FEATURED ARTICLES
FEATURED ARTICLES
My writing ranges from national news and cultural commentary to satire and post-game coverage. Here are a few pieces from my work with Notre Dame Hockey and The Observer.
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Game Three Looms After Irish Fall Saturday at #3/3 Minnesota
By: Meghan Lange
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A tightly contested game two of the Big Ten Playoff Quarterfinals went to the home team Saturday as the Irish hockey team fell to the third-ranked Golden Gophers, 4-2, Saturday night. The best-of-three series will be determined Sunday night as the two teams are set to clash once more.
The contest got off to a fast start when Justin Janicke rang a shot off the crossbar just over a minute into the first period. Shortly after Janicke’s near-goal, the Gophers peppered the Irish net with five shots on goal in a short sequence but Owen Say stood tall between the pipes, casting aside each shot faced to keep it scoreless five minutes in.
Following a physical start to the game, the Irish were called for a hook at 12:55 of the first and headed to the box. With Zach Plucinski jumping in front of a puck late in the special teams opportunity, the graduate defenseman helped hold the Gophers without a single shot on the two-minute man-advantage as the game remained scoreless.
The game would remain knotted, 0-0, through the first 20 minutes of play as both teams headed to their respective locker rooms in search of the elusive opening goal.
Notre Dame struck first with a goal off the stick of Hunter Strand just under three minutes into the second stanza.
After the first goal momentum shifted in Notre Dame’s favor as the Irish pressured the Golden Gophers’ net with a series of shots, including a second crossbar for Janicke. Despite the effort, the Irish were unable to break the netminder Nathan Airey and play continued with the 1-0 score.
Just over the halfway mark of the contest, Owen Say made the save of the game as he covered a loose puck behind him right on the goal line. The initial shot by the Minnesota skater bounced off and over his left pad before Michael Mastrodomenico fought off the rebound attempt as Say dove to cover the puck and keep the Gophers off the scoreboard.
The Irish were called for a trip shortly after the defensive output by the Irish and the Gophers would convert, finding the equalizer at 12:29 of the second to make it a 1-1 contest.
Minnesota garnered their first lead of the series at 4:16 of the third period after a failed clear attempt by the Irish wound up in the back of the net to make it a 2-1 contest. The Gophers extended their lead shortly after as a rebound ended up beating the toe save attempt of Say at 7:18 of the third.
The Golden Gophers were called for a hook moments after their third goal of the night and the Irish powerplay unit saw its first chance of the night. Although both lines saw chances at the net, the Irish were unable to break Airey in net and continued to trail, 3-1, as Minnesota returned to full strength.
Just under half-way through the third period Henry Nelson responded for the Irish with a shot from the slot, bringing the Irish within one of the Gophers.
The Irish opted for the extra attacker with 85 seconds left on the clock as Say headed to the bench. However, Minnesota took advantage of the open goal mouth at the opposite end of the ice after Airey was peppered with shots from the Irish attackers and sealed the game with the 4-2 final, forcing a decisive game three Sunday evening.
GOALS
The Irish took the lead early in the second period when defensemen Paul Fisher fed the puck through the neutral zone to Hunter Strand who skated into the offensive end. The senior then sent it to fellow forward Jack Larrigan who fired a onetimer on net, dinging the far post, and setting Strand up for the rebound goal.
Back in his hometown, Henry Nelson fired a shot top shelf from the slot to give the Irish their second goal of the night. The Maple Grove, Minnesota, native gathered the puck after a tight angle shot from Carter Slaggert hit the pads of Airey in the Gopher crease and bounced back out into play. Strand also registered an assist on the play.
KEY STATS
The Irish opened the scoring for the second consecutive night inside 3M Arena at Mariucci after Hunter Strand’s shot at 2:40 of the middle frame beat Nathan Airey in goal.
Strand also picked up an assist on the team’s third period goal to post his 10th career multi-point game, and first since Jan. 11 against Michigan.
Owen Say stopped 31 shots in the Saturday loss, including all 15 shots faced in the first period to open the Irish up to take the early lead in the second.
The Irish blocked 17 shots in Saturday night’s contest, with a pair of sophomores in Brennan Ali and Paul Fischer combining for four blocked shots a piece.
With four shots on goal in the contest, Tyler Carpenter led the team in the category.
UP NEXT
The Irish and Golden Gophers close out the best-of-three series Sunday night with puck drop slated for 6p.m. CT inside 3M Arena at Mariucci.
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Jackson Gets 600th Win; Irish Victories In Game One at #3/3 Minnesota
By: Meghan Lange
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Friday marked career win No. 600 for Catalino Family Head Hockey Coach Jeff Jackson as his Irish hockey program battled to a 3-2 victory at No. 3/3 Minnesota to open the Big Ten Playoff Quarterfinals. The Notre Dame team took the early lead just 90 seconds into the contest and would not relent en route to the game one win in a best-of-three series.
Axel Kumlin opened the scoring just 90 seconds into the contest with a shot when his dump-in floated into the offensive end and was tipped by the glove of Liam Souliere into the back of the net.
Following Owen Say’s series of saves in the crease, the Irish managed to clear the puck and get a fresh line on the ice. It was then where Michael Mastrodomenico net the team’s second goal of the night to make it a 2-0 game.
With 1:33 left on the clock the Irish were called for too many men on the ice after a miscommunication at the bench during a change as the visitors were shorthanded for the first time of the night. The Gophers capitalized on the man-advantage, beating Say with a deflection out front as just 6.4 seconds remained on the clock in the first period.
The Irish came back after a strong first period and wasted no time lighting the lamp again as Brennan Ali picked off a pass from Souliere behind the Gophers net and buried a backhander at 1:18 of the second stanza. The third Irish goal forced a change in net for the Gophers as sophomore Nathan Airey headed to the Minnesota crease.
The Gophers were called for too many men on the ice and the Irish headed to the powerplay in the first half of the second. Blake Biondi rang a shot off the crossbar on the man-advantage as the Irish nearly took a three-goal lead about halfway through the second period.
With 5:09 left in the period the Irish were called for a knee and headed to the box for their second penalty of the night. A little over a minute later the Gophers followed up with a penalty for tripping and the teams were tasked with four-on-four play for 58 seconds. After killing off their infraction, the Irish saw 62 seconds of powerplay opportunity but could not capitalize as the period reached the 18-minute mark.
The Irish were once again whistled for a penalty with under two minutes to play in the period as a skater was sent to the box for slashing with 1:42 left in the frame.
Notre Dame’s penalty kill fought through the horn to keep it a two-goal game despite late pressure from the Gophers’ powerplay unit as they headed to the third period with 18 seconds left on the penalty.
The Irish were successful in the early third period kill as Notre Dame won the opening faceoff off the stick of Danny Nelson and sent the puck deep into the Gophers zone.
Partway through the third period the Gophers managed to find the back of the net to slice the Irish lead in half, 3-2, with a shot that went over Say’s blocker at 8:16 of the third.
Following a physical back-and-forth frame the Gophers pulled their netminder with 1:32 remaining in the period after a series of chances in the Irish end.
Perhaps the save of the game came with just 43 seconds remaining in the contest as sophomore center Cole Knuble blocked a shot by a Gopher in the center of the attack zone to keep the shot off net and give the Irish a look at the empty net. Despite a shot at the open goal mouth trickling just wide in the waning seconds of regulation, the Irish held on to clinch the game one victory in the best-of-three series.
GOALS
The Irish looked for a change just under 90 seconds into the contest as Cole Knuble fed a pass across the neutral zone to Axel Kumlin who skated over the red line and dumped the puck deep into the offensive zone as he turned towards the bench.
Michael Mastrodomenico extended the Irish lead with a shot from the slot that beat Liam Souliere glove side for the 2-0 tally. Ian Murphy held the puck along the deep halfwall before finding Carter Slaggert in the neutral zone. Slaggert skated the puck across the blueline before sending the puck over to Mastrodomenico who fired his shot into the back of the net for his fourth of the year.
