Feb. 5, 2002
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- Next Games: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-14-5/7-11-4) at Michigan State Spartans (19-5-5/14-4-4)
- Date/Site/Times: Fri.-Sat., Feb. 8-9, 2002 – Munn Arena (6,470) – 7:05 p.m.
- Broadcast Information: The games can be heard live on WDND South Bend’s ESPN Radio 1620 with Dave Mager calling the action.
OFF TO VISIT THE SPARTANS:
Notre Dame will play its’ next four games on the road starting with a trip to East Lansing, Mich., this weekend (Feb. 8-9), for a pair of games with #3/#4-ranked Michigan State. Faceoff time at Munn Arena both nights is 7:05 p.m. The Irish will face Michigan State in its final home series of the season as the Spartans put a 32-game home unbeaten streak (29-0-3) on the line. Notre Dame will be looking to break a mid-season funk that has seen the Irish lose six of their last seven games to fall to 9-14-5 overall and 7-11-4 in CCHA play. They start the week tied for ninth in the CCHA with the Miami RedHawks as each team has 18 points. Notre Dame trails seventh-place Ferris State (19) and Western Michigan (19) by one point and sixth-place Ohio State (22) by four points in the standings. Michigan State comes into the weekend after a pair of 3-3 ties at Ohio State last weekend. The Spartans are currently first in the CCHA with a 14-4-4 record in league play, good for 32 points. They are two points ahead of second-place Michigan (30) and five points ahead of third-place Nebraska-Omaha (27) in CCHA play. Following the trip to Michigan State, the Irish are off the following weekend (Feb. 15-16) before traveling to Lake Superior State (Feb. 22-23). Notre Dame closes out the regular season at home versus Bowling Green on March 1-2.
IRISH VERSUS SPARTANS:
Notre Dame and Michigan State have met 82 times in the all-time series that started during the 1921-22 season. The Spartans own a 48-28-6 edge in those games. Since the Irish returned to the CCHA, Michigan State has dominated the series with a 21-2-5 record. At Michigan State, the Spartans are 28-12-1 versus the Irish. Since the Irish returned to the CCHA, they have won just once at Munn Arena – a 6-1 win on Nov. 1, 1997 – and are 1-13-0 since the 1992-93 season. Since that win, the Irish have lost five straight in East Lansing. In the series, Michigan State owns a four-game winning streak and a six-game unbeaten run (5-0-1). Notre Dame’s last win versus the Spartans came on Dec. 4, 1999 – a 1-0 Tony Zasowski shutout at the Joyce Center. The two teams met twice last season in South Bend with Michigan State taking 5-1 and 3-2 victories from the Irish.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE:
The Spartans continue as one of the elite programs in the country as they are at the top of the CCHA again this season with a 19-5-5 overall record and a 14-4-4 league mark. Michigan State is coming off a pair of 3-3 ties at Ohio State last weekend. The Spartans are 2-0-3 in their last five games and 6-1-3 since January 1st. Michigan State will also be looking to keep its 32-game Munn Arena home unbeaten (29-0-3) streak alive as the Spartans close out their home schedule. Strong defense and special teams play are the trademarks of Ron Mason-coached teams and this year is no different. Michigan State’s stingy defense has given up just 57 goals overall and 37 in the CCHA. The Spartans are first in the league on the power play (24.3%) and first in penalty killing (90.6%). They are led by 2001 Hobey Baker winner Ryan Miller in goal. The junior puckstopper is 18-5-5 on the year with a 1.74 goals against and a .937 save percentage. Offensively, the Spartans have a balanced attack with five players among the CCHA’s top 30 scorers. Three players are tied for the team lead in scoring with 26 points. They are: forwards Brian Maloney (15-11-26) and Adam Hall (14-12-26) and defenseman John-Michael Liles (11-15-26). For more information on Michigan State, check their website at www.msuspartans.com.
