Senior Matt Amado goes into the Miami series with a four-game goal-scoring streak (5-1-6).

Notre Dame Travels To #11/#12 Miami Looking For First Road Win And To Extend Two-Game Winning Streak

Nov. 15, 2005

Notre Dame, Ind. – • The Series: Notre Dame (3-5-0/2-2-0) at #11/#12 Miami (6-2-0/5-1-0)

• Date/Site/Times: Fri.-Sat., Nov. 18-19, 2005 – 7:35 p.m. – Goggin Arena (2,200)

• 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” will bring you all the play-by-play action with Chris Duve providing the color commentary live from Oxford, Ohio.

• Internet Broadcast: At the Notre Dame website – www.und.com.

TAKE THE HIGHWAY: Notre Dame leaves the friendly confines of the Joyce Center this weekend as the Irish travel to Oxford, Ohio for a pair of games versus the Miami RedHawks on Nov. 18-19. Game time at Goggin Arena both nights is set for 7:35 p.m. Notre Dame goes into the weekend series with a 3-5-0 mark and a 2-2-0 record in the CCHA after recording their first conference sweep since Feb. of 2004 against Bowling Green at home last weekend. The Irish took a 9-4 decision on Thursday night and then added a 4-2 win on Friday for the two-game winning streak. Miami comes into the weekend ranked 11th in the USA Today poll and 12th in the USCHO.com poll and is sporting a 6-2-0 overall record and an impressive 5-1-0 CCHA record, good for a second-place tie in the CCHA. After falling to North Dakota in the season opener, Miami ran off six straight wins before dropping a 3-2 decision last Saturday at Lake Superior State for a split in that series. To date, the RedHawks have played just one game at home, a 3-1 win over Ohio State on Nov. 4. Notre Dame and Miami are in the same rivalry cluster this season along with Ohio State and Bowling Green and will play four times. The two teams will meet in South Bend on Jan. 13-14 to close the series.

IRISH VERSUS REDHAWKS: Notre Dame and Miami have met 44 times in the all-time series with the RedHawks holding a 26-13-5 edge. At Oxford, Ohio, Miami is 14-7-1 against Notre Dame in 22 meetings. Over the last 10 games in the series, Miami has a 7-3-0 edge, including four straight wins. Since 2001-02, nine of the last 11 games in the series have been played at Goggin Arena, including the last seven in a row. The two teams met twice last year on Oct. 15-16 with the RedHawks taking 4-2 and 5-0 wins over the Irish. Notre Dame’s last win at Miami was a big one as it came in the third game of the first round of the CCHA playoffs on March 16, 2003 with the Irish taking a 5-0 win, the second of back-to-back shutout wins that sent the Irish on to the CCHA Super Six.

CCHA DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK: For the second time this season, a Notre Dame player was honored by the CCHA for his play. Junior defenseman Noah Babin (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) was chosen as the league’s defenseman of the week for the week ending Nov. 13. The former Green Bay Gambler had three assists and was +3 on the weekend as the Irish took 9-4 and 4-2 decisions versus Bowling Green. Babin was part of a defensive corps that recorded 11 assists in the two-game series. In seven games this season, Babin has one goal and three assists for four points. Goaltender Jordan Pearce (Fr., Anchorage, Alaska) was the league’s rookie of the week on Nov. 1.

A SERIES SWEEP: For the first time since Feb. 27-28, 2004, Notre Dame recorded a CCHA series sweep with its 9-4 and 4-2 wins over Bowling Green on Nov. 10-11 at the Joyce Center. In Friday’s 4-2 win, the Irish built a 3-0 lead on two goals by Matt Amado (Sr., Surrey, B.C.) and one by Josh Sciba (Jr., Westland, Mich.). After Mike Falk scored two third-period goals for the Falcons to cut the lead to 3-2, Tim Wallace (Sr., Anchorage, Alaska) put the rebound of a Noah Babin shot past BG’s Jon Horrell for the 4-2 win. In the game, Bowling Green out shot the Irish by a 38-22 margin. David Brown (Jr., Stoney Creek, Ont.) recorded his first win of the season, making 36 saves in the game. The Irish were 1-for-8 on the power play while Bowling Green was 1-for-9. On Thursday night, Notre Dame and Bowling Green combined for 13 goals with the Irish taking the 9-4 victory. The Irish had four power-play goals and a short-handed tally in the win, their first in CCHA play this season. Josh Sciba led the way for Notre Dame as he picked up the first hat trick of his career, getting two on power-play goals and one short-handed. Tim Wallace, Matt Amado, Mike Walsh (Sr., Northville, Mich.), T.J. Jindra (Jr., Faribault, Minn.), Christian Hanson (Fr., Venetia, Pa.) and Victor Oreskovich (So., Oakville, Ont.) all scored for the Irish as 16 of the team’s 18 skaters picked up at least one point on the night. Jonathan Matsumoto led Bowling Green with a goal and two assists on the night. The Falcons also got goals from Mike Falk, Brett Pilkington and Ben Geelan on the night. The Falcons outshot the Irish, 33-28, in the game. Jordan Pearce (Fr., Anchorage, Alaska) made 29 saves for Notre Dame while Jimmy Spratt had 19 for Bowling Green. The Irish were 4-for-10 on the power play, while Bowling Green was 2-for-7.