The Irish reclaimed their two-goal lead at 1:18 of the second period as Brennan Ali picked off a pass from Souliere behind the net. The Gophers’ netminder settled the puck behind his own net before saucing it out for one of his teammates. Ali swooped in, intercepting the pass and burying a shot backhand to make it a 3-1 contest.
KEY STATS
The win marked career victory No. 600 for Catalino Family Head Hockey Coach Jeff Jackson and his 418th win behind the Irish bench.
Owen Say made 30 saves between the pipes en route to the win as the junior netminder made a series of key saves in the final minutes of regulation to hold on for the 3-2 final.
With an assist on the game’s opening goal, the team’s point-leader, Cole Knuble, extended his point-streak to five games and now boasts 38 points on the season (11-27-38).
The Irish opened the scoring with a pair of goals from the blue line as Axel Kumlin and Michael Mastrodomenico combined to give the Irish the 2-0 lead in the first period.
Brennan Ali’s game-winner came with 18:42 left in the second-period after the sophomore intercepted a pass deep in the Gophers zone to make it a 3-1 contest.
Including his blocked shot in the final minute of the third to help save the contest, Knuble’s three blocks on the night led the team.
Paul Fischer’s five shots on goal led the Irish while the blueliner also registered two blocked shots in the contest to help lift the Irish to victory.
The Irish held the narrow edge at the faceoff dot at a 50.8 percentage, led by Tyler Carpenter with a 60 percent rate (3-of-5) and Danny Nelson’s 16 wins for a 59.3 success rate.
UP NEXT
The Irish and Gophers will continue the best-of-three series Saturday night with puck drop slated for 7p.m. CT inside 3M Arena at Mariucci.
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Irish Bounce Back With B1G Win at Wisconsin
By: Meg Lange
MADISON, Wis.– The Irish bounced back Saturday night with a convincing 6-1 victory over Wisconsin to cap off their regular season road slate. Owen Say earned the nod in net for game two of the weekend series, stopping 31 of his 32 shots faced en route to the victory while six individuals posted multi-point nights to secure the win.
Irish junior Niko Jovanovic opened the scoring early when he buried his first collegiate goal within the first five minutes of the game. His shot sailed top shelf over Tommy Scarfone’s shoulder in the Badger net to put the Irish on the board first.
The Irish held momentum as the Badgers were called for hooking shortly after the opening goal, sending the Irish to the power play for the first time of the night. The Irish got caught in a change and a penalty was called for too many men on the ice shortly after as the two teams would skate four-on-four for the last 35 seconds of the Badgers’ infraction.
Neither team was able to convert on the condensed man-advantage opportunity and each side returned to full strength.
The Irish got another shot at the powerplay in the final minutes of the opening period and Justin Janicke capitalized, extending the lead with just 5.6 seconds left in the first to send Notre Dame to the intermission with the 2-0 lead.
It was the Irish who would be shorthanded towards the start of the second period as they were whistled for elbowing just 3:26 into the frame.
After killing off that infraction both sides were whistled for penalties as either team saw a shortened chance on the man-advantage as well as a long stretch of four-on-four.
While a man looked on from the penalty box from both teams, Cole Knuble served up a beautiful goal, shot off the backhand, beating Scarfone in net at 7:44 to make it a 3-0 game less than halfway through the second period.
The Badgers got one back late in the second stanza off a rebound to snap Owen Say’s shutout bid after 21 saves between the pipes. The Badgers’ goal came with 3:25 to play in the period but Danny Nelson quickly silenced the home crowd with an answer just seven seconds later to reclaim Notre Dame’s three-goal lead.
A scrum in front of the Irish crease after the whistle just under five minutes into the third had Wisconsin challenge for a potential major after a Badger fell down as tempers flared. After a brief review, it was determined there was no penalty on the play and Wisconsin was charged their timeout.
The two sides continued to skate five-on-five through the midway point of the third before Ian Murphy found his way to the front of the net to make it a 5-1 game. The Murphy goal forced a change in net for the Badgers as William Gramme entered the game for Wisconsin.
With the Badgers looking for momentum just over halfway through the contest, the visitors were called for a penalty in front of the Irish net and were tasked with another kill. After an official review, a five-minute major was assessed and sent a Notre Dame defenseman to the locker room early.
While already on the man-advantage, Wisconsin elected to pull their netminder in favor of a sixth attacker at 12:39 of the third. With an Irish player still in the box serving the major penalty, the Irish were able to clear the puck towards the empty net without the fear of icing stopping play. Defenseman Paul Fischer sent the puck the entire length of the ice, clearing it from behind the Irish net but his shot at the empty net would trickle just wide and the Badgers set up another attack with the two-man advantage.
With just under five minutes to play in regulation, and just 13 seconds left on the major kill, Grant Silianoff sealed the win for the Irish with an empty net tally, shorthanded, to lift the Irish to the 6-1 final and weekend split.
GOALS
The Irish jumped out to an early lead after Niko Jovanovic one-timed a shot into the back of the net for his first collegiate goal. Henry Nelson sent a cross-ice pass to Axel Kumlin in the Irish zone where the junior defenseman then skated the puck through the neutral zone and dumped it deep into the Badger zone. The clear bounced off the boards and onto the stick of Jovanovic who buried his shot high glove-side for the 1-0 tally.
As time wound down on the first period, Owen Say caught the Badgers on the kill and quickly fired a pass to Danny Nelson who stood at the far blueline. The sophomore then tossed a pass over to Cole Knuble who played tic-tac-toe with Blake Biondi and Justin Janicke for the 2-0 lead as 5.7 seconds remained on the clock in the first.
Knuble further extended the Irish lead as he and H. Nelson combined at the blue line to make it a 3-0 game at 7:44 of the second. Kumlin chipped the puck along the boards deep in the Irish zone where Knuble picked it up. The sophomore then beat his man at the blueline, tipping the puck out of the Irish end and racing through the neutral zone. As he neared the opposite blueline, Knuble fed a pass across to H. Nelson who stood in anticipation to enter the zone before feeding a pass back to Knuble who skated through a pair of defenders before backhanding his shot into the net.
The team’s leader at the dot, Danny Nelson was on the ice for the center ice faceoff following the Wisconsin goal at 16:35 of the second. The sophomore center won the puck back to Michael Mastrodomenico who raced up ice before firing a shot on net. Scarfone made the initial save in the Badgers net but Brennan Ali stood at the doorstep and tried to tap the puck in. Ali was unable to get a full handle on the puck before Scarfone swept it out of his crease but the Badgers’ netminder swept it right onto the stick of the team’s leading goal-scorer Danny Nelson who buried his opportunity just nine seconds after Wisconsin got on the board, silencing the crowd.
Ian Murphy net his first goal in over a month to make it a 5-1 game partway through the third period. The graduate forward’s patience with the puck at the top of the crease paid off as he baited the Badgers’ netminder before roofing a shot over the glove en route to the goal. Blake Biondi and Justin Janicke were both credited with assists on the play.
The final goal of the night came off the stick of Grant Silianoff who fired a shot nearly 130- feet into the back of the empty net as the Irish fought to kill off a five-minute major penalty late in the contest. His goal came during a six-on-four disadvantage as the Badgers opted for the extra attacker while the Irish were shorthanded.
KEY STATS
Opening the scoring early in the contest for the Irish on Saturday, Niko Jovonovic recorded his first collegiate goal Saturday against the Badgers.
Six individuals recorded multi point games including, Michael Mastrodomenico, Axel Kumlin, Justin Janicke, Henry Nelson, Cole Knuble and Blake Biondi.
With tonight’s contest in the books Justin Janicke has tallied 30 points on the season. Together with fellow forward Cole Knuble they are the first set of teammates to tally 30+ points on a season since the 2018-19 season when Bobby Nardella boasted 34, followed by Cal Burke and Dylan Malmquist with 30 points each.
Sophomore Danny Nelson tallied points in both games on the weekend, tallying two goals and two assists against the Badgers.