ALASKA FAIRBANKS RECAP:
Notre Dame’s defense took the weekend off as the Irish were swept by Alaska Fairbanks by 7-5 and 6-5 scores. In each game, the Irish fell behind early, rallied to get back in the game, but fell short in the final verdict. On Friday night, the Nanooks got two goals each from Aaron Voros and Cam Keith and Bobby Andrews collected four points (a goal and three assists) in the 7-5 win. That offset outstanding Irish offensive games from David Inman (Sr., Toronto, Ont.), who had his second four-point game (1g, 3a) of the season, while Connor Dunlop (Jr. St. Louis, Mo.) and Evan Nielsen (Jr., Evanston, Ill.) each collected three points in the game (a goal and two assists). The Irish trailed 2-0 just 2:19 into the game before goals by Dunlop, Inman and Nielsen gave the Irish a 3-2 lead early in the second period. UAF answered back with three second-period goals to take a 5-3 lead after two periods. Notre Dame was able to cut the lead to 5-4 when Yan Stastny (Fr., St. Louis, Mo.) scored 43 seconds into the final stanza. With the Irish on a power play, midway through the period, UAF’s Jared Sylvestre scored shorthanded at 8:35 to give the Nanooks a two-goal lead at 6-4. Rob Globke (So., West Bloomfield, Mich.) cut the lead to one when he scored on a breakaway at 13:42, but that was as close as the Irish would get as Keith got his second of the night into an empty net at 18:57 for the final score of 7-5. The Nanooks outshot the Irish 39-36 in the game. Preston McKay made 31 saves for Alaska Fairbanks. Morgan Cey (Fr., Wilkie, Sask.) made 22 saves in 31:45 of playing time. He gave way to Tony Zasowski (Jr., Darien, Ill.) who took the loss. Zasowski made 10 saves while giving up just the shorthanded goal to Sylvestre. Alaska Fairbanks was 2-for-7 on the power play while the Irish were 1-for-3. On Saturday night, the Irish trailed 4-1 after one period and 5-1 just 2:00 minutes into the second period before roaring back. Globke got his second goal of the weekend at 4:49 to make it 5-2. Voros scored for UAF at 7:28 to make it 6-2. Stastny (PPG) and Kyle Dolder (So., Hutchinson, Minn.) scored 34 seconds apart at 11:49 and 12:23 and Neil Komadoski (So., Chesterfield, Mo.) made it a one-goal deficit at 6-5 when he got his first of the season at 18:52 of the second period. After scoring 11 goals in two periods, the defenses took over and there was no third-period scoring as the Irish got just six shots on goal in the final 20 minutes of the 6-5 loss. Notre Dame outshot the Nanooks 39-33 in the game. Cey made nine saves in the first period and Jeremiah Kimento (Sr., Palos Hills, Ill.) made 18 over the final two periods. Each team scored two power play goals.
HEAD COACH DAVE POULIN:
Irish head coach Dave Poulin is now in his seventh season behind the Notre Dame bench. He owns a 90-135-34 (.413) overall record and is 64-101-30 (.405) in CCHA contests. Against Michigan State, Poulin-coached teams are 2-14-3.
OUT OF THE LINEUP:
Freshman left wing Alex Lalonde (Newmarket, Ont.) has been ruled academically ineligible for the spring semester.
PREMIER CENTER:
Center Connor Dunlop has become one of the CCHA’s top centers during the 2001-02 season. Dunlop racked up seven points (two goals, five assists) in the weekend series with Alaska Fairbanks including his second four-point game of the season. He led Notre Dame’s comeback bid in Saturday’s game as he scored the first Irish goal and then set-up the next three. For the season, Dunlop has recorded two four-point games, two three-point games and 11 multiple-point games in all. He has career-highs in goals (8), assists (26) and points (34). His 26 assists are the most by an Irish player since the 1994-95 season when Jamie Ling recorded 31. Dunlop goes into this weekend’s series at Michigan State tied for third in the league in scoring and tied for second in assists.
HAVING A SEASON:
Senior forward David Inman picked up his second four-point game of the season in the 7-5 loss to Alaska Fairbanks (Feb. 2). Inman chipped in a goal and three assists in the game. His first four-point game came on Nov. 2 at Northern Michigan when he had two goals and two assists in that game. His 14 goals this season are a career-best as are his 18 assists, 32 points and seven power play goals. For the year, Inman now has eight multiple-point games. He collected his second two-goal game of the season and the sixth of his career on Jan. 4 versus Michigan. He has had one three-point game (1g, 2a) in the 4-1 win over Northern Michigan (Jan. 11) and a four-point night (2g-2a) at Northern Michigan (Nov. 2). His 21 career power play goals rank him 11th on the school’s all-time power play goal list.
