Inman, Chin, Globke form dynamic scoring trio
MATT ORENCHUK
Sports Writer
Oversimplified, hockey consists of two things: offense and defense. For the 2001-02 season the bulk of the Notre Dame offense has come from the line of senior David Inman, junior Mike Chin and sophomore Rob Globke.
It is an unlikely trio.
Inman has been injured in the past, rattled from big hits on the ice. Chin had a great freshman year in 1999-00, but came in unconditioned his sophomore year and sat the bench. Globke had the talent, but came in as a 17-year-old freshman who needed to mature. Luckily for the Irish, all three have grown as hockey players. In eight games together the trio has combined for 12 goals and 16 assists, carrying the Irish offense.
"What I like about this line is that they are big and fast," said Poulin. "They all can skate, but they are also big kids who can hit."
The first piece of the line is Inman. Inman is an assistant captain and a vocal team leader for the Irish. But he hasn't always been that way. Both his sophomore and junior year Inman was hit hard on the ice. Against Miami of Ohio last year Inman was knocked out cold and he was carried off the ice on a straight board.
"It took a while to get over the big hit," said Inman. "For awhile it was on my mind, but I am not scared to be out there."
Inman recovered for the last 10 games of last season, and picked right up where he left off this year. Coming into this season Inman was elected an assistant captain by his peers. But to lead the team, Inman had to change. He had to go from a quiet player who wanted his play to do the talking to the vocal leader of the Irish.
"In the past I liked to keep to myself and let the playing do the talking," said Inman. "But this year my teammates want me to be more vocal. It came easily (to be more vocal) once I knew I had the guys confidence when they elected me captain."
The second piece of the puzzle is Chin. Chin came to the Irish with high expectations to contribute to the offense. In Chin's freshman year things seemed to work. He turned it on towards the end of the season and recorded nine points in his final 15 games. As a sophomore Chin came into camp unconditioned. Coaches didn't like the effort he was giving, and as a result Chin sat the bench a lot last year.
The turning point came this past summer. Chin spent the summer taking classes and conditioning. The commitment paid off, and Chin rapidly moved up the Irish depth chart.
"As a sophomore, Mike came in unconditioned," said Poulin. "But he spent this past summer here and he has become a very good contributor for us."
The move to the big time has paid off for Chin. He added three goals and an assist this past weekend against Miami of Ohio. Now Chin has career highs in goals, assists and points for this year.
The line was finally complete with the addition of Globke at center. When the season began, Globke was listed as a winger. In December Poulin had an idea, and moved Globke to center. The idea paid off, as Globke has been able to consistently feed both Chin and Inman.
"Robbie is highly skilled," said Poulin. "His creativity is off the charts."
However, Globke wasn't able to just come into the hockey program and contribute. As a freshman in 2000-01, Globke came in an immature 17-year old.
"Coming in last year I was really young," said Globke. "Off the ice I had to get used to a college lifestyle. On the ice I had to get used to the speed of the college game."
Globke has adjusted, though, and has become a major contributor for the Notre Dame offense.
As the Irish make the stretch run for the playoffs, there are questions about whether the line will stay together.
With playoff positioning hanging in the balance, Poulin has decided to tweak the lines a bit.
This past weekend against Miami of Ohio Inman and Chin played on a line with Connor Dunlop. Globke has moved back to winger this week, and it is unclear if he will stay with Inman and Chin. However, with all three stepping up big this year and contributing to the Irish offense, it is a pretty good bet that the ND hockey box scores will still feature the names of Chin, Inman and Globke.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, January 29, 2002