THE LAST TIME: The Irish won two games in a row came Nov. 13-Nov. 26 of 2004. Notre Dame won 3-2 at Western Michigan on 11/13 and then took another 3-2 win at Alaska Fairbanks on 11/26 for the lone consecutive wins during 2004-05. Thursday’s win over Bowling Green was the first CCHA win for the Irish since Dec. 10, 2004 when they defeated Michigan State, 3-2 in overtime at the Joyce Center. The win snapped a 17-game (0-15-2) conference regular-season winless streak and a 19-game (0-17-2) winless skid versus CCHA teams (includes two playoff games versus Michigan.

ONE IN THE WIN COLUMN: David Brown’s 36-save win over Bowling Green was his first victory since Dec. 10, 2004 when he was the winning goaltender in the 3-2 overtime win against Michigan State. The win snapped a personal nine-game losing streak for Brown.

GETTING INVOLVED: The Notre Dame defense contributed 11 points (all assists) in the weekend series with Bowling Green. Noah Babin and Brock Sheahan (So., Lethbridge, Alb.) led the way with three assists each. Chris Trick (Sr., Troy, Mich.) and Wes O’Neill (Jr., Essex, Ont.) had two points each while Tom Sawatske (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) had one assist in the two games. For Trick and Sheahan, the two-point games were the first multiple-point games of their careers.

HATS OFF: Junior center Josh Sciba recorded the first hat trick of his career in the 9-4 win over Bowling Green on Nov. 10. Sciba scored two goals on the power play and then added a short-handed marker to cap his evening. He followed that with a third power-play goal of the weekend when he scored in Friday’s 4-2 win over the Falcons. In eight games this season, Sciba already has as many goals (6) as he did in 35 games last season. Sciba’s hat trick was the first for a Notre Dame player since March 18, 2004 when Aaron Gill `04 scored three goals in a 6-5 Irish loss to Ohio State in the first round of the CCHA Super Six. His hat trick was also the first for a Notre Dame player at the Joyce Center since Aniket Dhadphale `99 scored three on November 13, 1998 in a 6-2 win over Bowling Green. Before Sciba’s hat trick, the last five Irish three-goal efforts came on the road.

RED-HOT AMADO: Senior left wing Matt Amado ran his career-high goal-scoring streak to four games with a pair of goals in the 4-2 win over Bowling Green on Nov. 11. The speedy Amado now has five goals and one assist for six points in his last four games. Amado’s two-goal effort versus Bowling Green was the first multiple-goal game of his career. The Surrey, B.C. native has scored five goals in each of his four seasons at Notre Dame. This year’s five have come in just eight games.

WALLY’S WORLD: Tim Wallace is off to the best start of his Notre Dame career with five goals and four assists for nine points in eight games this season. Included are three two-point games for the veteran right wing. His two-goal game versus Princeton on Oct. 28 was the second of his career. His other came on March 14, 2004 in the first round of the CCHA playoffs when he had a pair of goals in game three versus Western Michigan in Notre Dame’s 5-4 overtime win. This year’s two-goal game was the first by a Notre Dame player since Wes O’Neill scored two in a 4-4 tie with Bowling Green on Nov. 5, 2004. Wallace continues to add to his “Iron Man” streak as he played has now played in 125 consecutive games for the Irish. The Anchorage, Alaska native has now scored a point in four straight games for the Irish (3-3-6).

