Feb. 27, 2012
Notre Dame, Ind. – Notre Dame sophomore center T.J. Tynan (Orland Park, Ill.) closed out the 2011-12 CCHA regular season with a short-handed goal in Saturday night’s 4-2 loss to Michigan State. The goal was enough to help Tynan become the first Notre Dame hockey player to win a CCHA scoring title in the 22 years that the Irish have been members of the conference.
Tynan’s totals in conference games were nine goals with 20 assists for 29 points in 28 games. That tied him with Michigan State defenseman Torey Krug who had 11 goals and 18 assists for his 29 points. The duo will share the league-scoring crown for the 2011-12 campaign.
Among Tynan’s nine goals were three power-play goals, one short-handed tally and one game winner. His 20 assists were tops in the CCHA and he led the conference with 14 power-play points on three goals and 11 assists.
Tynan’s conference scoring title is just the second ever won by a Notre Dame hockey player as the speedy center followed Eddie Bumbacco’s WCHA scoring crown by 39 years. Bumbacco, a 1974 graduate, led the WCHA in scoring for the 1972-73 season as he had 31 goals and 34 assists for 65 points in 28 conference games.
Overall, in 35 games this season, Tynan is the league leader in scoring with 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points in 36 games. The 40 points mark the second consecutive year that Tynan has hit the 40-point mark in his career. He now has 36 goals and 58 assists for 94 points in 79 career games.
Tynan is the first Notre Dame player to put together back-to-back 40-point seasons since David Bankoske `93 recorded a 56-point campaign in 1989-90 and followed with a 49-point season the next year, 1990-91.
Notre Dame will be counting on Tynan, a 2011 Columbus Blue Jacket draft choice, to continue to add to his overall totals this week as the Irish start the 2012 CCHA playoffs. They will play host to Ohio State in the best-of-three first round, beginning on Friday, March 2 at 7:35 p.m. at the Compton Family Ice Arena.