Cole Knuble is currently on a three-game point streak having tallied four assists and two goals in the Irish’s last three games.
Irish Captain Justin Jankicke has recorded a four-game point-streak, scoring an assist in each of the Irish’s last four games. As well as a three game goal streak scoring a goal in each of the team’s last three games.
Irish graduate forward Blake Biondi is riding a four-game point-streak, tallying two goals and three assists in his last four outings.
Paul Fischer led the team in blocked shots Saturday, tallying four on the night.
Senior netminder Owen Say saved 31 of 32 shots on goal in the contest against Wisconsin on Saturday night.
Having each scored a goal both nights against the Badgers, Danny Nelson and Justin Janicke boast 13 goals each and lead the team in the category.
UP NEXT
The Irish will close out the regular season next weekend with a series at home against Michigan State University. Friday night’s game will be the team’s annual Irish Wear Green night as the program honors its 11 seniors and grad students prior to puck drop.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early to honor its graduating class with the pregame ceremony set to begin at 6:45 p.m.
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First Period Too Much For Irish to Overcome Friday
By: Meg Lange
MADISON, Wis. – The University of Notre Dame hockey team fell 3-7 in game one at University of Wisconsin, Friday night inside the Kohl Center. Despite an even push through the final 40 minutes of play, a four-goal first period deficit proved too much to overcome for the Irish in game one of the weekend series.
Wisconsin opened the scoring early in the first with a shot that sailed over Say’s glove. The heated contest led to some pushing and shoving on the blue line at 9:56, which sent an Irish skater to the box for interference and Notre Dame’s penalty kill unit was tested for the first time of the night. The kill was short-lived as the Badgers were called for an interference infraction of their own 65 seconds later which made it four-on-four hockey for 55 seconds.
The Badgers would score twice more before Catalino Family Head Hockey Coach Jeff Jackson made a change in goal with 6:25 to play in the first, sending Nicholas Kempf to the crease in relief of Owen Say.
Wisconsin would sneak one past Kempf before the end of the period to make it a 4-0 contest through 20 minutes played.
Cole Knuble sparked the Irish offense just 27 seconds into the second period as the forward line of Danny Nelson, Brennan Ali and Knuble created an odd man rush up ice into the Wisconsin zone to get on the board.
A powerplay goal by D. Nelson less than three minutes into the second period cut the Badgers lead in half as he sent a shot top shelf for his 12th of the season.
The Badgers headed to the box for two minutes halfway through the second for boarding. Axel Kumlin had a shot on goal with one second remaining in the powerplay but could not convert.
Two quick goals from the Badgers offense had them reclaim their four-goal lead as the Irish trailed 6-2 with 7:46 remaining in the second.
The score would remain stagnant through the end of the frame as the Irish fought to overcome the four-goal deficit in the third.
The Irish opened the final frame down a pair of starters as a pair of penalties went against the visitors just 20 seconds into the period and the Irish were tasked with a five-on-three disadvantage for a full two minutes.
The kill successfully lasted 1:54 before a hooking call against the Badgers sent them to the box as Knuble tried to clear the puck. The Irish returned to full strength and saw their fourth powerplay opportunity of the night.
Janicke added another powerplay tally for the Irish Friday night when he batted the puck from midair at 3:42 of the third.
The Badgers would get one back before the final horn as the Irish fell on the road in game one of the weekend series, 7-3.
GOALS
Paul Fischer chipped the puck out from along the boards to Danny Nelson who created an odd-man rush up ice before Cole Knuble backhanded a shot five-hole past Tommy Scarfone in the Badgers net to get the Irish on the board.
The younger Nelson then added to his point total with a powerplay goal less than three minutes later to draw the Irish within two. Justin Janicke carried the puck along the boards before centering a pass to Blake Biondi who fought off his defender as Janicke regained the puck on his stick and fed a pass to Nelson at the near hashmarks.
Janicke gave the Irish their third goal of the night after batting a shot out of midair on the doorstep of the crease early in the third Friday for his 12th of the season. D. Nelson and Knuble each tallied assists on the play.
KEY STATS
With the second goal for the Irish of the night, Danny Nelson tallied his 12th goal of the season, tying the team leader Blake Biondi.
Justin Janicke’s goal in the third was his 12th of the season, tying that of Nelson and Biondi as the trio now sit tied for the team-best. The 12 goals in a single season is a career best for both Nelson and Janicke.
Biondi laced up his skates for career game No. 150 Friday night, having appeared in all 31 games for the Irish this season.
Friday’s contest marked career game No. 100 for senior forward Tyler Carpenter in a Blue and Gold sweater.
Knuble now boasts 32 points on the season, the most for an Irish player since Alex Steeves in the 2020-21 season. His 22 assists as a sophomore is also the most among all Irish skaters since Bobby Nardella in the 2018-19 season.
The sophomore is currently nominated for the elusive Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the lone Irish representative. Fans may vote for Knuble once per day until March 9th at hobeybaker.com/vote.
UP NEXT
The two teams will meet for a final time on Saturday for a 7:30pm puck drop to close out the weekend series. The Irish will close out the regular 2024-25 season next weekend at home facing the Michigan State Spartans.
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It’s All in the Details, Irish Hockey Goes to NHL Development Camp
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Over the summer six players from the University of Notre Dame hockey team were invited to NHL Development Camps for their drafted teams. The six invitees included forwards Brennan Ali, Justin Janicke, and Cole Knuble, defensemen Paul Fischer and Michael Mastrodomenico, and incoming netminder Nicholas Kempf.
Development camp is “an assortment of the team’s next generation of players, training with the team and immersing oneself within their training grounds. You get to know what the day to day is sort of like there,” Michael Mastrodomenico said, who attended the Boston Bruins’ camp this summer. “You’re also then playing in front of the team’s general manager and the head coaches, so you’re also there to show what you can do.” Additionally, “it’s basically an evaluation, where you get to know the coaches and staff as well as do both on and off-ice testing,” Justin Janicke said, a Seattle Kraken attendee and 2021 NHL draft pick.
For some of the players this was their first time at an NHL Development Camp, like freshman goaltender, Nicholas Kempf, who was recently drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft, 114th overall, by the Washington Capitals. Kempf spent two weeks this summer training with the Irish before heading to Las Vegas, Nevada for the draft. After being selected, he headed back to campus the following day to collect his gear and travel to D.C. for camp.
“I was super anxious the whole time,” Kempf said while discussing the draft day itself. “I just wanted to hear my name called so when I finally did, I was super excited and then obviously it was super special with my family being there.”
“When I found out camp was starting on Monday, I was like I’m going, we’ll have to figure something out with my classes but I’m going,” he said.
For others this was their second or third time at development camp and they were able to bring some previous knowledge and preparation to their performance at this year’s camp with the help of their work and training at Notre Dame.
“Confidence was a big thing for me at camp, the coaching staff at Notre Dame has done a great job instilling in me to always keep going,” St. Louis Blues camp invitee Paul Fischer said. “They have full trust in me. Last year I got a leash that I didn’t really expect, and I know it helped me a lot throughout the year.”
Three-time Kraken camp veteran Janicke also said, “Notre Dame prepared me for camp very, very well. Camp falls right in the middle of our summer training, so I’m at my peak when camp comes around. I feel like when I get there, I’m always a step ahead of everyone else.”
“I think our training here at Notre Dame is top notch. Just everyday training with T-Ro [Tony Rolinski, Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning for the team], and on the ice I’ve definitely gotten more comfortable as I’ve gotten older, and my numbers have gone up in every way. I feel more dominant on the ice and more in control out there,” Janicke said.
A 2022 Detroit Red Wings draft pick, Brennan Ali has also spent the previous three summers attending development camps in Michigan. He shared a similar sentiment, “I feel like camp can be a grind, but you’re ready for it because you’ve been at Notre Dame, which is very academically and athletically challenging as well as being very regimented, you’re very scheduled, so you’re ready for that grind because you’ve experienced it before.”
