Michigan State series to decide home ice for Irish
By MATT OLIVA
Sports Writer
The Irish head into the final weekend of the regular season looking to secure the fifth and final home playoff spot.
"It's essential for us to get four points this weekend," senior defenseman Tyson Fraser said. "We want momentum heading into the playoffs and playing at home eliminates the need for travel."
The home and away series against Michigan State could determine whether or not the Irish (11-9-6 in the CCHA) maintain their 2-point lead over Ferris State for the fifth spot. No matter the outcome, the Irish can finish no lower than sixth place overall in the standings.
"Home ice is so important and we want to play as many more games in the JACC as we can," said Sean Molina. "It is just a matter of going out and getting on a roll. We need to establish ourselves as a team that no one wants to face. Right now in college hockey if you get on a hot streak anything is possible. There are going to be a lot of upsets and we want to continue to do well."
The second meeting between the Irish and Spartans comes at a crucial point in the Notre Dame schedule. Michigan State leads the overall series 44-28-5, and has gone 17-2-3 against Notre Dame since the Irish rejoined the CCHA in 1992.
The Irish offense has suffered against the Spartans scoring only six goals in their last six games. The home team, however, has not lost during this stretch, going 5-0-1. Home ice advantage will come into play, as each team will have a home game this weekend.
In the first meeting between the two teams the Irish prevailed with a 1-0 victory. Junior Ryan Dolder put back a rebound to beat the MSU goaltender for the game-winner with less than five minutes remaining.
Irish goaltender Tony Zasowski recorded 15 of his 24 saves in the third period to post Notre Dame's first shutout of the Spartans since 1978, a span of 41 games.
In the second game of the series the Irish were not as fortunate, dropping the road game to MSU 4-1. The Spartans scored in every period and benefited from strong goaltending by Joe Blackburn.
Jay Kopischke scored the lone Irish goal, but it came after the Spartans had already built a 3-0 lead.
The Irish are wracked with injuries going into the weekend. Sophomore David Inman will miss the entire series with mononucleosis and might not be cleared before the end of the season. Inman is Notre Dame's fifth leading scorer, with 15 goals and seven assists in 32 games this season.
Junior leftwing Chad Chipchase will also miss the remainder of the season after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery in mid-February. He is expected to make a full recovery for his senior season.
The key to the series for the Irish will be their offense. Notre Dame holds a 12-8-4 record when scoring at least one powerplay goal, and a 8-1-1 record when scoring two or more powerplay goals.
In addition, the Irish have not lost in their last 39 games when holding a lead heading into the 2nd intermission. During this span, Notre Dame has posted a 33-0-6 record, including 10 wins and three ties this season.
Top Irish scorer Dan Carlson has benefited tremendously from the powerplay. Nine of his team leading 15 goals have come with the man advantage. He has found the net five times in the last six games and eight times in the last 10 games.
The junior also leads the team in game-winning goals, shots on goal, and has either scored or assisted on five of Notre Dame's game-winning goals this season.
The Irish will host the first game of the series tonight at 7:05 p.m. in the Joyce Center. Following the game the two teams will head to East Lansing where they will conclude the series and season at Michigan State's Munn Ice Arena on Saturday.
All Sports Stories for Friday, March 3, 2000
