Feb. 17, 2005

By Billy Jaffe
Special to CollegeSports.com

Since 1952, Fort Wayne has been the home of the Fort Wayne Komets, one of the most decorated minor league hockey clubs in the nation. Fort Wayne is a very proud hockey city, and has supported its team well over the years. This Friday, though, they'll be lending their support to another local favorite: Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish take on Michigan in Fort Wayne on CSTV.

The idea of playing a game in Fort Wayne started last season, when the Fighting Irish men's basketball team had to host an NIT game off campus, because the women's squad had the Joyce Center booked for early-round NCAA tournament games. The Irish decided to play in Fort Wayne, and the game sold out on three hours notice. So, we know two things about the folks in Fort Wayne: they love Notre Dame, and they love hockey. It shouldn't surprise anyone that a crowd of over 7,000 is expected at the Allen County Memorial Coliseum to witness what could be a preview of a first-round matchup in the CCHA playoffs. So, let's preview this preview...

NO. 5 MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (22-7-3 overall, 19-3-2 CCHA)

It's kind of hard to argue with a program that has 22 wins this season, but the truth is that Michigan has been inconsistent this season, and not the juggernaut they were expected to be. Now, Red Berenson's game has no margin for error whatsoever, as they're up one point on Ohio State in CCHA standings heading into the home stretch of the season. They'll be playing in front of a boisterous Notre Dame crowd; against a Fighting Irish team that has pulled upsets this season. But there are plenty of reasons to be happy if you're a Michigan fan, and here are some of them.

T.J. Hensick was in slump heading into last weekend, but he picked it up in a big way with five points against Nebraska-Omaha. Berenson moved the high-scoring Jeff Tambellini up to play with Hensick on Michigan's top line, but said that Hensick's play against UNO resulted from great individual effort. It's hard to talk about the Wolverines without talking about Hensick, because he can beat you so many ways. He has 41 points after having 46 last year, so he's on pace to surpass last year's total. Notre Dame coach Dave Poulin says that you always need to pay attention to Hensick when he's on the ice.

Junior center Andrew Ebbett deserves some attention as well. Ebbett got benched against Alaska-Fairbanks on January14 and 15, but since then, he has six assists in eight games. The big things with Ebbett are his ability to control puck and his overall presence on the ice. He's also stepped up in the face-off circle, where he leads the team with a 56% efficiency. Ebbett helps Michigan with overall strength at center (the Wolverines have four centers with 24 or more points, and takes a lot pressure off of Hensick) Ebbett doesn't want to sit again. He's realized that he needs to compete harder, he's done it, and Michigan is a better team for his improved effort.

In a series where Michigan can't afford to come out flat, it's natural for the Wolverines to rely on their leader, and they have a great one in senior captain Eric Nystrom. Nystrom does all the things that you can ask a team captain to do: he's an emotional leader who always comes to play. He has eight points in last seven games, including an excellent game at UNO last Friday. After two disappointing ties against Michigan State, Nystrom came back hard, and he realizes that he can make a difference in the game. Expect him to try and make a difference against the Irish.

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (5-21-6, 3-16-5 CCHA)

Notre Dame is on the verge of its worst season since the 1992-93, but Coach Poulin believes that his team can still make an impact down the stretch, because the players still practice and play hard, despite the fact that they haven't had a lot of breaks, and not many things have gone their way. Some things are starting to go the way of the Irish, though, and here are a couple of them

The Notre Dame power play appears to be coming together nicely, as the Irish extra-man unit notched four goals last week against Ferris State. Scoring goals has been Notre Dame's biggest problem for most of the year, so anything that helps the Irish light the lamp more is huge for them. Noah Babin is playing on top of the second power-play unit, and he's been stepping up for Notre Dame, as have Cory McLean and Evan Rankin, who are starting to show some offensive prowess in their own right.

Overall, the Irish are controlling the puck better, which should lead to more scoring chances, and eventually, more goals. Also, the Irish are developing a better presence in front of net, which should help them put away some of the chances they're creating with their improved puck control.

Finally, the team's attitude has been outstanding through a very trying season. Poulin gives all credit in world to his guys, and if you don't have a good attitude, the kind of upset that Notre Dame wants to pull against Michigan wouldn't even be within the realm of possibility. Of course, Notre Dame's attitude will likely get a shot in the arm from the fact that Michigan embarrassed the Irish last time the two teams met, sweeping a weekend series by a combined score of 14-1. Poulin says he doesn't even need to mention that series to his team to get them fired up, so expect the Irish to throw everything they have at Michigan.

Notre Dame has been known to step up its play and pull an upset on CSTV, but knocking off this deep, experienced, high-powered Michigan team just might be the tallest order we've seen them try to handle. They'll have 7,000 Fighting Irish fans behind them in Fort Wayne, so this should be a great game to watch.

Billy Jaffe serves as a hockey analyst for CSTV. He is a former college player at Michigan and has served as a broadcaster and an on-ice official for CCHA games. He is also a member of the Atlanta Thrashers broadcast team. He is a regular contributor to CollegeSports.com.

Billy's Last Column: Feb. 10: Keys To The Game: Brown At Rensselaer