Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.

Forgive the title, but 'tis the season. In any case, Calle Ridderwall ("you're turning into a pumpkin. Stop it"?) wishes all the (any?) readers of Vita Dulcedo Skate a happy Halloween!

Oh, and Michigan sucks:

Weekly Update 10/28/08

Ouch. Rough weekend results in a big drop in the polls. I'd like to say I told you so with my prediction that ND was overrated given the flux of the team coming into the season, but even I didn't expect to get no points at home against Miami with the Redhawks starting two newbie goalies. ND looked out of sync for most of the two games; this team seems to play much differently with a capacity crowd and excitement from Section Six and the band (they missed this series because of the University's fall break). That isn't to say that Miami didn't deserve their wins -- they came in and kicked ass like a veteran team (which is odd, they're supposed to be quite young this season. Ah well.) No doubt Jackson will be hard on the boys this week to get their passing in better form, as that was much of the problem this weekend; that and fighting for loose pucks, but the latter seems less "coachable". A long way to go ...

JJFP delivers the quip of the week in her derision of the state of college hockey officiating:

I think at the next game, the giveaway ought to be a box of tampons because the refs are turning this into women's hockey. Note to Shegos, Vargas and any other D1 refs out there: hip checks are legal.

The show where everything's not made up and the polls don't matter:
USCHO poll: 13 (Opponents -- BC: 2, DU: 4, MU: 7, UM: 8, MSU: 11)
USAHM poll: 13 (Opponents -- BC: 2, DU: 4, MU: 6, UM: 8, MSU: 12)
INCH Power: 14 (Opponents -- BC: 3, DU: 5, MU: 9, UM: 11, MSU: 12)

Go Irish! Beat Wildcats!

Weekly Update 10/20/08

ND bounced back from their opening loss to Denver with a pair of decisive wins against overmatched Sacred Heart. Congratulations to Tommy O'Brien for his collegiate debut, first career win, and first career shutout this weekend! A great all-around showing for ND, but that was quite honestly to be expected. Now the conference season starts and no doubt the games get harder, starting with a matchup against another team expected to finish near the top of the CCHA, Miami.

The show where everything's not made up and the polls don't matter:
USCHO poll: 8 (Opponents -- DU: 2, BC: 3, UM: 5, MU: 11, MSU: 12, NMU: 18)
USAHM poll: 8 (Opponents -- DU: 2, BC: 4, UM: 5, MU: 10, MSU: 14)
INCH Power: 8 (Opponents -- DU: 2, BC: 4, UM: 7, MSU: 13, MU: 14, NMU: 20)

Go Irish! Beat Redhawks!

See first, Think later

Hrm, perhaps I spoke too soon? A post on NDNation indicates that this year's Athletics Annual Report gives the first public renderings of the new hockey facility. Voila:



Unfortunately there are no context clues for what angle we're looking at. But let's assume that the championship/NCAA/etc. banners (which are out of date in this rendering!) are in the same place they currently reside. In that case, at first glance it looks a lot like the current setup, especially the "top left" which looks identical to the present permanent seating is. And I suppose that's not a bad thing, as the permanent seating they have now is fine.

It's also unclear whether the cutout in the top left is a pressbox (as it is right now) or some suites. The counterpart on the right side isn't within view, so it's hard to tell whether there even is a counterpart on the right side.

It appears the seating on the right side goes up considerably higher than it currently does, which would help them get to the estimated 4000-5000 capacity. If that back wall with the University wordmark actually constrains those seats and forces them to be steeper than the others, then all the better, that'd be a good spot for the student section.

The far wall also seems to have a better scoreboard than the current hanging ones, and perhaps I can dream that the video board there actually makes the final project design. I assume a scoreboard will be at the near end as well, though it's unseen ... it could be hanging still, since it's not shown over the corresponding near-side entrance, and there wouldn't be room on the bottom-right corner.

