PDF for Irish Insider for Thursday, April 7, 2011

When the Irish first reachedthe Frozen Four in 2008, then-freshmen Calle Ridderwall, BenRyan and Ryan Guentzelentered the Pepsi Center withwide eyes. Now seniors, theireyes display focus instead — afocus they feel is crucial to passon to Notre Dame’s 12 fresh-men if the Irish are to claim theprogram’s first-ever nationalchampionship.“[We’ve] just got to let [the

freshmen] know it’s just anoth-er game,” Ridderwall said.“We’ve got to keep our eyes onthe prize — we’re trying to wina championship, we’re not justgoing there just to have a greatexperience. I think it’s impor-tant to realize that we’re stillplaying for a championship andthese are just two playoffgames.”Notre Dame (25-13-5) will

face Minnesota-Duluth (24-10-6) Thursday in a matchup thatseemed improbable just twoweeks ago. The Irish backedinto the NCAA Tournament, los-ing two games in the CCHAplayoffs by a combined sixgoals — a far less-than-auspi-cious start to playoff hockey.When Notre Dame gave up twoearly goals to Merrimack in itsfirst-round game, a FrozenFour berth seemed out of thequestion — yet the Irish clawedtheir way back past theWarriors and then past NewHampshire to reach Saint Paul.“We had a bad weekend in

Detroit,” Irish coach JeffJackson said. “Every time thisteam has had a bad perform-ance they’ve shown theresiliency to come back andplay well. It was a new seasonin the NCAA tournament — anew life.”On the other side of the

bracket, the Bulldogs had toface a hot Union team and thena matchup with the tourna-ment’s overall No. 1 seed Yale— yet they won each game by acomfortable two-goal margin toreach the Frozen Four. Now,

the two meet on college hock-ey’s biggest stage just 150 milesfrom Duluth. The potentialhome-field advantage won’tintimidate the Irish, however.“Some of the guys mentioned

it last week,” Jackson said.“They’d rather play in a loudenvironment with a jam-packedhouse than a half-empty build-ing whether home or away.”That jam-packed house will

pose challenges of its own, asthe sold-out Xcel Energy Center(home to the NHL’s MinnesotaWild) seats over 18,000 com-pared to the 3,000 who usuallypack the Joyce Center for NotreDame home games. On theother hand, the Irish haveplayed in a number of largearenas, including RalphEngelstad Arena (capacity11,640) and Joe Louis Arena(capacity 20,066).“Just knowing you can play in

big games and having that con-fidence is huge when you gointo a series like this in theFrozen Four,” Ridderwall said.“All you can do out there is justplay your game. We’ve prac-ticed all year — we know whatwe can do. We just can’t getcarried away with everythinggoing on around the ice.”Literally one or two games

away from the end of theirNotre Dame careers,Ridderwall and the other sen-iors have had the opportunityto reflect on the new heights towhich they have taken the pro-gram. “It’s very special to be in the

Frozen Four half the seasonsyou’re in college,” Ridderwallsaid. “It’s very exciting.”Jackson hopes his seniors will

use that reflection to bettertheir younger teammates intheir quest for a title that hasthus far eluded the Irish.“I think it’s certainly a help

that they can let [the freshmen]know about all the distractionsthat take place,” he said. “It’sgoing to be a circus in a lot ofways, so to make sure they stayfocused and don’t get distractedby all the things going onaround them is really impor-tant.”

If Notre Dame can defeat theBulldogs, it will take on thewinner of the Michigan-NorthDakota game. The Irish havefaced both the Wolverines (28-10-4) and Fighting Sioux (32-8-3) this season. Notre Damewent 1-2 against Michigan,with the lone win coming inAnn Arbor. The teams’ mostrecent meeting was March 19when the Wolverines won 4-2in Detroit in the CCHA third-place game. Notre Dame tookan early-season road trip toGrand Forks, dropping the firstgame to the Sioux but respond-ing with a hard-fought tie in thesecond game. When asked if his team’s

familiarity with either possiblenational championship oppo-nent was an advantage,Jackson could do nothing butgive a wry smile and shake hishead.“I’m not worrying about it,”

he said. “It’s one game. Wedon’t win it, it doesn’t matter.We have to win [Thursday], andthat’s all that matters at thispoint.”Yet again Jackson taught

focus, and his team seems tohave heard him. With 12 fresh-men leading the way, it hasbeen up to the seniors topreach the gospel according toJackson — and they have beenits apostles.“I think we have to focus on

Minnesota-Duluth,” Ridderwallsaid. “I don’t think we reallyhave to focus on what’s going tohappen when we get up there— what nice hotels they’regoing to be, how big a rink it’sgoing to be. I think we just needto keep focusing on Minnesota-Duluth.”Notre Dame faces the

Bulldogs at 5 p.m. Thursday inthe Xcel Energy Center. Thegame will be televised onESPN2 and ESPN3.com. Thenational championship gamewill take place in the samevenue and will be televised liveat 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPNand ESPN3.com

