Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

[JDUBBS1280]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Thought you guys would be interested in this...

SCHEDULE UPDATE

Lucia said he is happy North Dakota is playing the Gophers at Mariucci Arena. The Gophers have played nine of the last 11 games in the series at the Ralph. That's partly because Minnesota had to travel there for a three-game, first round WCHA playoff series at the end of the 2009-10 season.

Lucia said he hopes to play North Dakota when the Gophers join the Big Ten Conference in 2014-15 and the Fighting Sioux become members of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. But how often will depend on how many conference games the NCHC will play. The new conference could play up to 28 league games, he said, leaving room to schedule only six nonconference games.

He said the Gophers and the Fighting Sioux would play at Mariucci one year and at the Ralph the other in any scheduling arrangement they make after they are in different conferences.

Boston College coach Jerry York e-mailed Lucia about a fourth-year scheduling agreement. One year, the Gophers would head East and play Boston College and Boston University the same weekend, Lucia said, the next year, Boston College would play at Mariucci, then the Gophers would play at BU and BC and, in the fourth year, BU would visit the Gophers.
Lucia said the Gophers and Notre Dame have discussed playing each other, too. The Irish and Gophers*play one game, the U.S. Hall of Fame Game, in early January this season.

<A HREF="http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/132972948.html">http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/132972948.html</A>

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Versus/NBC Sports has released their full college hockey schedule for the 2011/12 season. I believe we already knew of the two Notre Dame telecasts (Dec. 31 against BU and Jan 20 against UM), but here is the rest of their schedule. It seems tilted in favor of the ECAC actually, featuring 5 different teams from that league in 4 telecasts. Only 3 Hockey East teams make the regular schedule, but they will be showing the HE playoff semis and final. Michigan and Notre Dame are the only CCHA teams on the schedule with the Jan 20th game the only CCHA contest.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Finally, we are into November where Notre Dame will be playing 4 home games within an 8 day stretch. But up first is a trip to the UP.

Both NMU and ND are pretty young teams; NMU with 13 underclassmen, ND with 15 young guns. NMU is led by Justin Florek (not a young one). He's got 9 points, 3 of which are PPG's. They've gotten goal production from 11 different players. ND is led by T.J. Tynan (a young guy). He's got 14 points. Anders Lee leads the team with 3 PPG's. ND has had 13 different players register goals.

Reid Ellingson ((2.24 GA and .922 save %) and Jared Coreau (3.1 GA and .886 save %) have split time in net, with Ellingson getting the Friday starts. Mike Johnson (2.02 GA and .905 save %) should start both games for ND.

NMU takes a hair over 7 penalties/game and has a great PK at 90.9%. Their PP is also phenomenal at 25%. ND takes under 6 penalties/game, with their PK going 85.7% and their PP a healthy 22.2%. NMU gives up 2.75 goals/game while scoring 3.12 goals/game. ND gives up 2.57 goals/game and scores 3.86 a game.

These teams a pretty evenly matched, so I expect this weekend to produce 2 close games. I'll be happy with a split, unhappy with less and ecstatic with more.

Losers quit when they're tired. Winners quit when they've won.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Huh. I have no memory of this hit. I would say that justice delayed is justice denied, but at least there were consequences. Who was on the receiving end of the hit?

 

[Third Family Member]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Huh. I have no memory of this hit. I would say that justice delayed is justice denied, but at least there were consequences. Who was on the receiving end of the hit?

Wow. Joe Lavin is leaving you out of the will.

Unfortunately, you have fallen victim to the already left the building but forgot to turn out the lights computer programming mentality of CCHA.com. The player suspended is actually Patrick Tiesling for a game played this year. However, if you click on the link to the complete story, it takes you to that Dec. 9, 2010 blurb regarding the hit on Joe Lavin. Mason was suspended for a game in late December, so justice wasn't delayed, it was just suspended while Miami was on break and played no games.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

I just saw the corrected link to the correct player. The reporters at the CCHA have apparently already left the league as they heard about a Miami player suspended and simply linked a year-old story to their front page earlier today. It is now corrected to reflect a hit from a week ago. Journalism at its, ahem, finest.

And I still have no memory of the hit.

Speaking of last year...Ryan Guentzel is playing in Germany and leads his team in scoring. 19 points in 12 games.

 

[Savage]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

JJFP notes that Guentzel is playing in Germany.
As for the other members of last year's class:
Joey Lavin has played in 7 of the Rockford IceHogs' 9 games in the AHL, amassing no points and no penalty minutes. They're the top affiliate of the Blackhawks.
Calle Ridderwall has played in 8 of the Providence Bruins' 11 games in the AHL, with two goals and a helper.
Ben Ryan started the year at Cincinnati of the ECHL (2-1-3 in 3 games), but was called up to Milwaukee of the AHL to replace former teammate Ryan Thang (who was called up to Nashville), where he joins JJFP fave MVG.