RIGHT ON THE CHIN:
Junior right wing Michael Chin scored three goals and added an assist for a four-point weekend at Miami (Jan. 25-26). His totals give him career-highs in goals (13), assists (8), points (21) and power play goals (3). He is second on the team with 13 goals on the season. The two-goal game at Miami was the second of Chin’s career as he had one his freshman year versus Nebraska-Omaha (2/12/00). Versus Miami (Jan. 25), he equalled his career-high with nine shots on goal. He had 14 shots in two games versus Miami last weekend. Chin sat out the Feb. 2 game with Alaska Fairbanks after suffering a sprained right ankle in the Feb. 1 contest.
NIFTY NIELSEN:
Defenseman Evan Nielsen equalled his career-high with three points (a goal and two assists) in the 7-5 loss to Alaska Fairbanks (Feb. 2). The 6-3, 212-pound blueliner also had a three-point game versus Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 12, 2000. The junior captain added an assist in the second game of the series with Alaska Fairbanks to give him a four-point weekend. For the season, Nielsen has career-highs in goals (5), assists (11) and points (16).
YOUNG GUN:
Freshman forward Yan Stastny is quietly developing into a solid all-around performer for the Irish. He takes a three-game goal and point streak into the Michigan State series. Stastny has three goals and two assists for five points over the last three games after going seven games without a point. Stastny leads the Notre Dame freshmen with four goals and nine assists for 13 points this season.
DON’T LOOK NOW:
Sophomore forward Rob Globke has began to find his scoring touch. Globke had a pair of goals in the weekend series versus Alaska Fairbanks to extend his point-scoring streak to five games (3-2-5). Since returning from the World Junior Championships, has four goals and three assists for seven points in eight games. After scoring two goals in the second game of the season, Globke went 10 games without a goal. Since Dec. 1, he has scored seven goals in 12 games. He has a pair of two-goal games this season (vs. Union, vs. Lake Superior State). For the year, Globke has nine goals and nine assists for 18 points.
IRISH STREAKS:
Center Connor Dunlop has a four-game scoring streak (2-9-11) and has points in five of his last six games (3-9-12) … forward Yan Stastny has a three-game goal and point streak (3-2-5) … right wing Rob Globke has points in five straight games (3-2-5) and goals in each of his last two games … Evan Nielsen has a two-game scoring streak (1-3-4) and has points in five of his last six games (2-5-7) … defenseman Neil Komadoski has a two-game scoring streak (1-1-2) and has points in four of his last five games (1-3-4).
CEY IT AIN’T SO:
Notre Dame freshman goaltender Morgan Cey (Wilkie, Sask.) has struggled in his last three games. The rookie has started all three but failed to finish those games as the Irish have been outscored 20-14 in those games. Cey’s numbers in the last three games are 71:45 minutes played, 12 goals against (10.03 against average) and 40 saves (.769 save percentage). Prior to the second Miami game (1/26), Cey had started 12 of Notre Dame’s previous 13 games and was 6-5-1 with a 2.32 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. For the year, Cey is 8-11-3 with a 3.30 goals against and a .893 save percentage.
A FAST 20:
The Irish defense has struggled over the past three games giving up 20 goals in one game at Miami and two at home with Alaska Fairbanks. Prior to that, the Irish had given up 20 goals over the previous seven games (Jan. 4 to Jan. 25).
PENALTY KILLING STRUGGLES:
Notre Dame’s penalty killers have given up two power play goals in each of the last five games and a total of 11 over the last six games in 36 chances for a 69.4% efficiency. The last time the Irish shut a team down on the power play was Jan. 12 versus Northern Michigan when the Wildcats were 0-for-4. During December Irish penalty killers killed 35 of 38 opponent power play chances for a 92.1% success rate. For the season, the Irish have killed 127 of 155 for an 81.9% rate which is eighth in the CCHA and 20th in the nation. for an 82.6% rate which ranks them six in the CCHA and 18th in the nation.
