Jan. 25, 2005
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* The Series: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-16-5/3-11-4) vs. Bowling Green Falcons (10-9-3/7-7-2)
* Date/Site/Times: Friday, Jan. 28, 2005 – 7:05 pm. – BGSU Ice Arena (5,000) – Bowling Green, Ohio
Saturday, Jan. 29, 2005 – 7:05 p.m. – Joyce Center (2,713) – Notre Dame, Ind.
* Broadcast Information: Radio: Notre Dame hockey can be heard live on ESPN Radio 1580, South Bend’s SportsCenter. Mike Lockert, “the voice of Irish hockey” and Tom Nevala will bring you all the action both nights. Irish hockey can also be heard live via the internet at www.und.com.
THE HOME STRETCH:
The Notre Dame hockey team returns to CCHA play this weekend with a home-and-home series versus the Bowling Green Falcons. On Friday night, the two teams meet at the Bowling Green Ice Arena for a 7:05 p.m. game. The following night, the Irish and Falcons meet at the Joyce Center in the regular-season series finale at 7:05 p.m. The weekend series begins the final 10 games of the regular season, all versus CCHA opponents. The Irish will play seven home games with just three on the road in the stretch drive. Besides Bowling Green, Notre Dame will play two at home versus Nebraska-Omaha (Feb.4-5), two versus Ferris State (Feb. 11-12) and then home-and-home series with Michigan (Feb. 18-19) and Michigan State (March 4-5). The Feb. 18 game with Michigan will be played in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Irish will look to snap their current six-game losing streak this weekend versus the Falcons. Notre Dame fell to 5-16-5 overall after three losses last week to teams from the WCHA (Michigan Tech, 6-2 and a pair of 2-0 shutouts by Wisconsin). The Irish are currently in 12th in the CCHA standings with a 3-11-4 league record. Bowling Green is coming off a pair of losses at Northern Michigan last weekend (3-1, 4-1) and is 2-2 in the 2005 portion of the schedule. Overall, the Falcons are 10-9-3 and sixth in the CCHA with a mark of 7-7-2.
IRISH VERSUS FALCONS:
Notre Dame and Bowling Green have met 69 times in the all-time series and are dead even at 32-32-5. The two teams met on Nov. 4-5 in a home-and-home series. At Bowling Green, the Falcons took a 3-1 win on Nov. 4. The following night at Notre Dame, the Irish took a 3-0 lead in the second period only to see the Falcons score four unanswered goals to take a 4-3 lead at 11:32 of the third period. Wes O’Neill (So., Essex, Ont.) salvaged a point for Notre Dame when he scored with three seconds left for the 4-4 tie. At the BGSU Ice Arena, the Falcons have a 21-13-1 edge in the all-time series. At the Joyce Center, Notre Dame leads, 18-11-4. In the last 10 meetings between the two schools, the Irish are 6-3-1, going back to the 2002-03 season.
LOOKING FOR A FEW GOALS:
Notre Dame’s scoring woes continued last weekend when the Irish were shut out, 2-0, in back-to-back games by Wisconsin. In the month of January, the Irish have scored just nine goals in the nine games played. For the year, they have just 39 goals in 26 games for a 1.50 goals-per-game average. Only Army, with 1.39 goals-per-game has scored less. For the season, Notre Dame has been outscored 82-39. In 15 of the 26 games played to date, Notre Dame has scored one goal or less. The last time the Irish were shutout in back-to-back games occurred Feb. 12-13, 1999 when they were blanked 1-0 by Michigan State on the road and 1-0 by Ferris State at home. Notre Dame’s previous low for goals-per-game in a season occurred during the 1999-2000 season when the Irish scored just 2.45 goals per game.
WISCONSIN RECAP:
Saturday, Jan. 22 – Wisconsin got all the offense it would need in the first period on goals by Robbie Earl and Matt Ford to hand Notre Dame its second consecutive 2-0 loss. Bernd Bruckler recorded the shutout for the Badgers, making just 14 saves in the game. Morgan Cey (Sr., Wilkie, Sask.) again kept the Irish in the game with a 34-save performance. For the second night in a row, neither team could score on the power-play as both squads were 0-for-7. The game was played at Allstate Arena in front of 8,173 fans, the largest crowd ever to watch college hockey in Chicago. Due to a winter blizzard, over 3,000 fans were no-shows due to tough travel conditions.