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 2 Thursday, April 7, 2011

Three years ago, I waslucky enough to cover the2008 Frozen Four in Denver. Iwas just a lowly freshmansports writer, in awe that TheObserverwould actu-ally pay forme to go toan awe-some cityand watchhockey.By now,

everyNotreDamehockey fanknowshow thatweekend played out. In thenational semifinal, the Irishbeat Michigan 5-4 in overtimeto earn — at least prior tothis weekend — the biggestwin in the program’s history.Two nights later in the cham-pionship game, Notre Damecame up short against NathanGerbe and Boston College,falling 4-1.Even though the Irish came

up short, I — along with theentire Irish fan base — washopeful for the future of theprogram. Given its trajectory,I was fully preparing to coverthe team in Washington, D.C.in the 2009 Frozen Four.Despite a record-setting

2009 regular season andCCHA tournament champi-onship, the No. 1-seeded Irishfell to Bemidji State in thefirst round of the tournament.The months of hard work andsuccess were wiped away in agame that Notre Dame maywell have won nine out of 10times.The next season was basi-

cally a four-month long ver-sion of the Bemidji Stategame. The Irish roster wasloaded with talent, but forwhatever reason, the teamnever clicked, and the seasonended with a losing recordand a first-round CCHA tour-nament loss to Ohio State.The past two seasons have

been living proof of somethingthat many, including myself,lost sight of in the optimismfollowing the 2008 playoffrun: It’s really, really difficultto make it to the Frozen Four. Even for the biggest and

most storied programs, theFrozen Four should not be anannual expectation. Denver,Wisconsin, Minnesota, BostonUniversity and Boston College— along with their 27 com-bined national championships— will be watching this week-end’s games from home.Notre Dame learned in

2009 and 2010 that anythingfrom a fluke loss to unex-plained intangibles can sub-marine a potential champi-onship run.It’s this uncertainty that

makes this weekend all themore important for NotreDame. Sure, with all the

youth on the roster, the pro-gram will certainly havechampionship-caliber talentfor the foreseeable future.But, as the past two yearshave shown, you just neverknow. Notre Dame is two winsaway from its first nationalchampionship, and the Irishneed to seize the momentnow.Much has been made of the

fact that Notre Dame hasmade this run to the FrozenFour with 12 freshmen on theroster. Rookies T.J. Tynan andAnders Lee — who will prob-ably need more closet spaceafter all the hardware theypicked up at Sunday’s teamawards banquet — arealready among the top play-ers in college hockey.Whether or not the Irish“should” be playing in SaintPaul this weekend or not, thefact is they are, and there’sno excuse not to take advan-tage.Fortunately for the Irish,

the upperclassmen are in aunique position to offer adviceto all the freshmen. SeniorsBen Ryan, Calle Ridderwalland Ryan Guentzel were allfreshmen in Denver threeyears ago. They know that theyounger players cannot affordto assume that there are defi-nitely more Frozen Fours tocome.There were times even this

season when it looked like areturn to college hockey’sbiggest stage just wasn’t inthe cards. In my predictionfor the first two rounds, I saidthe team appeared to be “oneyear away.” This team showed in the

regional in Manchester, N.H.two weeks ago that they aredefinitely not one year away.Winning on back-to-back daysin virtual road games againstlocal teams Merrimack andNew Hampshire, the Irishproved they clearly have thetalent, chemistry and attitudeto win it all this year. Onceyou get down to four teams,it’s just a matter of how thepuck bounces.Throughout my four years

at The Observer, I’ve watchedfootball games from the NotreDame Stadium press box,been on the field at YankeeStadium and seen an Irishbowl win in person. For somereason, though, wheneveranyone asks me what myfavorite event I’ve coveredwas, the answer is alwaysthat Frozen Four three yearsago. With smart coaching, afew timely plays and maybeone or two lucky bounces, thisweekend has the chance to beeven better.

The views expressed in thiscolumn are those of theauthor and not necessarilythose of The Observer.

Contact Sam Werner [email protected]

Bulldogs await Notre Dame

SUZANNA PRATT/The Observer

Freshman right wing Mike Voran handles the puck during Notre Dame’s 4-3 overtime victory inthe NCAA first round against Merrimack March 26.

Sam Werner

Senior SportsWriter

By ALLAN JOSEPHSports Editor

Contact Allan Joseph [email protected]

Young Irish mustseize the moment

There’s a very good reason thatMike Johnson leads Notre Dameonto the ice before every game heplays.He is the goalie — a position

that, in postseason hockey, caneither carry a team to a champi-onship or prove its ultimatedownfall. This means that,whether he likes it or not, asJohnson goes, so go the Irish.Luckily for No. 3 Notre Dame, thesophomore relishes the spotlight.“I like the pressure that comes

with the position,” Johnson said.“I also like the fact that I’m onthe ice all the time and can makean impact in every game.”It takes a special, almost quirky

mentality — for example,Johnson eats “a banana beforeevery game,” — to play a positionthat is among the most high-pres-sure and mentally fragile insports. While all other playersskate on and off the ice in shifts,the goalie remains on the ice,responsible for every shot put onnet. The net minder needs anentirely different mindset andskill set from a forward ordefenseman, but Johnson saidthe position was something hewent into without much thought.“I played street hockey when I