And, just for fun, since we don't have a separate alumni thread ... the previous year's:
Ryan Thang was 5-1-6 in 7 games for Milwaukee before making his NHL debut for the Preds.
Kyle Lawson is back down in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades after logging a fair bit of AHL time last season.
Brett Blatchford is off to a hot 2-6-8 in 9 games for Arizona of the CHL.
Ian Cole has started the season in Peoria, appearing in 11 games, after splitting time between Peoria and the Blues last season.
Kyle Palmieri is off to a torrid 8-2-10 in 6 games for Syracuse, looking to earn his way back up to the Ducks.
Kevin Deeth appears to be playing for the Stavenger Oilers in Norway's Eliteserien, putting up 5 goals and 14 assists in 15 games.
Chris Minella is again with Wheeling in the ECHL, with a goal and two assists in 5 games.
Dan Kissel has split time with Bridgeport of the AHL (and Tim Wallace) and the ECHL affiliate Alaska Aces, where he has scored 4 times in 6 games.
Teddy Ruth is still with Springfield of the AHL, but has yet to record a point early in the year.
Brad Phillips is splitting time at G for my local ECHL team, the brutally bad Trenton Titans.
Kyle Murphy has yet to appear as the player-to-be-named later in the ND-PC Joey Lavin deal. (and yes, I'm aware I've made this joke before at Robin Bergman's expense as a ND-HEA trade.)

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Grrr. Now to have a "split" on the road, ND has to, at the very least, win in a SO tomorrow. I gotta question Riley Sheahan as the number 2 guy on the SO. How many shorthanded breakaways does he come this close to scoring? In the end, NMU's Ellingson made some outstanding saves. ND had the traffic in front of him all night, they forechecked extremely well, but I thought both teams looked ho-hum in the first and third periods. If ND could have managed 5 more shots from the start of the 3rd (when they had a PP) through the OT, they may have won, but getting off a measly 4 or 5 shots total in the final 25 minutes won't cut it.

Here's to more shots tomorrow.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Some observations from tonight's game would include the fact that pink jerseys are very odd, we need some serious work on the shootout and NMU's goalie is hotter than sunburn. Of course having a lead in both games this weekend that we gack up is frustrating enough. The odd thing is, I have to say the Irish outworked the Wildcats most of both games. They forechecked, cycled the puck, took lots of shots, quality ones to boot, but no PPG's tonight hurt, especially when they had 3 PP's in a row at one point.

At least the next four games are at home. They better win those.

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Shootout "losses" aside, 2-0-2 on a four game road swing ain't half bad. Northern is always a tough trip, and Bowling Green looks like they will win as many this year as the two previous seasons combined, so 4 games without a loss could probably have been worse.

The next week gives them an opportunity to really get to know the CFIA. Jackson had remarked that initially we may not have much of an advantage from an on-ice perspective at the place because our skaters won't really be a lot more familiar with it than the other team. A good long stretch at home helps get over that.

Johnson is looking more comfortable out there and his numbers are trending in a good direction. There is a little inconsistency in the offense, but I think I am getting more and more used to that. For years now this team -- even in years where our scoring has been among the best -- has been prone to fall victim to the hot goalie more than it seems they would. Our goals per game ranking took a hit this weekend but they still average well over 3. Special teams need some work, but both the power play and penalty kill are better statistically than last season. Overall I like how most things are progressing.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

4 home games in 8 days. By the end of this stretch, the new surroundings shouldn't seem so foreign to the Irish. And I do agree with IHF; going (technically) unbeaten in 4 games on the road is a good thing. Can we get the same (or better) result in these 4 games at home? Remember that this Friday's game is at 7:00 and Saturday's game is at 5:00.

UA(F) is struggling so far. They are looking for their first league win. That frightens me. They are a very defensive-minded team (like ND), but unfortunately are not getting any run support, especially evident last weekend (akin to ND's goal-anemic weekend) when they scored only 2 goals for the series. For the season, they are giving up (defense) 2.6 GA as a team. Not bad except when you see that they are scoring only 2 GF/game. Their PK (defense) is decent at 82.7%, but their PP is almost non-existent at 7.4%.

The Nanooks are led by Nik Yaremchuk with 7 points. He leads the team in goals with 6, half of which have been game winners (also to lead the team). Colton Beck shares the lead with 7 points. Andy Taranto and Carlo Finucci each have 5 points. Jarret Granberg is their PP threat, leading the team with 2 PPG's, both in league play. Scott Greenham will likely start both games. He's got a save % of .894 and a GA of 2.52.

Even after last weekend, ND is still averaging 3.33 goals/game. Thanks to last weekend, their GA dropped slightly to 2.33/game. Even after last weekend's 10% PP showing, ND's PP is at a respectable 19.6%. Thanks to last weekend, the PK improved a bit to a solid 87.2%.

