Dec. 5, 2007
Notre Dame, Ind. –
Complete Release in PDF Format 
• The Series: #6/#6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-4-0/10-2-0) at PrincetonTigers (5-5-0/4-4-0)• Date/Site/Time: Fri.-Sat., Dec. 7-8, 2007 • Hobey Baker Memorial Arena(2,092) • 7:05 p.m.• Broadcast Information: Radio: Notre Dame hockey can be heard live onESPN Radio 1490, South Bend's SportsCenter. Mike Lockert, "the voice of Irish hockey" will handle all the play-by-play action. • Internet Broadcast: At the Notre Dame website - www.und.com.
IRISH CLOSE OUT BUSY FIRST HALF AT PRINCETON: The Notre Dame hockey team closes out a busy first half of the 2007-08 season this weekend when the Irish travel to Princeton, N.J., to face the Princeton Tigers on Dec. 7-8. Game time both nights at Hobey Baker Memorial Arena is 7:05 p.m. Notre Dame will bring a seven-game winning streak that started on Nov. 16 into the series and are 14-4-0 to start the season. The Irish closed the first half of the CCHA schedule last weekend with a sweep of Nebraska-Omaha at the Joyce Center, taking 5-4 and 5-0 verdicts from the Mavericks. The sweep moved them into sole possession of first place in the CCHA with 20 points, two ahead of second-place Miami and Michigan with the Irish having played two more games. In the national polls, Notre Dame has moved up to sixth in both the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine and USCHO.com/CSTV polls, the highest rating the Irish have achieved this season. Princeton, members of ECAC Hockey, bring a 5-5-0 overall record into the series and are currently 4-4-0 in ECAC play, good for a third-place tie with eight points. Princeton is coming off a 1-1-0 week, having lost to R.P.I (4-3) at home before defeating Union by 4-3 margin at home the following night. Following the Princeton series, Notre Dame breaks for finals and the Christmas holidays and will not play again until Fri., Dec. 29 versus Massachusetts at the Lightning College Hockey Classic in Tampa, Fla.
IRISH VERSUS TIGERS: The two teams have met 13 times in the all-time series with Princeton holding a 10-3-0 edge in the series. The Tigers won nine straight from 1985 through 2000. Since then the Irish have won three of the last four meetings. At Princeton, the Irish are just 1-3-0 and also have a win in 2001 at Trenton, N.J. The last time they played in New Jersey was Dec. 28-29, 2001, winning 2-1 at Hobey Baker Arena and then 4-2 at Sovereign Bank Center in Trenton. The two teams last met at the Joyce Center on Oct. 28-29, 2005 with Princeton winning, 5-3, in the opener before Jordan Pearce (Jr., Anchorage, Alaska), making just his second career start, blanked the Tigers, 2-0, making 27 saves. Ten members of this year’s Notre Dame team played in that series two years ago.
COLE NAMED TO U.S. JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM: Notre Dame defenseman Ian Cole (Fr., Ann Arbor, Mich.) has been selected to play on the U.S. Junior National Team that will participate in the World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Cole, a first-round draft choice (18th overall) of the St. Louis Blues, has played in all 18 games for the Irish this season and has two goals and four assists for six points. He is -1 and has nine penalties for 18 minutes.
NIFTY NOVEMBER: Notre Dame finished November with a 9-1-0 record, including wins in the last six straight. Some other numbers for the month: The Irish were 7-1-0 in the CCHA and 5-0-0 at home while going 3-1-0 on the road and 1-0-0 at neutral sites … the Irish out scored the opposition by a 38-19 margin (3.8 gpg to 1.9 gpg) …Notre Dame out shot the opposition by a 31.0 – 20.1 margin … the Irish were 13-for-52 on the power play (25.0%) and killed 41-of-46 opponent power plays for an 89.1% success rate … Erik Condra (Jr., Livonia, Mich.) led the team in scoring with six goals and 10 assists for 16 points and was followed by Kevin Deeth (So., Gig Harbor, Wash.), Mark Van Guilder (Sr., Roseville, Minn.) and Kyle Lawson (So., New Hudson, Mich.) with 10 points each … Jordan Pearce was 7-1-0 with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage … Brad Phillips (Fr., Farmington Hills, Mich.) was 2-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against and a .935 save percentage.