was younger and always playedgoalie,” he said. “I kind of likedwatching the goalies when Iwatched hockey, so it was one ofthose things that I just sort of fellinto, I guess.”After learning the game on the

ponds in Wisconsin, Johnsoneventually set his sights on play-ing the game at a higher level injunior hockey and at the colle-giate level. After one season withthe St. Louis Bandits of the NAHLin 2007-08, he moved onto theUSHL with the Cedar RapidsRoughRiders for the 2008-09 sea-son. With the RoughRiders,Johnson enjoyed a breakout sea-son, posting 25 wins and startingfor the North Division squad in

the USHL Prospect/All-StarGame.

Tradition of greatnessThat success eventually led the

Verona, Wisc. native to NotreDame and coach Jeff Jackson’sprogram. By putting on the padsas an Irish goalie, Johnson wasstepping into the skates of two ofthe best goalies in Notre Damehistory in Jordan Pearce and All-American David Brown, whosecareers spanned the 2004-09seasons. Despite his youth,Johnson saw notable time in hisfreshman season in 2009-10,making 28 starts and beingselected to the CCHA all-rookieteam in a subpar Notre Damecampaign. Johnson said he wassurprised by the early playingtime.“I didn’t expect to play so much

early,” Johnson said. “I knew thatif I worked hard I was going toget my chance, and it came a lit-tle sooner than I expected whichwas awesome. I’m a competitor,and I always want to be in there.It was a really good experiencefor me to get a year under mybelt so early.”One reason for Johnson’s quick

acclimation to the college game isthe presence of Jackson as ateacher and mentor. A formergoalie himself during his playingdays, Jackson has a hands-oninfluence in the play of hisgoalies; something that Johnsonsaid elevates his game.“It’s huge. [He and I] work one-

on-one all the time, and some-times me and [freshmen goalies]Steven Summerhays and JoeRogers go out there with him andwe work on things we need to getbetter at,” Johnson said. “He’sfull of insight, and he knows a lotabout the position. It’s helped mementally.”

Splitting timeComing off a surprisingly suc-

cessful rookie campaign, Johnsonentered the 2010-11 season asthe apparent starter between thepipes from the opening game

despite the arrival of talentedrecruits Summerhays andRogers. During Notre Dame’s bounce-

back campaign, Johnson enjoyeda season that saw both its ups —a 28-save performance in a 2-1win over then-No. 1 BostonCollege on Oct. 23 — and itsdowns, sprinkled throughout theconference schedule. It becameevident to Jackson that his first-choice goalie was struggling withconsistency in big games, some-thing the coach attributed partlyto Johnson’s tendency to over-think.“I think part of it is he wants to

do well so badly and that is a fac-tor,” Jackson said. “But I alsothink he thinks too much some-times when he plays. When he’sin the zone, as they call it, he’sfocused on the environment andthe process — just about makingthe save and trying to control therebound.”Eventually, Johnson’s some-

what erratic play opened thedoor for Summerhays to crackinto the lineup in a handful of keyCCHA series. Johnson andSummerhays split time in NotreDame’s final four regular-seasonseries. Johnson took the demo-tion of sorts as a chance to restup for playoff hockey.“I think it was a break, both

physically and mentally,” he said.“You know, Steven earned thatjob. He’s worked really hard thisyear, and he deserves to get inthere and play. It was great to seehim do well. It was really greatfor me to take it easy physicallyand mentally toward playoffs.”Though the two competed for

playing time in some of thebiggest games of the Irish season,Summerhays said his relationshipwith the elder Johnson is close onand off the ice.“I think Johnson’s one of the

top goalies in all of college hock-ey, not just the CCHA, and lastweekend he showed that he isone of the top goalies in collegehockey,” Summerhays said. “Tobe able to split time with him and

be able to watch him every day inpractice has made me a bettergoaltender.“On and off the ice, me and

Johnson are really close, it’s notjust that we work together, it’sthat in practice we’re both reallybig competitors and we can pusheach other every day to get bet-ter.”

Frozen assetJohnson responded to the pla-

toon situation in a big way in thepostseason, wresting control ofthe starting job with his experi-ence and — after a disappointingCCHA Championship in Detroit —by turning in his best perform-ances of the season in the NCAARegional in Manchester, N.H.Johnson turned in a dazzling per-formance in overtime of NotreDame’s 4-3 win over Merrimackand followed that up with per-haps his best game of the seasonagainst New Hampshire in theRegional Final. Johnson’s 37saves earned him Regional MVPhonors, and the sophomore saidconfidence was key in his per-formance.“I think the confidence and the

excitement from the Merrimackgame just carried over,” he said.“I was just ‘playing.’ It was like Iwas out there on the pond when Iwas eight years old, just playing. Iwasn’t thinking about anything.We had no pressure on us.”Playing his best hockey of the

season, Johnson gets to live outone of his childhood dreams byplaying in the Frozen Four, some-thing made all the more sweetafter enduring ups and downs inthe regular season.“I’ve wanted to go to the