ND is led by Anders Lee and T.J. Tynan, each with 14 points. Lee leads the team in goals with 10 and in PPG's with 3. Billy Maday (9 points), Riley Sheahan (8), and Sam Calabrese and Austin Wuthrich (each with 5) round out the top scorers. Mike Johnson's numbers improved greatly after this past weekend. He's got a save % of .912 while his GA is an impressive 1.84.

I watched the Wizard of Oz for the umpteenth time the other day. Hopefully the Irish can wake up the morning of November 19th and agree with Dorothy. There's no place like home.

 

[Savage]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

JJFP or other long-time fans, a historical question: has ND ever skated a black player?

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

JJFP or other long-time fans, a historical question: has ND ever skated a black player?

Nope, not yet.

 

[Savage]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Thanks IHF. I didn't think so, but I wasn't sure. I was just updating my recruiting state of the union since the November signing period is open, and and I saw pictures and videos of some of our more recent commits for the first time. Our second-most-recent is Justin Wade, who, if all goes according to plan, will become the first African-American Irish icer in a couple years.

Jackson's proving to be quite the trailblazer -- national and racial diversity, and of course Frozen Four appearances and new facilities.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Thanks IHF. I didn't think so, but I wasn't sure. I was just updating my recruiting state of the union since the November signing period is open, and and I saw pictures and videos of some of our more recent commits for the first time. Our second-most-recent is Justin Wade, who, if all goes according to plan, will become the first African-American Irish icer in a couple years.

Jackson's proving to be quite the trailblazer -- national and racial diversity, and of course Frozen Four appearances and new facilities.

He may be a trailblazer for ND, but there have been several black college players on other campuses in the past. Anson Carter was a favorite (and one of my collection of visiting player autographs).

What's more impressive is the growing number of blacks in the NHL, including in the coaching ranks.

 

[Savage]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Oh, of course -- Jordan Samuels-Thomas comes to mind as a recent CCHA example -- I meant at ND, just as the other items I listed had certainly happened elsewhere, too.

I threw in the trailblazer line at least in part just to note how much better life is now that ND decided to get with the times and start going deep in the NCAAs and playing in a credible hockey barn

 

[Savage]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Wow, I think of TAFKAF and ND as typically being really strong defensive teams who rely on not allowing pucks in the net in order to win. 5-4 games (with 7 first period goals) must give both Jackson and Ferguson heartburn.

Also, though, "ho hum" another game another Anders Lee goal. And another pair of TJ Tynan assists. Same ol' same ol'.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

... TAFKAF and ND as typically being really strong defensive teams ...

The goalies and defensemen were merely illusions in the first period. Smoke. Mirrors.

Mike Johnson didn't stand much chance on 3 of UA(F)'s 4 as they were (very) odd-man breaks.

Uncharacteristic turnovers from Riley Sheahan and Anders Lee also had me worried.

Johnson and Steven Summerhays each got the chance to stop breakaways though because of those turnovers and odd-man rushes.

ND went 60% on the PP and killed off a 5-minute major. The flip side was ND going only 67% on the PK.

Kind of ironic that the week after I lament Sheahan as a choice for the shootout he scores on a (rare) penalty shot!

And while Stephen Johns had quite possibly the yuckiest game of his young career, I proclaimed aloud that he could redeem himself by scoring the game winner on that power play with 2:19 to go. Thanks!

Nice that several players had multi-point nights, including Robbie Russo and Billy Maday, who, BTW, was on fire tonight.

A little bird told me there will be some tailgating tomorrow. For the hockey game!

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Odd game... really just a very odd game.

Alaska was a collective +10 and Notre Dame was correspondingly a minus-10. Notre Dame came out flat (obviously) and that flatness seemed to rear its head frequently throughout the game. We turned the puck over in every conceivable spot on the ice. Our defensemen were constantly turning their backs to chase Alaska skaters that got around them. Cody Kunyk comes into the game with 1 goal and morphs into Wayne Gretzky, scoring a hat trick in less than 10 minutes of the first period. He had a chance at a 5 goal night, except that Steven Summerhays, pulled from his previous start after giving up 4 goals on 10 shots, morphs into Martin Brodeur, stones him on two more breakaways, and stops the rest of the 14 other shots he saw.

You spot the other guys a 2 goal lead and make that many mistakes, you don't win all that often. The Irish need to tighten it up quite a bit today. Obviously.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

I like OT wins. Especially when the hardest worker for the weekend gets that OT goal. Billy Maday had an absolutely outstanding weekend and the way he controlled the puck at the blue line, passed the puck to T.J. Tynan and then crashed the net to get the puck back and poke it in to prevent the shootout was pretty to watch. After Coach Jackson's comments in the post-game last night, I assumed Mike Johnson would start tonight, but am quite pleased with the play of Steven Summerhays, with the possible exception of UA(F)'s 2nd goal.

This game was more like what was expected from these 2 teams. Nearly 2 full periods before Anders Lee broke the scoreless tie.

Lee leads the nation (so far) in goals, Tynan leads in points per game and ND leads the CCHA. That's what I call a good weekend.