LUCKY 13: Notre Dame scored 13 times in its two games last weekend versus Bowling Green. To put that number in perspective for the Irish and the goal-scoring woes they suffered in 2004-05, last January, the Irish played 11 games and scored just 12 goals. HOME SWEET HOME AGAIN: Notre Dame’s sweep of Bowling Green gives the Irish three home wins this season (3-2-0 overall), equaling their output of last season when they were 3-12-4 on home ice. In 2003-04, Notre Dame was 14-2-2 (.833) at the Joyce Center.

NINE IS FINE: Notre Dame’s nine goals versus Bowling Green on Nov. 10 were the most by the Irish since Nov. 20, 1998, a 9-5 win over Western Michigan at the Joyce Center.

LOOK AT THE IRISH: After finishing last in the nation in scoring last season (1.58 goals per game), the Irish go into this week at Miami ranked 14th in the nation in scoring with 3.63 goals per game. In CCHA action, Notre Dame scored 48 goals in 28 games (1.71 goals per game). This year, the Irish have 20 goals in their first four CCHA games (5.0 per game).

SPECIAL TEAMS: After going 4-for-45 on the power play in the first six games of the season, the Irish were 5-for-18 in the Bowling Green series, including 4-for-10 in Thursday’s 9-4 win. The four power-play goals were the most for Notre Dame in one game since Dec.7, 2002 when they had four in a 6-2 win over Bowling Green. The Irish held the Falcons to 3-for-16 in two games after giving up seven power-play goals the previous weekend to Michigan. For the year, Notre Dame is 9-for-63 with the man advantage (14.3%) and 46-of-61 (74.4%) on the penalty kill through eight games.

PLAYING LIKE VETERANS: Notre Dame freshmen Erik Condra (Livonia, Mich.) and Garrett Regan (Hastings, Minn.) have stepped right into the Notre Dame lineup and played like they belong there. Condra leads the Irish in scoring with a goal and nine assists for 10 points in the first eight games this season. He is ninth in the nation among freshmen in scoring with 1.25 points per game. Regan has played in seven games and has two goals and two assists for four points. Christian Hanson (Venetia, Pa.) broke through versus Bowling Green on Nov. 10 when he scored his first career goal.

MULTIPLE-POINT NIGHTS: Nine different Notre Dame players had multiple-point games in the win over Bowling Green. Josh Sciba (3g, 0a) and Erik Condra (0g, 3a) led the way with three-point games. Chris Trick (0g, 2a), Noah Babin (0g, 2a), Brock Sheahan (0g, 2a), Matt Amado (1g, 1a), Mike Walsh (1g, 1a), Victor Oreskovich (1g, 1a) and T.J. Jindra (1g, 1a) each had two-point nights.

BIG VIC: Sophomore Victor Oreskovich turned in the first multiple-point game of his career with a goal and an assist versus Bowling Green. That gives him two goals and an assist for three points in six games this season. A year ago, in 37 games, Oreskovich had a goal and two assists for three points.

HIGH-SCORING AFFAIRS: After struggling to score goals in 2004-05, the Fighting Irish have now been involved in two games in a four-game span where they combined with their opponent to score 13 goals in a game. On Nov. 4, Notre Dame dropped an 8-5 decision to Michigan. On Nov. 10, the Irish prevailed, 9-4, versus Bowling Green. Previously, the last time Notre Dame and its opponent combined for 13 goals in a game was Dec. 5, 2003 when the Irish lost and 8-6 decision to Western Michigan.

HIGH FIVES: The last time that Notre Dame won a game by five goals was on March 16, 2003 when the Irish defeated Miami, 5-0, in game three of the first round of the CCHA playoffs. The Irish had five goals in the third period of the win over Bowling Green. The last time they scored five goals in a period came on Oct. 20, 2000 when they scored five second-period goals in a 6-4 win over Northeastern at the Joyce Center.

NO. 1 TEAMS: Through the first eight games of the season, the Irish have played four of them versus ranked teams. The Irish opened with No. 4 Colorado College and then played No. 9 Denver. Last weekend, the Irish faced No. 3 Michigan in a pair of games. All three of those teams have been ranked No. 1 in the nation at one time or another this season. Combined, those three teams have a 23-7-3 record.

