BGS Bits | by Pat
Spring practice officially kicks off tomorrow, so look for posts on that starting later today. But before we dive into depth charts and roster moves, let's catch up on some ND news from the past week or so.
We're #1! A huge congratulations to the Notre Dame hockey team for winning the CCHA Championship Tournament with a 2-1 win over the Michigan Wolverines. UND.com has All-Access video of the on ice celebration and our friend Dan Maier sent us this great scoreboard picture as well as this shot of the team celebrating the win. It really has been a dream season for the Irish team and they have a full head of steam heading into the NCAA tournament. ND drew a #1 seed in the Grand Rapids Regional and will face 4 seed Alabama-Huntsville on Friday at 5pm. For the 7 people that have ESPNU, congrats, you can watch the game. Adding to the good news about this team, goaltender David Brown was named CCHA Player of the Year while Coach Jeff Jackson was named Coach of the Year. Both awards were firsts for ND hockey. And the awards might not be done yet as Brown was also named one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. Congrats all around again for a fantastic season thus far for Coach Jackson and his team.
Fight Night. Zibby's charity boxing match went off well two weeks ago with a fun three round event against last minute sub Ryan St. Germain. The event raised money for Hannah and Friends, Make a Wish Foundation and Cystic Fibrosis Charities and Blue and Gold.com has a free video of the fight for those that weren't able to attend.
Throwing strikes. Samardzija's brief stint in Cactus League play is over and now the former ND receiver will continue his pro career with the Class A Daytona Cubs. A strong showing that included a 1.80 ERA over 5 innings pitched, only one walk, and a fastball that was hitting the high 90's could mean that his time in Single A ball won't be too lengthy.
Next stop. The Northwest Indiana Times has a quick update on Carl Gioia and his decision not to return to ND for his 5th year of eligibility. Gioia notes that his decision had nothing to do with his kicking and everything to do with his plans to move on with his career, which includes dental school this fall.
