4 - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, February 6, 1995 Wolverines prove their mett in third-period explosions Mike Knuble fights for control of the puck in Friday night's 8-3 Wolverine victory over Western Michigan. Knuble tallied one of five Michigan goals in a third period scoring spree. Blue power play sinks opposition Michigan converts on six of 12 attempts over weekend By Melanie Schuman Daily Hockey Writer EAST LANSING - When a team has one more skater on the ice than the opponent - in other words, a man advantage - it is called a power play. After an early-season struggle when Michigan went 5-for-21 with an extra skater, the squad started climbing in the league rankings. It earned the No. 1 ranking overall in the CCHA after win- ning its seventh-straight Great Lakes Invitational. Michigan's top power play unit fielded Mike Knuble - who led the nation last season in power play tallies with 32-Jason Botterill, Kevin Hilton, Robb Gordon and point-man Brendan Morrison. The second unit with Bill Muckalt, Warren Luhning, John Mad- den, Mike Legg and Steven Halko as a steady conglomerate, but didn't find the back of the net with such ease as their compatriots. This tandem of units was effective, so much that it was ranked No. 2 in the country in early January and has contin- ued to mingle with the top three con- tenders. But soon that well of riches dried up. There was talk that too many teams knew what Michigan would do, and the old Morrison-to-Hilton-to-Knuble meter ;yhad expired. "Teams knew what to expect every night, and now we're throwing some- thing different at them," Knuble said. "As teams scout us, we had to roll with the punches and change everything." The coaching staff tried moving Hilton down to the second unit, but Michigan wentadismal0-for-11 against Western Michigan and Illinois-Chicago Jan. 27 and 28. However, that weekend Botterill played hurt and sick, and Mike Legg didn't seem comfortable with his new linemates (Knuble and Morrison) or his position on the top power play. Even though they did not score any power-play goals in that series, entering this weekend the Wolverines had con- verted 40 of 143 power play opportuni- ties - a mark which set them at No. 2 overall in the CCHA and No. 3 in the nation. Another week of practice allowed assistant coach Mel Pearson to manipu- late the power play units even further. The line ofMadden, Luhning, and Hilton joined Knuble and Morrison on the top unit, thus allowing Knuble newfound freedom playing the left point instead of down low in front of the net. Knuble has a team-leading eight power play goals, and the team is 19-1-1 with him in the lineup. After converting three of seven chances Friday and three of five against Michigan State Saturday, Michigan has broken out of its mini-slump. "Changes sometimes do anteam some good," said Matt Herr, another new addition to the power play. "Some- times it's the unity ofa line working well together (that causes change), not guys that are playing well." Against the Broncos, Madden scored the game-tying goal with the man-ad- vantage, and a period later, Muckalt netted the game winner much the same way. Muckalt's slapshot from the hash marks was so hard that it bounced right back out of the net just as quickly as it went in. The final power-play tally of the night came when Herr scored his seventh goal of the season on a wrist shot that beat Bronco goalie Brian Renfrew stick side. Saturday, Herr started the Michigan scoring on a the first Wolverine power play. The freshman walked in from the left of the goal and lifted the puck over Spartan goalie Mike Buzak's glove. Madden converted on the man-advan- tage late in the second stanza when he scored off a Luhning rebound. Knuble scored his conference-leading fifth game winner of the season during a three- minute Wolverine power play. The Spartans penalty killing was third in the league coming into the game Saturday, but ranked 15th nationally. However, it could not stop the No. 3 powerplay. Ironically, the Spartanpower play ranked second in the nation - one spot ahead of Michigan - did not score on any of its five chances. MARK FRIEDMAN/Dal Michigan forward Warren Luhning breaks free from a defender in the Wolverines' victory over Western Michigan Friday night. Luhning had an assist in each of the contests against the Broncos and Spartans this weekend. CCHA Standings Through games of Feb. 4. CONFERENCE OVERALL TEAM Michigan BowlIng Green Michigan St. !Miami; Ohio Lake Superior' Ferris State Ill-Chicago W. Michigan Notre Dame 'Ohio St. w 16 14 12 10 9 8 7. 6 3 2 L 2 4 4 6 8 10 9- 12. 