FAST START: Freshman Erik Condra’s three-point game (0g, 3a) versus Denver was the first three-point game by an Irish rookie since Brett Lebda `04 had five points (1g, 4a) versus Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 20, 2000. His three-point game was the first for the Irish since Nov. 5, 2004 when both Mike Walsh (Sr., Northville, Mich.) and Cory McLean `05 had three points versus Bowling Green in a 4-4 tie. Condra had his four-game point streak (1-6-7) snapped at Michigan on Nov. 5. The speedy right wing picked up his second three-point game of the year with three assists against Bowling Green on Nov. 10.

IT’S FINALLY OVER: On Jan. 2 of last season, Notre Dame opened the New Year with a 2-1 win over R.P.I. at the Joyce Center. Little did anyone know at the time, but that would be the last win for the Irish until Oct. 29 of this season versus Princeton, a winless streak that would cover a school-record 22 games (0-20-2). Ties at Lake Superior State (Jan. 8) and with Nebraska-Omaha (Feb. 4) would be the only points the Irish would gain in the span. Notre Dame ended 2004-05 with a nine-game losing streak and extended that to 12 games with losses in the first three games of 2005-06.

FLUSHING AWAY THE LOSSES: When new Irish head hockey coach Jeff Jackson met with his team for the first time in the 2005-06 school year, they went over team rules, regulations, set up schedules and met with other administrators. At the end of the meeting, he gave the team’s returning players an index card to write down everything that they hated from the previous season (a 5-27-6 year that ended in a 19-game winless skid – 0-17-2). After doing that, the team went to where center ice would be at the Joyce Center rink and threw the cards into a waste basket to burn them, symbolizing that the previous year was done and it was time to move on. Jackson had the ashes placed in a jar that was kept in the locker room to remind everyone about the previous season. “I thought that it was would be good to keep them as a reminder of what happens when you’re not committed,” said Jackson. On Saturday night (Oct. 29) following the first period at home versus Princeton, after starting the season at 0-3 and coming off a bad second period performance the night before (in a 5-3 loss to the Tigers), Jackson walked into the locker room and before talking to the team, took the ashes into the restroom and flushed them down the toilet. “With the first three games, our second periods were horrible, so we flushed last year away,” said Jackson. “They (the players) laughed a little, but the toilet flushed and last year is behind us. Those losses from last year were still lingering over the team and I’m just glad it’s behind them and that now we can move on.” The Irish went out and scored two goals in the second period in the 2-0 win and the winless skid was over.

BACK BEHIND THE BENCH: Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson returns to collegiate coaching this season for the first time since leaving Lake Superior State following the 1995-96 season. In six years with the Lakers, Jackson compiled a 182-52-25 career record with two national championships, two CCHA regular-season titles and four CCHA tournament championships. The veteran coach is the NCAA’s winningest active coach with at least five years experience with a .751 winning percentage. His 182 career wins (in just six seasons) ranks him 26th among active coaches. Included in his 182 wins are 36 postseason victories and a .837 winning percentage (36-7 in postseason). In CCHA postseason action, Jackson’s teams were 24-2 (.923) with the two losses coming to Michigan in CCHA Championship games (`94 and `96). All-time, Jackson-coached teams 15-3-5 against Miami.

GOING FOR THE GOLD: For the first time since the 1975-76 season, the Notre Dame hockey team will wear gold helmets. When head coach Jeff Jackson took over the program he wanted the hockey program to have an identity. Most people identify Notre Dame with the Golden Dome and the gold football helmets worn by the football team. Irish equipment manager Dave Gilbert contacted the various hockey equipment companies during the summer and Bauer was able to recreate the Irish helmets with the same gold metallic paint that is used on the helmets of the Notre Dame football team. These helmets feature white cages (except for players who wear visors) and like the football helmets have no other markings except for an American flag on the back.

OPENING NIGHT STAND OUT: Senior right wing Tim Wallace has come up big on “Opening Night” for the Irish in his four seasons. On Oct. 21 at Colorado College, he continued a personal “Opening Night” streak with an assist versus the Tigers. During his four seasons at Notre Dame, Wallace has now scored a point in the first game of every year. In 2002, as a freshman, he scored a goal on his first shot at Minnesota-Duluth. As a sophomore in 2003, he had a pair of assists in a 5-2 win at Ohio State. Last season, he set up Notre Dame’s first goal of the season (by Josh Sciba) and this year he assisted on Victor Oreskovich’s goal versus Colorado College. In four season openers, Wallace has a goal and four assists for five points.

