After a huge upset and a minor upset, Notre Dame, who came in as the lowest at-large bid, is going to the Frozen Four. For those who don't recognize the term, the Frozen Four is the NCAA Division I Ice Hockey equivalent of basketball's Final Four. Notre Dame came in as the fourth seed in the West bracket and 13th seed overall. The Irish Icers dispatched top-seeded New Hampshire 7-3 in the first round (two empty net goals make the score look worse that it was) and then upset defending national champs Michigan State to get into the Frozen Four for the first time in school history.
This is particularly gratifying for me, since my senior year amounted to the dismantling of the Division I program at Notre Dame. In a cost cutting measure, Notre Dame dropped down to club status after the 1982-1983 season. This was good from the players because it allowed them to immediately transfer to other D-1 schools without sitting out for a year (most did not). Notre Dame returned to Division 1 in 1988 with a "no scholarships" program. The program's profile was raised in 1995 when former Irish and Philadelphia Flyers' captain Dave Poulin returned as head coach. Poulin took them to their first NCAA tournament. Under current coach Jeff Jackson the Irish have been to the NCAAs the last 2 years, including this year's Frozen Four appearance. The Irish Icers play The University of Michigan on April 10.
A final point: by hiring Dave Poulin in 1995, Notre Dame recommitted to varsity ice hockey. I hope that one day, Penn State will make the same commitment to our Men's and Women's Ice Hockey teams. The programs are strong and the talent is there. Like Notre Dame, the Penn State teams will pay their dues in the early going, but with the ability to draw world class talent because of our academics, it won't be too long before we could make our presence felt in the CCHA (or do I dare think it -- the Big 10 Ice Hockey Conference).
Go Irish! Best of luck in the Frozen Four!
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