ON THE OFFENSIVE:
After 22 CCHA league games, the Fighting Irish lead the league in scoring with 75 goals (3.41 per game). Notre Dame is followed by Alaska Fairbanks (74, 3.08 per game) and Michigan State (72, 3.27 per game). Connor Dunlop is second in league game scoring with eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points. David Inman is third with 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points and Michael Chin is tied for 17th with 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points. In 28 games overall, the Irish are sixth among CCHA teams with 90 (3.21 per game). After scoring just 12 goals in their first five games (2.40 gpg), the Irish have scored 78 goals in their last 23 games (3.39 gpg).
OVERTIME GAME-WINNERS:
Aaron Gill’s overtime game-winner versus Miami (Jan. 25) was the first by an Irish player in a CCHA game since Feb. 5, 2000 when Dan Carslon got the winning goal in overtime at Ohio State. The last time Notre Dame won a game in overtime was Oct. 17, 2000 when Connor Dunlop got the game-deciding goal in overtime at home versus Wayne State. Over the last three seasons, Notre Dame is 4-1-20 in overtime. The lone loss came during January of 2000 when the Irish lost at home to Ferris State.
KIMENTO IN ACTION:
Senior goaltender Jeremiah Kimento (Palos Hills, Ill.) has taken over for Morgan Cey in two of Notre Dame’s last three games. Kimento played 40 minutes at Miami (1/26) and gave up four goals on 19 shots to take the loss. On Feb. 2 versus Alaska Fairbanks, Kimento played 38:55, giving up two goals on 20 shots and was credited with the loss since he surrendered the eventual game-winning goal. For the year, Kimento is 0-2-0 with a 4.56 goals against average and a .846 save percentage.
SCORING EARLY:
Senior David Inman and juniors Connor Dunlop and John Wroblewski (Neenah, Wis.) have combined to score 11 of Notre Dame’s first goals of the game this season. Inman leads the team with four while Dunlop and Wroblewski have three each.
SCORING FIRST:
The Irish have scored the first goal of the game in 16 of their first 28 games and are 9-5-2 in those games. A year ago, the Irish scored the first goal in just 14 of their 39 games and were 7-3-4 in those games.
TURNING ON THE POWER:
The Irish power play broke through in the 6-5 loss to Alaska Fairbanks (Feb. 2) scoring twice on five chances. That marks just the fourth time this season that the Irish have scored two power play goals in a game. Over the last nine games, the Irish power play has scored seven times in 54 chances (13.0%). For the season, the Irish are 22 for 145 (15.2%). David Inman leads the team with seven power play goals while Aaron Gill and Michael Chin have three each. John Wroblewski, Connor Dunlop and Rob Globke each have two goals with the man-advantage while Brett Lebda, Yan Stastny and Alex Lalonde each have one.
GALVIN-IZED:
Defenseman Tom Galvin (So., Miller Place, N.Y.) has proven to be an offensive force on the Notre Dame blueline this season. The sophomore defenseman leads the Irish defensive corps with 17 points on three goals and 14 assists this season to rank sixth in team scoring. Galvin picked up a pair of assists in the 6-5 loss to Alaska Fairbanks (2/2) and now has four multiple-point games this season. As a freshman, Galvin recorded four assists in 26 games played.
MAKING THE START:
Freshman Ryan Mundt (Edgartown, Mass.) made his first appearance of the season for the Irish versus Alaska Fairbanks. The 5-7, 150-pound walk-on center won nine of 16 face-offs and was -1 in the game.
SHOT STUFF:
The Irish won their second game of the season when outshot in the 4-3 overtime win versus Miami as the RedHawks had a 36-32 edge in the game. Notre Dame is now 2-7-4 when outshot in a game. The Irish are 7-6-1 when they outshoot the opposition.
PUCK SLOWDOWN:
The 19 shots on goal by Nebraska-Omaha on Jan. 18 was the fewest shots the Irish have given up in a game. The previous low was 20 by Lake Superior State on Dec. 1, 2001.
ROAD SWEEPS:
Notre Dame’s two wins over Princeton marked the first time the Irish swept a series on the road since Oct. 17-18, 1997 when they won two games at St. Cloud State (4-3 in ot and 4-1).