Frozen Four my whole life,”Johnson said. “It’s always been adream of mine, and to be able togo there this year is absolutely

incredible. I’m excited and Iknow the team’s excited to get upthere.”Entering the national semifinal

against Minnesota-Duluth,Johnson said he understands theimportance of seizing the oppor-tunity on the national stage.Notre Dame’s current senior classplayed in the Frozen Four in2008, but endured a disappoint-ing first-round exit in 2009 andmissed postseason play in 2010.“The seniors had told us how

they made it in their freshmanyear and they hadn’t made itback since,” Johnson said. “Weknew that this opportunity does-n’t come around often, so weneeded to take advantage of it.”Though the Frozen Four is full

of traditional powers this season,including nine-time title winnerMichigan and seven-time winnerNorth Dakota, Johnson saidNotre Dame’s underdog mentalityserved it well in the regionalround.“Going into the tournament, I

don’t think we felt a lot of pres-sure on us. Everyone was kind ofoverlooking us,” he said. “But weknew how good we could be. Theguys in the locker room knowthat we could be the best team inthe country. I think we showedthat we can play with the bigguns of college hockey, and thatjust boosted our confidence inknowing that we can play twogames in a row.”If the Irish can once more win

two games in a row, thenJohnson, the young gun who’sundergone a benching and won aregional MVP in the same season,will reach a plateau that no Irishgoalie has before — a nationalchampionship.

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERThursday, April 7, 2011 page 3

Man of the hour

Contact Chris Allen [email protected]

Sophomore goaltender endures up-and-down season, rebounds with strong postseason performance

By CHRIS ALLENSports Writer


Sophomore goalie Mike Johnson collects himself during a breakduring of Notre Dame’s 4-3 win over Merrimack March 26.


Sophomore goaltender Mike Johnson and senior defenseman Joe Lavin track the puck duringNotre Dame’s 4-3 win over Merrimack March 26. Johnson had 32 saves in the contest.

Oct. 3Oct. 8Oct. 10Oct. 14Oct. 15Oct. 23Oct. 29Oct. 30Nov. 5Nov. 6Nov. 12Nov. 13Nov. 19Nov. 20Nov. 26Nov. 27Dec. 3Dec. 4Dec. 11Dec. 12Dec. 29Jan. 1Jan. 2Jan. 7Jan. 8Jan. 14Jan. 15Jan. 21Jan. 22Jan. 28Jan. 29Feb. 11Feb. 12Feb. 18Feb. 19Feb. 25Feb. 26

March 11March 12March 13March 18March 19

March 26March 27

University of GuelphHoly Cross

Boston U. Lake Superior StateLake Superior State

Boston CollegeWestern Michigan

@ Western Michigan@ Bowling Green

@ Bowling Green@ Michigan@ Michigan

Michigan StateMichigan State

@ North Dakota@ North Dakota@ Miami (Ohio)@ Miami (Ohio)

Northern MichiganNorthern Michigan

CanisiusMinnesota State

Boston U.@ Northern Michigan@ Northern Michigan

AlaskaAlaska

@ Ohio State@ Ohio StateMiami (Ohio)Miami (Ohio)

Bowling GreenBowling Green@ Ferris State@ Ferris State

@ Western MichiganWestern Michigan

CCHA PLAYOFFS

Lake Superior StateLake Superior StateLake Superior State

Miami (Ohio) Michigan (in Detroit)

NCAA TOURNAMENT

MerrimackNew Hampshire

W 5-3W 6-3L 5-4

W 4-2W 4-2W 2-1W 3-2

T 2-2 (OT)L 3-2

W 6-3W 3-1L 5-3

W 6-2W 4-2L 6-3

T 2-2 (OT)W 5-4L 5-2L 3-2

W 5-2W 10-2

L 4-3T 3-3 (OT)

W 8-1W 3-1W 2-1L 4-1L 6-1

W 4-1T 5-5 (OT)T 2-2 (OT)

W 2-1W 5-1W 3-2W 5-2W 3-2L 2-0

W 3-2 (OT)L 4-3

W 4-2

L 6-2L 4-2

W 4-3 (OT)W 2-1


32G

Mike Johnson5’ 10”—194 lbs.

24D

Sean Lorenz6’ 1”—201 lbs.

33D

Joe Lavin6’ 2”—198 lbs.

27RW

Ryan Guentzel6’ 0”—184 lbs.

9LW

Anders Lee6’ 3”—218 lbs.

18C

T.J. Tynan5’ 8”—156 lbs.

Notre Dame’s key playersNotre DameRecord: 25-13-5

USCHO: 9 USA Today: 4

2010-11 Schedule

GOALTENDING

Sophomore Mike Johnson has seen the bulk of the action in net for the Irish.Late in the year, though, Irish coach Jeff Jackson began rotating Johnson andfreshman Steven Summerhays. Johnson took the rest and turned in his best play ofthe year in the NCAA regional, turning in a 37-save performance in the regionalfinal against New Hampshire en route to winning the regional MVP honor.