NEBRASKA-OMAHA SATURDAY RECAP: After trailing 3-0 in their previous two games, the Irish never trailed in the December 1 game versus Nebraska-Omaha as they handed the Mavericks a 5-0 loss at the Joyce Center. Goaltender Jordan Pearce stopped all 16 shots he faced to record his second shutout of the season. Notre Dame scored a pair of short-handed goals and a power-play goal in the game. Mark Van Guilder got the eventual game winner just 3:31 into the game when he scored short-handed, his eighth goal of the year. Christian Hanson (Jr., Venetia, Pa.) scored his second goal on the weekend at 17:25 of the second period when he deflected a Teddy Ruth (Fr., Naperville, Ill.) shot from the point to make it 2-0 after two periods. The Irish would score three times in the third period. Ruth got his first collegiate goal just 49 seconds into the final stanza. Ryan Thang (So., Edina, Minn.) collected his 10th of the season at 14:30 via the short-handed route and Ian Cole closed the scoring with a power-play goal at 19:00 for the 5-0 final. The Irish out shot the Mavericks, 24-16 on the night.
IRISH-MAVERICKS – FRIDAY RECAP: For the second consecutive game, Notre Dame fell behind, 3-0, and had to rally to pull out a 5-4 win, this time at home against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. Garrett Regan (Jr., Hastings, Minn.), playing in just his second game since returning from an injury, scored the game winner on a deflection of a Mark Van Guilder shot with 2:06 left in the game to give the Irish the win. The Mavericks got a pair of goals from Joey Martin and a single goal from JJ Koehler to take a 3-0 lead at the 12:28 mark of the second period. Kevin Deeth (So., Gig Harbor, Wash.) got the Irish scoring started at 17:18 of the second period to make it 3-1. Christian Hanson cut the lead to 3-2 with a fluky goals at 18:32. The Irish trailed by one, entering the third period, but Erik Condra (Jr., Livonia, Mich.) took care of that with a power-play goal just 48 seconds in to make it 3-3. Dan Kissel (So., Crestwood, Ill.) put the Irish ahead for the first time on the night at 2:21 for the 4-3 lead. After giving up four goals in a 5:03 span, the Mavericks tied the game at four when Mick Lawrence got his eighth of the year at 7:57. The score would stay that way until 17:54 when Regan got the game winner on his fourth goal of the season. Notre Dame out shot Nebraska-Omaha, 25-18, in the game. Jordan Pearce finished with 14 saves in the Irish net while Dupont had 20 for the Mavs. Notre Dame was 2-for-4 on the power play while UNO was 1-for-4.
TWO SHORTIES: Mark Van Guilder and Ryan Thang each scored short-handed goals in the 5-0 win over Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 1. That marked the first time the Irish had scored a pair of short-handed goals in a game since Dec. 20, 2000 when Brett Lebda `04 and Dan Carlson `01 scored short-handed goals in a 7-3 win at Nebraska-Omaha.
NO GOALS FOR YOU: Junior goaltender Jordan Pearce recorded his second shutout of the season in the 5-0 win over Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 1. The shutout also was the fourth of his career and moved him into a tie for third with Mark Kronholm `74 on Notre Dame’s all-time shutout list. He trails just Morgan Cey `05 (2nd with 6) and David Brown `07 (first with 12). Pearce’s first career shutout came in his second career game, a 2-0, 27-save win over Princeton on Oct. 28, 2005.
HOT HANSON: Junior center Christian Hanson (Venetia, Pa.) has scored goals in each of his last two games and now has four goals and three assists for seven points, just one off his career high of eight points set last year. His three assists are a career high for Hanson.
END THE DROUGHT: It took freshman defenseman Teddy Ruth 18 games to record his first collegiate point, but when he got on the scoresheet once, he decided to do it again. On Dec. 1 against Nebraska-Omaha, Ruth picked up a second-period assist when his shot was deflected by Christian Hanson past goaltender Eric Aarnio. Less than four minutes later, Ruth was at it again, notching his first collegiate goal when he scored off a face off just 49 seconds into the third period to give the Irish a 3-0 lead. Ruth has gotten it done all season defensively as he is currently +9 on the season, second to defensive partner Brock Sheahan’s +10. That ties him for 10th in the CCHA plus/minus ratings.
SEVEN STRAIGHT: Notre Dame brings a seven-game winning streak into Friday’s game at Princeton. This streak started on Nov. 16 versus Western Michigan and includes two wins over the Broncos, two over Nebraska-Omaha and one versus Bowling Green, Alabama-Huntsville and Rensselaer. The last time the Irish won seven straight was Dec. 2, 2006 through Jan. 5, 2007 of last season. The last time Notre Dame won eight straight games came between Nov. 13 – Dec. 4, 1987.
