He shoots, he scores: Notre Dame's Josh Sciba
buried 17 of the 86 shots he took last season,
a 19.8 percent success rate. (Photo by Matt Cashore)
Key Statistics: When
Sciba shoots, pay attention, because there’s a
fairly good chance the puck’s gonna go in the
net. Last season, he scored 17 goals on just 86 shots
for a shooting percentage (yeah, they keep track of
that stuff in hockey) of 19.8 percent.
What He Does: Sciba ranked
among the CCHA's top 10 in both goals and power-play
goals, an impressive feat considering the 5-foot-11,
195-pound forward spent virtually the entire season
playing center rather than his natural spot on the left
wing. Coach Jeff Jackson says that, like all goal scorers,
Sciba has the natural instincts and timing to get to
the right place and the right time, jumping into holes
and positioning himself for rebounds while keeping opponents
at bay with his superior strength. Jackson also commended
Sciba on his commitment to the defensive responsibilities
that come with playing center.
The Bigger Picture: When
you've got a guy who scores on one of every five shots
he takes, you naturally want him to fire more pucks
at the net. To that end, one of Jackson's priorities
is to pair Sciba with the team's best center, freeing
him from the defensive burden in the middle and hopefully
leading to more scoring opportunities on the wing. The
Fighting Irish's second-year bench boss adds that Sciba
needs to be more productive in five-on-five situations
– of his 17 goals last season, 10 came on the
power play.
Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson
on Sciba: “Josh took big strides in his
game and his leadership last season. He was productive
on the penalty kill and was part of the top power play,
he was willing to pay the price to score goals and he
made the commitment to playing center – he could've
been a liablity on defense but he handled himself well.”
He shoots, he scores: Notre Dame's Josh Sciba
buried 17 of the 86 shots he took last season,
a 19.8 percent success rate. (Photo by Matt Cashore)