with two of them being game-winners. His first game-winner came during his freshman year (1998-99) versus Ferris State.

END OF THE LINE: Notre Dame goaltender Morgan Cey recorded a career-best shutout streak of 111:24 between Nov. 17 and Dec. 7. Cey stopped Western Michigan for the final 13:40 of the third period on Nov. 17 and then followed that with a Dec. 1 shutout of Lake Superior State. The streak was snapped when Bowling Green scored at 17:44 of the second period in the 6-3 win over Bowling Green on Dec. 7.

CAREER BESTS: Michael Chin, Yan Stastny and Tom Galvin all had career-best games in the 6-3 win over Bowling Green (Dec. 7). Chin (a goal and two assists) and Stastny (three assists) each had career-high three-point games. Galvin had the first two-goal game of his career.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Defenseman Evan Nielsen (Jr., Evanston, Ill.) was selected the CCHA’s Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 2. Nielsen anchored Notre Dame’s in the 7-0 shutout and a 5-2 win over Lake Superior State. He was also part of a penalty-killing unit that killed 14 consecutive Laker power play chances. The Irish captain also joined the offensive attack scoring a goal and adding an assist in the 7-0 win. For the weekend, Nielsen was a +5. He is the first Notre Dame player to take defensive player of the week honors since Feb. 20, 2000 when Tony Zasowski was selected for the honor.

CEY CAN YOU SEE: Freshman goaltender Morgan Cey recorded his first Notre Dame shutout by making 20 saves in Notre Dame’s 7-0 win over Lake Superior (12/1). The shutout was the first by an Irish goaltender since Dec. 4, 1999 when Tony Zasowski blanked Michigan State, 1-0. The shutout was the 27th in Notre Dame history and the 10th by an Irish goaltender in CCHA play. The 7-0 win was the largest margin of victory by an Irish goaltender against a CCHA team.

MARGIN OF VICTORY: The seven goals scored by Notre Dame in the 7-0 shutout of Lake Superior State is the largest margin of victory the Irish have ever had in a CCHA contest. The seven-goal win was the biggest by Notre Dame since a 10-2 win over St. Francis Xavier on Oct. 14, 1994.

WCHA TOP 50: Irish hockey great Bill Nyrop has been selected to the WCHA’s Top 50 all-time players list that will be announced throughout the 2001-02 season, the 50th anniversary of the league. Nyrop was included in the first list of 10 players announced on Nov. 29. The Irish were members of the WCHA from 1971 through 1981. Nyrop played at Notre Dame from 1970-74 and was Notre Dame’s first All-American – selected first team All-America and second team all-WCHA following the 1972-73 season. During his Notre Dame career, he played in 132 games with 17 goals and 72 assists for 89 points. Selected in the fourth round of the 1972 NHL Entry Draft, he played on three Stanley Cup championship teams (1976, 1977 and 1978) with the Montreal Canadiens. He died at the age of 43 in December of 1995.

FIVE IN A ROW: Goaltender Morgan Cey started the first five games of his Notre Dame career to join Greg Louder (1990-94) as the only two goaltenders to play the first five games of their careers. Cey and Louder are the last two rookies to start a season opener in goal at Notre Dame. Cey made 28 saves in a 2-1 loss to Union College on Oct. 11. Louder made 36 saves in a 7-2 loss at Minnesota on Oct. 23, 1990. Cey’s streak was stopped after five games when junior Tony Zasowski made his first start of the season versus Northeastern. Louder went on to start all 33 games that season, missing just 30 minutes of play, while turning in a 16-15-2 record. For the year, Cey has started 15 of Notre Dame’s 18 games on the season.

ONE FOR ZASOWSKI: Goaltender Tony Zasowski picked up his first win of the season in Notre Dame’s 5-2 win over Lake Superior State. The junior goaltender made 17 saves. The start versus the Lakers was his third of the season. He recorded ties at Northeastern (Oct. 27) and versus Ferris State (Nov. 10). For the year, Zasowski is 1-0-2 with a 2.53 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.

