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Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

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  • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

    Here's a nice piece on Bryan Rust. Check out the link to his stats page in the article to get an idea of the impact he has made thus far.
    "Hockey is the only tribe I belong to." --Jack Falla

    "Why, as a matter of fact, I suggested starting a hockey program to Father Callahan, our president. He was downright interested until we came to the use of sticks, and then he threw up his hands. He said, 'No, that game is not for our University. Notre Dame will never endorse any game that puts a club in the hands of an Irishman.' " -- Knute Rockne: All American

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    • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

      Notre Dame has anywhere from 1 to 4 games in hand on every league opponent except WMU. Since they are playing only 3 more league games before break (2 of which are here), they will head into the new year still with games in hand. That bodes well--if they can keep winning. I want to be optimistic, but I remember a few seasons ago that after every win, I would say, "Okay, maybe now they've turned the corner." Then-Pfft! They'd come out flat the next few games. This team is not that team, and I do feel more confident in the team chemistry and possibilities. At least cautiously so.

      Notre Dame's junior class leads the way in scoring and goaltending. Anders Lee, CCHA POTM, has 10 goals so far and is 7 points away from his own berth in the century club. Steven Summerhays (.936, 1.57) didn't get much of a rest last weekend, so it's a good thing there are just 3 games left before he can take a 3-week vacation. While ND's PP is improving (it almost had no option), it is still middling at 15.7%. However, it is monumentally better in league play. Their PK is stellar, both overall and in the CCHA. They are finally above three in GF (3.07) and still have a stingy GA (1.67). Here's to scoring first, scoring often and scoring a man up.

      I don't understand why Michigan State is below .500 and towards the bottom of the league standings. While they are a very young team (4 of their top 5 scorers are underclassmen and their top goalie is a freshman, which bodes well for them in the future), some of their stats are outstanding. Speaking of that frosh goalie, Jake Hildebrand (who has been starting both nights lately), his numbers are killer. He's got a save % of .942 and a GA of 1.76, and those numbers are better when playing a league opponent. MSU's special teams are outstanding with a PP of 21.8% (even better in league play) and a PK of 87.9% (also better in league play). Their leading scorer, sophomore Matt Berry, has 7 goals, 4 of which have come on the PP. It appears their only stumbling block is in goals/game for and against. They average 2.21 for while giving up 2.79 against. When those numbers start to reverse, look out...and I certainly hope it doesn't happen this weekend.

      It seems that when I called out Captain Lee, it worked. So now I'll call out T.J. Tynan, Mike Voran and David Gerths. If you want Santa to leave presents under your trees, you've got to be "nice" to your adoring fans. Or is it "naughty" to the opposing team?

      Remember that both games now start at 7:00 for t.v.

      I like this timely saying by Edgar Guest:

      "At Christmas, a man is at his finest towards the finish of the year; he is almost what he should be when the Christmas season's here.
      Then he's thinking more of others than he's thought the months before, and the smiles of his friends are a joy worth toiling for.
      He is less a selfish creature than at any other time; when the Christmas spirit rules him he comes close to the sublime..."
      "Hockey is the only tribe I belong to." --Jack Falla

      "Why, as a matter of fact, I suggested starting a hockey program to Father Callahan, our president. He was downright interested until we came to the use of sticks, and then he threw up his hands. He said, 'No, that game is not for our University. Notre Dame will never endorse any game that puts a club in the hands of an Irishman.' " -- Knute Rockne: All American

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      • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

        Notre Dame recruit Justin Wade has been traded to Cedar Rapids

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        • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

          I have something in common with Steven Summerhays! Holy crap. However, I at least made it to 9000 feet before feeling like barfing my guts up...
          Last edited by Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.; 12-07-2012, 02:23 PM.
          "Hockey is the only tribe I belong to." --Jack Falla

          "Why, as a matter of fact, I suggested starting a hockey program to Father Callahan, our president. He was downright interested until we came to the use of sticks, and then he threw up his hands. He said, 'No, that game is not for our University. Notre Dame will never endorse any game that puts a club in the hands of an Irishman.' " -- Knute Rockne: All American

          Comment


          • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

            Deck the halls with pretty goals...

            Those 3 goals were some of the best looking goals I've seen. Good things happen when you put pucks on net. Good things also happen when you control the puck. Other than on special teams, Notre Dame did a nice job on face offs. And I gotta wonder...was Linesman Molina's, ahem, comment to Kevin Lind about what he had for dinner? Or the really bad call by the ref? Something is amiss when Anders Lee and Mike Voran each take a penalty...and check out the box score on Lee's major and GM. While I know that's a mistake, it would almost be laughable if that's what he got sent to the showers for.