IRON MEN: Junior right wing Tim Wallace (Anchorage, Alaska) has played in all 125 games during his three-plus seasons at Notre Dame. He became Notre Dame’s all-time “Iron Man,” passing former defenseman Evan Nielsen (`03) who held the record with 114 games between 2000-03. Other Irish consecutive game streaks of 35 games or more include:

Chris Trick – 47 games Mark Van Guilder – 46 games Mike Walsh – 41 games

O’Neill and Van Guilder have not missed a game in their careers. Wes O’Neill (Jr., Essex, Ont.) saw his streak of 82 consecutive games snapped at Michigan on Nov. 5. Noah Babin’s (Jr., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) streak of 51 straight games was snapped on Nov. 4 versus Michigan when he did not play versus Michigan. T.J. Jindra saw his streak of 79 consecutive game streak snapped due to a shoulder sprain. Michael Bartlett (Jr., Morton Grove, Ill.) had his 78-game streak snapped on Oct. 22 when he did not play against Denver.

FOR OPENERS: After losing their season opener at Colorado College, Notre Dame is now 19-17-2 in season openers and 14-20-3 in road openers. With the 5-3 loss to Princeton on Oct. 28, the Irish are now 20-17-1 in home openers.

LATE START: Notre Dame’s Oct. 21 opener at Colorado College was the latest the Irish have started a season since the 1991-92 campaign. That year, the Irish opened with a pair of games on Oct. 25-26 at Air Force where they split, losing 8-3 and winning, 5-3.

SHORT-CIRCUIT: The Denver Pioneers scored a pair of short-handed goals (Gabe Gauthier, Ryan Dingle) in the 6-3 win over the Irish on Oct. 22. That marked the first time since Dec. 8, 2000 against Miami that the Irish gave up two short-handed tallies in a game. The Irish lost that game, 5-2, with Jason Deskins and Gregor Krajnc each scoring a man down.

IRISH CAPTAINS: Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson named his captain and alternates for the 2005-06 season on Oct. 5. Junior T.J. Jindra (Faribault, Minn.) was selected as the team’s captain, making him the first junior captain since Evan Neilsen `03. Jindra is the 13th junior in the program’s history to be selected captain. He will be assisted by seniors Mike Walsh (Northville, Mich.) and Chris Trick (Troy, Mich.) along with junior Jason Paige. Walsh and Paige are in their second seasons as alternate captains for the Irish.

ALL TIED UP: The Fighting Irish have been involved in 49 overtime games since the start of the 1999-2000 season. In those games, they are 7-6-36. During the 2004-05 season, Notre Dame played in nine overtime contests, going 1-2-6 in those games. The lone overtime win came on Dec. 10 versus Michigan State and was the first regular-season overtime win since Jan. 25, 2002, snapping a 16-game winless (0-2-14) skid in regular-season overtime games. Notre Dame’s season ended in an overtime loss as the Irish fell 1-0 in overtime to Michigan in game two of the first round of the CCHA playoffs.

FIRST TIMERS: Freshman left wing Garrett Regan became the first Irish freshman to score a goal this season when he notched his first career goal at 3:59 of the second period. The goal was also the game winner. After getting no points in the first game of the season, Erik Condra burst on the scene with three assists in his second game of the year and now has five assists. Condra added his first career goal versus Michigan on Nov. 4 Goaltender Jordan Pearce had his first win and first shutout of the season on Oct. 29 versus Princeton. Christian Hanson scored his first goal and point with a third-period goal against Bowling Green. Defenseman Tom Sawatske (Jr., Duluth, Minn.) picked up his first assist on Nov. 5 at Michigan and has played in five games. Justin White (Fr., Traverse City, Mich.) has seen action in two with both looking for their first points of the year.

MOVING ON: Over the last two seasons, Notre Dame has seen six of its players sign contracts with National Hockey League teams. Only Michigan with seven and Minnesota with six have as many or more NHL signees. This past summer, goaltender Morgan Cey (Wilkie, Sask.) and former Irish forward Yan Stastny (St. Louis, Mo.) signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Edmonton Oilers respectively. They joined 2003-04 signees – Neil Komadoski (Ottawa Senators), Brett Lebda (Detroit Red Wings), Aaron Gill (San Jose Sharks) and Rob Globke (Florida Panthers). Komadoski, Globke and Stastny were selected in the NHL Draft (Stastny was a Boston Bruin pick) while Cey, Gill and Lebda were free-agent signees. Stastny played at Notre Dame from 2001-03 before going to Germany to play professional hockey. He would have been a senior in 2004-05.