FOUR-POINT WEEKEND: Sophomore defenseman Tom Galvin (So., Miller Place, N.Y.) scored as many points in two games versus Ferris State (Nov. 9-10) as he did in 26 games last year. Galvin turned in the first two multiple-point games of his career with a pair of assists in each contest. Last season, the 5-9, 187-pound blueliner had four assists for the year. Galvin leads Notre Dame defensemen with three goals and 11 assists for 14 points.

CAREER FIRSTS: T.J. Mathieson (So., Clarksville, Md.) and Kyle Dolder (So., Hutchinson, Minn.) each scored their first collegiate goals in the 5-2 win over Ferris State (11/9). For Dolder, his goal was also the first game-winning goal of his career. Defenseman Tom Galvin also had the first multiple point games of his career collecting two assists in each of the Ferris State games (11/9 and 11/10). Goaltender Tony Zasowski (Jr., Darien, Ill.) recorded the first assist of his Notre Dame career when he helped set up Brett Lebda’s second period goal in the 3-3 tie with Ferris State (11/10). Zasowski picked up his second assist of the season versus Alaska Fairbanks (2/1/02).

LEBDA FOR THE DEFENSE: Sophomore defenseman Brett Lebda turned in the first two-goal game of his career in the 5-4 win over Northern Michigan. For the offensive-minded blueliner, the two goals were his first of the season. In the win over Northern, Lebda also had a career-high 10 shots on goal, passing his previous best of eight set in his rookie year versus Niagara at the Maverick Stampede.

IRON MEN: Sophomore defenseman Brett Lebda (So., Buffalo Grove, Ill.) saw his streak of 55 consecutive games snapped when he did not play for the Irish at Princeton (12/28-29). His streak was broken while he played for the U.S. Junior National Team at the World Junior Championships. Lebda had the longest streak of consecutive games for the Irish since graduated right wing Ryan Dolder played in 103 consecutive games over a three-season period including every game in 1999-00 and 2000-01. Lebda has now played in 65 of 69 games in his career. Dolder’s teammate, Dan Carlson was the only other Irish player to played in every game over his last two seasons. Carlson finished his career playing in 101 consecutive games. For his career, Carlson played in 158 of a possible 160 games. The only two he missed came while playing at the World Junior Championships in 1998-99.

PENALTY MARK: With 24 penalties for 78 minutes in the loss to Northern Michigan, the Irish set school records for both penalties and minutes. The previous record for penalties was 22 at Michigan State (3/4/00). The previous penalty-minute record was 77 and was also set versus Northern Michigan on Dec. 12, 1981. Rob Globke (So., West Bloomfield, Mich.) led the Irish with six penalties for 31 minutes.

CLOSING THE DEAL: After going 50 games (42-0-8) without losing when taking a lead into the third period, the Irish lost two in a row with a third-period lead. The losses at Ohio State (10/21) and Boston College (10/26) snapped the 50-game unbeaten string that went back to Jan. 9, 1998. Prior to this season, that was the last time the Irish lost when leading after two periods. In that game, 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. Since the loss at Boston College, the Irish are now 10-0-1 in games that they lead after two periods of play.

FOR OPENERS: Notre Dame’s 2-1 season-opening loss to Union College on Oct. 11 makes the Irish 17-18-0 in season openers in the 35 years of hockey during the modern era at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is 0-3 in its last three season openers with the last win coming on Oct. 2, 1998, a 2-1 win over Wisconsin in the first game played at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Notre Dame is also 20-15 in its first 35 home openers. The Irish opened with a win at home last season, a 2-1 overtime win versus Wayne State.

FIVE-GOAL PERIOD: Union College exploded for five third-period goals in the 7-4 win over the Irish on Oct. 12. The last time the Irish surrendered five goals in a period was on Nov. 20, 1998 when Western Michigan scored five goals in the third period of a 9-5 Notre Dame victory.

BLOODLINES: Four current members of the Notre Dame hockey program – senior forward Jon Maruk, junior center Connor Dunlop, sophomore defenseman Neil Komadoski and freshman forward Yan Stastny – hold a unique connection, as each of their fathers enjoyed a lengthy career in the National Hockey League.