POWER ON: With two power-play goals against the Mavericks on Nov. 30 and one on Dec. 1, Notre Dame has now scored a power-play goal in four straight games and has at least one power-play goal in 13 of the team’s 18 games this season. For the year, the Irish have scored two or more power-play goals in a game seven times.This season, Notre Dame has converted 21 of 109 power-play opportunities for a 19.3% success rate.
LETTERS OF INTENT: Irish head coach Jeff Jackson has announced that three players have signed national letters of intent in the early signing period to attend Notre Dame beginning in the fall of 2008. The trio – defensemen Sean Lorenz (Littleton, Colo.) and Eric Ringel (Hinckley, Ohio) and forward Patrick Gaul (Pittsburgh, Pa.) – will join Billy Maday (Burr Ridge, Ill.) who signed in Nov. of 2007 but deferred until next fall. Lorenz and Gaul are members of the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-18 team. Ringel plays in the North American Hockey League for the Mahoning Valley Phantoms and Maday is a member of the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
CENTURY CLUB: Notre Dame’s “Century Club” added its newest member on Nov. 24 when junior Erik Condra recorded an assist versus R.P.I. In 96 career games, Condra now has 27 goals and 75 assists for 102. His 75 assists tie him for 27th on the all-time assist list. He just had a six-game point streak snapped (3g, 7a) in the Dec. 1 game with Nebraska-Omaha. Here’s who is ahead of Condra on the points list.
"Century Club"Name (Seasons) G A Pts1. Brian Walsh (1973-77) 89 145 2342. John Noble (1969-73) 81 145 226
30. Alex Pirus (1973-76) 57 66 123 John Schmidt (1978-82) 28 95 12332. Jeff Brownschidle (1977-81) 30 92 12233. Ray DeLorenzi (1971-74) 55 59 11434. Aaron Gill (2000-04) 49 62 111 Connor Dunlop (1999-03) 25 86 11136. Jack Brownschidle (1973-77) 31 78 10937. Tim Reilly (1981-86) 43 65 10838. Aniket Dhadphale (1995-99) 61 44 10539. Bob Thebeau (1982-86) 40 63 10340. Erik Condra (2005-) 27 75 10241. Kevin Hoene (1968-71) 50 51 101 Matt Hanzel (1985-89) 50 51 10143. Paul Clarke (1973-77) 38 62 100
HOT HAND: During November’s hot streak, goaltender Jordan Pearce played a major role in the team’s success. Pearce played in eight games during November with a 7-1-0 record, a 2.13 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. For the year, Pearce is 12-4-0 with a 2.01 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage with one shutout. His 954:49 minutes played leads the nation. Prior to this season, Pearce had played in 12 career games for a total of 621:56 minutes.
GETTING THE BOUNCES: Sophomore center Kevin Deeth went without a goal in Notre Dame’s first 14 games this season. In his last four contests, the speedy Deeth has scored three times and added a pair of assists. All three goals have come on the power play. He is currently tied for third on the team in scoring with three goals and 10 assists for 13 points.
CLUTCH SCORER: Sophomore left wing Ryan Thang leads Notre Dame 10 goals on the season. Of those 10, four have come on the power play and three are game winners. In 60 career games, Thang has now scored 30 goals with 14 coming on the power play and nine of them game winners. His nine game-winning goals already tie him for ninth on the all-time game-winning goals list at Notre Dame.
GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS: Through 18 games this season, the Irish have good news and bad news to report. In Notre Dame’s 14 victories, the Irish have scored 57 goals for a 4.07 average. In the four losses, Notre Dame has scored just three goals for a 0.75 goals-per game mark. In the 14 wins, the Irish have given up just 23 goals (1.64 goals-against average) while in the four losses, they have given up 13 goals (3.25 goals against).
TWO-TIMER: Defenseman Kyle Lawson (So., New Hudson, Mich.) has been named the CCHA defenseman of the week twice this season (Nov. 25 and Nov. 18). Lawson, who helped the Irish to three wins from Nov. 20-24, had one goal and three assists for four points and was +2. In the Nov. 20, 2-1 win over Bowling Green, Lawson was +1 and scored the game-winning goal in the 2-1 victory. Versus Alabama-Huntsville on Nov. 23, Lawson was even and set up one goal. In the championship game against Rensselaer, Lawson set up two goals, including Ryan Thang game winner with 3:56 left in the game and was +1.