DROP THE PUCK: Notre Dame officially open the 2004-05 season on Tues., Sept. 6 when the Irish hosted their first-ever “Drop The Puck Dinner” at the Joyce Center featuring guest speaker Scotty Bowman. Over 400 fans attended and had the chance skate on the Joyce Center ice, meet and greet the `05-’06 team and then hear the legendary hockey coach talk hockey with the players, coaches and fans in attendance. Bowman, who won nine Stanley Cups in his illustrious coaching career, was also invited by Notre Dame head football coach Charlie Weis to address his team at practice on Sept. 6, just four days prior to football’s upset win at Michigan.

BEATING THE BEST: In each of the last two seasons, the Irish have faced a No. 1 ranked team and each year they’ve come away with a victory. In 2004-05, Notre Dame knocked off the No. 1 ranked Boston College Eagles in South Bend by a 3-2 score. The previous year, the Irish traveled to Chestnut Hill, Mass., and knocked off the top-ranked Eagles, 1-0, with current junior goaltender David Brown turning in the shutout. Here’s the list of Irish wins versus top-ranked teams in the 38-year history of the program.

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

FAMILY MATTERS: Two incoming freshmen – forwards Erik Condra (Livonia, Mich.) and Garrett Regan (Hastings, Minn.) – join seniors Rory Walsh (Milton, Mass.) and Mike Walsh as Irish hockey players with family ties to Notre Dame athletics. Condra’s uncle is All-American forward Kirt Bjork (`83) who played at Notre Dame from 1979-83. He scored 76 goals with 85 assists for 161 career points in 141 career games. He took All-American honors in 1983 when he had 29 goals and 34 assists for 63 points. Regan’s uncle – Sean Regan – was a defenseman for the Irish from1981-83 before finishing his career at the University of Minnesota. In two seasons, Regan had eight goals and 34 assists for 42 points in 60 games. 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.

FROZEN TUNDRA: Notre Dame has had a steady flow of players in recent years that played their junior hockey with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United State’s Hockey League. Four members of the current Notre Dame team have played in the Land of Lombardi. The trio is led by junior defensmen Noah Babin (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Wes O’Neill (Essex, Ont.). The defensive duo were teammates there during the `02-’03 season. Two former Gamblers are members of the Irish sophomore class – center Victor Oreskovich (Oakville, Ont.) and defenseman Dan VeNard (Vernon Hills, Ill). Oreskovich played one season in Green Bay (`03-’04) while VeNard was a Gambler from 2001-04.

NHL DRAFTEES: This past August, the Irish had one player selected in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. That player – Kyle Lawson – was a seventh round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, 198th overall. Lawson signed a national letter-of-intent to attend Notre Dame during the early-signing period in Nov. of 2004. He then deferred until the start of the 2006-07 school year. Lawson will play this season in the United States Hockey League with the Tri-City Storm. The Irish have four players on this year’s roster – senior Mike Walsh (New York Rangers), juniors Wes O’Neill (New York Islanders) and David Brown (Pittsburgh Penguins) and sophomore Victor Oreskovich (Colorado Avalanche) – who have been drafted by NHL teams.

PUTTING ON THE FOIL: Notre Dame freshman Christian Hanson (Venetia, Pa.) becomes the sixth player to play for the Irish whose father played in the National Hockey League. His father, Dave Hanson, played 10 years of professional hockey between 1974-75 and 1983-84, including stints with the Detroit Red Wings and the Minnesota North Stars and the World Hockey Association’s (WHA) Minnesota Fighting Saints and the New England Whalers. Fans might also be familiar with Dave Hanson, as one of the famed Hanson Brothers, made famous in the hockey movie – Slapshot. Hanson currently is the director of the Island Sports Center, home of Robert Morris University’s hockey team, in suburban Pittsburgh.