Friday, Jan. 21: The fifth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers got goals from Robbie Earl and Ryan MacMurchy and goaltender Brian Elliott made 19 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Badgers shutout Notre Dame, 2-0, at the Joyce Center in South Bend. On the night, Wisconsin out shot the Irish by a 29-19 margin. Morgan Cey made 27 saves for Notre Dame. The Irish were 0-for-10 on the power play while Wisconsin was 0-for-5.
MICHIGAN TECH RECAP:
Tuesday, Jan. 18 – Michigan Tech scored three power-play goals on the night as the Huskies rolled to a 6-2 win over the Irish at Green Bay’s Resch Center. The two teams traded goals in the first period with Clay Wilson staking Michigan Tech to a 1-0 lead at 3:56 of the first period. Defenseman Chris Trick (Jr., Troy, Mich.) tied the game at 17:21 when he redirected a Luke Lucyk (Fr., Fox Point, Wis.) centering pass behind Cam Ellsworth for his second goal of the year. The Huskies made it 2-1 at 2:33 of the second when Chris Conner flipped a centering pass over Morgan Cey’s pads on to see the Irish come back just 37 seconds later when Dan VeNard (Fr., Vernon Hills, Ill.) score his first collegiate goal at 3:10 to even the score at 2-2. From there, Michigan Tech tacked on two more goals in the second period. Nick Anderson scored the first of his two power-play goals at 7:57 and Ryan Markham made it 4-2 at 11:46. Anderson (15:26) and Brandon Schwartz (19:26) added third-period power-play tallies for the 6-2 final. The two teams each had 39 shots in the game. Cey finished with 33 saves while Ellsworth had 37. Notre Dame was 0-for-6 with the man advantage and the Huskies scored three times on five chances.
ATTENDANCE MARK:
Notre Dame’s “home” game at Allstate Arena versus Wisconsin on Jan. 22 drew 8,173 fans who braved a winter snowstorm to watch college hockey. The crowd was the most to see a college hockey game in Chicago and is the largest home crowd ever for the Irish. Due to the bad weather, there were close to 3,000 no-shows for the game.
IRISH AT ALLSTATE:
Notre Dame has now played twice at Allstate Arena. On Jan. 18, 2003, the Irish dropped a 3-1 decision to Yale in front of 5,091 fans. That was the first collegiate hockey game played in Chicago since Illinois-Chicago dropped its program in 1996.
BUSY MONTH:
Notre Dame closes out its busiest month of the season with the two games this weekend versus Bowling Green. For the month, the Irish will have played 11 games, including the just finished span of five games in nine days (Jan.14-22). In the first nine games of January, the irish have struggled and are just 1-7-1 in those games. So far, they have split with R.P.I. on Jan. 1-2 before tying Lake Superior (1-1) and losing in overtime (2-1) on Jan. 7-8. Versus Ohio State (Jan. 14-15), the Irish were swept at home by #12/#12 Ohio State, 4-1 and 3-1. On Jan. 18, Notre Dame fell to Michigan Tech, 6-2, in a game played in Green Bay, Wis. Last weekend, the Irish dropped a pair of 2-0 decisions to #5/#5 Wisconsin at the Joyce Center and then at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. The Irish have only played 11 games in a month once in the program’s history – January of 1976. Notre Dame was 5-5-1 in those 11 games.
VERSUS RANKED TEAMS:
Through the first 26 games of the 2004-05 season, Notre Dame has played 13 contests versus teams ranked teams. In those 13 games, the Irish are 1-10-2. The lone win came against Boston College (Oct. 22) when the Eagles were ranked first in the nation. The ties have come versus Minnesota-Duluth and Northern Michigan.
OUT OF ACTION:
The 2004-05 season is one that sophomore right wing Matt Williams-Kovacs (Calgary, Alb.) would like to forget. He suffered a broken right ankle on Oct. 16 at Miami and missed the next 14 games. He returned to the Notre Dame lineup on Jan. 2 versus R.P.I. and played in that game and the first period of the Jan. 7 Lake Superior game when he suffered a broken right wrist and will be lost for the remainder of the season. He was scoreless in six games this season.
SCORING DROUGHT:
The back-to-back shutouts by Wisconsin means that Notre Dame has not scored a goal in 156:50 minutes or since the 3:10 mark of the second period on Jan. 18 when Dan VeNard scored versus Michigan Tech. The previous longest goal-less drought for the Irish came between Feb. 6-Feb. 18, 1999 when Notre Dame went without a goal for 204:05 minutes over parts of four games.
