6 - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, January 10, 1994
Michigan
shows Lake
who's boss,
for now
By PAUL BARGER
DAILY HOCKEY WRITER
Michigan's 5-2 victory over Lake
Superior State Saturday night marked
the first multigame regular season-
series sweep the Wolverines have ever
had against the Lakers.
The dominant force in college
hockey over the last decade, the Lak-
ers may have symbolically handed
over their crown this weekend to the
No. 1 Wolverines. At the very least,
Michigan proved once and for all
those days of Laker mastery of the
Wolverines are over.
"They've been a tough team ever
since I've been at Michigan," coach
Red Berenson said. "We've gotten
better and we think we're up at the
same level as their team."
The most lopsided score in the
Lake State-Michigan series came a
mere two years ago at Sault Ste. Marie.
The Lakers pounded the Wolverines,
10-0, on the road to their second na-
tional championship in five years.
After that game the Wolverines com-
plained of being unprepared,
unmotivated,and embarrassed.
"A lot of guys wouldn't want to
show up every night because they
knew that someone would step up and
usually get the job done," captain
Brian Wiseman said. "But, on occa-
sion they didn't, and we get results
like the 10-0 loss up there."
This weekend was a completely
different story. With the recent depar-
ture of All-Americans such as Denny
Felsner and David Roberts, the Wol-
verines have learned to rely on the
team as a whole instead of individual
players.
"There is no real superstar that
grabs all of the headlines," forward
Mike Knuble said. "We're getting a
balanced effort. All four lines are
scoring, all six defensemen are play-
ing well and (goaltender Steve)
Shields is playing great."
Although Michigan achieved an
importantmilestone this weekend, one
goal looms large on the horizon. The
Lakers have defeated the Wolverines
three straight years in the CCHA play-
offs and Michigan is looking for a
little payback. The Wolverines have a
hefty 10-point lead over Michigan
State in the race for the regular season
title, but the torch won't be passed
from the Lakers to the Wolverines
until Michigan can defeat the Lakers,
down the road, when it really counts.
Speaking for everyone that played
through the 10-0 game at the Soo,
senior David Oliver said, "It's impor-
tant to get a series win, but the turn
won't be complete until we beat them
in the playoffs."
MICHIGAN 6, LAKE SUPERIOR 1
Lake Superior 1 1 1 0-3
Michigan 2 1 0 1-4
Frst Period- i, LSSU, Trzinski 6 (G. Tallaire),
3:21.2, UM, Sacka1 (Luhning), 14:32 (sh). 3, UM,
Wiseman 9 (Oliver, Hilton), 15:24. Penalties -
Matteucci, LSSU (interference); 4:47; Matteucci,
LSSU (crosschecking), 9:27; Hiton, UM (hooking),
13:04.
Second Period - 4, UM, Knuble 21 (Oliver),
11:14 (pp). 5, LSSU, Matteucci 4 (Beddoes, Miller),
16:03. Penlaties - Matteucci, LSSU (roughing),
:53; Botterill, UM (roughing), :53; Felsner, LSSU
{holding), 4:10; Knuble, UM (holding), 4:58;
Vallcevic, LSSU (holding), 11:01; Hogan, UM (rough-
ing), 11:49; Matteucci, LSSU (tripping), 19:42.
Third Period - 6, LSSU, Felsner 1 (Wetherill,
Beddoes), 14:38. Penalties- Angelelli (charging),
5:54.
OvertInt- 7, UM, Wiseman 10 (Botterill, Oliver),
2:47. Penalties - none.
Shots on goal - LSSU 7-8.8-1-24. UM 12-4-11-
2-29.
Power plays - LSSU 0of 3; UM 1 of 6.
Goalie saves - LSSU, Lacher 10-3-11-1-25.
UM, Shields 6-7-7-1-21.
Referees - Matt Shegos, Mark Shegos.
Linesaan - John Kelly.
At: Yost ice Arena. A:7,388.
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By MICHAEL ROSENBERG
DAILY HOCKEY WRITER
You want leadership? How's this for leadership: Two
minutes and 47 seconds into overtime against Lake Supe-
rior State Friday night, Brian Wiseman took the league
into his own hands. The senior captain of the Michigan
hockey team took a pass from freshman Jason Botterill in
front of the goal, and promptly put the puck in the net and
Lake State in its place.