I can't tell if this is the ceiling as-is or a dropped faux-ceiling. It's just not clear from the drawing. It's also pretty clear that this is a drawing advertising the future facility, perhaps still trying to raise money or garner support, and not an actual architectural rendering of exactly how it will look. So best not to get too excited or discouraged about anything seen. But hot damn, at long last at least they're throwing us a bone.

Trying to avoid the idea of doing art?

At the risk of feeling like I'm whistling past a graveyard ... take a look at some renderings from schools that apparently:
(a) value hockey more than ND -- not that there's anything wrong with that
(b) have their shit together in a way that ND seemingly will never be able to claim.

St. Cloud


Duluth

Lorenz, you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.

Sean Lorenz

Sean Lorenz D R 10/17/2006 2008 USNTDP U18 Team 6' 1 185 3/10/1990

Reminds approximately everyone of Ian Cole. As well he should.


http://www.insidecollegehockey.com/7Archives/Notebooks/0506/recruiting_0445.htm
Sean Lorenz (6-1, 185): From Littleton, Colo., Lorenz impressed observers with his overall game. He scored four points (all assists) and showed equal aplomb in all situations. His size and skill will have recruiters wooing him over the course of the next two seasons. Lorenz played last year for the Colorado Thunderbirds.

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/sean_lorenz

Draft Article
http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/062108aab.html

NAHL profile
http://www.pointstreak.com/templatepreview/pro/playerpage.html?playerid=904871&seasonid=2025

Maday, you're turing into a penguin. Stop it.

Billy Maday RW R 4/6/2006 2008 Waterloo (USHL) 5'11 165 2/25/1988

Gaul, you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.

Center Patrick Gaul is the most diminutive member of the incoming freshman class at somewhere between 5'6 165 and 5'8 180 depending on which scouting report's lies you choose to believe. He joins the Irish from the USNTDP U-18 team. Gaul, a '90 birthyear, committed to Jeff Jackson way back in August of 2006, so he's been long-anticipated as an arrival on campus. His brother plays at Dartmouth, who along with Boston College and UNH were among the many teams in the race for his signature, showing that he's every bit the high level prospect you've come to expect from Jeff Jackson's signees.



Irish fans will immediately note he's similar in stature to Kevin Deeth. He shares Deeth's same high-energy bulldog mentality for a short center. Gaul, whose USA Hockey media guide entry is shown above, was known in Ann Arbor for his leadership and charisma.

This leadership led to his captaining the United States U17 Select Team. With the U17 Selects he recorded 5 points in 4 games at the 2006 Three Nations tournament. The U17s aren't his only experience with high level hockey competition such as that he'll face at Notre Dame. While playing for the U18 team Gaul scored 2 goals versus NMU in a January 2008 exhibition.

His Pointstreak NAHL profile is here.

His father is the coach of the Pittsburgh Hornets midgets, and he has many of the characteristics you'd expect from a coach's son -- smart, gritty, skilled. As a Pittsburgh native, no doubt he is destined to be a favorite of Notre Dame hockey SID Tim Connor. Last year the Pittsburgh Hornets blog posted the text of a RedLine Editorial story on Gaul. The full text of the excellent profile is available at the link, but here's an excerpt of what Gaul had to say about his decision to attend Notre Dame:

"Coach [Jeff] Jackson has a good history," Gaul said. "He knows how to win. The coaches there at Notre Dame are very personable. They care about you as a person as much as anyone can."

The USHR has also profiled Gaul:

A combination of ice smarts and skill, Gaul is a pure playmaker who knows what to do when the puck is – and isn’t -- on his stick. Put him with linemates who can bury it, and you have something.

Though best known as a passer, he can beat opponents one-on-one with a combination of good skill and rugged determination. One scout was quoted as saying that Gaul "competes like a bastard". While I'm not quite sure what that means, I'm quite sure it's a good thing, and something to look forward to from one of this year's most promising freshmen.