Irish senior center T.J. Tynan was named MVP of the 2012 Ice Breaker Tournament, won by Notre Dame in Oct. of 2012.

Notre Dame And Bowling Green To Meet In CCHA Quarterfinal Series

March 13, 2013

Notre Dame, Ind. –

Notre Dame Hockey Game NotesGet Acrobat Reader

Bowling Green Hockey NotesGet Acrobat Reader

– The Teams: #12/#11 Notre Dame (21-12-3) vs. Bowling Green (15-19-5)

– The Games: Friday, March 15, 2013 – Compton Family Ice Arena (5,022) – 7:08 p.m. Saturday, March 16, 2013 – Compton Family Ice Arena (5,022) – 7:08 p.m. Sunday, March 17, 2013 – Compton Family Ice Arena (5,022) – 7:08 p.m. (if necessary)

– Broadcast Information: Radio: Notre Dame’s CCHA Quarterfinal series versus Bowling Green can be heard live on Real Country 99.9 FM in South Bend and at UND.com. Darin Pritchett, the voice of the Irish, will call the action. Television: All three games of the Quarterfinal series will be televised live by Comcast and can be seen on South Bend Comcast Channel 3. Ben Holden, Sean Ritchlin and Lyle Phair will call the action.

– Internet: Audio/Video: Live audio streaming for the CCHA Quarterfinal series versus Bowling Green is available on the Notre Dame website at UND.com free of charge. Statistics: Livestats can be found at GameTracker, ccha.com or collegehockeyinc.com. Twitter: Follow Irish hockey on Twitter at ND_hockey.

THE SECOND SEASON: Notre Dame and Bowling Green will meet in the best-of-three CCHA Quarterfinal round this weekend, March 15-17 at the Compton Family Ice Arena with all three games, if necessary, to be televised by Comcast. In the Michiana area, the games can be seen on South Bend Comcast channel three with all three contests set to begin at 7:08 p.m. The Irish, the second seed in the CCHA playoffs, are coming off a first-round bye last weekend while the ninth-seeded Falcons advanced to the Quarterfinal round by taking two-of-three games at Lake Superior State. Notre Dame brings a 21-12-3 overall record into the series, is 5-1-3 in its last nine games since Feb. 2 and unbeaten (3-0-2) in its last five contests. Bowling Green is 15-19-5 overall and the Falcons are no stranger to the Compton Family Ice Arena as they closed the regular season on March 1-2 against Notre Dame. This is the fourth time in the 23-year history of the Irish and the CCHA that Notre Dame and Bowling Green have met in the postseason and is the first meeting since an opening round series following the 1994-95 season that saw the Falcons sweep the Irish, 2-0, at Bowling Green. All-time in the postseason, the Falcons own a 4-1 record versus the Irish. This series will mark the first time that Notre Dame has hosted Bowling Green in a playoff series.

IRISH VERSUS FALCONS: Notre Dame and Bowling Green have met 103 times in the all-time series with the Irish owning a 57-38-8 advantage to date. At Notre Dame, the Irish are 31-13-5 since the series started in 1970, including a 14-1-1 mark at home since the 2005-06 season. The last time that Bowling Green won at Notre Dame came last season – Feb. 4, 2012, a 3-2 win, that snapped a 13-game Irish home unbeaten streak. The two teams have met four times this season with Notre Dame owning a 3-1-0 record against the Falcons. On Dec. 15, Notre Dame took a 4-1 win at the BGSU Ice Arena and then one month later on Jan. 15, the Falcons returned the favor with a 4-2 win over the Irish at Bowling Green. On March 1-2, Notre Dame took 4-3 and 4-1 wins to close the regular season.

CCHA POSTSEASON MEETINGS: Notre Dame and Bowling Green have met three times in past CCHA playoff series. In 1981-82, the teams met in the CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena with the Irish taking an 8-5 win. The following year, 1982-83, the teams met in a first-round series at Bowling Green with the Falcons prevailing, 8-3 and 7-2. The last time the two teams played was following the 1994-95 season with Bowling Green winning a first-round series, 2-0. The Falcons won at BG, 7-2 and 5-4 and are 4-1 versus the Irish in the postseason.