CENTRAL SCOUTING RATINGS:
The National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Service has released it’s midseason rankings of North American players eligible for the 2002 Entry Draft which will be held in Toronto, June 22-23. Included in the list of 240 players are 13 players from the CCHA including three Notre Dame players. Forward Rob Globke is ranked eighth overall while center Yan Stastny is ranked 94th and forward Alex Lalonde is 240th.
USA…USA…USA:
Notre Dame’s Rob Globke and Brett Lebda represented the United States as members of the U.S. Junior National team that finished 4-1-2 (fifth place) at the World Championships in early January. Globke, making his second appearance with the team, had two goals and an assist for three points in seven games while Lebda had two goals in the tournament. The Irish have had at least one player on the National Junior team in each of the last six years and along with Boston College have had 11 players in that period.
EVERYONE CONTIBUTES:
Through 28 games this season, the Irish have gotten goals from 18 different players. Only two players – Cory McLean and Joe Zurenko – who have played in eight or more games have not scored this season. The Irish have also had nine different players score game-winning goals this season.
PENALTY SHOTS:
After not being involved with a penalty shot either for or against for over two seasons, Notre Dame has had two called this season. On Dec. 8 at Bowling Green, Irish goaltender Morgan Cey stopped BG’s Greg Day at 9:52 of the second period. That was the first penalty shot called against the Irish since Mar. 13, 1999 when Matt Eisler stopped Michigan’s Bill Muckalt in a 4-2 Notre Dame win in the CCHA playoffs. Earlier this season (Oct. 12), sophomore Rob Globke scored on a penalty shot versus Union College’s Brandon Snee at 3:41 of the third period in the 7-4 loss to Union College. That was the first penalty shot by an an Irish player since Feb. 5, 1998 when Brian Urick was stopped by Ohio State’s Jeff Maund.
SAM’S THE MAN:
Senior left wing Sam Cornelius, playing in just his third game of the season, scored the winning goal in the 4-2 win over Princeton (Dec. 29). Cornelius followed the goal versus Princeton by helping set up Michael Chin’s goal in the 2-1 loss to Michigan. A converted defenseman, Cornelius has now scored three goals in his career with two of them being game-winners. His first game-winner came during his freshman year (1998-99) versus Ferris State.
END OF THE LINE:
Earlier this season, Notre Dame goaltender Morgan Cey recorded a career-best shutout streak of 111:24 between Nov. 17 and Dec. 7. Cey held Western Michigan off the scoreboard the final 13:40 of the third period on Nov. 17 and then followed that with a Dec. 1 shutout of Lake Superior State. The streak was snapped when Bowling Green scored at 17:44 of the second period in the 6-3 win over Bowling Green on Dec. 7.
CAREER BESTS:
Michael Chin, Yan Stastny and Tom Galvin all had career-best games in the 6-3 win over Bowling Green (Dec. 7). Chin (a goal and two assists) and Stastny (three assists) each had career-high three-point games. Galvin had the first two-goal game of his career.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Defenseman Evan Nielsen (Jr., Evanston, Ill.) was selected the CCHA’s Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 2. Nielsen anchored Notre Dame’s in the 7-0 shutout and a 5-2 win over Lake Superior State. He was also part of a penalty-killing unit that killed 14 consecutive Laker power play chances. The Irish captain also joined the offensive attack scoring a goal and adding an assist in the 7-0 win. For the weekend, Nielsen was a +5. He is the first Notre Dame player to take defensive player of the week honors since Feb. 20, 2000 when Tony Zasowski was selected for the honor.
CEY CAN YOU SEE:
Freshman goaltender Morgan Cey recorded his first Notre Dame shutout by making 20 saves in Notre Dame’s 7-0 win over Lake Superior (12/1). The shutout was the first by an Irish goaltender since Dec. 4, 1999 when Tony Zasowski blanked Michigan State, 1-0. The shutout was the 27th in Notre Dame history and the 10th by an Irish goaltender in CCHA play. The 7-0 win was the largest margin of victory by an Irish goaltender against a CCHA team.
MARGIN OF VICTORY:
The seven goals scored by Notre Dame in the 7-0 shutout of Lake Superior State is the largest margin of victory the Irish have ever had in a CCHA contest. The seven-goal win was the biggest by Notre Dame since a 10-2 win over St. Francis Xavier on Oct. 14, 1994.