Development camp isn’t just about training, most of the camps include off-ice activities in their schedules from pickleball tournaments and paintball to Navy SEAL training exercises and community service.
“It goes a long way in getting us comfortable out there, those are potentially your future teammates, so it’s good to meet them and hang out,” Janicke said.
Philadelphia Flyers camp attendee and 2023 NHL draft pick Cole Knuble commented, “I think it’s good for them to show us what the city is about. We went to the Ed Snider Foundation, which is a charity that gives underprivileged kids a way to play hockey. It was really cool to be a part of the community and to just have fun”.
The Bruins’ camp made sure their draftees understood the meaning of teamwork. “The night before our scrimmage we met former Navy SEAL Kevin Lamb, he told us a few cool stories and kind of showed us some parallels between us and what he did,” Mastrodomenico said.
“We went through some obstacle courses but the biggest thing he was trying to drive was teamwork. You can be the best shooter, the best player but if you can’t work with your teammates, you’re useless.”
Mastrodomenico continued,“I think those activities are mostly there to just lighten the mood though. It’s hard, the workouts were tough, the skates are really tough, the testing they’re doing was hard. Your body’s going through it. You’re going through some mental battles and you’re doing everything you can to look good while you’re going through it all”.
“I think they know that they’re pushing us pretty hard, so all those activities are just little spots in the day that you can look back on like ‘that was fun, I’m refreshed and ready to go and compete for another day’”, he said.
Through all the mental battles and hard work the draftees were competing and training with other players in the same boat as them. Players on other college teams or playing in European or Canadian leagues, all with the goal of playing for an NHL team.
“It’s pretty eye opening how detailed and hard working a lot of the other players are,” Ali said of his Red Wings peers. “Everyone has a mutual respect for one another because we all know how much work we’ve put in to be there and you know that everyone else is putting in just as much work as you, so we all understand that we all deserve to be there.”
“A really good thing that happens at development camp is you can see where you stack up against other guys your age and see what you’re up against. It can be motivating to see where you need to improve,” Knuble said.
Similarly Janicke commented, “There’s a lot of different guys there and at Notre Dame we all push each other a lot. Those guys [at camp] are all there for a reason and there was some really good hockey played, so you see what different habits the other guys have and what their skills are. You can’t fake anything there so they definitely push you more and get you motivated for next season. I always leave camp really motivated.”
Walking into his first season with the Irish this year Kempf shared one of his key takeaways from his time at camp. “You really have to give it everything you got each day and if you’re not, you’re just going to hurt yourself and your team,” he said. “I think just knowing how tired I was at the end of each day … it was a good thing, a good tired, knowing I left it all at the rink each day.”
Focusing on the details seems to be the main thing on the minds of the players coming back from camp.“There is such a small margin, everybody is good right now, the greatest players are only separated by a small margin. So you really have to take the details and what they’re telling you about how to be a pro and stay in the moment, take everything day by day, just focusing on the details even outside hockey. They give you as much knowledge as possible about how to become great, they’re handing you all the tools, you just have to utilize them,” Ali said.
Knuble echoed the emphasis that was put on a detail oriented outlook, “I think the attention to detail on the ice with the coaches was big. Every little detail they’re looking at and it could be helping you fix the smallest thing but I think when you add all those little things together it actually goes a long way.”
Mastrodomenico held a similar sentiment when discussing his return to campus for this season. “I realized while being there that we’re all so close to that next level of play, but it takes a lot to break through to get there.
“There’s very little minute things that are going to take you to the next level, because everyone is so close at this point. Obviously everyone wants to get there but it’s the small things and the things that you’re doing when people aren’t watching that’ll really break through. Seeing what it takes to move up to the next level, I think we can push ourselves, and take this season by storm.”
One of the biggest takeaways from this summer’s development camps? “Not doing the pretty stuff on the ice but the stuff that will make you better,” Fischer concluded.
NOTRE DAME HOCKEY - FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA
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Jerusalem study abroad students detail evacuation to London
Notre Dame study abroad students in Jerusalem woke up on Saturday, Oct. 7 under different circumstances than the typical study abroad student. The students at the University’s Global Gateway at Tantur, located on the southern edge of Jerusalem, heard air raid sirens early that morning and were evacuated to a bomb shelter immediately.
Senior Zachary Zong, who was studying at the gateway at the time, said in an email that the students had about 90 seconds to head to the shelter.
“Jerusalem is quite far away from Gaza; we got about 90 seconds to go into the bomb shelter. Residents in Tel Aviv or the southern part of the country only had about 50 seconds or even less,” he said.
At least one explosion was within earshot of Zong and the students, he said.
“I was scared. One of the first rockets landed about one mile from where we were living, and we all heard the explosion. That very weekend some of us were planning to go on a sea-to sea hike, Dead Sea to Mediterranean sea, and praise God for keeping us from doing so,” he wrote.
In a National Catholic Reporter article Fr. John Paul, rector of Tantur Ecumenical Institute at the University of Notre Dame at Tantur, also said a missile landed “about a mile and a half to the west” of the campus.
Junior Leah Moody, another Notre Dame student in the Jerusalem program, said in an email that Saturday morning came as a sudden shock.
“Everything was very unexpected. Friday was a normal, quiet day. We didn’t know what had happened until we woke up to air raid sirens on Saturday,” Moody said.
At first, she did not understand the scope of the situation, she said.
“I was scared during the missile attacks, but did not realize how severe the situation really was. It quickly became evident that we would probably need to evacuate,” Moody said.
All students were transferred to London to continue their study abroad experience. Moody described what the process was like to evacuate out of Jerusalem.
“Initially, the plan was to try and fly out of Tel Aviv. However, NDI (Notre Dame International) ended up determining that the safest plan was to hire a security team to drive us to Jordan and then fly to London from there,” Moody wrote.
Zong said he felt it was less stressful to evacuate than some people might think. Notre Dame International rolled out an evacuation plan about 15 hours after the first wave of rockets, he said.
The transition from a war zone to London has been strange at times, Moody said.
“I recognize that I am incredibly lucky, still it is strange to be in London now. It doesn’t feel right to just start ‘having fun’ again after leaving a country at war."
She added that she was grateful for Notre Dame International’s response, saying they “have done everything possible to make sure we are safe.”
To get through the ordeal, Zong said he leaned on his faith and humor to help cope.
“I wasn't too stressed in the first place. First, where we stayed were fairly safe compared to other regions of Israel,” he said.
This experience has not deterred Moody and Zong. Both said they would like to return to Jerusalem once it is safe to do so. When asked if he would want to go back to Jerusalem, Zong enthusiastically said, “For sure! I haven’t been able to go to Nazareth yet.”Zong said this experience has “totally changed” the way he looks at politics. He said he now has a “deeper understanding of war and geo-politick” and he is a stronger pacifist as a result.
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‘You have to stand with humanity’: Panelists condemn Hamas and Israel, advocate for civilians
Students and staff packed into the Hesburgh Center for International Studies Thursday afternoon to hear from a panel of experts on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Professor Ebrahim Moosa opened the panel by describing how Palestinian guerrilla militants of Hamas “wreaked tremendous havoc” in Gaza and Israel. He said the militants killed “many, many civilians.”
In the standing-room only auditorium, students lined the floor in front of the auditorium’s chairs and encroached on the stairs and the stage to hear from panelists.
Years ago, a lecture on the conflict between Israel and Palestine would have had limited attendees. Daniel Bannoura, a graduate student who grew up in a small town near Bethlehem said he was concerned about the turnout.
“Why are so many of you here and not in 2021 when we had a panel like this?” he asked the audience. “I think it’s because we don’t think that Palestinians are humans. They don’t have the same worth. And I’m kind of worried [that we] have a big showing here today because Israeli civilians were killed, not because Palestinians were killed.”
Titled “Israel-Palestine Escalation: The Current Chapter of a Long History” and organized by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, the panel discussion contextualized the headline violence in Gaza and pointed to human rights violations on both sides of the conflict.