END OF AN ERA: This weekend’s playoff series versus Bowling Green takes both teams one step closer to their final games in the CCHA. The Irish will play next year in Hockey East while Bowling Green becomes a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The Irish have been members of the CCHA twice – from 1981 to 1983 and again from 1992 through this season. In those 23 campaigns, Notre Dame finished the regular season with a 273-303-85 record in CCHA regular-season games. In the postseason, the Irish are 27-35 all-time and have won two regular-season titles (2007 and 2009) and two CCHA tournament championships (2007 and 2009).

21 WINS: Notre Dame’s 21 wins marks the 12th time in the program’s history that the Irish have reached the 20-win plateau and the 11th time that they have recorded 21 or more victories in a season. This is the first time since the 2010-11 campaign that the Irish have won 20 or more as that team was 25-14-5. Notre Dame has won 20 or more games in five of the last seven seasons.

IRISH CCHA PLAYOFF HISTORY: The Irish have played 62 games in CCHA playoff history and are 27-35 in those games (17-8 at home, 5-18 on the road and 5-9 at Joe Louis Arena). Under coach Jeff Jackson, the Irish are 14-12 in the CCHA postseason, winning the championship in 2007 and 2009.

1981-82Michigan                    W, 6-5Michigan                    W, 5-3vs. Bowling Green (@JLA)    W, 8-5vs. Michigan State (@JLA)   L, 1-4
1982-83at Bowling Green L, 3-8at Bowling Green L, 2-7
1992-93at Michigan L, 2-13at Michigan L, 1-8
1993-94at Western Michigan L, 3-6at Western Michigan L, 1-7
1994-95at Bowling Green L, 2-7at Bowling Green L, 4-5
1997-98at Michigan W, 4-2at Michigan L, 1-2 (ot)at Michigan L, 3-4
1998-99Northern Michigan W, 3-2Northern Michigan L, 1-7Northern Michigan L, 2-3
1999-2000Ferris State W, 4-3Ferris State L, 1-6Ferris State W, 4-2vs. Michigan State (@JLA) L, 0-4
2001-2002at Nebraska-Omaha L, 2-3 (2ot)at Nebraska-Omaha W, 2-1 (ot)at Nebraska-Omaha W, 2-1vs. No. Michigan (@JLA) L, 1-3
2002-03at Miami (OH) L, 2-4at Miami (OH) W, 1-0at Miami (OH) W, 5-0vs. Ohio State (@JLA) L, 2-3
2003-04Western Michigan W, 4-2Western Michigan L, 0-4Western Michigan W, 5-4 (ot)vs. Ohio State (@JLA) L, 5-6 ot
2004-05at Michigan L, 1-10at Michigan L, 0-1 (ot)
2005-06Alaska L, 1-3Alaska L, 0-1
2006-07Alaska W, 7-1Alaska W, 3-1vs. Lake Superior (@JLA) W, 3-0vs. Michigan (@JLA) W, 2-1
2007-08Ferris State L, 1-2Ferris State W, 6-3Ferris State W, 2-1vs. Miami (@JLA) L, 1-2 (ot)vs. Northern Michigan (@JLA) L, 1-2
2008-09Nebraska-Omaha W, 5-0Nebraska-Omaha W, 1-0vs. Northern Michigan (@JLA) W, 2-1vs. Michigan (@JLA) W, 5-2
2009-10at Ohio State L, 1-3at Ohio State L, 2-8
2010-11Lake Superior State W, 3-2 (ot)Lake Superior State L, 3-4Lake Superior State W, 4-2vs. Miami (@JLA) L, 2-6vs. Michigan (@JLA) L, 2-4
2011-12Ohio State W, 2-0Ohio State W, 4-2at Michigan L, 1-2 (2ot)at Michigan L, 1-3

THE COACH AND THE PLAYOFFS: Irish head coach Jeff Jackson has had his share of success in the CCHA playoffs. In 14 CCHA seasons (six at Lake Superior State and eight at Notre Dame), Jackson is 38-14 (.731) in conference postseason play. At Lake Superior, his teams were 24-2 while at Notre Dame, he is 14-12. His teams have advanced to the finals in 10 of 13 seasons (six at LSSU and four at Notre Dame). In those previous 13 seasons, his teams won six CCHA titles (four at LSSU and two at Notre Dame).