Dennis Maruk played 14 NHL seasons-with the California Golden Seals (’75-’76), Cleveland Barons (’76-’78), Minnesota North Stars (’78-’79, ’83-’88) andthe 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.

Neil Komadoski, Sr., 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.

Rounding out the quartet is Peter Stastny who played 15 seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques (’80-’90), the New Jersey Devils (’90-’93) and the St. Louis Blues (’93-’95) is currently the 23rd all-time scorer in league history with 450 goals, 789 assists and 1,239 points in 997 games. A six-time NHL all-star, Stastny is the highest scoring European-born player in NHL history and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998. The 1981 NHL rookie-of-the-year, Stastny is currently a special assignment scout for the St. Louis Blues and will serve as general manager for the 2002 Slovakia Olympic team.

Notre Dame’s NHL connection doesn’t stop there. Senior Brett Henning who suffered a career-ending neck injury last season is the son of former NHL player and coach Lorne Henning who played nine seasons with the New York Islanders (’72-’81) and has been involved in coaching over the last 15 years. An original member of the Islanders, Henning compiled 73 goals and 111 assists 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.

Freshman forward Alexander “Newsy” Lalonde also has NHL lineage as he is a distant relative of NHL pioneer and Hall of Famer, Edouard “Newsy” Lalonde. Lalonde played for the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Americans between 1917 and 1927 for a total of six seasons in which he scored 124 goals and 41 assists for 165 points in 99 games.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Several former Notre Dame hockey players are playing professionally this season:

Mark Eaton – Nashville Predators (NHL)
Ben Simon ’00 – Chicago Wolves (AHL)/called up to the Atlanta Thrashers (NHL) on Nov. 10th. Returned to Chicago on Nov. 14.
Dan Carlson ’01 – Saint John’s Flames (AHL)/Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL)
Jamie Ling ’96 – Dayton Bombers (ECHL) – player-assistant coach.
Benoit Cotnoir ’99 – Richmond Renegades (ECHL)/traded to Mobile Mystics 11/24
Aniket Dhadphale ’99 – Trenton Titans (ECHL)/signed by Providence Bruins on Jan. 11.
Sean Molina ’00 – Trenton Titans (ECHL)
Joe Dusbabek ’00 – Roanoake Express (ECHL)
Ryan Clark ’01- Mississippi Seawolves (ECHL)
Matt Van Arkel ’01 – Pee Dee Pride (ECHL)/Trenton Titans (ECHL)/released by Trenton 11/25/signed by Fort Wayne Comets (UHL) 11/28/resigned by Trenton Titans (ECHL) 1/25.

HOMETOWNS: The 2001-02 Notre Dame hockey team features players from nine states and three Canadian provinces – Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan. In the six-year tenure of head coach Dave Poulin, the Notre Dame hockey letterwinners have hailed from 20 different states and provinces – those listed below, plus: Alaska, British Columbia, Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Prince Edward Island and Quebec.

2001-02 Notre Dame Hockey
– By State or Province:

Illinois (6): Michael Chin, Jeremiah Kimento, Brett Lebda, Evan Nielsen, Tony Zasowski, Joe Zurenko
Minnesota (4): Sam Cornelius, Kyle Dolder, Aaron Gill, Jon Maruk
Michigan (3): Rob Globke, Jake Wiegand, Derek Smith
Missouri (3): Connor Dunlop, Neil Komadoski, Yan Stastny
Ontario (2): David Inman, Alex Lalonde
Alberta (1): Brad Wanchulak
Connecticut (1): Paul Harris
Maryland (1): T.J. Mathieson
New York (1): Tom Galvin
North Dakota (1): Cory McLean
Saskatchewan (1): Morgan Cey
Wisconsin (1): John Wroblewski

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS: Notre Dame is the nation’s only Division I hockey program to produce a Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-American during each of the past five seasons (as part of the fall-winter at-large program). Dan Carlson kept the streak going in 2000-01 by earning third team honors with a 3.49 gpa and a double major in finance and computer applications. He joins two-time selection Steve Noble who took second-team honors in 1996-97 and first-team honors in ’97-’98, goaltender Forrest Karr who was a second teamer in ’98-’99 and left wing Andy Jurkowski who was a third team selection in 1999-2000.