STINGY IN JANUARY:
Notre Dame goaltender Morgan Cey has now played in 103 career games for the Irish, making his 100th career start in the Jan. 22 game versus Wisconsin. Prior to giving up six goals to Michigan Tech, the most he had given up in a game this season was four. During January, Cey has played in eight of Notre Dame’s nine games, surrendering 18 goals. During the month, he is 1-6-1 with a 2.23 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage (224 saves on 242 shots). In those eight games, the Irish have scored eight goals.
THE PUCK STOPS HERE:
Goaltender Morgan Cey continues to make his mark in the Notre Dame record books (see table above). On the season, the senior goaltender is 3-10-4 with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. In his 17 decisions this year, the Irish have scored 26 goals. Earlier this season (Oct. 24), Cey was named the CCHA’s goaltender and USCHO.com’s defensive player of the week. Cey recorded a career-high 50 saves in downing the top-ranked Boston College Eagles, 3-2, at the Joyce Center on Oct. 22. Of the 39 goals he’s given up this year, 18 have been on the power play.
SEN-CEY-TIONAL:
Morgan Cey’s 50-save performance versus Boston College was the first 50-save game for a Notre Dame goaltender since Lance Madson (’86-’90) turned in 57 saves in a 6-3 loss to Air Force on Nov. 12, 1988. Cey, now has 38 wins in his career to rank sixth on Notre Dame’s all-time wins list.
CORY’S STORY:
Hard-working center Cory McLean (Sr., Fargo, N.D.) is second in team scoring with three goals and a team-high 10 assists for 13 points on the year. His 10 assists are just four off his career high set last season when he had 14 helpers and a career-best 24 points.
SHOT MARGINS:
The Irish have out shot teams just seven times in their first 26 games this season. Only once this season have the Irish out shot a team in both games of a weekend series. That occurred on Jan. 7-8 at Lake Superior State. The Irish have been held to less than 20 shots in a game eight times this season, including four times in the last five games – both games of the Wisconsin series (19 on Jan. 21 and a season-low 14 on Jan. 2). Friday night versus Wisconsin (19 shots) and twice versus Ohio State (Jan. 14-15). Notre Dame is 2-1-4 when the Irish out shoot an opponent and 3-14-1 when an opponent has more shots in a game. The Irish are 1-1 when shots are even.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME:
The Irish will play their second of two home games away from the Joyce Center on Friday, Feb. 18 when they play host to Michigan at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. That game will begin at 8:05 p.m. and tickets remain available at at the Memorial Coliseum Box Office.
DEFENSIVE SCORING:
In five of the last seven games that Notre Dame has scored a goal, Irish defensemen have scored five of the six goals. Versus Michigan Tech, Chris Trick and Dan VeNard scored both Irish goals. On Jan. 14, Wes O’Neill had the lone goal for the Irish. In the weekend series at Lake Superior State on Jan. 7-8, Trick and Noah Babin did the scoring. The lone forward to score in the last three games is left wing Josh Sciba (So., Northville, Mich.) who had Notre Dame’s lone goal in the 3-1 loss to Ohio State on Jan. 15. The last time Irish forwards scored two goals in a game was on Jan. 2 in a 2-1 win over Rensselaer. Tim Wallace (Jr., Anchorage, Alaska) and T.J. Jindra (So., Faribault, Minn.) scored for the Irish that day.
IRON MAN:
Junior right wing Tim Wallace (Anchorage, Alaska) has played in all 105 games of his Notre Dame career. The Irish record for consecutive games played belongs to Evan Nielsen (’03) who played in 114 consecutive games between 2001-03. Nielsen missed just two games, playing in 156 of 158 games. Wallace played in all 40 games as a freshman and all 39 Irish games in 2003-04. The center has a three goals and seven assists for 10 points in the first 26 games of 2004-05. His career-best for points in a season is 11, set in each of his first two seasons.
FRESHMAN FIRSTS:
Defenseman Dan VeNard scored his first collegiate goal in the 6-2 loss to Michigan Tech as he beat Huskies goaltender Cam Ellsworth on a breakaway after Tim Wallace put him in with a pass at the Tech blue line. Luke Lucyk picked up his first collegiate point as he set up Chris Trick’s first period goal with a nice centering pass from the left wing circle.