            Fa la la la laa, I want a sweep.
            "Hockey is the only tribe I belong to." --Jack Falla

            "Why, as a matter of fact, I suggested starting a hockey program to Father Callahan, our president. He was downright interested until we came to the use of sticks, and then he threw up his hands. He said, 'No, that game is not for our University. Notre Dame will never endorse any game that puts a club in the hands of an Irishman.' " -- Knute Rockne: All American

            Comment


            • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

              Originally posted by Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres. View Post
              And I gotta wonder...was Linesman Molina's, ahem, comment to Kevin Lind about what he had for dinner? Or the really bad call by the ref? Something is amiss when Anders Lee and Mike Voran each take a penalty...
              Which really bad call? I think there may have been 10 or 11 last night, and not all of them screwed Notre Dame. To say the officiating was up-and-down last night would be an understatement. I'm starting to wonder if the break-up of the CCHA is having an effect on the refereeing this season. Is the oversight still in place? Is anyone in the league office actually critiquing the officiating on a nightly basis? Is Piotrowski doing his job now, or preparing for his job with the B1G? What did Molina say? "I'm sorry?"

              Anders Lee didn't come close to committing a major penalty in his first 99 games (and had been whistled for about one minor every 4 or 5 games in his career) and did not appear to commit one last night either. Notre Dame's response to the call and the ensuing 5 minutes was one for the Hockey 101 textbooks. Patient play, great positioning, active sticks, keeping your head in the game, what more can you ask for? Oh, getting the other guys to commit two penalties of their own killing their PP and scoring a PP goal of your own, that's what. Done, and done.

              Notre Dame has turned around the two things that were holding them back, home ice and the power play. After the first North Dakota game the PP was ranked in the 50s. Now it is 28th, and in the last 4 games is 6 for 21. After the first game against the Sioux Notre Dame was 2-3 at the CFIA. In the last four at the Comp they are 4-0. And in second games of the weekend so far the Irish are 7-0, outscoring the opposition 31-9, so let's keep that up and make it 5-0 in the last five at home.

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              • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

                Originally posted by IrishHockeyFan View Post
                Which really bad call? What did Molina say?
                The call on Gerths. He said, "That's effing awful." (Although he didn't say "effing." He actually said the F dash dash dash word.)

                Originally posted by me
                So now I'll call out T.J. Tynan, Mike Voran and David Gerths.
                Thanks guys! 6 points total from the 3 of you this weekend answers the call.

                13 wins for the most in D1. 1st in the league. 4th in PWR. That makes up for Manti getting robbed.

                Odd that I thought ND played better last night, but scored 2 more tonight and almost pitched a shutout. Speaking of that "almost," I think Captain Lee has his work cut out for him this week as he tries to patch things up between Steven Summerhays and Stephen Johns. I'm gonna side with Summerhays in that squabble because Johns has not been playing well or playing smart for weeks now.

                Here's to settling down, focusing on the next opponent and keeping team chemistry cooking. Remember, Santa's watching. So are your adoring fans.
                Last edited by Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.; 12-08-2012, 10:20 PM.
                "Hockey is the only tribe I belong to." --Jack Falla

                "Why, as a matter of fact, I suggested starting a hockey program to Father Callahan, our president. He was downright interested until we came to the use of sticks, and then he threw up his hands. He said, 'No, that game is not for our University. Notre Dame will never endorse any game that puts a club in the hands of an Irishman.' " -- Knute Rockne: All American

                Comment


                • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

                  Originally posted by Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres. View Post
                  I'm gonna side with Summerhays in that squabble because Johns has not been playing well or playing smart for weeks now.
                  What squabble?

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                  • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

                    Originally posted by NotreDameFan27 View Post
                    What squabble?
                    Both Johns and Summerhays behaved immaturely following MSU's goal. Johns loafed the play after the long lead pass to Matt Berry and let him skate untouched around the pack of the net and he easily slid the puck by Summerhays. Summerhays then pounded his stick on the ice, and said something to either Johns or David Gerths, who may have deflected the puck off his skate or stick. Johns appeared to take quite a bit of exception to what was said, or perhaps to Summerhays acting as if losing the shutout meant more than the win. One of the linesmen had to separate them. The anger continued to be evident after the game when the team gathered around Summerhays following the final horn, and the team seemed pretty subdued leaving the ice in the aftermath.