Recognizing humanity
Bannoura spoke about his personal experience and those he knows who live in Gaza, demonstrating the gravity of the conflict.
“I have a lot of friends who I haven’t heard from since Monday and I don’t know what to expect,” he said. “I’m hoping for the best, but [not] expecting it.”
He and other panelists tallied the deaths resulting from the conflict: 450 children and babies, 1,400 killed in Gaza and 151 Palestinians killed the day of the panel.
“Twenty-two families on the Gaza Strip are erased from the records,” Bannoura said. “They’re all gone, whole families gone.”
Throughout the panel, those who spoke asserted the human rights of every person ensnared in the conflict and sought to contextualize the current violence.
“It's important to recognize the humanity of everyone involved,” said Atalia Omer, a professor of religion, conflict and peace studies. “Recognize that the terrorist actions that happen by Hamas [...] but be consistent ethically across the board in terms of condemning acts of terrorism, including state terrorism.”
Panelists comment on Israel’s history
Omer said Israel’s ability to “immediately cut off water, food, fuel and electricity” demonstrates the discrepancy of power between the two countries.
“[Israel] had control over all of this, so what does that tell you?” she asked. “The one thing doesn’t justify the massacre of babies in the kibbutz in Israel, but it offers a context that is so important, especially in resisting the rhetoric of revenge, war and destruction.”
On Oct. 9, Israel imposed a total blockade around Gaza. This resulted in medicine, water, electricity and other necessities being completely cut off from the civilians remaining in Gaza.
Omer said that the people of Gaza have been under siege by the Israelis for over 16 years. After the Battle of Gaza — also known as Hamas’s takeover of Gaza in June of 2007 — Israel made the blockade surrounding Gaza permanent, citing security concerns. After the blockade was made permanent, Israel regularly launched airstrikes into Gaza killing thousands of Palestinians.
After Omer, Moosa once again took the microphone and said the trigger of the attack was not simply a U.S.-backed truce between Saudi Arabia and Israel, but a culmination of events, including the disenfranchisement and suffering of the Palestinian people.
Though he said this “does not at all justify” acts of terrorism, Moosa described Gaza as a place where 2.2 million Palestinians live in an “open-air prison.”
Fellow panelist Bannoura said the word prison implies too much guilt.
“I think the most apt description is it’s a concentration camp,” he said.
Moosa said people should condemn Hamas’ actions, not their resistance.
“Everybody has a right in international law to resistance, but some actions [are] not include[d in] that,” he said.
Bannoura added that if people are condemning Hamas, they should also be condemning the Israeli government.
“If you're condemning Hamas, as you should, but still simultaneously you’re not condemning the Israeli government, the Israeli occupation forces, this long 75 years of violence, apartheid and oppression of the Palestinians,” he said. “If you’re not condemning at the same time, the unapologetic, unwavering, continuous American support for Israel, all of us here are participating in the killing of Palestinians. All of us, our tax money is going to support what’s happening in Gaza.”
He said failing to condemn both Hamas and Israel’s history opposing Palestine makes people “part of a narrative … where Palestinians are not human.”
Analyzing media coverage
As an example of the narratives presented in American media, Moosa mentioned that after Hayim Katsman, one of Omer’s friends, was killed on Saturday, Katsman’s brother went on CNN to criticize Israel’s publication of this death.
“He says, ‘my government is cynically using the death of my brother … to kill other human beings,’” Moosa said, paraphrasing Katsman’s brother.
Moosa warned that U.S. media is “looking for an Iran connection, in order to start the greater conflagration.”
Bannoura explained to the audience you only hear from the Israeli point of view because “the media here, the political reality, is an extremely white supremacist media.”
“Israelites are the white people and Palestinians are not white, Palestinians were not given the right to context,” Bannoura said. “This is a war between Israel and terrorism, there is no story to tell otherwise, right? There is no story of oppression and violence, there’s no story about the Palestinian continuous trauma and violent heart that has caused all of this to happen here.”
While Bannoura was speaking, he was interrupted by a student from the audience. However, Moosa was quick to jump in.
“I'm aware that many people in this audience are in pain and we recognize that just asking you to bear with us a little bit so that you can have the opportunity to speak,” Moosa said.
Moosa added to Bannoura’s comments about only hearing from one side.
“You have to stand with humanity. You shouldn’t be standing with only Israel. There are people on the other side,” he said.
Moosa took this opportunity to implore the audience to use what power they had to make changes so that the United States is a broker for peace.
Moosa then passed the microphone to the final panelist, law professor Mary Ellen O’Connell.
O’Connell began by reminding the audience that all humans have common accomplishments, one being “a set of impartial, neutral binding and universal legal principles that reflect all of our greatest cultural wisdom, religious beliefs and systems of ethics.”
O’Connell implored the audience to make use of those universal legal principles.
“And to use it and to stop using the language of division and inhumanity and saying our grievance is worse than your grievance. There is so much grievance and there is a way forward if we will join together and use what past generations offered us,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell continued to explain the conflict through a legal perspective.
“Israel's use of force also violates the principles of necessity… any use of force, armed conflict must comply with the four basic rules in the conduct of armed fighting: distinction, necessity, proportionality and humanity. All of these are being violated by Israel right now,” she said. “As Atalia [Omer] said there is never a right to cut off food, water, fuel and medicine to a civilian population. There is never a right to indiscriminately bomb civilians. The law demands that Hamas cease fire and release detainees and that Israel end indiscriminate punitive measures.”
O’Connell said that Iran and the United States have no right to join this fight, adding that the U.S. has a responsibility to restore respect for international law.
After O’Connell spoke the panelists turned the floor over to the audience for questions.
One student speaker asked why the U.N. and the U.S. don’t just go into Gaza and free the Palestinian people from Hamas.
“I don’t want to be harsh but you’re not listening to what Palestinians are saying,” Bannoura answered. “When we’re saying we want to free Palestine we’re not saying we want to free Palestine from Hamas but free Palestine from 75 years of oppression … Hamas is only one episode of a long journey.”
Omar underscored the importance of freedom as a motivating factor.
“This panel is not a kumbaya panel and it’s a real challenge, but never underestimate people’s desire for freedom,” Omar said.
The next student speaker voiced her concern for showing her support for Palestine without her Jewish and Israeli friends thinking she was anti-Semitic or offending them.
Another student stepped up to the microphone to share a story of her home back in Gaza.
“I just want to paint a picture of what’s happening from what I heard from my family and friends in Gaza. I just want to say that the house that I was born and raised in the first 18 years of my life was destroyed just two days ago,” she said.
This student pushed back against the suggestion that the U.S. and U.N. free Gaza from Hamas.
“Hamas is the only thing that's keeping Israel from taking over Gaza and killing everyone so we need some form of resistance,” she said. “Israel has been committing war crimes and no one is recognizing it. The media has no coverage and they’ve been killing journalists.”
In the last minutes of the panel, Bannoura shared his final thoughts.
“This is the same demand for justice and for goodness and for human rights,” he said. “Israel versus Palestine is the same unified struggle for justice for both …. we have a shared history, shared suffering and a shared future — what I'm talking about here is a one state solution where Palestinian kids and Jewish kids can be friends.”
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Lange: ‘Hartmania’ has infected the student body
After enduring the COVID-19 pandemic for the last couple of years, we now have a much more daunting plague to worry about: “Hartmania.”
It’s as if it happened overnight. While it briefly popped up last semester, it didn’t fully infect the student body until August of 2023. While “Book Fever” seemed to mainly manifest in the female population during Ian Book’s tenure, the Hartmania virus seems to be infecting both males and females alike.
Symptoms include short attention span, hysteria, hot flashes and loss of filter. It often originates from contact (or even thought of) patient zero, Sam Hartman, who shows no symptoms himself. Alias for patient zero include Sam, Sammy Heisman, No. 10, QB1 and King of the Irish.
