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The observer | Thursday, april 6, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Time is now, even Denver awaits Notre Dame for ‘young’ Irish in national semifinal game Zach Klonsinski Senior Sports Writer
Let’s make one thing clear: Notre Dame is not the “young” team it’s been labeled this season. The only thing missing from the resumes of most Irish players on this squad was a signature win. They checked that box two weekends ago by rallying against both Minnesota and UMass Lowell to earn this spot in the Frozen Four. At the beginning of the season, sure, there was a clear leadership void, and the only two seniors on this year’s roster — backup goalie Chad Katunar and third- or fourth-line forward Ben Ostlie — were not going to fill the gap. Instead, Irish head coach Jeff Jackson tabbed junior netminder Cal Petersen as the team’s captain and his fellow juniors — forwards Anders Bjork and Jake Evans and defenseman Luke Ripley — as the assistant captains. Make no mistake, though: These juniors, and to a slightly lesser degree the sophomores, are anything but “young” at this point in their careers. The Irish have been playing what Bjork has termed “desperation hockey” for almost two months now, needing to string together quality wins just to secure a berth in the NCAA tournament. They did just that, closing the regular season with a 5-12 mark, and then sweeping Providence in the Hockey East quarterfinals. The run over that stretch was made by a mature team led by as experienced a class as you’ll find in college hockey. There was no easing this junior class in; they were thrust into regular action immediately. After the 2013-2014 season, the year before this year’s junior class enrolled, Notre Dame graduated 11 seniors, opening up immediate playing time for the nine incoming freshmen. Last season, Notre Dame figured something out: From late November to early February, the Irish compiled a 13-1-3 record. The Irish stumbled at the end of the season though, dropping six of their last seven games. The team was still a step away: Notre Dame had a hard time winning when the lights shone brightest. The team’s lone loss during its hot stretch last season came at home against Boston College, when the Irish, in perhaps the most-hyped home game in a couple seasons, fell flat on their faces, losing 4-0. It happened again in the playoffs against Northeastern, as the Huskies rolled through South Bend with 3-1 and 6-4 victories.
Notre Dame demonstrated its developing resiliency in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Michigan, however. The Irish played one of their best games of the season against the Wolverines, though they ultimately fell in overtime. This season, Notre Dame continued winning, giving them a chance to win the Hockey East regular-season crown in the final game. With two glaring exceptions, the team has played solid hockey day-in and day-out this season, demonstrating a consistency found in mature teams. Those two blips both came at the hands of UMass Lowell, the bane of Notre Dame’s Hockey East existence. To make it worse, the second came under the bright lights of Boston’s TD Garden as the River Hawks embarrassed the Irish, 5-1, in the Hockey East semifinals. Notre Dame cleared that mental hurdle two weekends ago in Manchester, however, and now sits just two wins away from the program’s first national championship. With a roster that theoretically could return every player who has seen action for them this season except for Ostlie, some Irish fans could be forgiven for thinking that next year is Notre Dame’s best chance to bring home the national championship. But college hockey works in funny ways. In addition to the annual havoc of a single-elimination tournament, the Irish face the strong possibility of losing some of their top talent to the NHL after the season. The Bruins are probably salivating over the thought of adding Bjork to their postseason roster, for example. Yet another player, like Evans, departing for professional hockey at the season’s end is not completely out of the question, especially as the NHL’s current collective bargaining agreement encourages teams to attempt to sign draft picks before their senior year. Led into the Frozen Four by a class that may be as experienced as you’ll find in college hockey and facing a future that is always uncertain, Notre Dame is ready to seize this moment. When the Irish take to the ice Thursday in Chicago, they will be skating against the top seed in this year’s tournament, with the winner of a matchup of the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds waiting for them should Notre Dame reach the championship game Saturday. The road is daunting, but, simply put, no team is better prepared to meet it. Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Irish freshman defenseman Tory Dello battles for the puck along the boards during Notre Dame’s 5-2 win over Providence in the Hockey East quarterfinals on March 11 at Compton Family Ice Arena. By ALEX BENDER Sports Writer
Notre Dame will be playing in the team’s third Frozen Four in program history and the first since 2011, facing Denver on Thursday night in Chicago. The Irish (23-11-5, 12-6-4 Hockey East) are in fact acting as hosts for these national semifinals and championship, making them the first host team to advance to the Frozen Four since Wisconsin in 2006, a tournament the Badgers ultimately won. Notre Dame has a tough test ahead in No. 1 overall seed Denver. While the Irish and Pioneers (31-7-4, 20-4-3 NCHC) have not played yet this year, they skated to a pair of ties in early January last season. Irish head coach Jeff Jackson, the man who has led the Irish to all three of their Frozen Four appearances, said he recognizes the challenge his team has ahead of them. “First of all, I’ll say that [Denver] is well coached, but I think the biggest thing is they have got some veteran guys there that really make a big difference on their team, but they also have some great young players, too,” Jackson said. “Their top two lines are really skilled, and it’s not like they fall off a lot with their third and fourth lines. “I really think it’s their defensive core that makes the biggest difference for them. They’re very
mobile. … They’re a great transition team and they’re very offensive minded.” Perhaps one of the more overlooked aspects of the upcoming game for the Irish is that none of the current team has been on this large a stage before. After commenting a couple weeks back that his team seemed at bit mesmerized when they were beat by UMass Lowell, 5-1, at Boston’s TD Garden in the Hockey East semifinals, Jackson said he believes the Irish can calm the nerves and play their style of hockey. “I’m sure there is going to be some energy early on,” Jackson said. “We have to take care of the things that control momentum. If we take penalties or make bad turnovers, that puts us in a situation where that is magnified. We have to take care of the puck first and foremost, and we have to play with discipline.” Luckily for Notre Dame, one area that they do not lack in experience is between the pipes. For the past three years the team has been in good hands with junior netminder Cal Petersen. As the only Division I goaltender serving as captain of his team, Petersen has posted a .929 save percentage and allowed just 2.13 goals per game this season, while also starting in 89 consecutive contests for the Irish dating back to his freshman year, good for fourth-longest streak in NCAA Division I history.
