April 17, 2008
Farmington Hills, Mich. – The Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced today that Notre Dame freshman defenseman Ian Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich.) has been named the CCHA rookie of the month for the period of March/April.
From March 1 until the national championship game against Boston College on April 12, Cole led the Irish in scoring with four goals and five assists for nine points over the 10-game span. Included in that time span was a first-ever trip for the Irish to the NCAA Frozen Four.
Cole started the month with a pair of assists in the regular-season finale against Western Michigan on March 1, a 3-1 Notre Dame win.
After being shutout in game one of the second round of the CCHA playoffs, Cole sparked Notre Dame to a 6-3 win in game two with a career-best three-point game, scoring two goals with one assist. He was +3 in the contest.
In game three versus the Bulldogs, the 6-1, 210-pound blueliner scored once on the power play, getting the game winner in a 2-1 win that sent Notre Dame to Joe Louis Arena and the CCHA finals.
After being held scoreless in losses to Miami and Northern Michigan in Detroit, the 2007 first-round pick (18th overall) of the St. Louis Blues scored the first NCAA tournament goal for the Irish when he lit the lamp in the 7-3 win over New Hampshire in the first game of the West Regional at Colorado Springs.
He would add an assist in each game of the Frozen Four against Michigan and Boston College and it was his pass that went off defensive partner Kyle Lawson’s skate for the disallowed goal against Boston College that would have cut the Eagles’ lead to 3-2.
For the season, Cole, who was an honorable mention to the CCHA all-rookie team, had eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 43 games on the year. He had four power-play goals and two game winners on the season. His eight goals was tops among Irish defensemen in 2007-08.
Miami’s Carter Camper, Michigan’s Aaron Palushaj, Jeff Petry of Michigan State and Mark Olver of Northern Michigan earned special mention for CCHA Rookie of the Month for March/April.