THE IRISH AND THE U.S. NATIONAL TEAM DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAM: Notre Dame’s current roster includes six 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 15 NTDP alums grace their roster. The current contingent includes senior Tim Wallace and juniors Noah Babin, Michael Bartlett (Morton Grove, Ill.), Tom Sawatske (Duluth, Minn.) and Josh Sciba (Westland, Mich.). The lone freshman is goaltender Jordan Pearce (Anchorage, Alaska). A 16th alum will join the Irish in 2006-07 as defenseman Kyle Lawson (New Hudson, Mich.) signed a letter-of-intent in November, 2004 and is playing this year in the USHL with the Tri-City Storm. 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).

RIVALRY CLUSTERS: The CCHA begins its fourth season with the 12 teams grouped in “rivalry pairings.” In the pairings, Notre Dame is paired with Bowling Green. The league’s other pairings include Michigan-Michigan State, Miami-Ohio State, Lake Superior State-Northern Michigan, Ferris State-Western Michigan and Alaska Fairbanks-Nebraska-Omaha. Each season the teams are divided into three, four-team clusters and play a 28-game conference schedule. Cluster teams will face each other four times during the season with two games against each of the remaining eight teams. In 2005-06, Notre Dame will play Bowling Green, Miami and Ohio State four times with two games at home and two away. The Irish will also play home-and-home series with Ferris State, Michigan, Michigan State and Western Michigan with two-game home series with Alaska Fairbanks and Lake Superior State. The Irish play two-game raod series at Nebraska-Omaha and Northern Michigan. In 2004-05, the Irish played in the same cluster with Bowling Green, Michigan and Michigan State and were 1-10-1 in the 12 games.