WES FOR THE DEFENSE:
Sophomore defenseman Wes O’Neill (Essex, Ont.) has become Notre Dame’s offensive and defensive leader this season. Through 25 games, O’Neill leads the team in goals (6), power-play goals (5) and points (14). He is second in assists (8) and third in shots on goal (54). O’Neill has career highs in goals (6) and points (14) this season.
NOAH KNOWS:
Defenseman Noah Babin had his career-best four-game point-scoring streak (1-3-4) snapped versus Michigan Tech (Jan. 18). Prior to that game, Babin had a hand in each of Notre Dame’s previous four goals, scoring on Jan. 7 at Lake Superior, assisting on ND’s lone goal versus the Lakers on Jan. 8 and then assisting on each Notre Dame goal in the 4-1 and 3-1 losses to Ohio State. On the year, Babin is second among Notre Dame defensemen in scoring with career highs in goals (3), assists (5) and points (8). As a freshman last year, Babin had one assist in 31 games.
NO TRICK TO THIS GAME:
After scoring just one goal in the first 77 games of his Notre Dame career, Irish defenseman Chris Trick (Jr., Troy, Mich.) has scored twice this season. In 25 games this season, the junior has career highs in goals (2) and points (5) while equalling his career-best with three assists.
BUCKEYE MASTERY:
Ohio State has had Notre Dame’s number since the start of the 2000-01 season. In the 14 games played between the two teams, the Buckeyes own a 10-1-3 record, including a pair of wins in each of the last two CCHA Super Six opening games.
CENTURY MARK:
Notre Dame head coach Dave Poulin needs one more win in CCHA play to reach the 100-win mark in league play. Now in his 10th season, Poulin is 99-133-39 in CCHA play. In all games, the Irish head coach is 138-179-48. His 139 career wins rank second on the all-time list at Notre Dame behind “Lefty” Smith who has 307 wins behind the Irish bench.
NO POWER ON THE WEEKEND:
Notre Dame and Wisconsin combined to go 0-for-29 on the power play in the Jan. 21-22 series. The Irish, who were 0-for-17 versus the Badgers, are now 0-for-23 with the man advantage over the last three games. Wisconsin came into the series ranked second in the nation on the power play and were shutout in 12 chances by Notre Dame, going 0-for-5 on Jan. 21 and 0-for-7 on Jan. 22.
POWER-PLAY STRUGGLES:
After going 0-for-17 on the power play in the weekend series with Wisconsin, the Irish are now 0-for-23 in the last three games. Since Dec. 10 (11 games), the Irish are just 4-for-66 with the power play (6.1%). On the year, the Irish have scored 16 power-play goals in 176 chances (9.1%).
FIT TO BE TIED:
Notre Dame’s overtime loss on Jan. 8 to Lake Superior State was their first loss in the extra stanza since dropping a 6-5 overtime decision to Ohio State on March 18, 2004. On Dec. 10, the Irish defeated Michigan State, 3-2 in overtime, for their first regular-season overtime wins since Jan. 25, 2002, a span of 16 overtime games (0-2-14). Since the 1999-2000 season, Notre Dame has been involved in 48 overtime games. In those games, the Irish are 7-6-35. This season, the Irish are 1-1-5 in overtime. During the 2003-04 season, Notre Dame had a total of eight overtime contests, going 1-3-4 in those games. The lone overtime win came in game three of the first round of the CCHA playoffs versus Western Michigan.
IRISH ON CSTV:
Notre Dame saw its record on College Sports Television (CSTV) fall to 1-1 this season and 4-2 all-time with the 2-0 loss to Wisconsin on Jan. 21. On Dec. 10, the Irish came from behind to defeat Michigan State in overtime, 3-2. All-time, the Irish are 4-2 when the CSTV cameras go on. Last season, the Irish won at Ohio State, 5-2, defeated Boston College, 1-0, lost to Cornell in the Everblades College Classic, 4-0 and then defeated Michigan at the Joyce Center, 4-1, in front of the national TV audience.
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?:
Notre Dame goaltender David Brown (So., Stoney Creek, Ont.) started each of the games in the Michigan State series (Dec. 10-11), surrendering five goals while making 61 saves in 120:32 of action for a 2.49 goals-against average versus the Spartans and a .924 save percentage. On the season, Brown is 2-6-1 with a 3.77 goals against and a .884 save percentage.