WCHA TOP 50:
Irish hockey great Bill Nyrop has been selected to the WCHA’s Top 50 all-time players list that will be announced throughout the 2001-02 season, the 50th anniversary of the league. Nyrop was included in the first list of 10 players announced on Nov. 29. The Irish were members of the WCHA from 1971 through 1981. Nyrop played at Notre Dame from 1970-74 and was Notre Dame’s first All-American – selected first team All-America and second team all-WCHA following the 1972-73 season. During his Notre Dame career, he played in 132 games with 17 goals and 72 assists for 89 points. Selected in the fourth round of the 1972 NHL Entry Draft, he played on three Stanley Cup championship teams (1976, 1977 and 1978) with the Montreal Canadiens. He died at the age of 43 in December of 1995.
FIVE IN A ROW:
Goaltender Morgan Cey started the first five games of his Notre Dame career to join Greg Louder (1990-94) as the only two goaltenders to play the first five games of their careers. Cey and Louder are the last two rookies to start a season opener in goal at Notre Dame. Cey made 28 saves in a 2-1 loss to Union College on Oct. 11. Louder made 36 saves in a 7-2 loss at Minnesota on Oct. 23, 1990. Cey’s streak was stopped after five games when junior Tony Zasowski made his first start of the season versus Northeastern. Louder went on to start all 33 games that season, missing just 30 minutes of play, while turning in a 16-15-2 record. For the year, Cey has started 15 of Notre Dame’s 18 games on the season.
ONE FOR ZASOWSKI:
Goaltender Tony Zasowski picked up his first win of the season in Notre Dame’s 5-2 win over Lake Superior State. The junior goaltender made 17 saves. The start versus the Lakers was his third of the season. He recorded ties at Northeastern (Oct. 27) and versus Ferris State (Nov. 10). For the year, Zasowski is 1-0-2 with a 2.53 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.
FOUR-POINT WEEKEND:
Sophomore defenseman Tom Galvin (So., Miller Place, N.Y.) scored as many points in two games versus Ferris State (Nov. 9-10) as he did in 26 games last year. Galvin turned in the first two multiple-point games of his career with a pair of assists in each contest. Last season, the 5-9, 187-pound blueliner had four assists for the year. Galvin leads Notre Dame defensemen with three goals and 11 assists for 14 points.
CAREER FIRSTS:
T.J. Mathieson (So., Clarksville, Md.) and Kyle Dolder (So., Hutchinson, Minn.) each scored their first collegiate goals in the 5-2 win over Ferris State (11/9). For Dolder, his goal was also the first game-winning goal of his career. Defenseman Tom Galvin also had the first multiple point games of his career collecting two assists in each of the Ferris State games (11/9 and 11/10). Goaltender Tony Zasowski (Jr., Darien, Ill.) recorded the first assist of his Notre Dame career when he helped set up Brett Lebda’s second period goal in the 3-3 tie with Ferris State (11/10). Zasowski picked up his second assist of the season versus Alaska Fairbanks (2/1/02).
LEBDA FOR THE DEFENSE:
Sophomore defenseman Brett Lebda turned in the first two-goal game of his career in the 5-4 win over Northern Michigan. For the offensive-minded blueliner, the two goals were his first of the season. In the win over Northern, Lebda also had a career-high 10 shots on goal, passing his previous best of eight set in his rookie year versus Niagara at the Maverick Stampede.
PENALTY MARK:
With 24 penalties for 78 minutes in the loss to Northern Michigan, the Irish set school records for both penalties and minutes. The previous record for penalties was 22 at Michigan State (3/4/00). The previous penalty-minute record was 77 and was also set versus Northern Michigan on Dec. 12, 1981. Rob Globke (So., West Bloomfield, Mich.) led the Irish with six penalties for 31 minutes.
CLOSING THE DEAL:
After going 50 games (42-0-8) without losing when taking a lead into the third period, the Irish lost two in a row with a third-period lead. The losses at Ohio State (10/21) and Boston College (10/26) snapped the 50-game unbeaten string that went back to Jan. 9, 1998. Prior to this season, that was the last time the Irish lost when leading after two periods. In that game, UAF’s Sean Fraser tied the game (2-2) with a power-play goal in the third minute of the final period before Chris Kirwan converted a breakaway with 0:45 left in overtime. Since the loss at Boston College, the Irish are now 7-0-1 in games that they lead after two periods of play.