IRON MAN: Senior center Mark Van Guilder (Roseville, Minn.) has his sights set on Notre Dame’s all-time record for most consecutive games played. The record of 153 straight games was set by Tim Wallace `06 who played in every game of his career – 153 straight. Van Guilder has now played in every game of his career – 134 consecutive games played through the first 18 games this year.
SENIOR CLASS HONORS: Notre Dame team captain Mark Van Guilder has been nominated for the Lowes Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) Award. The CLASS award was designed to honor the attributes of seniors who remain committed to their university and elects to pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bring. This award provides a fitting honor for a senior leader that has stood up to the challenge. In the end, the award hopes to recognize the prestige and dignity of being a senior hockey player at the college level. Former Irish goaltender David Brown `07 won the Lowes Senior CLASS award following the 2006-07 season.
MR. CONSISTENT: Sophomore defenseman Kyle Lawson (New Hudson, Mich.) has proven to be one of the CCHA’s most consistent defensemen this season. A two-time CCHA defenseman of the week this season, Lawson leads all Notre Dame defensemen in scoring with three goals and 10 assists for 13 points. Already this year, he has a power-play goal and a pair of game-winning goals. Lawson’s 13 points tie him for first among all CCHA defensemen this season. He is +2 on the year.
KILLING PENALTIES: The Irish snapped a streak of two games giving up power-play goals on Dec. 1 in the 5-0 shutout of Nebraska-Omaha. Over the last six games, Notre Dame has killed 31-of-33 opponent power plays for a 93.9% success rate. For the season, the Irish are second in the CCHA and third in the nation in penalty killing. Notre Dame has surrendered just six power-play goals on 87 chances this season for a 93.1% penalty killing rate.
TOURNEY RESULTS: With the victory at the R.P.I. Tournament, the Irish have now appeared in 29 in-season tournaments, winning six times, finishing second, six times with sixth third-place finishes and 11 fourth spots. Notre Dame has now won two of the last three in-season tournaments that the Irish have played in, winning the 2006 Lightning Collegiate Hockey Classic in Oct. of 2006 in Tampa, Fla. All time, the Irish are 22-33-3 in tournament play.
BLUELINE SCORER: Notre Dame defenseman Dan VeNard (Sr., Vernon Hills, Ill.) continues to contribute to the Irish offense. He scored his third goal of the season in Notre Dame’s 4-3 win over R.P.I., this one on the power play. In his senior season, VeNard has picked up his first game winner and first power-play tallies. In has already doubled his career goal-scoring output as he now has five goals and six assists in 88 career games.
STINGY DEFENSE: Notre Dame surrendered just two goals in the weekend series against Western Michigan. In the two games, the Irish out shot the Broncos by a 76-23 margin. In Friday’s game, Notre Dame gave up just 12 shots and followed that by giving up just 11 in Saturday’s game. The 11 shots are the fewest given up by the Irish this season as were the two shots given up in the third period of the Nov. 17 game.
FRIENDLY CONFINES: Notre Dame has had three sellouts (2,713) in its first eight home games and just missed a fourth against Bowling Green on Nov. 20 with a crowd of 2,711 in attendatnce. The previous two sellout crowds of 2,857 were the largest crowds to watch a Notre Dame hockey game since March 3, 1995 when 3,310 saw the Irish defeat Illinois-Chicago. Following that season, new seating was installed, reducing capacity at the Joyce Center. At the beginning of November, a new section of seating was added to the student section to increase the capacity. Through eight games this year, the Irish are averaging 2,621 fans per game.
HOME SWEET HOME: After seven home games this season, Notre Dame is 7-1-0 (.875) at the Joyce Center. A year ago, Notre Dame was 13-2-2 at home for an .824 winning percentage. That was the best mark 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).
TAKE THE HIGHWAY: The Irish have had their share of success on the road over the last two seasons. This year, Notre Dame is 5-2-0 on the road. A year ago, the Irish were 12-4-1 (.735) away from the Joyce Center. The 12 road wins equaled a school record (1979-80 and 1997-98) for road wins. Only the 1983-84 team’s 10-3-1 road mark (.750) is better.
HIGHS AND LOWS: Notre Dame’s 44 shots in the Nov. 16 win over Western Michigan are a season high for the Irish. The 11 shots given up by Notre Dame in Saturday’s game (Nov. 17) are the fewest the Irish have given up this season. Notre Dame’s 11 power-play chances on Friday night were also a season high.