BLUE-LINE SCORING:
Sophomore defenseman Wes O’Neill leads the Irish in scoring after 26 games with six goals and eight assists. He is followed on the blue line by sophomore Noah Babin who has a three goals and five assists for seven points. Junior Chris Trick is third with a two goals and three assists for five points. Freshman Brock Sheahan (Lethbridge, Alb.) checks in with three assists on the year while Dan VeNard (Fr., Vernon Hills, Ill.) has a goal and an assist. Freshman Luke Lucyk has an assist on the season. Through 26 games, the Irish defense has accounted for 12 of Notre Dame’s 39 goals (30.7%) and 31 of Notre Dame’s 109 points (29.4%).
ALL TIED UP:
The most ties the Irish have ever had in a season is eight and that came during the 1999-2000 campaign. The most overtime games the Irish have participated in is 11 and that came during the 1993-94 season. Notre Dame was 2-4-5 in those games.
TOUGH BARNS:
Since returning to the CCHA in 1992-93, Michigan’s Yost Arena and Michigan State’s Munn Arena have been regular “Houses of Horror” for the Irish. At Yost Arena, the Irish are 1-15-1 in the last 17 regular-season meetings and 2-19-1 overall. At Munn Arena, Notre Dame is 2-16-1 on the home ice of the Spartans.
THREE RANKED BY NHL:
Three hockey players who have signed national letters-of-intent to attend Notre Dame have been ranked by the Nathional Hockey League’s (NHL) Central Scouting in their mid-term rankings for the June 2005 draft. Christian Hanson (Venetia, Pa./Tri-City Storm) was ranked 52nd among all North American skaters. He leads Tri-City in scoring with 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 34 games. Defenseman Kyle Lawson (New Hudson, Mich./USA Under-18) is ranked 195th. He has a goal and 13 assists for 14 points in 22 games for the U.S. Under-18 Team. He will defer until the 2006-07 season. Goaltender Jordan Pearce (Anchorage, Alaska/Lincoln Stars) was ranked ninth among goaltenders eligible for the draft. He is 13-6-2 for Lincoln with a 3.17 goals-against average and a .891 save percentag.
PLAYING SHORT-HANDED:
After killing 30 of 32 opponent power-play chances (93.8%) between Dec. 10 and Jan. 8, Notre Dame has given up seven power-play goals in 29 chances (75.8% penalty killing) over the last five games. On the year, the Irish have given up 32 power-play goals in 174 chances for an 81.6% succes rate. Last season, Notre Dame’s penalty-killing unit was tops in the CCHA and was fourth in the nation in 2003-04, killing penalties at an 87.4% success rate.
THIRD PERIOD BREAKDOWNS:
Through the first 26 games of the season, Notre Dame has been out scored by a 80-39 margin. Much of the disparity has come in the third period when the Irish have been out scored 33-10 (-23).
RANK-IN-FILE:
Freshman right wing Evan Rankin (Portage, Mich.) continues to show a nose for the net in his rookie season. The Portage, Mich., native returned to the lineup after missing two games (U.S. Under-18 Team and UAF) with a hip injury to score his fourth goal of the season (first on the power play) in the 3-2 loss to the Nanooks on Nov. 27. He set up Matt Amado’s game winner versus Michigan State and led the team with six shots on goal in the game. He leads Irish freshmen in scoring with four goals and three assists for seven points in 24 games this season.
THREE-GOAL LEADS:
Notre Dame led Bowling Green by a 3-0 score on Nov. 5, before giving up four goals to trail, 4-3. Wes O’Neill saved tje dau for the Irish when he scored with three seconds left in an eventual 4-4 tie. The last time the Irish surrendered a three-goal lead was on Nov. 6, 1998. The Irish led Boston College, 5-2 after two periods before settling for a 5-5 tie.
CAREER BESTS:
Junior left wing Mike Walsh (Northville, Mich.) had the first three-point game and the first three-assist game of his career in the 4-4 tie with Bowling Green. Defenseman Wes O’Neill recorded the first two-goal game of his career versus the Falcons. Freshman right wing Evan Rankin recorded the first multiple-point game of his career as he scored a goal and added an assist versus Bowling Green. Cory McLean equalled his career-high with three points versus the Falcons as he scored once and added two assists in the contest.