Petersen stole the show when the teams met in Denver last season, stopping 92 of the 95 shots he faced for a .968 save percentage on the weekend. With just two wins standing between his team and a national championship, Petersen said the team feels confident and has the right attitude coming into Thursday. “We’ve been playing really well,” Petersen said. “I think the biggest part is that we’re getting a lot of production from depth players and we’re getting scoring up and down the lineup where we don’t have to rely on one or two lines or a couple players each night. I think guys have found their roles and ways that they can help the team. “We’ve been playing with a lot of confidence … We’re in a good spot, and I think guys are looking forward to this.” While these two teams have played 50 times during each program’s history, dating back to the 1970-71 season, this will certainly be the most important matchup yet. For Jackson, this matchup will feel even more familiar; Denver head coach Jim Montgomery’s first job in college hockey was as a volunteer assistant under Jackson during Jackson’s first year with the Irish. The puck drops Thursday at 9:30 p.m. at the United Center. Contact Alex Bender at abender1@nd.edu
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ndsmcobserver.com | Thursday, april 6, 2017 | The Observer
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Bjork powers Irish championship dreams Junior forward has played critical role in Notre Dame’s come-from-behind wins to reach Frozen Four TOBIAS HOONHOUT Associate Sports Editor
Junior forward Anders Bjork has never been one to shy away from the biggest moments. Thrust into a situation as a freshman on a team that lost 11 seniors the year before, the forward played in 41 of the team’s 42 games and came to life in the playoffs, recording five points in Notre Dame’s six games. He burst onto the national and international scene as a sophomore, leading the team in scoring with 12 goals and 23 assists. He was named MVP of the bronze-medal game at the 2016 World Junior Championships, scoring twice in an 8-3 U.S. win over Sweden. And this year, as the unquestionable leader of Notre Dame’s relatively youthful forwards, he’s been the guy who does it all. Over the course of Notre Dame’s final season in Hockey East this year, Bjork stepped up in practically every big matchup in which the Irish have skated. He had a goal and two assists when the Irish split a series with Minnesota Duluth back in October; scored twice, including the game winner, in a comeback conference win over then-undefeated Boston College; and lit up Providence over four games with two goals and four assists. And in the NCAA tournament, he has turned it up another notch: Against No. 1 seed Minnesota, Bjork scored twice, including the game winner, as the Irish came back to win, 3-2. Notre Dame (23-11-5, 12-6-4 Hockey East) then came up against Hockey East rival UMass Lowell, who had trounced the Irish, 5-1, a week earlier in the Hockey East semifinals. While many wrote the Irish off, Bjork simply produced when it mattered, earning the primary assist on all three of Notre Dame’s goals, including
his overtime dish to sophomore forward Andrew Oglevie for the game winner. “It was crazy. … The defenseman on me dropped his stick, so I had a lot more time than usual,” Bjork said of the game winner. “I just saw [Oglevie]; it felt like he was open for a while. “We were all just thinking and talking on the bench, focusing on doing the little details right, and if we did that we’d create opportunities and hopefully come out on top. I got an opportunity there, and it was kind of lucky with the dropped stick and everything, and Ogie made no mistake.” The Northeast regional’s Most Outstanding Player has been a man on a mission. And now, his team is only two games away from the promised land. “It’s a huge accomplishment,” Bjork said on his team reaching the Frozen Four. “We’ve known how good of a team we can be, and we’ve seen it at times throughout the year, but to all be clicking at exactly the right time at the end of the year is a really positive thing, and something that we’re proud of and we’re going to work really hard to continue.” But Bjork isn’t one to dwell on past accomplishments. While the 20-year old’s career accomplishments are noteworthy, he said his mentality on the coming weekend in Chicago is all about tuning out the noise and staying focused, something he’s done throughout his career. “It’s obviously the best atmosphere we will have played in this year,” Bjork said. “There will be a lot of exciting things going on, but I think we’re just focused on preparing the same way, and staying level, not getting too high, not getting too low. So I think just preparing the same way is the best way we can approach this weekend.”
