Nov. 14, 2011
Notre Dame, Ind. – Sophomore center T.J. Tynan (Orland Park, Ill.) has been named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s (CCHA) offensive player of the week for games played the weekend of Nov. 11-12. The speedy center led Notre Dame to a pair of dramatic wins over Alaska at the new Compton Family Ice Arena.
Tynan recorded five points on the weekend, scoring one goal and adding four assists for five points in a 5-4 win on Nov. 11 and a 3-2 overtime victory over the Nanooks on Nov. 12. The talented playmaker now leads the Irish in scoring with 19 points on three goals and 16 assists. His point total is tops in both the CCHA and on the national level. His 16 assists and 1.73 points-per-game are also tops in the league and the nation.
After starting the season off with a seven-game point streak, the 5-8, 167-pound Tynan was held scoreless a week ago at Northern Michigan. He got back on track this past weekend to help Notre Dame run its unbeaten streak to seven games (5-0-2) and move the Irish into a three-way tie for first as they improve to 7-2-2 overall and 5-1-2-0 in conference play, good for 17 points.
Tynan started his weekend with a two-assist game on Friday, Nov. 11 as he assisted on first-period power-play goals by Robbie Russo (Fr., Westmont, Ill.) and Anders Lee (So., Edina, Minn.) as the Irish rallied from a 4-3 deficit after one period to go on to a 5-4 victory over Alaska in the opening game of the series.
The 2011 Hockey Coaches’ Association (HCA) national rookie of the year, Tynan had a hand in all three Notre Dame goals on Nov. 12 as the Irish again rallied from a 2-1 deficit to tie the game in the third period and then win it in overtime. After a scoreless first period, Tynan helped set up Lee on the power play at 16:27 for a 1-0 lead.
Alaska would score a pair of early third-period goals and with the clock rolling under the five-minute mark of the game; Tynan would combine with Lee to score the equalizer at 15:41. Defenseman Stephen Johns (So., Wampum., Pa.) put a pass from the slot on Lee’s stick on the left side of the goal. The sophomore left wing pulled the Nanook goaltender and defenseman toward him and slipped a pass across the crease that Tynan was able to deflect into the open goal to tie the game at 2-2.
In overtime, Tynan combined with Billy Maday (Sr., Burr Ridge, Ill.) to score on a neat give-and-go at the right wing circle. Tynan flipped a pass from the right boards to Maday in front who tucked it through Alaska goaltender Steve Thompson’s pads with 41.1 seconds left for the 3-2 overtime victory.
Tynan and his teammates are in the middle of a four-game homestand. They return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 15 when fourth-ranked Notre Dame plays host to 10th-ranked Western Michigan at the Compton Family Ice Arena at 7:05 p.m.