GILL THE THRILL:
Junior center Tony Gill (Rochester, Minn.) scored the first goal of his Notre Dame career in the 3-2 win over Alaska Fairbanks. The brother of former Irish captain, Aaron Gill, Tony played in 33 career games before getting his first goal.
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES:
The Irish experienced their own version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles on their journey to Fairbanks, Alaska. The Irish hockey team left the Notre Dame campus at 1:30 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, Nov. 24 and took five hours for the 112-mile trip to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (due to holiday traffic and weather). From there, the 7:20 p.m. (CST) flight to Anchorage, Alaska didn’t leave Chicago until midnight. The six-hour-and-thirty minute flight arrived at 3:30 a.m. (Alaska Standard Time – 7:30 a.m. EST). The Irish flight to Fairbanks left at 1:00 a.m. (AST), so the team had to stay in an Anchorage hotel for five hours before leaving for the airport at 9:45 a.m. (1:45 p.m. EST). The team arrived in Fairbanks at 12:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. EST) making the normal 16-hour trip a 27-hour ordeal. The Irish went right from the airport to the Carlson Center to practice for an hour-and-a-half before enjoying Thanksgiving dinner at 3:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. EST).
CAPTAINS:
Senior Cory McLean (Fargo, N.D.) will serve as Notre Dame’s team captain this season. The team’s two alternate captains will be junior Mike Walsh (Northville, Mich.) and sophomore Jason Paige (Saginaw, Mich.). Paige is just the second sophomore in Dave Poulin’s 10 seasons at Notre Dame to be selected as an alternate captain. The first was Steve Noble (’98) who was selected an alternate for the 1995-96 season. He went on to serve as captain in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
TOUGH PLACE TO WIN:
Notre Dame’s win at Western Michigan on Nov. 13th was just the fourth for the Irish at Lawson Arena since returning to the CCHA in 1992-93. Notre Dame is now 4-16-3 at Lawson since that season. Overall, the Irish are 7-19-4 in the all-time series versus the Broncos in Kalamazoo, Mich.
BEATING THE BEST:
For the second year in a row, Notre Dame faced the Boston College Eagles when the Eagles were the top-ranked team in the nation. For the second year in a row, the Irish sent the Eagles home with a loss as they prevailed on Oct. 22 by a 3-2 score. The last time the Irish had defeated a top-ranked team at the Joyce Center was Jan. 13, 1978 when they upset Denver, 5-3. A year ago, in Boston, the Irish downed the top-ranked Eagles, 1-0. In the 37-year history of the program, Notre Dame owns eight wins over top-ranked teams. The list:
10/22/04 – vs. Boston College, 3-2
10/23/03 – at Boston College, 1-0
1/3/99 – at North Dakota, 4-3
11/20/78 – at Minnesota, 3-2
1/13/78 – vs. Denver, 5-3
1/18/74 – vs. Michigan Tech, 7-1
2/24/73 – vs. Wisconsin, 4-3
2/23/73 – vs. Wisconsin, 8-5
BLASTING THE BISCUIT:
The Irish fired 54 shots at Bowling Green goaltender Jordan Sigalet on Nov. 5, including 29 in the second period. The last time the Irish had more than 54 shots on goal came on Oct. 17, 2003 when they fired 59 at – you guessed it – Jordan Sigalet of Bowling Green. He made 56 saves that night in a 5-3 Falcon win.
BISCUIT BARRAGE:
The 52 shots that Boston College fired at Morgan Cey on Oct. 22 was the most shots on goal the Irish have faced since Jan. 23, 2001 when Michigan fired 51 on the Notre Dame goal in a 9-0 Wolverine win.
TOPS IN DIRECTORS CUP STANDINGS:
Notre Dame stands first in the third set of fall sports standings released in the 2004-05 United States Sports Academy Division I Directors’ Cup all-sports competition sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (formerly known as Sears Directors’ Cup). This marks the first time in the 12-year history of the all-sports program that Notre Dame has ranked number one. The previous highest ranking for the Irish was second in the 2004-05 second set of fall standings. Fall NCAA competition earned the Irish 337 points based on their NCAA title in women’s soccer (100 points), their fourth-place finish in women’s cross country (80), 11th-place finish in men’s cross country (57) and second-round NCAA appearances in men’s soccer and volleyball (50 each). The current school rankings.
