The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, November 8, 1993 - 7
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Wolverines pass first
test with flying colors
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By MICHAEL ROSENBERG
DAILY HOCKEY WRITER
SAULT STE. MARIE - This was a test of the
Michigan hockey system.
This was only a test.
Had this been areal emergency, the 4-2 Wolver-
ine victory over Lake Superior State Friday would
have been followed by loss of sanity by Michigan
players and instructions for Laker fans to stay away
from sharp objects.
However, this was only a test. A look at where
the Wolverines are and how far they can go.
Going in, the Wolverines knew their trip to the
Soo was a test. Michigan had lost several key
players from last year's Final Four squad, and until
this weekend nobody, including the Wolverines,
4new if coach Red Berenson's troops were reload-
ing or just rebuilding.
Now they know.
This team is good. Real good. As good, maybe,
as any team in the country.
This was a test of whether Michigan could
compete with the Lake States of the college hockey
world, and the Wolverines proved they could.,
But that's all they proved. They did not prove
they are the best team in the country. They did not
*ven prove they are the best team in the state. And
after the game, Michigan, Lake State and everyone
else in James Norris Ice Arena knew nothing had
really been decided.
"We still feel we made the mistakes, and that's
why they won," Laker forward Kurt Miller said.
"We've got Michigan two more times."
But the trip north was still hugely successful for
the Wolverines, as much for what didn't happen as
for what did.
Michigan didn't miss any of the departed play-
ers from last year's team.
"This definitelyhas to makepeople forget about
last year," captain Brian Wiseman said. "We played
against a top team. I think we came out and proved
to (the Lakers) that Michigan is still a top team."
Goalie Steve Shields turned away 31 of Lake
State's 33 shots, effectively dismissing the notion
that his superior numbers the last three'years were
a result of an experienced defense in front of him.
Shields' play was a major factor in ensuring that
Lake State didn't dominate on the power play. The
Lakers had a man-advantage nine times, and they
only put the puck in the net once, with 1:29 remain-
ing in the second period and Michigan enjoying a
four-goal lead.
"After this game, I feel real confident with our
penalty-killing," senior forward Mike Stone said.
"I think we're finally gelling."
Stone, perhaps the most important reason for
Michigan's improvement in that department, led
the Wolverines against Lake State's power play.
"Mike Stone is one of those unsung players,"
Berenson said. "He's been as good as anyone -if
not the premier player - in the league on penalty
killing."
But although Stone played well against Lake
State, he didn'tplay way above his head. Neitherhe
nor any of the other Michigan players turned in
career performances. They didn't need to. The
Wolverines did not have to play a perfect game to
beat the Lakers, which ought to end any speculation
that this victory was a fluke.
" I think we dominated the second and third
periods," Miller said, and few could argue. Michi-
gan jumped out to the early lead, but after the first
period it was the Lakers who shined. Lake State
outshot the Wolverines 21-11 in the final 40 min-
utes.
As for the Lakers, they found out that this year,
like every other year, the CCHA title race will be a
dogfight. They may be the No. 1 team in the
country, but they will still have their hands full in
the battle for CCHA supremacy.
"There are no giants in the CCHA," Wolverine
David Oliver said. Or, more appropriately, there
are several giants in the CCHA. And Michigan is
certainly one of them.
The Wolverines are better than anyone thought
they would be at this stage of the season. But it's
still early in the year.
After all, this was only a test.
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JONATHAN LURIEJDaity
Center Brendan Morrison faces off against Ferris State's Val Passarelli in
Michigan's 5-2 victory Saturday. Morrison had a goal and two assists.
CCHA ROUNDUP:
Michigan State ties
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Greg Louder made 30 saves for Notre Dame (1-2-1
CCHA, 2-2-1 overall) and Mike Buzak had 23 for Michi-
gan State (4-2-1, 4-2-1) as the Irish and the Spartans
skated to a 1-1 tie Saturday night.
The goals were scored only 1:40 apart in the second
period. Notre Dame center Jamie Ling scored an unas-
sisted goal at 12:26, but the Spartans quickly tied it up on
Steve Guolla's power-play goal.
Michigan State managedjustone shotandNotreDame
had just two in the five-minute overtime.
Ohio State 4, Kent State 2
Joe Sellers and Chad Powers scored two goals each and
Tom Askey made 36 saves as Ohio State beat Kent State.
