Hockey: Irish looking to ground high-flying Eagles
By: CHRIS FEDERICO
Sports Editor
This weekend, the upstart, underdog Irish have a chance to knock off the undefeated, third-ranked Boston College Eagles.
No, it's right. Keep reading.
The Notre Dame hockey team, off to a solid start at 3-2-1 and in the national rankings for the first time since the 1998-99 season at 17th, hosts 5-0-0 Boston College tonight in the Joyce Center.
"Every time we play them it always precedes the football game in whatever city it's being played," Irish coach Dave Poulin said. "It's a huge event when it's at B.C., and it's a huge event when it's at Notre Dame. There's tremendous excitement."
The Eagles enter tonight's matchup undefeated and ranked in the top five in the three major collegiate hockey polls. Notre Dame, meanwhile has had a more modest, but still solid start to its season. The Irish began play 3-0-1, including a pair of conference victories over western Michigan before dropping two CCHA games to Ferris State last weekend. The Irish are currently ranked 17th in the USAToday/American Hockey Magazine Poll.
"We're No. 17 in the country in the USAToday poll, and they are ranked No. 3, so you have two top 20 teams playing," Poulin said. "It's a great mark for us. There is no question this is a great challenge."
Even though Boston College and Notre Dame do not compete in the same conference — both teams are members of the Big East for most varsity sports, but the conference does not sponsor hockey — the two teams have managed in recent years to build a solid rivalry, competing on the same weekend the school's football teams play each other.
Overall, the Eagles hold a 14-7-1 advantage in the series, but the results have tilted to their favor in recent years as Boston College has gone 10-1-1 in the last 12 matchups against the Irish.
"There's so much energy and so much passion between these two schools," Poulin said. "I lived in Boston for four years when I played for the Bruins and lived a mile and a half from Chestnut Hill, so I know the school well enough. We're in a lot of the same recruiting battles. We cross paths many times — the players do, the coaches do. It's a wonderful, wonderful rivalry."
While the Eagles have seen the most success against Notre Dame in recent years, the Irish may have one of their best chances this season to grab a victory. The Irish returned 12 of their top 13 scorers from a 2000-2001 squad that won seven of its last nine games and advanced to the CCHA Super Six.
If the Irish are to be successful, however, they will need to shut down a Boston College offense that has scored 5.2 goals a game in its five victories this year. The Eagles are led offensively by freshman Patrick Eaves, who has six goals and five assists on the season. Just behind him with 10 points on the year, including eight assists, is sophomore Ryan Shannon.
Notre Dame is led offensively by junior right wing Rob Globke, who has six goals and three assists in the team's six games. The Irish are averaging 3.7 goals a game this season as a team.
With a victory against the Eagles, the up-and-coming Irish would prove themselves a contender in the collegiate hockey world.
"At seven o'clock tomorrow night, there's no more questions, they just drop the puck and play," Poulin said.
Face-off will be tonight at 7 in the Joyce Center.
All Sports Stories for Friday, November 1, 2002