All jokes aside, some say that Notre Dame football does better when fans find the quarterback leading the team attractive. Sam Hartman’s presence on the team seems only to add stock to this theory. Marcus Freeman’s smile doesn’t hurt either.
A senior in the student section of Saturday’s game against Central Michigan called the pair “THE most attractive head coach and quarterback duo in the country.”
A TikTok floating around the internet embodies the sentiment on campus. The TikToker with the handle @uncrediblesports said “You expect me to believe that this [pointing to a picture of Hartman] is NOTRE DAME’S STARTING QUARTERBACK?! He looks like he should be saving the princess from her castle surrounded by dragons, and you’re telling me he’s good too? He looks like he just took on High School Musical’s football edition.”
I think it’s safe to say that Hartmania is spreading to the outside world. Here on campus, it’s manifesting in group chats titled “Down BAD for Sam Hartman,” and even some group chats specifically designated to notify friends of “sightings in the wild” (meaning on campus).
While some might be concerned that this is a little extreme, I ask you what are 20-something-year-old’s to do? We grew up in the age of Justin Bieber mobs and One Direction hordes. This is simply how Gen Z reacts to handsome and talented men.
For those who want to debate his talent, keep it to yourself. I have the stats to back it up. In his four career games with the Fighting Irish, Hartman has only been sacked four times, all within one game against North Carolina State. Additionally, Hartman has had zero interceptions so far this season, and 13 passing touchdowns in his first four games. He now leads the FBS in touchdown passes for this season. He even threw a pass for 76 yards to Chris Tyree during the Central Michigan game.
He has something I like to call “football etiquette.” Usually, I define this as a player helping an opposing team’s player, whether that be helping them off the ground after a play, or the way some players will make sure to shake the hands of their opponents after a game. In Hartman’s case, he showed his true colors after the game against North Carolina State. After the game, Hartman waited to hype up the Irish fans until after North Carolina’s band finished playing their alma mater.
He’s even a man of the people. At last Saturday’s game against Central Michigan, he gave a special shoutout to the fan who stole everyone’s hearts: Obi.
“Obi, wherever you are man, you rock! Yaaa!” he said in a post-game interview.
The Fighting Irish fans have really fallen hard for their new QB1, myself included. In a recent argument I got into with a friend’s boyfriend who is an Ohio State fan (GROSS!), I may have taken the trash talking a little too far, but it was all for the love of my QB and my team.
He accused Hartman of being “geriatric“ and needing to be resuscitated on the sideline. I responded that a line of people, including his girlfriend and his mom, would be ready to bring Hartman back to life. In my defense, his mom is a huge Notre Dame fan.
The only thing Sam Hartman should worry about is the next game, and maybe the girls fawning over him. But it all comes from a place of love and admiration and really, they can’t help themselves. They’ve caught the bug.
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Lange: The worst mascots in the NCAA
Mascots are a very polarizing topic. You either love them or hate them, and some people are even scared of the guys in the big felt suits behind masks. There’s a real diagnosis for this phenomenon: Masklophobia, sometimes referred to as Maskaphobia.
Sports fans, however, are a completely different story. They feel very passionately about their team’s mascot, and even dress up as them. I have seen grown men get into an actual fight of their own, over who would win in a fight: Brutus Buckeye or Sparty Spartan.
Needless to say, these men were both incredibly intoxicated or they would have known they both would lose to the BEST mascot — THE Notre Dame Leprechaun. I’m not at all biased on this topic (LET’S GO IRISH).
Anyway, with my lofty opinions on the topic, I am going to rank the 10 worst NCAA mascots.
10. Cocky the Gamecock — University of South Carolina
Cocky the Gamecock. Do I really need to say it? They could at least get him a shirt that’s his size, you really want Cocky to be in a shirt that’s too big? That won’t work out well. There are so many jokes I can’t make because this is being published, but they deserve every bad joke you can come up with.
9. Demon Deacons — Wake Forest University
So, he’s an “old-time Baptist deacon” who rides a motorcycle? To me, he looks the human incarnation of Mr. Peanut. But, you know, if Mr. Peanut had been through a rough life. I feel like he has stories and wants to sit down with you and tell you all of them in a long and excruciatingly slow way.
8. Otto the Orange — Syracuse University
According to Google it’s an “anthropomorphic orange”. Yet another plant, but hey, at least it’s a real thing, I guess. I think he got off on the wrong exit because, I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember miles and miles of orange groves in New York. I mean I guess New York is called the Big Orange right? Definitely not another fruit that, you know, grows in the state of New York.
7. Blue Devils — Duke University
Another devil on the list and no it’s not because I go to a Catholic school. It’s because you’d think Howie Mandel wouldn’t need another side hustle. Doesn’t he have enough jobs? But I guess the next logical step after being a game show host then judge is being a man in a superhero costume pantomiming as a devil to a bunch of drunk southern college kids.
6. Sparky — Arizona State University
Breaking News: Buzz’s long lost evil twin has been found! Buzz lost his evil twin brother Sparky in the Cheerios factory when they were just little bees playing amongst the conveyer belts. Try to convince me this is not a bee dressed up as an old-timey villain about to twirl his mustache. I dare you.
5. HokieBird — Virginia Tech University
We all know you’re a turkey, so just be a dang turkey. No need to make up a fictional bird. I get it you don’t want to be the “turkeys,” who would? But is being a Hokie better? At least when you were the Fighting Gobblers you were fighting off the enemy — you know scary stuff, “put up your dukes” and all that. The Fighting Gobblers really sent Purdue Pete and Big Red running up those hills.
4. Purdue Pete — Purdue University
At least this thing is a living object. But is it? Pete is just a stand-in because the official mascot of Purdue University is the “Boilermakers”. So really Pete is just a guy in a creepy plastic head, and his job title is the real mascot. Again, a school that doesn’t have a living, breathing mascot. I didn’t know you could have your job description as your mascot, learn something new every day.
3. Big Red — Western Kentucky University
What even is it? It’s not even a thing! It’s like Cookie Monster’s weird red and bigger cousin, who had his college letters tattooed across his chest. Can you say peaked in college? I don’t even know what to compare it too. It’s just a big, red (see what I did there), furry blob with arms and legs. Also, the 2012s called, and they want their painted-on eyebrows back.
2. Stanford Tree — Stanford University
First, which professor hired their kindergartener’s class to make this mascot’s costume? Seriously, Google it, some of the costumes look like they let a group of kindergarteners go through their grandmas’ knitting materials and try — not succeed, but try — to make a pine tree. Also, another plant! Unless you're freaking Poison Ivy from the Batman comics, plants don’t really strike fear into my heart. I would say do better but that would be repetitive.
1. Brutus Buckeye — The Ohio State University
You had to see that coming, it’s not even a living thing. I don’t understand how an inanimate object can be a school’s mascot, how does a literal nut drive so much pride into a college community? Do they know they’re literally calling themselves nuts? Oh excuse me, THE Nuts?? Come on. Do better.
Honorable mention to the Dartmouth mascot, Big Green who is a literal Keg. They really know their audience.
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Raise Your Voice: Maggie Nichols finds a balance between ‘being Maggie and being Athlete A’
Editor’s note: This story includes mentions of sexual assault.
“I wanted to come out publicly because I felt like, if I could just impact one other person, it’d be all worth it,” said Maggie Nichols, former USA Gymnastics (USAG) National Team member.
On Monday night, Saint Mary’s College kicked off its second annual Raise Your Voice Symposium with Nichols as its keynote speaker. Raise Your Voice is the College’s new annual sexual violence prevention symposium sponsored by President Katie Conboy’s Committee on Sexual Violence. The symposium began with Nichols’ keynote address and will end with the tri-campus Take Back the Night event on Wednesday.
While introducing Nichols as the keynote speaker, Conboy took the opportunity to express her thoughts on the topic of sexual violence and how she believes Saint Mary’s College should be a leader in combatting the problem of sexual violence on college campuses.
