Previewing Notre Dame
The Mavericks will get their 2006-2007 season underway this weekend when they take on the University of Notre Dame. They will play in South Bend on Thursday, and then travel to Mankato to play at the Midwest Wireless Center on Saturday.
Why the weird scheduling? This series was supposed to be two games at Notre Dame, but because school rules prohibited Notre Dame from traveling on the weekend they were supposed to come to Mankato last season, that series, and this year's return series were each turned into a home and home series.
Here's the Western College Hockey Blog preview of Notre Dame.
Two years ago, Notre Dame was one of the worst teams in college hockey, finishing last in the CCHA. But under new coach Jeff Jackson, the Irish seem to be heading in the right direction. Last year they improved to 13-19-4 and finished tied for 8th in the CCHA. This year they look to improve even more, and could be a difficult test for the Mavericks.
The Irish return senior goalie David Brown, who has been outstanding in his career at Notre Dame. Brown will have a veteran defense in front of him, led by senior NHL prospect Wes O'Neill, Wisconsin-transfer Tom Sawatske, and Noah Babin.
Offense is where the Irish have struggled the most recently. Sophomore Erik Condra was one of the best freshmen in the CCHA last season, and should be Notre Dame's leading scorer again this season. Linemate Josh Sciba is a powerplay specialist, and scored a goal in each game against the Mavericks last season. The Irish also bolstered their offensive with some talented freshmen forwards, including former Shattuck-St. Mary's forward Kevin Deeth, and former Edina HS forward Ryan Thang. Thang is the 14th player from Edina HS to play hockey for Notre Dame.
For the Mavericks, there's been no official word yet, but it's likely that Dan Tormey will start both games, unless coach Troy Jutting decides to give Mike Zacharias one of the starts. Everybody should be healthy for the Mavericks so there is no concern there.
Keys to the Game
What do the Mavericks need to do to get this season off on the right foot?
1. Get an early lead: The strength of this year's team will be on defense, rather than offense, so playing from ahead will be critical. If the Mavericks get up a goal or two, Dan Tormey should be able to carry them to a win. If they get down early, they may not have the offensive firepower to come back.
2. Stay out of the penalty box: The Mavericks only gave up 12 shots to Notre Dame in the first two periods of their game at the Midwest Wireless Center last season, but went into the third period trailing. The reason for that was because Notre Dame was able to capitalize on two powerplay opportunities to take the lead. Notre Dame doesn't have the talent to dominate 5-on-5, so the Mavericks can't give them an advantage.
3. Execute scoring chances: Troy Jutting told the Mankato Free Press that his biggest concern in the exhibition game was MSU only scoring 3 goals on 42 shots. Some of that was due to Lethbridge's goalie standing on his head, but it was also due to MSU not bearing down and scoring when they got the chance. They won't get as many chances against NCAA teams, and need to capitalize when they do.
Why the weird scheduling? This series was supposed to be two games at Notre Dame, but because school rules prohibited Notre Dame from traveling on the weekend they were supposed to come to Mankato last season, that series, and this year's return series were each turned into a home and home series.
Here's the Western College Hockey Blog preview of Notre Dame.
Two years ago, Notre Dame was one of the worst teams in college hockey, finishing last in the CCHA. But under new coach Jeff Jackson, the Irish seem to be heading in the right direction. Last year they improved to 13-19-4 and finished tied for 8th in the CCHA. This year they look to improve even more, and could be a difficult test for the Mavericks.
The Irish return senior goalie David Brown, who has been outstanding in his career at Notre Dame. Brown will have a veteran defense in front of him, led by senior NHL prospect Wes O'Neill, Wisconsin-transfer Tom Sawatske, and Noah Babin.
Offense is where the Irish have struggled the most recently. Sophomore Erik Condra was one of the best freshmen in the CCHA last season, and should be Notre Dame's leading scorer again this season. Linemate Josh Sciba is a powerplay specialist, and scored a goal in each game against the Mavericks last season. The Irish also bolstered their offensive with some talented freshmen forwards, including former Shattuck-St. Mary's forward Kevin Deeth, and former Edina HS forward Ryan Thang. Thang is the 14th player from Edina HS to play hockey for Notre Dame.
For the Mavericks, there's been no official word yet, but it's likely that Dan Tormey will start both games, unless coach Troy Jutting decides to give Mike Zacharias one of the starts. Everybody should be healthy for the Mavericks so there is no concern there.
Keys to the Game
What do the Mavericks need to do to get this season off on the right foot?
1. Get an early lead: The strength of this year's team will be on defense, rather than offense, so playing from ahead will be critical. If the Mavericks get up a goal or two, Dan Tormey should be able to carry them to a win. If they get down early, they may not have the offensive firepower to come back.
2. Stay out of the penalty box: The Mavericks only gave up 12 shots to Notre Dame in the first two periods of their game at the Midwest Wireless Center last season, but went into the third period trailing. The reason for that was because Notre Dame was able to capitalize on two powerplay opportunities to take the lead. Notre Dame doesn't have the talent to dominate 5-on-5, so the Mavericks can't give them an advantage.
3. Execute scoring chances: Troy Jutting told the Mankato Free Press that his biggest concern in the exhibition game was MSU only scoring 3 goals on 42 shots. Some of that was due to Lethbridge's goalie standing on his head, but it was also due to MSU not bearing down and scoring when they got the chance. They won't get as many chances against NCAA teams, and need to capitalize when they do.
posted by Chris at 3:20 PM
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