April 6, 2008
NCAA Frozen Four
INCH Measures Up Notre Dame's Mark Van Guilder

By Mike Eidelbes

No one has played more games in a Notre Dame uniform than forward Mark Van Guilder. When he takes the ice against Michigan in Denver Thursday, it'll be his 162nd career appearance.

Barring something unforeseen, Notre Dame captain Mark Van Guilder will don the Fighting Irish sweater for the 162nd consecutive game prior to Thursday's Frozen Four semifinal match against Michigan at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

That Notre Dame, a team that struggled during the second half of the season, has advanced to the Frozen Four for the first time in school history is certainly an improbable occurrence. That the Irish are captained by Van Guilder, a senior forward from Roseville, Minn., who wasn't even on scholarship when he arrived on campus as a freshman in 2004 sounds like even more of a reach. But here's Van Guilder, a 6-foot-2, 207-pound forward poised to lead the hockey team representing one of the nation's most widely recognized universities into battle.

Inside College Hockey: There are few schools in the country as mad about sports as Notre Dame. What has the mood on campus been like?

Mark Van Guilder: It’s been awesome. Even the support we got out in Colorado was amazing. It’s really nice coming back to a football school and seeing the support. But our rink has been full all year. Getting the congratulations from the faculty, the staff, the students, and the community means a lot.

INCH: Was some of your success in the regional due to the fact that you’ve been in playoff mode just to get into the NCAAs?

MVG: I think it had a lot to do with it. All year, we felt the higher expectations as well as changes in expectations for the program. We could make things happen and not worry about losing. We’ve been playing good defense all year long. We knew that once we played defense and offense at the same time, anything can happen.

INCH Measures Up: Frozen Four Edition

Boston College's John Muse Michigan's Billy Sauer North Dakota's J-P Lamoureux

INCH: Your team has certainly played better as of late. Can you identify a turning point?

MVG: What started to turn it around was Ferris State at home [in the CCHA playoff quarterfinal.] We lost the first game, and we were game away from ending the season. We came out and played with desperation and urgency. We were prepared for that situation, so facing elimination isn’t anything new.

INCH: People are going to make a lot about this being Notre Dame’s first Frozen Four appearance, but it’s not your coach’s first trip. What has Jeff Jackson told you about the Frozen Four?

MVG: He’s told us a lot about trying to stay focused. You get there and everybody wants a piece of you. You’re still there to play hockey. That can’t change. After all the big wins and everything that happens, his expression doesn’t change. We’re gonna follow him wherever he leads us. At Lake Superior State he was in the NCAA championship X times and won two national titles.

INCH: You finally advance to a Frozen Four, and you get Michigan, a CCHA opponent you play at least twice every season. Would you rather play a team you haven’t seen before?

MVG: It really doesn’t matter too much. Obviously, they’re one of the most talented teams in the country and they’ve probably got one of the best lines in the country, if not the best, [in Kolarik-Pacioretty-Porter.] We know what to expect, but we’ve still got to go out and execute our game plan.

INCH: What does it mean for college hockey to have Michigan and Notre Dame playing in the Frozen Four? Are the two names alone enough to draw casual sports fan into watching?

MVG: I hadn’t thought about it much, but it had crossed my mind. You think about the football rivalry. There is such a love-hate relationship with both schools across the country. You see the “M” and the “ND” … there are going to be people tuning in just for that. It’s going to catch their attention.

INCH: You’ve gone from being an invited walk-on as a freshman to captaining this team. My hunch is you didn’t envision this career arc when you started at Notre Dame.

MVG: I really didn’t. I came in wanting to make the lineup and improve myself. I wasn’t thinking about wearing the “C” or putting up numbers. Four years later, wearing the “C” means so much to me, not just because of what it represents but also who’s worn it before me – guys like Cory McLean and T.J. Jindra. Being an underclassman and being around those guys, that’s really what means the most to me.

INCH: Since you played in Colorado Springs, you’ve experienced a couple of games at the high altitude. And though people will say it doesn’t affect you, it really does. Is that an advantage?

MVG: You can’t think about it, or change your game. We dealt with it very well last weekend. It gives us a little mental edge, but when it comes down to it, it really doesn’t change your game at all.

INCH: There are two weeks off between the regional and the Frozen Four, but my guess is that you guys are probably ready to go right now.

MVG: It’s been a long week. I haven’t got much sleep, and there’s been a lot of excitement. I’m ready to go, but we still have a few days to get better. You can’t get look too much forward. You have to focus on that day, and get better every day.