“I truly believe that as a Catholic women’s college, we should unequivocally be the conveners of this type of event,” Conboy said, “We are the only women’s college in the state of Indiana and we should be the leader in furthering discussions about sexual violence, about its impact on survivors and on our own culture. We should be talking about how we can play a role in ending sexual violence in our community. Saint Mary’s is committed to highlighting voices and stories that are front and center in this conversation.”
Conboy went on to introduce Nichols’ background and why her story is important.
“We are welcoming Maggie Nichols to share her voice as an athlete, a survivor and an activist,” Conboy said. “[Nichols] was the first athlete to come forward and report abuse by USA gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.”
Nichols is also known as Athlete A in initial documentation surrounding the investigation of Nassar when she came forward to tell her story in 2018.
After the introduction, it was Nichols’ turn at the podium. She began by recounting her early years in gymnastics and how she began her career at the age of three years old. It only took her seven short years to rise to the level of an elite gymnast. At the age of 15, Nichols made her first U.S. National Team and represented the United States on the international stage.
Nichols continued to tell her story until 2015.
“2015 was one of the biggest years of my gymnastics career,” she said. “At the U.S. classics I placed third in all-around and went on to place second behind Simone Biles at the U.S. Championships, I qualified to the World Selection camp where I again placed second behind Simone Biles and made my first World Championship team”.
Nichols left the World Championships with both a gold medal for team all-around and a bronze medal for floor exercise.
In 2016, Nichols endured yet another injury when she tore her meniscus and had to undergo surgery just months before the Olympic trials. By her own volition, Nichols says she returned to the mat too soon, but she competed in the Olympic trials in pursuit of her biggest goal: to compete in the Olympics.
At this point in the address, Nichols switched gears and began to discuss her status as Athlete A.
“If you don’t know I’m also known as Athlete A in the case against Larry Nassar the ‘doctor’ for USAG who sexually abused me and hundreds of other girls and young women he supposedly was treating for sports injuries at the USAG ranch as well as at Michigan State University,” Nichols said.
Nichols continued by describing her personal experience with Nassar, who is currently serving 60 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of child pornography and tampering with evidence in a federal case. He is also serving a minimum of 80 years to a maximum of 300 years in a Michigan State prison for pleading guilty to additional counts of sexual assault. The judge in his case ordered that his prison sentences are to run concurrently ensuring a de facto sentence of life in prison without parole.
“The abuse occurred multiple times while he was ‘treating’ me for a back injury,” Nichols said. “He had closed the blinds in the treatment room saying that he didn’t want to distract the other girls from their training outside. What he did was not a treatment for my back pain. It was an abuse of my body and an abuse of my trust in him as a physician approved by USAG, and clearly an abuse of his medical license."
Nichols continued describing what her alias as Athlete A meant. “For those who don’t know, being Athlete A means I was the first at the training camp to come forward about my abuse.”
“My coach overheard me asking another athlete if anything like what happened to me had ever happened to her or anyone else. My coach Sarah Jantzi asked me more about what occurred, and I told her. We made a formal complaint, and the rest is history,” Nichols said.
“I’m grateful to [Coach Jantzi] for not just being a bystander but for being an upstander because I knew I had done the right thing about speaking up against Larry Nassar, I chose not to dwell on the disappointment,” she added.
After the Olympic trials, Nichols retired from elite gymnastics and began a new chapter at the University of Oklahoma. It was at this point that Nichols began her NCAA collegiate gymnastics career where she would go on to win multiple NCAA Championships and earn several “perfect 10s”.
Before the keynote address, The Observer sat down with Nicholas and asked her a few questions, specifically about how she has been able to find happiness in gymnastics again at the University of Oklahoma (OU).
Nicholas responded that, “It was the most incredible experience I’ve ever been a part of. I mean, it was right after the Olympic trials and kind of right when all that stuff was happening. So going there was kind of a blessing in disguise. And if I would have made the Olympic team, I think that I probably wouldn’t have gone to OU so ultimately everything worked out how it’s supposed to and it really kind of changed my life in a positive way and helped me overcome everything that I faced.”
It wouldn’t be until her freshman year when Nichols would officially reveal herself as Athlete A. She calls this one of her most important accomplishments.
“That was a difficult decision to make, I debated it for sure, but I knew it was the right thing to do. I’d always prided myself on leading by example,” Nichols said.
“If revealing my identity gave just one other person the courage to come forward and seek justice and help for abuse that happened to them, I knew it would be worth it,” Nichols said in closing her keynote address.
After Nichols’ address, the audience was invited to take part in the question-and-answer portion of the event. Audience members were asked to text in their questions for Nichols and the director of the office of student involvement and advocacy Liz Baumann would facilitate the questions.
The audience wanted to know why Nichols decided to speak out, to which she responded, "I felt like if I told my story, it would inspire someone else to either speak up or you know, help them through their healing process.”
When Nichols was asked how she dealt with continuing in the same environment where her abuse had occurred, she responded, “Gymnastics has always kind of been an outlet for me through everything.... Going into the gym was kind of my safe space and my outlet."
Nichols has had to balance sharing her story publicly while not feeling like her experience has defined her. She said that she has developed a balance between “being Maggie and then Athlete A.”
For other survivors of sexual abuse, Nichols said it is important to know that they are not alone and to rely on their support system and people they can trust.
“There’s a lot of things I want people to take away but probably just knowing that you’re not alone, if you have been in a situation similar to mine, but also I think if you haven’t just learning about sexual abuse and how much it happens on a daily basis and what you can do to help," she said.
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‘Punch in the gut’: Tri-campus community unsettled by MSU shooting
Editor’s Note: This story includes discussion of gun violence on a college campus.
Last Monday night, students at Michigan State University received their first emergency alert stating, “MSU Police report shots fired incident occurring on or near the East Lansing campus, Secure-in Place immediately. Run, Hide, Fight,” according to the Michigan State University Police official website.The alert continued on by defining the statement “Run, Hide, Fight.” “Run means evacuate away from danger if you can do so safely, Hide means to secure-in-place and Fight means protect yourself if no other option.”This alert would be the one of six that students would receive throughout the night of Feb. 13 and the early morning of Feb. 14, keeping them up to date on the current active shooter situation on their campus.A little over two hours away from the shooting on MSU’s campus, students at both Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College found themselves immediately worried about those they knew near MSU and later, about their own safety on the tri-campus.
MSU shooting timeline
Though some information about the shooting remains unknown, the Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety (MSU DPPS) released the basic information in a Feb. 14 News Release.
On the night of Monday, Feb. 13 at around 8:18 p.m., the MSU DPPS received the first call reporting an active shooter at Berkey Hall, which is the home of the MSU College of Social Science, the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and the Department of Sociology.
A shelter-in-place order was put into immediate action after the call, followed by the aforementioned “secure-in-place” alert which was sent to all members of the MSU community through the MSU Alert system.
While officers were deciphering the Berkey Hall scene, they received reports of additional shots fired at the MSU Union Building, which is used by students as a place to gather together to work or hangout, similar to the Notre Dame Duncan Student Center.
At approximately 11 p.m., the suspected shooter was seen on campus security cameras and their photo was distributed throughout MSU DPPS social media channels and through public media partners by 11:18 p.m.
The suspect was located on campus only 17 minutes after the distribution of the photos to the public.
At approximately 11:35 p.m. the suspected shooter, later identified as 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
At 12:27 a.m. on Tuesday Feb. 14, a final alert is sent out to the MSU community notifying them that the shelter-in-place order had been lifted, because the suspect was located.
Later that Tuesday, the victims were identified as juniors Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner and sophomore Brian Fraser. Five other unnamed students were critically injured and taken to the hospital.
So far, the MSU shooting has not been categorized as a “mass shooting” by research centers. According to The Violence Project, a nonprofit and nonpartisan research center dedicated to public criminology and data-driven violence prevention, the tragic deaths at MSU do not fall within their definition of a mass shooting.