BACK-TO-BACK: The Irish finished the 2012-13 season with Bowling Green and opens the playoffs with the Falcons, marking the second time under head coach Jeff Jackson that has happened. In 2005-06, his first season, Notre Dame finished the regular season with a series at home against Alaska and then opened the playoffs the following week at home versus the Nanooks. It has only happened one other time in the program’s history – 1978-79 – as the Irish finished that season with two games at Wisconsin and then opened the WCHA playoffs the following weekend at Wisconsin.

TURNING THINGS AROUND: The Irish were just 2-6-0 in the month of January and started February with a 6-3 loss at Ohio State. Since falling to the Buckeyes on Feb. 1, Notre Dame has gone 5-1-3 in its last nine games and is now unbeaten in its last five games (3-0-2) since Feb. 22.

EIGHT STRAIGHT: Notre Dame hockey fans have sold out (5,022) the Compton Family Ice Arena in each of the last eight home games since Jan. 18. Through 18 home games this season, the Irish have had 11 standing-room sellouts. In the two seasons that the Compton Family Ice Arena has been open, the Irish have had 37 home games with 22 of them being sellouts of 5,022. After averaging 4,793 in 19 home games last season, Notre Dame is averaging 4,893 this year in the first 18 home games.

FLIP THE SWITCH: In Notre Dame’s final regular season series against Bowling Green, the Irish snapped an 0-for-17 drought on the power play by going 4-for-6 with the man advantage in the two-game series. Scoring two power-play goals in two consecutive games had not happened for Notre Dame since Dec. 1-7 when the Irish were 2-for-5 on the power play in back-to-back games versus Lake Superior and Michigan State. In the 18 games played in the second half of the season, Notre Dame is 13-for-75 (17.3%). For the season, the Irish are 28-for-154 for a 18.2% success rate.

OUT SHOT: For the first time this season, Notre Dame was out shot in back-to-back games when Bowling Green did it on March 1-2. In the March 1 game, the Falcons out shot the Irish, 35-25 with the +10 differential being the largest of the season against Notre Dame. In the March 2 game, Bowling Green edged the Irish by a 27-26 margin. For the season, the Irish have been out shot just 10 times with the Falcons doing it three times. They also did it on Jan. 15 by a 31-22 margin. In the 10 games that Notre Dame has been out shot this year, the Irish are 5-5-0.

SCORING FIRST: Notre Dame has scored the first goal of the game in 25 of its first 36 contests this season and is now 19-5-1 in those games. The Irish scored the first goal in six consecutive games between Jan. 15 and Feb. 1 but were just 1-5-0 in those games. When they don’t light the lamp first, the Irish are just 2-7-2.

PROTECTING THE HOUSE: The Irish improved to 18-0-0 when taking a lead into the third period of a game in the 4-1 win over Bowling Green on March 2.

ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER: Despite scoring 107 goals this season in 36 games, Notre Dame has been held to one goal in a game 12 times. When scoring just one one goal in a game, the Irish arer 2-9-1. With two or more goals in a game, the Irish are 19-3-2. In those 24 contests, Notre Dame has scored 95 goals or 3.96 per game.

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE: Sophomore right wing Peter Schneider (Vienna, Austria) has been named to the CCHA all-academic team for the 2012-13 season. He, along with the other 10 players selected, are now candidates to be the CCHA scholar-athlete of the year. That award will be presented at the CCHA Awards Show on March 22 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Mich. Schneider is a double major in Economics and Business and has a 3.945 grade-point average and has been named to the Dean’s List in each of his first three semesters at Notre Dame. On the ice, the speedy Schneider has appeared in 30 games and has four goals and four assists for eight points while picking up 14 minutes in penalties. He is +1 for the season.

CY YOUNG: Junior center David Gerths (Ankeny, Iowa) scored his career-best ninth goal of the season in Notre Dame’s 4-1 win over Bowling Green on March 2. His previous best season came in 2010-11 when he had eight goals. For the year, Gerths has nine goals but no assists for a 9-0-9 line this season. Last year, as a sophomore, the hard-working center had no goals and four assists on the year.

THE MOOSE IS LOOSE: Sophomore defenseman Eric Johnson (Verona, Wis.) scored his second goal of the season in the 4-3 win over Bowling Green on March 2. After going the first 15 games of his career without a point, Johnson now has points in four of his last eight games.