FOR OPENERS:
Notre Dame’s 2-1 season-opening loss to Union College on Oct. 11 makes the Irish 17-18-0 in season openers in the 35 years of hockey during the modern era at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is 0-3 in its last three season openers with the last win coming on Oct. 2, 1998, a 2-1 win over Wisconsin in the first game played at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Notre Dame is also 20-15 in its first 35 home openers. The Irish opened with a win at home last season, a 2-1 overtime win versus Wayne State.
FIVE-GOAL PERIOD:
Union College exploded for five third-period goals in the 7-4 win over the Irish on Oct. 12. The last time the Irish surrendered five goals in a period was on Nov. 20, 1998 when Western Michigan scored five goals in the third period of a 9-5 Notre Dame victory.
Bloodlines:
Four current members of the Notre Dame hockey program – senior forward Jon Maruk, junior center Connor Dunlop, sophomore defenseman Neil Komadoski and freshman forward Yan Stastny – hold a unique connection, as each of their fathers enjoyed a lengthy career in the National Hockey League.
Dennis Maruk played 14 NHL seasons-with the California Golden Seals (’75-’76), Cleveland Barons (’76-’78), Minnesota North Stars (’78-’79, ’83-’88) andthe Washington Capitols (’78-’83)-and finished as the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer in 1982 (60G-76A) while compiling 878 career points (356G-522A) in 888 games.
Blake Dunlop played 11 seasons in pro hockey (’73-’84), including NHL stints with the Minnesota North Stars (’73-’77), Philadelphia Flyers (’77-’79), St. Louis Blues (’79-’84) and Detroit Red Wings (’83-’84), while totaling 130G-274A in 550 career NHL games.
Neil Komadoski, Sr., played eight NHL seasons as a defenseman with the Los Angeles Kings (’72-’78) and the St. Louis Blues (’77-’80), totaling 16G-76A and 632 penalty minutes in 501 career games.
Rounding out the quartet is Peter Stastny who played 15 seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques (’80-’90), the New Jersey Devils (’90-’93) and the St. Louis Blues (’93-’95) is currently the 23rd all-time scorer in league history with 450 goals, 789 assists and 1,239 points in 997 games. A six-time NHL all-star, Stastny is the highest scoring European-born player in NHL history and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998. The 1981 NHL rookie-of-the-year, Stastny is currently a special assignment scout for the St. Louis Blues and will serve as general manager for the 2002 Slovakia Olympic team.
Notre Dame’s NHL connection doesn’t stop there. Senior Brett Henning who suffered a career-ending neck injury last season is the son of former NHL player and coach Lorne Henning who played nine seasons with the New York Islanders (’72-’81) and has been involved in coaching over the last 15 years. An original member of the Islanders, Henning compiled 73 goals and 111 assists as a forward over his 543-game career and played a major role in a four-year Stanley Cup dynasty (’80-’83). Henning served as an assistant with the Islanders from ’80-84 and ’87-’94, as head coach for the Minnesota North Stars (’85-’87) and the Islanders (’94-’95), and as a Chicago Blackhawks assistant from ’95-’98 before returning in ’98-’99 to the Islanders, as associate coach.
Freshman forward Alexander “Newsy” Lalonde also has NHL lineage as he is a distant relative of NHL pioneer and Hall of Famer, Edouard “Newsy” Lalonde. Lalonde played for the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Americans between 1917 and 1927 for a total of six seasons in which he scored 124 goals and 41 assists for 165 points in 99 games.
Academic All-AmericanS:
Notre Dame is the nation’s only Division I hockey program to produce a Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-American during each of the past five seasons (as part of the fall-winter at-large program). Dan Carlson kept the streak going in 2000-01 by earning third team honors with a 3.49 gpa and a double major in finance and computer applications. He joins two-time selection Steve Noble who took second-team honors in 1996-97 and first-team honors in ’97-’98, goaltender Forrest Karr who was a second teamer in ’98-’99 and left wing Andy Jurkowski who was a third team selection in 1999-2000.