Any hope the Lakers had of winning the CCHA
regular-season title faded almost as quickly as the color in
coach Jeff Jackson's hair.
That's leadership.
"It's fitting that if someone's going to score the win-
ning goal, it's your captain," coach Red Berenson said.
After the game, Wiseman's thoughts were naturally on
Bowling Green.
Bowling Green?
"That's what I should have done against Bowling
Green," Wiseman said more than once, referring to the
Oct. 29 game against the Falcons. With that game tied, 5-
5, in overtime; Botterill passed to Wiseman. The center
couldn't lift the puck off the ice on his shot, and the
Wolverines went on to tie Bowling Green.
That tells you all you need to know about Brian
Wiseman. His team is 15-0-1 in the toughest confer-
ence in college hockey, and he is worried about that one
tie. It's all his fault, he thinks. If it wasn't for that one
stupid shot, the Wolverines would be perfect in confer-
ence play.
When you expect that much of yourself, your team-
mates don't dare complain that you're too hard on them.
That's why Wiseman is unquestionably the leader of
this team. If the Wolverines aren't giving it their all,
Wiseman lets them know about it.
"Every now and then everyone kind of (slacks off) a
little bit," Wiseman said. "You just have to stay focused
on the task at hand."
Wiseman, David Oliver, Mike Stone and Steve Shields
have lived together for three years now, and the four are
straitjacket-tight. They do almost everything together,
Wiseman, Oliver
the class of CCHA
including keeping their teammates in line w hen they are
tempted to slack off.
"This is by far the best team I've been on at Michigan,"
Wiseman said. "It's not the most talented, but it's the most
disciplined. It's the hardest working. I think that's what
we lacked before. I think in the past we were outworked
sometimes. This year our work ethic is second to none."
With the Wolverines several weeks ahead of the rest of
the conference, the only question remaining in their sea-
son is whether Wiseman or Oliver will win the CCHA'
scoring title. Quite frankly, Wiseman isn't helping him-
self by giving Oliver so many quality shots.
"He's the craftiest player with the puck I've ever'
seen," Oliver said of his linemate. "There aren't too many
guys I'd rather have with the puck than Brian Wiseman."
Wiseman, Oliver and Shields are all candidates for the
Hobey Baker award, given annually to the best player in
college hockey. One can only imagine the conversations
going on in their house.
Wiseman: "OK, Ollie, here's the deal. I'll do your
shopping for a month if you let me win the Hobey."
Oliver: "Fine, but you also have to do the dishes for a,.
week."
Wiseman: "It's a deal."
Shields: "Hey! What about me? I'm a contender too,'
you know. Who do you think stops all those breakaways
while you guys are messing around on the other end of the
ice? I'll let you win, but you have to wash my uniform@
every day for the rest of the season."
Wiseman: "Jeez. It's only a trophy."
Who truly deserves the award? Lake State coach Jeff
Jackson knows who he would vote for.
"David Oliver is by far the best player I've seen,"
Jackson said, although he quickly added that "Wiseman's
no slouch either."
Perhaps Laker goalie Blaine Lacher knows which-
Wolverine is best. Lacher certainly saw enough of them
this weekend. Please, Blaine, tell us. Who is better,*
Wiseman or Oliver?
"To be honest with you, I was most impressed by Mike
Knuble."
JONATHAN LURIE/Daily
Michigan's Mike Knuble checks a Laker during the Wolverines' 43 win Friday.
HOCKEY
Continued from page 1
the game, it looked as though Lake
Superior might be the team celebrat-
ing. It was Lake State which had the
momentum when Laker Brian Felsner
popped a puck over Steve Shields'
shoulder and into the Wolverine goal
at the 14:48 mark of the third period.
"The guy went for a wraparound,"
Shields said. "It either hit my stick or a
defender and popped up. I thought I
knocked it down, but then I looked back
and it was rolling over the goal line."
Lake State's second score also came
on a play where Shields apparently lost
the puck, this time because of a Laker
player's screen. Mike Matteucci put
home a shot from a few feet inside blue
line to answer Mike Knuble's second
period power-play goal and cutthe Wol-
verines' lead to 3-2.
"I thought they played a really
good game," Berenson said. "I thought
we were playing well in the third
period. We weren't giving them the
chances like we were in the second."
But despite having chances to
score, the Lakers only netted one goal
in the second period.
"Friday night was our chance to
win," Lake State coach Jeff Jackson
said. "I thought we played pretty well."