17 15 J T 3 2 2 2 PTS 33 29 27 25 21 20 16 14 7 6 atrdajy Michigan Miami 5, w 21 19 17 12 11 11 10 13 7 5 L 4 7 7 11 10 13 13 14 21 20 T 1 1 3 -5- 4 3 3 2 HOCKEY NOTEBOOK Sacka returns to lineup after four-week absence By Tom Seeley Daily Hockey Writer EAST LANSING - Michigan's Ron Sacka returned with a bang thi' weekend after sitting out the Wolverines' last six games due to a groin injury. Friday night against Western Michigan, the senior center scored on his first shift of the game and assisted on another tally in the third period. "I was so pumped up for my first shift. My goal was to just go out and get a hit," said Sacka, a mainstay on the Wolverines' checking line before his injury. "The puck just kind of laid there. I picked up the puck and turned, and it seemed like everyone just left the middle of the ice. "I played juniors with (Western Michigan goalie Brian) Renfrew for three years so I know that every time you shoot on him, he comes straight out at you. So I held (the puck) for a while, and I had a wide-open net." The matchup against the Broncos was Sacka's first game since going down in the Jan. 7 exhibition contest against Team Canada, and the injury that kept him out was his first serious injury in his collegiate career. FOR THE RECORD: With his goal Saturday night against Michigan State, Wolverine forward Mike Knuble moved into sole possession of 13th place on Michigan's career goal scoring list. The senior now has 87 goals in his Wolverine career, and his goal against the Spartans moved him past former Wolverine Brad McCaughey (1985-88). Knuble needs just five more scores to move past former Michigan coach Al Renfrew into the top 10. SWEET M ausi While the Michian Hockev Per)Band entertains the crowd CCHA Continued from page 1 Hobey Baker candidates Carter and Steve Guolla, they stole the Spartans' dwindling hope of a CCHA regular- season title. If Michigan State had won, it would be just two points be- hind Michigan and in a second-place tie with Bowling Green. Yet now, Michigan is six points ahead of the Spartans. Despite tying Western Michigan the previous weekend, Michigan man- aged to blow the Falgons (6-11-2, 14- 13-3) out of Yost Ice Arena in the final period Friday and win, 8-3. Sacka, skating on his first shift since leaving the Jan. 7 Team Canada contest with a groin injury, patiently skated across the net and got Western goalie Brian Renfrew to commit before he shot Friday's game MICHIGAN 8, W. MICHIGAN 3 Western Michigan 2 1 0 -3 Michigan 2 1 5 -8 first Period - 1, UM, Sacka s5 (Herr, Hogan), 3:13, 2, UM,Hilton 11(Luhning, Madden), 3:48.3, WMU, Gallentine 16 (Brown), 12:32.4. WMU, Brown 19 (Brooks, Innanen), 17:38 (5-3) Penalties - Kenney, WMU (holding). 9:29; Knuble. UM (rough- ing), 9:29; Innanen, WMU (roughing), 10:27; Sloan, UM (roughing), 10:27; Luhning, UM (roughing), 16:39; Hogan, UM (hooking). 17:23; Zimmerman, WMU (hooking); 19:39. Second Period - 5, WMU, Duke 9 (Mayers), 3:33. 6, UM, Madden 14 (Morrison, Gordon), 7:46 (po). Penalties - Kenney. WMU (holding), 0:50: high for his fifth goal of the st Just 35 seconds later, Kevin Hil scored on a pass from Warren Luhni and it looked as though Michigan I returned to its dominant ways. Yet the Broncos were still on 1 doorstep and scored back-to-ba goals in the first, and even took I lead early in the second. They w deadlocked 3-3 after forty minut but Michigan went on to scor unanswered goals in a span of 6:37 the third. Renfrew, previously a brick w in goal against Michigan this seas was a sieve in the truest sense and vi chased from the pipes after allowi Knuble to essentially score an:emip' netter as he commited to Morfisoi Special teams were key for Mic gan, although they have str1 lately. The Wolverines notched power-play goals and one shorthand tally by John Arnold. "We've got to play with a lot gc damn more heart, discipline and I tensity than what we played," We ern Michigan coach Bill Wilkins said after his team self destructed. Saturday's game: MICHIGAN 5, MICHIGAN STATE Misfigan1 2- Michigan State 2 1 0-3 RrsPedod-1, MSU, Berens 9 (Crane, lmir 5:38 (pp). 2, UM, Herr 8 (Morson), 7:05. 3, M Keyes 11 (Tuzzolino, Clarke), 16:19. Penalties Vanstaald'n, MSU (roughing). 2:28; Muckaft, (roughing), 2:28; Carter, MSU (hooking), 6:32; Knu U I&a ssc ekine 1 j . 1 2 urra, yMSI I , RESULTS: Fri dy Michigan 8, Western Michigan 3 Michigan St. 3, Ferris St. 3 (OT) Miami, Ohio 8, Notre Dame 5 Lake Superior 5, Ohio St. 0 Bowling Green 6, Alaska-Fbnk 3 5, Michigan St. 3 Notre Dame 3 Ferris St. 4, Western Michigan 2 Lake Superior 7, Ohio St. 2 Bowling Green 6, Alaska-Fbnk 1 MICHIGAN VS. MICHIGAN STATE Olympia Arenas, Inc. is conducting a contest in conjunction with the Daily with prizes for the Michigan-Michigan State game Feb.18 at Joe Louis Arena. The Grand Prize: A night for two at the Westin Hotel in- .. ....- . . t.. . -e 4 - - r"..... r:T.e.. : - . ..