Bjork’s ability to consistently perform when it has mattered most speaks volumes to his maturity. In fact, Notre Dame is 225-2 this season when he scores a point and only 1-6-3 when he has failed to do so. His ability to make his teammates better has been one of his greatest strengths, and some of the younger forwards like Oglevie, freshman Cam Morrison and sophomore Dylan Malmquist have blossomed into point producers playing alongside Bjork. For Bjork, being a leader for the team is something he has learned through example. “I think all the upperclassmen forwards definitely help the younger guys,” he said. “I remember when I was a freshman and sophomore, guys like [former Irish centers Thomas] DiPauli and [Vince] Hinostroza and [Steven] Fogarty and [former Irish left wing Mario] Lucia helped me a lot to develop my game and stay calm. Just the little things they said, I’d try to mimic them, and say the same things to the younger guys that they said to me, just to keep them calm. “Especially in the big moments, as a freshman or a sophomore, those can be tough, not having as much experience, so I learned a lot from the great leadership we’ve had in the past, and I think all the other leaders on our team have as well. We’re just trying to use that to get everyone on the same page.” Part of that message has been buying into an underdog mentality. Notre Dame is the only non-No. 1 seed to advance to the Frozen Four, and throughout the season the team always appeared to be the underdog in matchups against Hockey East’s best. Perhaps no game exemplified this more than the regional final against UMass Lowell (27-11-3,
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Bjork is tied for the team lead in goals on the season with 21 and paces Notre Dame with 52 points. He also recorded five points at the Northeast regional to be named the regional’s Most Outstanding Player.
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Irish junior forward Anders Bjork sizes up a Providence defenseman during Notre Dame’s 5-2 win over the Friars on March 11.
14-7-1). “I mean obviously, since we’re the No. 4 seed, we’re going to be labelled as an underdog, but I think we’ve kinda used the underdog label to our advantage,” Bjork said. “We had something to prove, a little bit of a chip on our shoulder, so obviously we knew what position we were in but we used that to our advantage. It helped us a lot [against UMass Lowell]. They took it to us at the Boston Garden so we kind of owed them one, so we just had a little extra inspiration I guess.” The Irish will have to take on this underdog role again against Denver , the top overall seed in the tournament. But as he’s done throughout his career, Bjork said he is relishing the chance to play in one of the biggest games of his life. “Obviously they’re a fantastic team, they have tons of skill, speed and they play a full sixty minute game,” he said of the Pioneers (31-7-4, 20-4-3 National Collegiate). “They’re an impressive team to watch, and I think we’re really excited to play them. Playing a team of that skill and caliber will cause us to elevate our game as well, so it should be a good, tough battle.” For some, Bjork’s role as the spark of this Notre Dame team may come as no surprise. His Irish pedigree is among the best of the best, as his dad Kirt was a 1983 All-American for Notre Dame, totaling career stats of 76 goals and 85 assists. But Bjork has a chance do something his father never did in winning a national championship, and he is as positive as anyone about his team’s chances. “I think we’ve seen it at times throughout the season, beating BC or beating UMD or Lowell earlier in the season, that when
we play the right way we realize how good we can be,” Bjork said. “We had ups and downs and kind of got into some lulls there but I think the past six to eight weeks or so, when we started to get on a little bit of a roll, we realized how we’re starting to click as a team, and all the guys individually are realizing what their role is and what they have to do to help our team be successful. “The first time we played [Providence], I think that was one of our best weekends. Providence is obviously a good team, and it was such a hard battle and such an evenly matched game, and to beat and tie them kind of made us realize we had something special here.” Add on the fact that this year’s championship is in Notre Dame’s backyard at Chicago’s United Center, something Bjork said adds an element of motivation for his team and himself. “For me, I played in Chicago a lot growing up, and we have a lot of Chicago guys, so it’s crazy,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to play at the United Center, so I think the guys are really excited, and obviously you’re going to be excited for the Frozen Four no matter where it is, but it adds a little something extra, and that’s awesome. … I think everyone knew where it was [at the beginning of the year], and we’re the host team, so we definitely wanted to be there as bad as ever.” The last host team to reach the Frozen Four? Wisconsin in 2006. The Badgers also happened to win the national championship. But what does that matter to Anders Bjork and the Irish? They’re focused on their own turn. Contact Tobias Hoonhout at thoonhou@nd.edu
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The observer | Thursday, april 6, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
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LINDSEY MEYERS | The Observer
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Irish junior netminder and team captain Cal Petersen attempts to gather control of a puck during Notre Dame’s Game 1 victory over Providence on March 11 at Compton Family Ice Arena.
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Irish junior forward Jake Evans breaks out during Notre Dame’s 5-2 victory over Providence in Game 1 of the Hockey East quarterfinals.
MICHAEL YU | The Observer
Irish freshman forward Cam Morrison checks Providence senior defenseman Josh Monk into the glass as Notre Dame supporters look on during Game 1 of the Hockey East quaterfinals. The Irish swept the Friars.