DEFENSE

Captain Joe Lavin is the only senior on the blueline for the Irish, but the defensive corpsis probably Notre Dame’s most experienced unit. Lavin is joined by junior defensemanSean Lorenz, who turned in an outstanding junior season en route to winning the CCHA’sBest Defensive Defenseman Award. Sophomore Sam Calabrese also played well for theIrish on the blue line, seeing time in 41 of Notre Dame’s 43 games.

PENALTY KILL

The constantly improving Irish penalty kill unit paid big dividends early on in theyear, as Notre Dame displayed a knack for key shorthanded goals, particularly bydefensemen Lavin and Lorenz. The Irish gave up 34 power-play goals in 186chances over the course of the year. The penalty kill unit featured strong perform-ances by primarily offensive players such as Tynan and senior center Ben Ryan,who saw frequent time on the penalty kill despite their primarily offensive rolewhen not on special teams.

OFFENSE

The Irish offense has been something of a surprise this season after theteam struggled to score goals during the 2009-10 campaign. Notre Dame sea-son MVP and center T.J. Tynan and wing Anders Lee, both freshmen, havebeen the main offensive threats for the Irish, with Tynan posting 53 points,the highest total for a Notre Dame player during Jeff Jackson’s tenure. Seniorwing Ryan Guentzel, junior wing Billy Maday and freshman wing Jeff Costellohave shared the load with the the talented freshmen.

POWER PLAY

Notre Dame’s power play has been up-and-down all year, with the team strug-gling to find a consistent rhythm. Overall, Notre Dame scored 33 power-play goalson 203 chances for a percentage of .163. Freshmen provided most of the Irishpower play firepower, as Tynan’s 15 power-play points led Notre Dame, and Leeand Costello shared the team lead in power-play goals with six. North Dakota’s.234 percentage is the highest of the remaining teams in the tournament, withFrattin and Gregoire leading a strong power play unit.

INTANGIBLES

Irish coach Jeff Jackson is one of the best coaches in the entire country.Jackson’s championship pedigree from his time at Lake Superior State , wherehe won two championships, as well as his experience with USA youth teamsand the NHL’s New York Islanders, brings an unmatched level of knowledgeand strategy to the Notre Dame bench. Minnesota-Duluth will benefit fromplaying in their home state, in an arena familiar to them, though the Irishfaced two local teams in the Northeast Regional two weekends ago.

The seniors, whowere freshmen onNotre Dame’s 2008Frozen Four team,know what to expectthis weekend and canprepare the freshmenfor the experience.The Frozen Four ismore about cool headsand getting bouncesthan anything else. Stillplaying the underdog,Notre Dame’s loose-ness from two weeksago carries over — as

does Mike Johnson’s superb play in net —and the Irish leave Saint Paul with the pro-gram’s first national championship.

Notre Dame 3, Minnesota-Duluth 1Notre Dame 4, North Dakota 3 (OT)

This year, Irishcoach Jeff Jacksonhas had to talk abouthis freshmen afterseemingly everygame. This weekend,though, it’s going tobe about the seniors.Ben Ryan, RyanGuentzel and, mostespecially, CalleRidderwall will stepup in the secondFrozen Four of theircareers. Expect tohear techno blasting

Saturday when Ridderwall puts the Irishpast Michigan, just like 2008 — exceptthis time for the title.

Notre Dame 5, Minnesota-Duluth 3Notre Dame 3, Michigan 2

Sam Werner

Senior SportsWriter

Allan Joseph

Sports Editor


2011 NCAA Frozen Four

Reason would dic-tate that NorthDakota will takehome the champi-onship Saturday. Theyare the deepest, mostexperienced, most tal-ented team left in thefield. It is a goodthing, then, that NotreDame’s young rosterhasn’t been aroundthe college game longenough to listen toreason. Notre Dame’s12 freshmen become

instant legends in front of our eyes, rea-son takes a backseat, and the Irish wintheir first title.

Notre Dame 2, Minnesota-Duluth 1Notre Dame 4, North Dakota 3

The experience ofNotre Dame’s seniorclass from 2008’sFrozen Four will leadthe Irish to victory inthe semifinals, as theupperclassmen willhelp keep thefreshmen calm andloose. But Saturday’slikely opponent,North Dakota, hasgreat offense, strongdefense, and superbgoaltending. Andtheir 12-1 combined

margin of victory in the Tournament’sfirst two rounds shows that, quitefrankly, they’re the nation’s best team.

