Christian Hanson Class: Senior Hometown: Venetia, PA High School: Peters Township Height / Weight: 6-4 / 228 Position: Center Birthdate: 03/10/1986 Last Team: Tri-City Storm (USHL)

Three-time monogram winner for the Irish ... will serve as an alternate captain during the 2008-09 season ... had a break out campaign as a junior ... solid two-way forward who is one of the CCHA's top face-off men ... skilled, play-making center who will be looked to in the goal-scoring department in '08-'09 ... outstanding team leader ... strong forechecker who uses his size and reach to disrupt the opposition ... likes to play a physical style and is strong along the boards and in front of the net ... has shown improvement in all areas in his first three seasons at Notre Dame ... played in all 47 games last season with career highs in goals (13), assists (9) and points (22) ... selected to the all-tournament team at the NCAA West Regional as his play helped the Irish advance to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four ... has played in 103 career games at Notre Dame, scoring 20 goals with 13 assists for 33 points ... joined the Irish after playing two seasons in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the Tri-City Storm ... was a teammate with the Storm of former Irish players Brian D'Arcy `08, Mark Van Guilder `08 and fellow senior Luke Lucyk ... one of four former Storm alums on the roster along with Lucyk, junior Kyle Lawson and sophomore Calle Ridderwall ... one of 15 former USHL players at Notre Dame ... won the USHL's 2005 Curt Hammer Award which is presented annually to the league's "most gentlemanly player who embodies what the USHL stands for on and off the ice" ... fourth Irish hockey player to receive Hammer Award, joining Cory McLean'05, Aaron Gill `04 and Mark Eaton, who now plays for the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins ... signed national letter-of-intent in early-signing period (Nov. `04) along with Erik Condra, Jordan Pearce, Kevin Deeth, Kyle Lawson and Ryan Thang ... one of three Western Pennsylvania natives on the roster along with junior Christiaan Minella (Canonsburg) and freshman Patrick Gaul (Upper St. Clair) ... one of nine players from Pittsburgh area to play hockey at Notre Dame, joining Gaul, Minella, Stewart Carlin (`06-'08), Mike Leherr (`86-90), Tom Mooney (`84-'88), Tom Myers (`68-'69), Tom Parent (`84-'85) and John Roselli (`68-'71) ... member of Notre Dame's Academic Honors Program.

AS A JUNIOR: Played in all 47 games for the Irish, recording career highs in goals (13), assists (9), points (22) and shots on goal ... picked up 23 penalties for 57 minutes of penalty time ... added one short-handed goal and one game winner ... turned in a +5 for the season ... won 60.3% of face offs (366 of 607) ... named to the all-tournament team at the NCAA West Regional where he scored three goals and added an assist in wins over New Hampshire and Michigan State ... had five multiple-point games on the season and one, two-goal game ... opened the year with just one assist in the first eight games ... scored goals in back-to-back contests versus Lake Superior (Nov. 2) and at Miami (Nov 9) ... goal versus Lake Superior was short-handed while goal versus top-ranked Red Hawks staked Irish to a 1-0 lead in 2-1 upset win ... had three-point weekend (2g, 1a) in sweep of Nebraska-Omaha ... picked up a goal and an assist in 5-4 win on Nov. 30 and a goal in 5-0 shutout win (Dec. 1) ... recorded back-to-back two-point games (1g, 1a) in 7-0 win at Princeton (Dec. 8) and in opening game of Lightning College Hockey Classic in a 4-3 loss to Massachusetts ... added an assist in 3-1 win over Rensselaer in third-place game of tournament ... scored the game winner in 2-1 win at Northern Michigan (Jan. 5) ... helped Irish to 6-1 home win against Bowling Green with his eighth goal of the season on Jan. 25 ... helped Notre Dame to a 2-2 tie with Ferris State when he stole the puck and scored from a bad angle to give the Irish a 2-1 lead .... had assists in win at Alaska and home loss to Ohio State ... got hot in the postseason with four goals and one assist in nine games ... scored lone Irish goal in 2-1 loss to Northern Michigan in CCHA third-place game ... scored twice in the 7-3 win over New Hampshire in first NCAA Tournament game ... had a goal and an assist in 3-1 victory over Michigan State that sent Notre Dame to the Frozen Four.

AS A SOPHOMORE: Saw action in 33 games for the Irish, scoring six goals with two assists for eight points ... had one power-play goal and one game winner ... recorded 12 penalties for 24 penalty minutes ... took 58 shots on goal ... was +8 for the season ... led all regular centers by winning 59.1% of face offs (267 of 452) ... missed eight straight games from Jan. 19 through Feb. 10 with mononucleosis ... scored goals in three straight games from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3 ... first goal of the year gave Irish a 2-0 lead versus Army in opening game of Lightning College Hockey Classic ... gave Notre Dame a 1-0 lead at 3:21 of second period versus Air Force for eventual game-winning goal in 2-0 win over Air Force ... was selected to the Lightning College Hockey Classic all-tournament team and was tournament most valuable player ... continued goal streak with second goal of the game in 4-2 win at Ohio State on Nov. 3 ... went 10 games without a point before scoring fourth goal of the season in 7-3 win at Michigan ... picked up first two-point game of career in 4-3 win over Northern Michigan on Dec. 30 at Ft. Wayne ... third-period power-play goal snapped 2-2 tie ... had one assist in 4-2 home loss to Robert Morris ... returned to the lineup after missing eight games with mononucleosis at Alaska on Feb. 16 ... scored final goal of the season in CCHA semifinal game, an empty-net goal to lock up 3-0 win over Lake Superior State ... had one goal in six postseason games.

AS A FRESHMAN: Played in 23 games with one goal and two asssists ... recorded seven penalties for 14 minutes ... had 20 shots on goal and was -2 on the season ... scored first collegiate goal in 9-4 win over Bowling Green on Nov. 10 ... had first assist of the year on Jan. 20 in 5-2 loss at Northern Michigan ... had one point in two CCHA playoff games when he set up Dan VeNard's first-period goal in 3-1 loss to Alaska Fairbanks.

PREP & PERSONAL: Graduated from Peters Township High School in McMurray, Pa. ... also attended Kearney High School in Kearney, Neb., while playing for the Tri-City Storm ... as a freshman at Peters Township, helped lead Indians to 2002 Pennsylvania State title ... had four goals and three assists in championship game ... played five years with the Pittsburgh Hornets before joining Tri-City .... was a high school and junior teammate of junior Christiaan Minella at Peters Township and with the Hornets ... played two seasons in Tri-City ... served as an assistant captain in `04-'05 and led the Storm in scoring with 19 goals and 33 assists for 52 points to tie for 16th in USHL scoring race ... helped Storm to fourth-place in the USHL's Western Division with a 33-21-6 record ... full name is Christian David Hanson ... son of Dave and Suzanne Hanson ... has two sisters ... his father, Dave, played 10 years of pro hockey, including stints with the Detroit Red Wings, the Minnesota North Stars and the WHA's Minnesota Fighting Saints ... father is best known for his role in the movie, Slapshot, as one of the famed Hanson Brothers ... is the sixth Notre Dame hockey player whose father played in the NHL ... born March 10, 1986, in Glens Falls, N.Y. ...finance major in the Mendoza College of Business.

Hanson's Career Statistics