CCHA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM: Notre Dame 2001 graduate and two-time team MVP, left wing Dan Carlson (Edina, Minn.) was named to the prestigious eight-player CCHA All-Academic Team for 2000-01, making Notre Dame the CCHA’s only school to produce an All-Academic honoree each of the last six seasons. Carlson led the Irish in scoring for the second consecutive season (17-25-42) and was also an honorable mention all-CCHA selection. A six-time Dean’s List student, Carlson graduated from Notre Dame with a 3.49 cumulative grade point average and a double major in finance and computer applications. Notre Dame has produced eight previous first team CCHA All-Academic selections since rejoining the CCHA in ’92-’93: Curtis Janicke and Carl Picconatto (’92-’93), Garry Gruber (’95-’96), Steve Noble (’96-’97, ’97-’98), Forrest Karr and Aniket Dhadphale (’98-’99) and Andy Jurkowski (99′-’00). During that nine-year span, only Western Michigan (10) has produced more CCHA All-Academic selections than Notre Dame’s nine.

CENTURY MEN: Left wing Dan Carlson became the fourth Notre Dame hockey player to reach 100 points for his career in the last four seasons. He finished his career with 50 goals and 82 assists for 132 career points, good for 20th on the school’s all-time scoring list. The Edina, Minn., native joins right wing Brian Urick (57G-69A) and left wing Aniket Dhadphale (61G-44A) who each reached 100 points in the 1998-99 season and center Ben Simon (44G-86A) who reached the milestone in 1999-2000. Carlson is just the fifth Notre Dame player to score over 100 points in his career since the Irish returned to the CCHA in ’92-’93. Only center Jamie Ling (1992-96) has scored more points (51-102-153) than Carlson over the past nine seasons. David Inman is the Irish player with the best chance to reach 100 points this season. The senior forward has 49 goals and 41 assists for 90 points in his career.

PATRIOTIC GROUP: The Notre Dame hockey team is no stranger to the National Team Development Program (NTDP) which includes the Under-18 and Under-17 teams. Nine members of this year’s Irish hockey roster have come through the National program. In fact, Notre Dame and the University of Minnesota currently have the most NTDP alums (9). For the Irish, that group includes injured senior forward Brett Henning, four members of the junior class – forwards Michael Chin, Connor Dunlopand John Wroblewski and defenseman Paul Harris – plus three sophomores: center Rob Globke and defensemen Neil Komadoski and Brett Lebda. From Notre Dame’s freshman class, defenseman Derek Smith played for the Under-18 team during the 2000-01 campaign.

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 (3). Four are products of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP): junior right wing Michael Chin (Urbana, Ill.), junior center Connor Dunlop (St. Louis, Mo.) and freshmen defensemen Brett Lebda (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.). Junior defenseman Evan Nielsen (Evanston, Ill.) was invited to join the NTDP but returned for his senior year at The Taft School.

Notre Dame’s other Illinois natives includes the team’s top returning goaltenders – senior Jeremiah Kimento (Palos Hills) and junior Tony Zasowski (Darien) – plus freshman defenseman Joe Zurenko (Arlington Heights). Joining Dunlop and Komadoski from the St. Louis area is freshman forward Yan Stastny (St. Louis). Prior to 1995, the Notre Dame hockey program had produced just eight total letterwinners from Illinois and two from Missouri.

WINNERS: Two of the newest members of the Notre Dame hockey team were members of national champion teams during the 2000-01 season. Forwards Yan Stastny and Brad Wanchulak were members of junior hockey national championship teams in the United States and Canada. Stastny played for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers while Wanchulak played for the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Stastny scored six goals and added six assists in 12 postseason games as Omaha won the USHL’s Clark Cup as league champions and then followed by winning the Gold Cup as champions of junior hockey in the U.S. Wanchulak also played a key role in helping Camrose to the Canadian national title. He was the AJHL playoff Most Valuable Player helping the Kodiaks to the AJHL title. In the Royal Bank Cup, which brings together the champions of all the Canadian junior leagues, Wanchulak scored the winning goal in the championship game versus Flin Flon.