                    All in all it was a rather juvenile display of frustration out of Summerhays and a shockingly lazy effort by Johns. Too bad that was the capper to a pretty dominating weekend of hockey. If the leadership on the team is half of what Jackson crows about, this incident has already been taken care of.

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                    • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

                      Originally posted by Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres. View Post
                      The call on Gerths. He said, "That's effing awful." (Although he didn't say "effing." He actually said the F dash dash dash word.)

                      Interesting. We have disagreements between teammates in gold and teammates in stripes.

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                      • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

                        Originally posted by IrishHockeyFan View Post
                        Both Johns and Summerhays behaved immaturely following MSU's goal....
                        If the leadership on the team is half of what Jackson crows about, this incident has already been taken care of.
                        I didn't see this incident, but I wouldn't read too much into it at this point. Johns always seems to be one of the first to tap Summerhays on the pads after a good save or after giving up a goal. They seem to get along OK from what I've seen. My brothers and I occasionally tried to murder each other when we were younger. It happens.

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                        • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

                          Originally posted by StillaLeafsFan View Post
                          I didn't see this incident, but I wouldn't read too much into it at this point.
                          Oh I'm not reading a lot into it at this point, and it shouldn't have a lasting effect if -- as I noted -- the other leaders on the team did their jobs. But it was pretty apparent there was no love lost between the two from the time of the goal until the team exited the ice. My biggest issue is what led to it. Johns looked like he didn't feel like getting physical with a 5-0 lead, and Summerhays looked like he was more concerned with his shutout than with a 5-1 win. I've said it a million times, bad habits are harder to break than good habits are to start.

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                          • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

                            I will be making what is likely my last ever trip to Bowling Green this Saturday (the other away game is on a Tuesday night) as I don't expect ND to make the trip after all the moves. However, I would like my team to not become the Minnesotas or Michigans by not reciprocating, and I would like the Bowling Greens to take the stand that NMU is taking at not cheating their fans as they are demanding a one-for-one (or two-for-two) exchange in the future.

                            BG is led by Dan DeSalvo (the hero of last year's impossible run in the league). He's got 11 points in 16 games. BG is a pretty young team as 4 of their top 5 guys are sophomores. Andrew Hammond has gotten the majority of starts, including the last 2 in Alaska, with good results. His save % is decent (.904), but his GA is pretty high, and unfortunately, like MSU, his team doesn't score much to help out. They're averaging just 1.88 goals/game. Tommy Burke has a slightly lower save %, but his GA is quite decent at 2.27, so I wonder who will start Saturday. BG's special teams are also struggling overall with a PP of 8.2% and a PK of 77.5%, but their PP over the last 5 games was 12.5% while their PK was 82.7% in that span.

                            ND is led by Anders Lee, who has 16 points in 17 games. ND is the opposite of BG in that 4 of the top 5 guys are upperclassmen. While I suspect Mike Johnson will make the trip, I bet Steven Summerhays (.937, 1.56) will start. He can rest for three weeks after Saturday! ND's numbers are getting closer to the comfort zone as they are averaging 3.18 GF and giving up 1.65 GA. Their PP is better at 16.2% while their PK is still solid at 91.2%. However, over ND's last 5 games, their PP is clicking at 23.1% (thanks to you-know-who) and their PK is 95.5%.

                            In the spirit of giving this season, I'll quote President Coolidge, "No person was ever honored for what he received. He was honored for what he gave." Here's to giving it your all.
                            "Hockey is the only tribe I belong to." --Jack Falla

                            "Why, as a matter of fact, I suggested starting a hockey program to Father Callahan, our president. He was downright interested until we came to the use of sticks, and then he threw up his hands. He said, 'No, that game is not for our University. Notre Dame will never endorse any game that puts a club in the hands of an Irishman.' " -- Knute Rockne: All American

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                            • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

                              Originally posted by Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres. View Post
                              BG is led by Dan DeSalvo (the hero of last year's impossible run in the league).
                              That's putting it mildly, although this year he's turning around the goals and helpers.

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                              • Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

                                Here is the link for a great story on a great guy, Joe Rogers. http://www.usahockeymagazine.com/art...dol-joe-rogers

                                It was no surprise to see that Joe was one of, if not the last player off the ice at the post game Christmas skate with local kids the other night. I have watched Joe always take the time to talk with kids and encourage them. He is also known to slip a kid a puck once in awhile, overall just a great representative for ND hockey.

                                I am hoping that Coach Jackson gives him a chance sometime in net as I have yet to see him in a game. I've missed both of his appearances.

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