The Violence Project defines a “mass shooting” as a one in which four or more people are murdered in a public single incident. Based on this definition, The Violence Project Database has identified nine mass shootings in or around college or university settings since 1966. This does not include the shooting in 2010 at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, the University of North Carolina shooting which took place in 2019 and the most recent Michigan State University shooting.
Currently, no federal government agency is tracking all U.S. college and university shootings in real time, which is why databases like The Violence Project are used to collect and analyze data in hopes of understanding the causes and effects of these deadly events.
What makes the MSU shooting unique, according to the database, is that the shooter had no known connection to the University. In all other college or university shootings, the identified shooter had a connection to either the people or the school they attacked.
Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s respond to MSU shooting
On Feb. 14, Father Jenkins released a statement stating that the Notre Dame community’s thoughts and prayers are with the Michigan State University community.
“To the victims of this violence, as well as the many friends and colleagues we have at Michigan State, the prayers and support of the Notre Dame community are with you,” his statement said.
Also on Feb. 14, the Saint Mary’s College official Instagram account posted a statement to their page praying for the healing of the survivors and strength for the families and friends of the victims.
“We pray for physical healing for the survivors and strength for the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this unnecessary tragedy,” the post said.
Saint Mary’s students also received emails from Student Affairs and Campus Ministry on Feb. 14 making them aware of support systems available. Campus security also stated the steps they would take in case of a similar emergency event.
Students react to MSU shooting
Due to the proximity of the tri-campus to Michigan State University in East Lansing, many students have a connection to the University through friends or family. Notre Dame sophomore Olivia Seymour is originally from Traverse City, Michigan, and has many friends that now attend MSU.
“One of my good friends literally just dropped out of MSU over winter break,” she said. “But the shooter was right next to her old dorm, the dorm she would have been in, and all her friends were still in there.”
Seymour went on to describe the feeling of knowing the people you care about are in danger and there is nothing that you can do.
“It was really terrifying,” she continued. “You never know, you never think it’s going to happen to the people that you love until it happens and it’s never been this close before … These people that I’ve known for a long time and I know their families, I was thinking about their mothers,” she said.
Seymour continued, saying, “It being so close to here is really terrifying, just because it feels like it keeps getting closer and closer … and that’s really the punch in the gut.”
Carstyn Barna is a senior at Saint Mary’s and also has several friends that attend MSU.
“My friend was heading to the gym and walked right past the building where the shooting was only like minutes before,” she said. “When he got to the gym, he and some other people heard the shots and barricaded the doors and themselves in the gym,” she explained. “It was just really scary to hear."
When The Observer asked Barna and Seymour if they felt safe on campus, they both said some changes could be made to make both campuses safer.
“Overall I feel pretty safe walking alone at night, but I’ve gotten more aware now, for the most part, I do feel safe, but of course you can’t prevent everything. There are a lot of people that come onto this campus just for visits,” Seymour said.
Seymour went on to discuss her desire for more emergency phones on campus.
“I do wish there were more of the emergency phones, I think there are some on the outskirts, but I do wish they were placed a bit more centrally on campus,” she said.
Similarly, Barna spoke about the lack of light on the Saint Mary’s campus.
“I feel like some of the areas on campus are really dark, there’s not enough lights at night. For my nighttime classes, I normally drive to class, because you just don’t know,” she said.
Notre Dame sophomore Amelia Jaworski went to high school with several people who now attend MSU. Many of her family members also went to MSU, including her parents and a cousin who is currently a senior there.
“Luckily my cousin was home at the time but my friends who live on campus, they were just terrified and in shock,” she said. “They were physically safe, but I’m sure it’s taken a mental toll on them because it’s traumatizing, regardless of if you were directly affected or not.”
When asked how she felt about the fact that the shooting happened so close, Jaworski said, “I think it’s really scary, considering it’s only, what two and a half hours away or something. I think it was even more frightening and anxiety provoking for me considering that some of my extended family actually live in East Lansing.”
“The shooter was in several different areas of campus, so you never know, I never really knew what their next target would be … and my family was there,” she said.
When The Observer asked Jaworski if she was concerned about a shooting happening on the tri-campus she said, “I think it’s concerning for all students in general, whether or not they know somebody directly affected by the shooting. I think it’s even more concerning that the shootings are happening more and more frequently around us.”
She continued, “I feel like we hear things, I don’t want to say all the time now, but it’s almost not surprising when it shouldn’t be like that, even the fact that it seems to happen the most on college campuses, high schools or even elementary schools is really scary.”
She describes her concern that some students don’t feel safe on their campuses anymore.
“These shootings are happening more frequently, and it’s really concerning that students don’t even feel safe at a place where they should feel safe. College is four years of their life where it should be their home, but you should feel safe at home and a lot of students don’t,” she said.
When The Observer asked if there was anything Notre Dame could do to make her feel safer on campus, Jaworski said, “I think promoting the safety measures more, specifically what to do in scenarios like what happened at MSU would be really beneficial.”
From her perspective, simple demonstrations of safety and transparency would be welcome.
“I think even urging students to lock their doors at night or to just be more aware of their surroundings would be helpful and advocating for mental health awareness to support the students that were directly affected by this in one way or another. But also to be more open to communication with students who have concerns about their safety or feel like their safety is at risk,” she said.
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Students revel in the return of full-capacity Notre Dame football game versus Toledo
This past weekend half of the tri-campus witnessed their first taste of what a normal Notre Dame home game is like, without so many COVID protocols in place. For some it was their first home game in a full stadium, for others it was the first home game in their college career, but for the upperclassmen it was a return to what they had come to know and love about Notre Dame home games before the pandemic: tailgating, a full student section and events all around campus pumping people up for the game against Toledo.
Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross students complete touchdown pushups after the Irish scored against the Toledo's Rockets in Saturday's game.
The festive weekend started out with a Friday pep rally, which included a live band and all the Notre Dame dorms showing up to South Quad in style. Dunne residents came sporting Sentinel helmets, the Badin Hall women all wore frog bucket hats and Lewis Hall even had some residents in full chicken costumes. After what can only be described as the parade of Halls, the Notre Dame Poms team preformed, as did the Notre Dame Cheerleading team.
The big finale for the pep rally featured an appearance by the football team and head coach Brian Kelly. During his address to the crowd, took the time to thank the students of the tri-campus community for their support throughout last year’s football season.
“We want to thank our students who supported us through last year, during COVID, that where in the stadium, and were just incredible week in and week out,” Kelly said.
To conclude the pep rally, “Notre Dame, Our Mother” was played, and each person in the crowd immediately stopped what they were doing, grabbed the person next to them — whether they knew them or not — and started swaying and singing along in true Notre Dame fashion.
Later that night, the Notre Dame band continued the tradition of the midnight drummer’s circle. They performed for the substantial crowd that had gathered outside the golden dome, and as always, ended the night with the Notre Dame Fight Song and alma mater.
On Saturday morning the campus was alive with people. Tailgates were happening all over campus, with everyone preparing for the 2:30 p.m. kickoff.
The game began with a prayer remembering the 9/11 attacks 20 years ago led by University President Fr. John Jenkins and a flyover by two U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter planes.
As a way to get back to normal, the student section made its return, where students are assigned seating sections based on seniority. First-years are placed near the end zone, while the seniors are around the 20 to 30-yard lines. However, some students are being labeled in the wrong class year because it is determined by how many credits a student has, not by how long they have been at the school.
Saint Mary’s Senior Lindsey Herdsman was one of the students to be mislabeled.
“This year I was labeled as a junior instead of a senior and I did email [the ticket office], and they never got back to me,” she said.
The ticket situation seems to be causing a lot of confusion and frustration for some students across the tri-campus community. For others like first-year Maya McKler. there was only excitement in the air.
“I just feel blessed because we get a real experience right off the bat and especially after COVID it’s just the Notre Dame family,” McKler said.
When asked for her opinion on Saturday’s game versus last year’s games, Saint Mary’s sophomore Lauren Davis said, “The energy was so high compared to last year, and it was really cool to see everybody in the stands all together, students, families and all the Notre Dame fans just having a lot of fun together.”