1. Notre Dame, 337
2. Michigan, 333
3. Stanford 332
4. Duke 327
5. UCLA 297
6. Maryland 280
7. Ohio State, 276
8. Colorado 275
9. Texas, 262
10.Wisconsin 251
In previous years, Notre Dame has finished 11th in ’93-’94, 30th in ’94-’95, 11th in ’95-’96, 14th in ’96-’97, 31st in ’97-’98, 25th in ’98-99, 21st in ’99-’00, 11th in ’00-’01, 13th in ’01-02 and ’02-’03 and 19th in ’03-’04.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME:
Notre Dame’s loss to Minnesota-Duluth on Oct. 8 snapped a 15-game (12-0-3) regular-season home unbeaten at the Joyce Center. The last time the Irish had lost a regular-season home game at the Joyce Center was on Oct. 17, 2003 versus Bowling Green. Notre Dame was 14-2-2 (.833) at the Joyce Center last season. This year, the Irish are 3-7-3 at home and 17-9-5 (.629) in their last 31 home games. The 2003-04 home record of 14-2-2 was the best for the Irish since 1987-88 when that year’s Irish squad was 18-2-0 on home ice.
GOLD-MEDAL IRISH:
Two former Notre Dame hockey players helped the United States win the gold medal in the recent Deutschland Cup tournament held in Hannover, Germany. Forward Yan Stastny, currently playing for the Nurnberg Ice Tigers in Germany, collected a goal and an assist in the four games. Defenseman Mark Eaton, currently a member of the Nashville Predators, scored a power-play goal in the gold medal game vrsus Slovakia. The U.S. defeated Germany, 5-1, lost to Canada, 5-3, defeated Switzerland, 4-2 and then shutout Slovakia, 4-0, to finish 3-1 in the tournament. The U.S. ended tied with Canada with 3-1 records, but received the gold medal due to greater goal differential over the four games.
FRESHMAN FIRSTS:
Freshman left wing Mark Van Guilder (Roseville, Minn.) collected his first collegiate goal on Nov. 4 at Bowling Green. He became the second Irish freshman to get his first goal, following Evan Rankin who scored the first goal of his Notre Dame career with a second-period goal versus Boston College (Oct.22). Defenseman Brock Sheahan collected his first career point in Notre Dame’s season opener versus Minnesota-Duluth and fellow defenseman Dan VeNard got his first career point on Nov. 12 at Western Michigan.
FAMILY MATTERS:
Two Irish junior hockey players – Rory Walsh and Mike Walsh – have fathers who played sports at Notre Dame while attending the University during the 1970’s. Rory Walsh’s father, Brian (’77), was an all-American hockey player for the Irish. A center iceman, the elder Walsh is Notre Dame’s all-time leading scorer after recording 234 career points on 89 goals and 145 assists. Mike Walsh’s father, Max (’74), was an offensive lineman on the Notre Dame football team and a member of the 1973 national championship team. Rory Walsh is one of Notre Dame’s goaltenders and Walsh plays left wing for the Irish.
NHL DRAFTEES:
In June of 2004, the Irish had three players selected in the NHL Entry Draft. Freshman right wing Victor Oreskovich (Oakville, Ont.) was a second-round selection, 55th overall by the Colorado Avalanche. Sophomore defenseman Wes O’Neill was chosen in the fourth round, 115th overall by the New York Islanders. Sophomore goaltender David Brown was selected in the eighth round, 228th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Those three join junior Mike Walsh as Notre Dame players selected by in the draft. Walsh was picked in the fifth round of the 2002 draft by the New York Rangers.
FORMER IRISH GREAT GREG MEREDITH RECEIVES NCAA SILVER ANNIVERSARY AWARD:
Former Notre Dame hockey All-American, Greg Meredith (1976-80) was one of six NCAA Silver Anniversary Award recipients at the NCAA Convention in Dallas, Tex., Jan. 9. The Silver Anniversary Award recognizes former student-athletes who have distinguished themselves since completing their college careers 25 years ago. Meredith is Notre Dame’s all-time leading goal scorer with 104 goals in 149 career games. He is also tops in power-play goals (43) and seventh in all-time points with 192 for his career. He is just one of two players ever to score 40 goals in a season (1979-80) at Notre Dame. A four-year letterwinner with the Irish, Meredith was a finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship and was an NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipient. He is currently the managing director for Putnam Lovell NBF Securities Inc., and has held positions with Salomon Brothers, Inc., Nationsbanc Capital Markets, Inc., and Fenway Partners, Inc. From 2001 to 2003, he served as president and chief executive officer at HSBC Capital and was also president and CEO of Printvision, a software company from 2002-03. In addition, Meredith is the founder and president of Proctor Capital, a private investment and strategic advisory firm. He played four years in the NHL for the Calgary Flames and was an assistant coach at Harvard. Meredith currently coaches the St. David’s hockey program for boys and girls between 9 and 11 years of age. He formed the Meredith Family Foundation in 1997, which contributes to programs such as the LOGAN Center, which provides services to individuals with intellectual disabilities, the St. Joseph’s County Special Olympics, and Camp Millhouse, a summer camp for children with significant intellectual disabilities. In addition, the organization funds educational initiatives including the Paul E. Meredith scholarships at Notre Dame. Meredith is the 10th former Irish athlete to receive the award that was started in 1973.