Notre Dame 4, Minnesota-Duluth 2North Dakota 5, Notre Dame 2

Chris Allen

Sports Writer

Sam Gans

Sports Writer

How they got hereDefeated New Hampshire 2-1 in

Northeast Regional final

Top scorersT.J. Tynan (22 goals, 31 assists)

Anders Lee (24 goals, 20

assists)

Ryan Guentzel (6 goals, 31

assists)

Billy Maday (10 goals, 17

assists)

Ben Ryan (6 goals, 18 assists)

Between the pipesMike Johnson (2.57 GAA, .906

save percentage)

By the numbersGoals per game: 3.4

Goals against per game: 2.7

Power play percentage: 16.3

Penalty kill percentage: 81.7

Shorthanded goals: 12

Power play goals: 33

Frozen Four historySecond appearance

How they got hereDefeated Denver 6-1 in Midwest

Regional final

Top scorersMatt Frattin (36 goals, 24 assists)

Corban Knight (14 goals, 30

assists)

Jason Gregoire (25 goals, 18

assists)

Evan Trupp (17 goals, 24 assists)

Brad Malone (16 goals, 24

assists)

Between the pipesAaron Dell (1.82 GAA, .924 save

percentage)







Frozen Four history19th appearance

How they got hereDefeated Colorado College 2-1 in

West Regional final.

Top scorersCarl Hagelin (18 goals, 30

assists)

Louie Caporusso (11 goals, 19

assists)

Matt Rust (5 goals, 20 assists)

Jon Merrill (7 goals, 17 assists)

Scooter Vaughan (13 goals, 10

assists)

Between the pipesShawn Hunwick (2.26 GAA, .922

save percentage)







Frozen Four history24th appearance

How they got hereDefeated Yale 5-3 in East

Regional final.

Top scorersJack Connolly (17 goals, 41

assists)

Justin Fontaine (22 goals, 33

assists)

Mike Connolly (27 goals, 26

assists)

J.T. Brown (15 goals, 19 assists)

Travis Oleksuk (13 goals, 18

assists)

Between the pipesKenny Reiter (2.29 GAA, .914

save percentage)







Frozen Four historyFourth appearance

I t happens every year.Stinging from one last defeatat the hands of a famil iaropponent to end the season,disappointed in the previousyear’s campaign and frustrat-ed that its talent has not bro-ken through, a team sets agoal — reach the Frozen Four.Rare is the team that canactually accomplish that goal,and rarer still do the starsl ine up as they have forMinnesota-Duluth. With theFrozen Four just a few hoursdown the road, in the verysame arena that ended theirseason last year at the handsof North Dakota, the Bulldogssaw a golden opportunity andcapitalized.“I t ’s been a goal of th is

group s ince last year,”Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelinsaid. “It’s nice to be close tohome.”Their roster was chock-full

of talent, and yet Minnesota-Duluth hadn’t found a way toget back to the Frozen Four —until this year. This year, theBulldogs were finally able toearn those ever-elusive post-season wins.“It’s definitely been a little

while since we’ve been to theFrozen Four,” junior centerJack Connol ly said. “Wethought we had all the poten-tial in the world this year.We’ve batt led hard in thepostseason and we’ve givenourselves an opportunity tomake history in our program.”As recently as two weeks

ago, however, that history wasin question. Facing BemidjiState in the opening game ofthe WCHA postseason tourna-ment known as the Final Five(again at Xcel Energy Center),the Bulldogs dropped a 3-2decision in overtime — andthey had lost only once in 14

other overtime games all sea-son long. Only the tight-knitnature of the team allowedMinnesota-Duluth to find itsway back.“I think the Bemidji game

was a low point for our team.It did sting,” Sandelin said.“This is a pretty close group.They’ve never lost two gamesback-to-back al l year — itshows the character of thisteam. They pul l togetherwhen their backs are upagainst the wall.”Nine days later, coming off a

2-0 victory over Union in theNCAA f irst round, theBulldogs took down the tour-nament’s overall No. 1 seedYale, earning their first trip tothe Frozen Four since 2004,and the fourth in the pro-gram’s history. Yet their workwas not done.“Our guys were excited but

not overly excited,” Sandelinsaid. “I thought it was a neatthing. They took it in stride.They were looking forward tonot just gett ing there, buthopefully playing two gamesand having a chance to win anational championship.”If Minnesota-Duluth does

win its first-ever crown, it willbe in large part due to its topattacking l ine, made up ofJack Connolly, junior wingMike Connol ly and seniorwing Just in Fontaine.Together, the three are anabsolute nightmare for oppos-ing defenses.“They’re one of the best

lines in college hockey,” Irishcoach Jeff Jackson said.The outcome of Thursday

night’s game may well dependon how well Notre Dame cancontain that top Bulldog line.“We’re going to have to be

really aware of when they’reon the ice and try to shutthem down,” Irish senior wingRyan Guentzel said. “Theyhave a lot of guys with sometalent, so we’re going to have

to be fresh.”For his part, Hobey Baker

nominee Jack Connolly (whohas notched 41 assists on theseason) defers the credit tohis l inemates .“It’s line chemistry,” he said.“I’m playing with two phe-nomenal l inemates . Theymake my job a lot easier. The

reason I got so many assiststhis year was in large partbecause of those guys.”The Bulldogs have accom-

plished their goal of a home-state Frozen Four chance atredemption. Even whenbemoaning a loss to BemidjiState, they knew their poten-tial and realized it, leaving

only one emot ion forThursday.“We felt l ike we could go

pretty deep into the postsea-son,” Jack Connolly said. “Ith ink the guys are real lyexcited.”