CCHA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM:
Notre Dame 2001 graduate and two-time team MVP, left wing Dan Carlson (Edina, Minn.) was named to the prestigious eight-player CCHA All-Academic Team for 2000-01, making Notre Dame the CCHA’s only school to produce an All-Academic honoree each of the last six seasons. Carlson led the Irish in scoring for the second consecutive season (17-25-42) and was also an honorable mention all-CCHA selection. A six-time Dean’s List student, Carlson graduated from Notre Dame with a 3.49 cumulative grade point average and a double major in finance and computer applications. Notre Dame has produced eight previous first team CCHA All-Academic selections since rejoining the CCHA in ’92-’93: Curtis Janicke and Carl Picconatto (’92-’93), Garry Gruber (’95-’96), Steve Noble (’96-’97, ’97-’98), Forrest Karr and Aniket Dhadphale (’98-’99) and Andy Jurkowski (99′-’00). During that nine-year span, only Western Michigan (10) has produced more CCHA All-Academic selections than Notre Dame’s nine.
CENTURY MEN:
Left wing Dan Carlson became the fourth Notre Dame hockey player to reach 100 points for his career in the last four seasons. He finished his career with 50 goals and 82 assists for 132 career points, good for 20th on the school’s all-time scoring list. The Edina, Minn., native joins right wing Brian Urick (57G-69A) and left wing Aniket Dhadphale (61G-44A) who each reached 100 points in the 1998-99 season and center Ben Simon (44G-86A) who reached the milestone in 1999-2000. Carlson is just the fifth Notre Dame player to score over 100 points in his career since the Irish returned to the CCHA in ’92-’93. Only center Jamie Ling (1992-96) has scored more points (51-102-153) than Carlson over the past nine seasons. David Inman is the Irish player with the best chance to reach 100 points this season. The senior forward has 47 goals and 36 assists for 83 points in his career.
PATRIOTIC GROUP:
The Notre Dame hockey team is no stranger to the National Team Development Program (NTDP) which includes the Under-18 and Under-17 teams. Nine members of this year’s Irish hockey roster have come through the National program. In fact, Notre Dame and the University of Minnesota currently have the most NTDP alums (9). For the Irish, that group includes injured senior forward Brett Henning, four members of the junior class – forwards Michael Chin, Connor Dunlopand John Wroblewski and defenseman Paul Harris – plus three sophomores: center Rob Globke and defensemen Neil Komadoski and Brett Lebda. From Notre Dame’s freshman class, defenseman Derek Smith played for the Under-18 team during the 2000-01 campaign.
Midwest Magic:
Notre Dame continues to reap the benefits of the rapidly-improving youth hockey programs in the lower Midwest (namely Illinois and Missouri), as one-third of the current roster includes players from Illinois (6) or Missouri (3). Four are products of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP): junior right wing Michael Chin (Urbana, Ill.), junior center Connor Dunlop (St. Louis, Mo.) and freshmen defensemen Brett Lebda (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and Neil Komadoski (Chesterfield, Mo.). Junior defenseman Evan Nielsen (Evanston, Ill.) was invited to join the NTDP but returned for his senior year at The Taft School.
Notre Dame’s other Illinois natives includes the team’s top returning goaltenders – senior Jeremiah Kimento (Palos Hills) and junior Tony Zasowski (Darien) – plus freshman defenseman Joe Zurenko (Arlington Heights). Joining Dunlop and Komadoski from the St. Louis area is freshman forward Yan Stastny (St. Louis). Prior to 1995, the Notre Dame hockey program had produced just eight total letterwinners from Illinois and two from Missouri.
WINNERS:
Two of the newest members of the Notre Dame hockey team were members of national champion teams during the 2000-01 season. Forwards Yan Stastny and Brad Wanchulak were members of junior hockey national championship teams in the United States and Canada. Stastny played for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers while Wanchulak played for the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Stastny scored six goals and added six assists in 12 postseason games as Omaha won the USHL’s Clark Cup as league champions and then followed by winning the Gold Cup as champions of junior hockey in the U.S. Wanchulak also played a key role in helping Camrose to the Canadian national title. He was the AJHL playoff Most Valuable Player helping the Kodiaks to the AJHL title. In the Royal Bank Cup, which brings together the champions of all the Canadian junior leagues, Wanchulak scored the winning goal in the championship game versus Flin Flon.