FOUR OF FIVE:
Notre Dame has advanced to Joe Louis Arena and the CCHA finals in four of the last five seasons (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004). Only two other CCHA teams – Michigan and Michigan State – have been there all four years since the 1999-2000 campaign. The Irish also are one of five teams, joining Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Northern Michigan, to make it to the CCHA Super Six in each of the last three seasons.
NCAA ACTION:
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish hockey team had a season to remember in 2003-04. The Irish advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program’s 36-year history with a 20-15-4 overall record. In their first trip to the tournament, the Irish dropped a 5-2 decision to two-time NCAA defending champion Minnesota in the Grand Rapids Regional.
RETURN TO THE FROZEN TUNDRA:
Tuesday night’s game in Green Bay will be a homecoming of sort for six members of the Notre Dame hockey team. Five players and one assistant coach spent parts of their hockey careers in the Land of Lombardi with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Senior defenseman Joe Zurenko (Palatine, Ill.) played for the Gamblers during the ’00-’01 season and sophomore blueliners Noah Babin (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Wes O’Neill (Essex, Ont.) were teammates there in ’02-’03. Second-year assistant coach Layne LeBel also spent two seasons (’01-’03) with the Gamblers. Freshmen right wing Victor Oreskovich (Oakville, Ont.) and defenseman Dan VeNard (Vernon Hills, Ill) also played in Green Bay, Oreskovich in ’03-’04 while VeNard played three seasons there from ’01-’04.
STORM WARNINGS:
Three members of the Notre Dame freshman class saw action with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm during the ’03-’04 season. Defensemen Brian D’Arcy (Western Springs, Ill.) and Luke Lucyk (Fox Point, Wis.) were members of the Storm’s highly ranked defense. Forward Mark Van Guilder (Roseville, Minn.) was a key contributor to the USHL’s regular-season champions. Van Guilder was fifth on the team in scoring with 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points in 60 games. In 11 playoff games, Van Guilder added three goals and two assists for five points. D’Arcy saw his season cut short due to injuries, playing in 32 games with no goals and two assists to go with 36 penalty minutes. Lucyk was a regular on the defense with a goal and nine assists for 10 points in 60 games.
THE IRISH AND THE U.S. DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAM:
Notre Dame’s current roster includes four players who have past experience with USA Hockey, as members of the National Team Development Program (NTDP). Since the program began, the Irish have had a total of 13 NTDP alums grace their roster. The current contingent includes junior Tim Wallace and sophomores Noah Babin, Michael Bartlett (Morton Grove, Ill.) and Josh Sciba (Westland, Mich.). Other former NTDP players who played at Notre Dame and their years in the national program include: Brett Henning (1997-98), Michael Chin (1997-98), Connor Dunlop (1997-99), Paul Harris (1997-99), John Wroblewski (1997-99), Neil Komadoski (1998-2000), Brett Lebda (1998-2000), Rob Globke (1998-2000) and Derek Smith (2000-01).
INTERNATIONAL LEADER:
Notre Dame assistant coach, Andy Slaggert, served as the head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Select Team that finished second at the Five Nation’s Tournament from Aug. 24-28 in Halle, Germany. The U.S. Team’s lone loss came to the Czech Republic (the eventual winners). This was Slaggert’s second international appearance with USA Hockey as he served as assistant coach on the 2003 gold-medal winning team at the World Under-18 Select Tournament held in the Czech Republic. The 12-year assistant at Notre Dame has been involved in coaching with USA Hockey since the 1996-97 season.