Teams 2006 Frozen FourNo. 1 Wisconsin No. 3 Maine overNo. 2 North Dakota Boston College 1No. 3 Boston College

2007 Frozen FourNo. 3 North Dakota Michigan State 3 St. Louis, Mo.No. 2 Boston College overNo. 3 Maine Boston College 1No. 3 Michigan State

2008 Frozen FourNo. 1 Michigan Boston College 4 Denver, Colo.No. 4 Notre Dame No. 1 North Dakota N No. 2 Boston College

2009 Frozen FourNo. 1 Boston University Boston University 4 W No. 3 Vermont overNo. 4 Miami (OH) No. 4 Bemidji State

2010 Frozen FourNo. 1 Miami (OH) No. 1 Boston College overNo. 4 RIT No. 1 Wisconsin

RecentFrozenFours

Talented Minnesota-Duluth finally breaks throughDangerous first line of Connolly, Connolly and Fontaine headlines local Bulldogs

By ALLAN JOSEPHSports Editor

Contact Allan Joseph [email protected]

Courtesy of Brett Groehler, University of Minnesota-Duluth

Minnesota-Duluth junior wing Mike Connolly chases down the puck during Minnesota-Duluth’sfirst-round 2-0 win over Union (NY) March 25.

The NCAA Tournament beganwith four No. 1 seeds eyeing anational championship. As theFrozen Four begins, only one isstill standing.North Dakota has emerged as

the runaway favorite to hoist itseighth NCAA championship tro-phy Saturday night in Saint Paul,largely due to the fact that it isthe highest-ranked team remain-ing, but also because it is domi-nating play in recent weeks. After capturing the WCHA

tournament title with a 3-2 dou-ble overtime win against DenverMarch 19, the Fighting Sioux (32-8-3) defeated the Pioneers againMarch 27 to advance to theFrozen Four, this time by animpressive 6-1 margin. NorthDakota also beat Rensselaer 6-0in the first round. The victoriesare part of an 11-game winningstreak and the Sioux haven’t lostin 15 games.Focus is the driving point

behind the Sioux’s run, saidNorth Dakota coach DaveHakstol.“I think what we did well [in

the NCAA regionals] is reallykeep ourselves focused on the jobat hand as a team and play agood, team game,” Hakstol said.“When you go through and breaka game down on video, [thereare] a lot of points in a hockeygame where momentum can shiftin one direction or the other ifyou get distracted, if you allow abad bounce or a tough play toaffect you. I thought our team dida good job on having just a real,good, strong perspective.”The Sioux roster features one

of the top players in college hock-ey, senior right wing Matt Frattin.Frattin, who was recently named

one of three finalists for theHobey Baker Award given annu-ally to the best player in collegehockey, tallied an NCAA-leading36 goals on the season and issecond in the country with 60points. Frattin is a source of inspira-

tion for North Dakota. Followinga pair of underwhelming fresh-man and sophomore seasons,Frattin was charged with a DUIin August 2009, resulting inHakstol kicking him off the teamand removing his scholarship.Yet Frattin fought his way backonto the squad in December2009, with a new attitude andthis time paying his own way,“I don’t know if I would have

thought he’d have 36 goals,” sen-ior captain and defenseman ChayGenoway said. “If you had saidthat at the beginning of the year,I might have been a little bit sur-prised. But we knew what Mattwas capable [of] when he camein as a freshman. And when hehad his back up against the wall[after] what he went through,when he came back to our pro-gram a couple years ago, youcould just see a change in himand I think the sky was the limitfrom there.”What truly makes North

Dakota so dangerous is the num-ber of matchup problems it pro-vides. Five Sioux players are inthe top 43 in scoring in the coun-try. The Sioux also have first-team All-WCHA members at for-ward, defenseman and goal-tender, in Frattin, Genoway andsophomore netminder AaronDell.“We really pride ourselves on

depth,” Genoway said. “I thinkwe can really roll four lines andplay six [defensemen], and [wehave] two goalies who can playany given night.”This depth was developed in

large part due to injuries sus-tained during the season.Genoway, forward JasonGregoire and defensemen DerekForbort and Andrew MacWilliam,among others, have missed sig-nificant time this season. All arenow back.“I think [injuries are] one thing

that’s strengthened this group,”Hakstol said. “It’s given themprobably a deeper belief in them-selves. Whoever is available,whichever 20 guys are dressed,have an expectation to go outindividually, contribute and col-lectively find a way to win a

hockey game. This past weekend,we had everyone available andwe went out and we did the job.”Despite the fact that Dakota is

expected to win it all, Hakstolknows nothing is guaranteed,especially in a single eliminationtournament facing a historicalpower in the semifinals. There isno looking too far ahead.“We play a game Thursday

night against the University ofMichigan,” he said. “There’snothing beyond that in our mind.That’s our job, that’s what we’repreparing for.”Hakstol is primarily concerned

with making sure his team sim-ply plays its typical game. Theyare the favorite, after all.“Michigan’s a great hockey

team. But at the end of the day,we really concentrate on prepar-ing ourselves to play our gameand to play the way that we canand the way that we’ve been suc-cessful to this point in the year.You don’t change the things youdo at this time of the year. Youtry to do them well and put yourbest foot forward.”