While Friday night's game was a
tight contest between two apparently
evenly matched teams, Saturday's
MICHIGAN 5, LAKE SUPERIOR 2
Lake Superior 0 1 1-2
Mchigan 1 4 0-5
First Period - 1, UM, Oliver 17 (Botterill, Knuble).
1:54 (pp). Penalties-Wetherill, LSSU (hooking), :51;
Sacka, UM (interference), 3:17; Halko, UM (tripping),
8:47; Morin, LSSU (hooking), 18:38; Luhning, UM
(cross-checking), 18:38; Miller, LSSU (checking from
behind), 19:15; Stone, UM (checking from behind),
19:15.
Second Period -2, LSSU, G. Tallaire 2 (S. Tallaire,
Aldridge), 7:24 (pp). 3, UM, Oliver 18 (Morrison), 8:48
(pp). 4, UM, Luhning5 (Schock, Halko), 10:33 (pp). 5,
UM. Knuble 22 (Wiseman), 14:16 (pp). 6, UM, Sloan
1 (Madden), 15:39. Penalties - Schock, UM (trip-
ping), 1:45; Wiseman, UM(cross-checking), 5:26; Miller,
LSSU (cross-checking), 8:39; Wetherill, LSSU (charg-
ing), 9:33; Hogan, UM (roughing), 11:26, Aldridge,
LSSU (interference), 14:07; Aldridge. LSSU (slashing),
15:39: Knuble, UM (slashing), 15:39; Beddoes, LSSU,
double-minor, (slashing), 16:14; Legg, UM (interfer-
ence), 17:48, Hogan, UM (hooking), 18:58.
Third Period- 7, LSSU, Morin 7,8:16. Penalties-
Beddoes, LSSU (high-sticking), :53; Stone, UM (high-
sticking), :53; Miller, LSSU (roughing), 2:04;Angelelli,
LSSU (roughing), 2:04; Strachan, LSSU (roughing),
2:04; Bourke, UM (roughing), 2:04; Botterill, UM (rough-
ing), 2:04; Sakala, UM (slashing), 2:04; Knuble, UM
(high-sticking) 14:44; LSSU bench, served by Ness
(too many men), 16:21; Lacher, LSSU, served by
Pulente (roughing), 17:25; Botterill, UM (cross-check-
ing), 17:25.
Shots on goat - LSSU 2-6-4-12. UM 7-11-5-23.
Power plays - LSSU 1 of 8; UM 4 of 6.
Goalie saves - LSSU, Lacher 6-7-5-18. UM,
Shields 2-5.3-10, Gordon (10:10 third) X-X-0-0.
Referees - Roger Graf, John Dobrzelewski.
Unesman - Bob Faria.
At: Yost Ice Arena. A: 7,512.
matchup featured little drama. Michi-
gan dominated aLaker team with supe-
rior special teams and defensive play.
The Wolverines struck early with
a power play goal just 1:54 into the
game by Oliver, who was named
CCHA Offensive Player of the Week
for his five points on the weekend.
Power play goals by Oliver, Warren
Luhning and Mike Knuble, and Blake
Sloan's first collegiate goal gave
Michigan an insurmountable 5-1 lead.
"That's the best (power play) I've
seen in my three years," Lacher said.
"They deserve to be No. 1 in the nation.
I don't think any one can beat them in
this building unless they fall asleep."
The Wolverines power play went
4-of-6, while the penalty killers held
the Lakers to 1-of-8 on the power play.
Meanwhile, the defense limited
Lake State to a meager 13 shots on goal
for the game, considerably easing
Shields' job. The Wolverines used their
bodies to block many of the Lakers'
shots before they could reach Shields.
"Coach reminded us this morning
in our meeting that that was something
we weren'tdoing too well," Mike Stone
said. "So we were a little more con-
scious of getting down and blocking
some of their shots from the point."
And those blocked shots from the
point helped stop the Lakers from scor-
ing points, both in the game and the
CCHA standings. More importantly,
the season sweep sent a message to the
Lakers that Michigan is the team to
beat now in the conference.
Jackson seemed to get the message.
When asked if Michigan was the
best team his club has faced this year,
he contritely replied.
"That's not even a fair question."
JONATHAN LURIE/Daily=
Michigan captain Brian Wiseman scored the winning goal against Lake Superior State in overtime Friday night. It
was Wiseman's second goal of the contest.
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