WORK HORSE: Dating back to last Feb. 24, 2012, Irish goaltender Steven Summerhays (Jr., Anchorage, Alaska) has played in 37 of the last 42 games, making 36 starts. During those 37 games, Summerhays is 20-13-2 with a 1.92 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and five shutouts. His win on Feb. 9 vs. Michigan was the 30th win of his Notre Dame career. He is now 32-23-3 for his career with a 2.31 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. This season, Summerhays is second in the CCHA in wins (17) and is fifth in goals-against average (2.03). He is eighth in save percentage (.918) and tied for second in the league with three shutouts.

THE OTHER GUY: Senior goaltender Mike Johnson (Verona, Wis.) got the start on Senior Night in Notre Dame’s last game on March 2 versus Bowling Green. He stopped 26-of-27 shots in a 4-1 win over the Falcons. The win improved Johnson to 4-1-1 with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. For his career, he has appeared in 98 games, making 91 starts and is 43-34-13 with a 2.61 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage with two shutouts. His 43 wins make him just one of seven Notre Dame goaltenders to win 40 or more games in his career.

RUST NEVER SLEEPS: Junior right wing Bryan Rust (Novi, Mich.) was selected as an honorable mention all-CCHA choice for the 2012-13 season as he set career highs in goals (12), assists (17), points (29), shots on goal (101) and leads the team overall with a +21 plus/minus ratio. He also has four power-play goals, one short-handed marker and three game winners. Rust had the hot hand in the goal-scoring department in the two ties Feb. 22-23 versus Western Michigan. On the weekend, Rust scored four goals – getting one in regulation each night (short-handed on Friday) and then scoring a goal in each of the shootouts. The two shootout goals won’t count in his season totals.

CAREER YEAR: Sophomore defenseman Robbie Russo (Westmont, Ill.) now has career highs in goals (5), assists (16), points (21) and power-play goals (4) this season in 36 games. As a freshman, Russo had four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 40 games. He is second among CCHA defensemen in points overall and his four power-play goals tie him for second on the team.

ALL-ROOKIE HONORS: Freshman left wing Mario Lucia (Plymouth, Minn.) was selected to the CCHA all-rookie team for the 2012-13 season. Lucia leads Notre Dame freshmen in scoring with 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points in 27 games this season. He missed the first nine games of the season with a broken leg suffered in preseason training. His 12 goals tie him for second on the team and his five power-play goals lead the team in that category. He is currently tied for fourth in the CCHA among rookie scorers with his 22 points. He was named the CCHA Rookie of the Week twice in December and was the CCHA Postgame offensive player of the week for the week ending March 3. He also was the CCHA rookie of the month for December.

VETERANS: The 2012-13 Notre Dame team is definitely a veteran unit. Looking at the Irish roster, there are currently 11 players that have played 100 or more games in their careers. Senior Nick Larson (Apple Valley, Minn.) had played the most – 147 career games – heading into the playoff series with Bowling Green.

ALL-CCHA: Junior center Anders Lee has been selected first team all-CCHA for the 2012-13 season. The 6-3, 220-pound center was second in the conference in goals scored with 14 in league games and tied for fourth in the league-scoring race with 26 points. He led the CCHA with a +18 mark in the 28 regular-season conference games. Overall, Lee currently leads the Irish in scoring with 18 goals and 16 assists for 34 points in 36 games and is third on the squad with a +16 mark. His 120 shots are tops on the squad. Among his 18 goals are three power-play markers, one short-handed goal and one game winner. In three seasons at Notre Dame, Lee has played in 120 games with 59 goals and 53 assists for 112 career points. Lee, who was an honorable mention selection as a sophomore, finished second in the voting among conference forwards, as he received seven first-place votes for 44 points. This marks the second time that the Irish team captain has been selected to a CCHA all-conference team, as he was a second team choice as a freshman in 2010-11. He becomes the second Notre Dame player, joining T.J. Tynan, to be named to an all-CCHA team twice in his career and is the fifth Irish player in the 23 seasons that the Irish have played in the conference to be a first team selection as he joins Tynan, defenseman Ian Cole, goaltender David Brown `07 and defenseman Benoit Cotnoir `99. Lee, joins Tynan and defenseman Jack Brownschidle `77 as the only Notre Dame players ever selected to two all-conference teams as Brownschidle was a two-time, first-team all-WCHA selection in 1976 and 1977.