Both of Powers' goals came on the power play, as he
scored late in the first period and at 14:27 of the second to
give the Buckeyes (1-2-1, 2-2-1) a 3-1 lead.
Kent(1-2-1, 2-2-1) closed to3-2on Kevin McPherson's
goal with 49 seconds left in the second period. But Sellers
scored at 14:31 of the third period.
Western Michigan 4, Clarkson 3
Chris Brooks scored a power-play goal at 7:19 of the
third period as Western Michigan beat Clarkson 4-3.
The Broncos (1-3-1, 3-3-1) took a 3-1 lead in the first
Fighting Irish,1-1
periodbut couldn't hang on. Steve Palmer scored a power-
play goal for Clarkson (1-1-1) at 2:15 of the second period
and Patrice Robitaille tied it at 9:06.
ColinWard had a goal and two assists for the Broncos.
Brian Renfrew made 32 saves for the Broncos. Gregg
Malicke played the first period for Clarkson, making eight
saves. Jason Currie finished the game and made 22 saves.
Other Saturday scores:
Bowling Green 3, Lake Superior State 2
Northeastern 10, Illinois-Chicago 9
Michigan captain Brian Wiseman and his teammates surprised host Lake Superior State, 4-2, Friday.
HOCKEY
4, ontinued from page 1
flipped a backhanded pass from the
right circle to Botterill, who was skat-
ing through the center of the Lake
State zone unguarded. Goalie Paul
Sass made a pad save on Botterill's
wrist shot, but the rebound landed
right back on the breaking Botterill's
stick and he scorched it into the lower
left corner of the goal.
After Hilton caught the Lakers in
* line change for a mid-second period
power play tally, the Wolverines held
a seemingly comfortable 4-0 lead.
However, Michigan penalties gave
Lake State five power plays in the last
25 minutes of the game and the Wol-
verines held on for dear life.
"We letup in the secondhalfof the
game," Berenson said. "We weren't
forechecking as well. We weren't
"laying as well in our own zone. We
were hanging on, and they were put-
ting a lot of pressure on us."
The Lakers finally got to Shields
at 18:31 of the second, but only by
means of a little trickery. Kurt Miller
slapped a shot from the point and two
deflections later, defenseman Keith
Aldridge had closed the gap to 4-1
with his second goal of the season.
Despite spending the majority of the
hird period in the Michigan zone and
peppering Shields, Lake State scored
only once more.
"With our big, strong forwards we
can get our low play going and usu-
ally dominate any kind of team,"
Aldridge said. "A couple times on the
SELF-SERVE
COPIES
4C _
power play we just had guys crashing
the net all over, pucks going off posts
and getting blocked."
In Saturday's victory over Ferris
State (1-4-0, 1-6-0) a Wolverine of a
different name was called upon to
keep the puck out of the goal. After
Shields suffered a strained right knee
in the second period, backup Chris
Gordon filled in admirably, stopping
20 of 22 shots. Shields's injury is not
deemed serious, and he is expected to
be ready for play next weekend.
"To go on the road and to give up
four goals in these two buildings is a
tribute to our defense and our
goaltenders," Berenson said.
At the time of Shields' departure,
the Wolverines held a 2-0 lead, thanks
to goals by Brendan Morrison and
Mike Knuble. The Bulldogs then
countered Harold Schock's first col-
legiate score with a pair of tallies,
closing the Michigan lead to 3-2 at the
end of the second period.
"The first goal of the third period
I thought would be a big one,"
Berenson said. "And it was."
And who better to account for the
big goal than the Wolverines' big
guns, Oliver and Wiseman. The pair
teamed up for a two-on-one, with
Oliver scoring off of Wiseman's feed
at 8:29 of the third.
Oliver then provided Michigan
with an insurance goal on a bullet
slapshot from the point at 14:28, again
on a pass from Wiseman.
The five-goal performance by the
Wolverines left them with a6.75 goals-
per-game average, a number that leaves
most opposing coaches' with migraine
headaches. But Ferris State coach Bob
Daniels was drooling over a different
Wolverine exploit.
"More than Botterill or Morrison, I
was really impressed with their young
defense," Daniels said. "(Blake)Sloan
was really good. I thought Schock
played really well, too."
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