NOTRE DAME PLAYER NOTES

 1  Jordan Pearce, Fr., Goaltender • Made 29 saves in picking up second win of the season and first CCHA victory • a 9-4 win over Bowling Green (11/10). • Made 25 saves in 4-2 loss at Michigan (11/5). • Named CCHA Rookie of the Week after 27-save, 2-0 shutout of Princeton. • Picked up first career win and shutout in same game, a 27-save, 2-0 blanking of Princeton on 10/29. • Made 17 saves in first career game, a 6-3 loss at Denver (10/22).
2 Tom Sawatske, Jr., D • Had two-game point streak (0-2-2) snapped versus Bowling Green (11/11) • Recorded first point at Notre Dame on Nov. 5 versus Michigan (assist)
4 Dan VeNard, So., D • Missed first three games of the season with a stress fracture suffered during summer. Returned to lineup on 11/29 vs. Princeton.
5 Chris Trick, Sr., D • Recorded first multiple-point game of career (0-2-2) in 9-4 win over Bowling Green (11/10) • Named alternate captain on Oct. 5.
6 Noah Babin, Jr., D • Selected CCHA defenseman of the week for the week ending Nov. 13. • Has two-game point streak (0-3-3) following assist in 4-2 win over BG (11/11). • Picked up two assists in 9-4 win over Bowling Green (11/20). • Scored first goal of the season on 10/22 in 6-3 loss at Denver.
7 Luke Lucyk, So., D • Has played in five of team's first eight games.
8 Josh Sciba, Jr., C • Had fourth goal of weekend (ppg) in 4-2 win over Bowling Green, giving him a two-game goal (4-0-4) and point streak (4-0-4). • Recorded first career hat trick (2ppg, 1shg) in 9-4 win over Bowling Green (11/10). • Scored one goal in 5-3 loss to Princeton (10/28). • Had a goal and an assist in 6-3 loss at Denver.
10 Justin White, Fr., LW • Made first career appearance on 10/29 versus Princeton. Has played in two games.
11 Erik Condra, Fr., RW • Had second three-point game (0-3-3) of season in 9-4 win over Bowling Green (11/10). • Ran scoring streak to four games (1-6-7) with first career goal and an assist versus Michigan (11/4). • Added assists in both games versus Princeton. • Assisted on all three goals in 6-3 loss at Denver (10/22).
13 Andrew Eggert, So., D • Sidelined for first six games of season with broken collarbone that occured in September. Cleared to play prior to Bowling Green series. Has not played in any games.
14 Brock Sheahan, So., D • Assist in game two of Bowling Green series gives him a two-game point streak (0-3-3). • Had first multiple-point game of career (0-2-2) in 9-4 win over Bowling Green (11/10).
16 Matt Amado, Sr., LW • Has a career-best four-game goal and point streak (5-1-6) after collecting first two-goal game of career in 4-2 win over Bowling Green (11/11). • Ran goal-scoring streak to three games and had third multiple-point game of career with goal and assist in 9-4 win over Bowling Green (11/10). • Followed with a goal the following night in 4-2 loss at Michigan. • First goal of the year came in 8-5 loss vs. Michigan (11/4). • First point of season was an assist on Oct. 28 versus Princeton.
17 Mike Walsh, Sr., LW • Recorded first multiple-point game of season (1g, 1a) in 9-4 win over Bowling Green (11/10). • Scored first goal of the season on Nov. 4 versus Michigan. • Selected alternate captain for second consecutive season on Oct. 5.
18 Evan Rankin, So., RW • First point of the season came on an assist in loss to Princeton (10/28).
19 Wes O'Neill, Jr., D • Has a two-game point streak (0-2-2) following the series with Bowling Green. • Assisted on a goal in Notre Dame's 2-0 win over Princeton (10/29). • Opened the year with a goal and an assist in 6-3 loss at Denver (10/22) for sixth multiple-point game of his career.
20 Victor Oreskovich, So., RW • Had first multiple-point game (1g, 1a) of career in 9-4 win over Bowling Green (11/10). Has already scored more goals than in his freshman year. • Scored Notre Dame's lone goal in 3-1 opening-night loss at Colorado College (10/21).
21 Tony Gill, Sr., LW • Has seen action in three of Notre Dame's first eight games.
22 Jason Paige, Jr., C • One of team's top face-off men and penalty killers, has played in all eight games for the Irish in 2005-06. • Selected alternate captain for the second season on Oct. 5.
23 Mark Van Guilder, So., LW/C • Had assists in both games of Bowling Green series for two-game point streak (0-2-2). • Recorded first point of the season versus Princeton (10/28). Turned that into a three-game point streak 1-3-4) with a goal versus Princeton in 2-0 win and an assist versus Michigan the following week.
24 Brian D'Arcy, So., D • Has played in one game - at Denver on Oct. 22.
25 Christian Hanson, Fr., C • Scored first career goal on Nov. 10 in 9-4 win over Bowling Green. • Made first appearance of the season on Oct. 22 at Denver.
26 T.J. Jindra, Jr., C • Returned to the lineup on Nov. 10 vs. Bowling Green and had a goal and an assist for third multiple-point game of career. • Suffered strained shoulder versus Denver on Oct. 22 and missed next four games. • Named team captain on Oct. 5. First junior named captain since Evan Nielsen in 2001-02.
27 Michael Bartlett, Jr., RW • Had an assist in 9-4 win over Bowling Green (11/10). • Scored first goal of the season in 4-2 loss at Michigan (11/5). • Assisted on both goals in 2-0 win over Princeton on Oct. 29. Third multiple-point game of his career.
28 Tim Wallace, Sr., RW • Ran scoring streak to career-high four games (3-3-6) with a goal in 9-4 win over Bowling Green and a goal and assist in 4-2 win on Nov. 11. Has three-multiple point games this season and five for career. • Added an assist in 4-2 loss at Michigan the following night. • Had a goal and an assist in 8-5 loss to Michigan (11/4). • Scored two goals in 5-3 loss to Princeton (10/28) for second multi-goal game of career. • Assisted on lone Irish goal in 3-1 opening-night loss at Colorado College (10/21). In four seasons at Notre Dame scored at least one point on opening night (1g, 4a).
30 David Brown, Jr., Goaltender • Turned in strong performance with 36 saves in 4-2 win over Bowling Green (11/11). • Gave up seven goals on 30 shots in 8-5 loss to Michigan (11/4). Had second career assist in game. • Made career-low eight saves (in 60 minute game) in 5-3 loss to Princeton (10/28). • Opened season with 37 saves in 3-1 loss at Colorado College (10/21).
31 Rory Walsh, Sr., Goaltender • Played 2:10 in lone appearance of the season making two saves versus Michigan (11/4).
33 Garrett Regan, Fr., LW • Had four-game point streak (2-2-4) after getting assists in second Michigan game and first game of Bowling Green series. Streak was snapped on 11/11 vs. BG. • Made it two games in a row with goals after scoring versus Michigan (11/4). • Scored first career goal on Oct. 29 against Princeton.