Top-seed North Dakota enters as Frozen favoriteHobey Baker finalist Frattin serves as leader, source of inspiration after roster dismissal

By SAM GANSSports Writer

Contact Sam Gans [email protected]

AP

North Dakota’s Brad Malone celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal against Denver in overtimeof the WCHA’s Final Five championship March 19.

Nine-time champ Michigan seeks 10th titleConfident coach Berenson counts on senior Hagelin to counter Sioux offensive edge

Heading into the Frozen Four,each participant has a set ofintangibles that it believes couldprovide an edge. North Dakotais the highest-ranked team,Minnesota-Duluth has home-state advantage, and NotreDame is coming in with anunderdog, “might as well be us”mindset and little pressure. Yet the one thing those teams

do not have is the most nationalchampionships in NCAA history.That distinction belongs to theMichigan Wolverines.Michigan is trying to add their

10th to the trophy case and firstsince 1998 this weekend. After a3-2 win in overtime againstNebraska-Omaha in the firstround, the Wolverines (28-10-4)advanced to the regional finalMarch 26, where they faced theNo.4 seed Colorado College, whoupset No. 1 Boston College 8-4.Michigan was victorious 2-1.

“I think it was a foregone con-clusion that Boston College hadthe best team and they were theNo. 1 seed,” Wolverine coachRed Berenson said. “ButColorado [College] just spankedthem. It was unbelievable and Ithink that was the surprise ofour region. And we were luckyto win in overtime [againstNebraska-Omaha] and win aclose game against Colorado. Sowe’re here [at the Frozen Four],but I think people were sur-prised that we came out of thatregion.”Despite what many view as a

stunning regional conquer, theWolverines have been quiteimpressive recently, winningeleven of their past twelvegames, including a 4-2 victoryover Notre Dame in the CCHATournament third-place gameMarch 19. The Irish andMichigan also met twice earlier,splitting a series in Ann Arbor,Mich. Nov. 12 and 13. In the Wolverines’ path is the

lone No. 1 seed remaining,North Dakota — a challengeMichigan knows will demand itsbest.“I think [North Dakota] has

pretty much all you can ask forin a team,” senior center LouieCaporusso said. “They’re deep,they’re strong, they’re big,

they’re fast, they can score.Their defense was stingy. Weunderstand we have our handsfull with North Dakota andthey’re probably the best teamin the nation.”The Wolverines will counter

the Sioux with an offensive unitled by senior left wing CarlHagelin. Hagelin, a New YorkRangers draftee, is tops onMichigan in scoring with 48points. Caporusso is second with30 points.On the blueline, freshman Jon

Merrill has emerged as a stal-wart, earning second team all-CCHA honors. The Wolverinesalso hope to have juniorBrandon Burlon back in thelineup to protect senior goal-tender Shawn Hunwick. Thestatus of Burlon, who missed theregional tournament due to ill-ness, will be Berenson’s game-day decision.Regardless if the Honorable

Mention all-CCHA defenseman isback or not, the Wolverines arestill beaming with confidence.“I definitely feel we have a

great team here,” Caporussosaid. “Being here four years, Ithink we do have a specialteam.”The Frozen Four is not a new

experience for the program’sseniors. Just like North Dakota

and Notre Dame, the Wolverineslast qualified for the nationalsemifinals in 2008.“It’s an honor to be at another

Frozen Four, especially for thesenior class,” Caporusso said. “Itwas a great experience ourfreshman year. I think we took alot from that year and it wasunfortunate that we weren’table to make it the following twoyears. We learned a lot fromthat experience and we’re veryhappy to be back here again.”Whether Michigan’s seniors

can turn the experience gainedthen into a championship thisyear remains to be seen. ThoughNorth Dakota’s talent appears togive them the edge on paper,Berenson, sixth on the NCAA’scareer victories list, knows any-thing can happen.“I don’t know if we can match

North Dakota’s speed and/orskill. And I don’t think anyone’sfound a way to take that out ofthe game. They’ve got the edgeon special teams and they’ve gotthe edge on offensive skill, sowe’ve got to play our game. Ourteam’s going to give it their bestshot. We’ve seen three other No.1 teams go down and this is thelast team standing.”

By SAM GANSSports Writer

Contact Sam Gans [email protected]


Notre Dame and Michigan face-off before their CCHA third-placegame March 19. The teams met three times this season.


Notre Dame rebounded from two losses in the CCHA Championship in

Detroit by winning back-to-back games in the NCAA Northeast Regional.

The Irish defeated Merrimack 4-3 in overtime in the first round before

knocking off New Hampshire 2-1 in the regional final.

The Irish are playing in their second Frozen Four and first since 2008.

They will play Minnesota-Duluth in the semifinal with the winner to face the

winner of the second semifinal between North Dakota and Michigan.



SUZANNA PRATT/The Observer SUZANNA PRATT/The Observer



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