4 - The Michigan Daily --- Monday, March 6, 1995
ICERS
Continued from page 1
and from there, it was just a foot
race," Morrison said. "I was just
able to reach down and put it in the
corner (of the net)."
It's safe to say that the Buckeyes
are pleased that they'll never have
to face Mike Knuble in Columbus
again. The senior right wing scored
twice yesterday to end the season
with a team-high 27 goals.
The last time Ohio State met the
Wolverines at the State Fairgrounds
was Dec. 9, and Knuble burned the
Buckeyes with four goals.
"I seem to get a lot of room on
the ice out here," Knuble said. "Too
bad I can't play here more often."
Michigan's depth was too much
for the undermanned Buckeyes.
"They've got four solid lines,"
Buckeye coach John Markell said.
"When you check one line, you've
got to check the next three, and we
didn't do that."
The Wolverines have won 20
straight over Ohio State and lead
the all-time series, 35-18-5.
Friday night, Michigan goalie
Marty Turco got his first career shut-
out in the Wolverines' zipping of
the Redskins (13-8-6, 16-14-6).
John Madden scored the game
winning goal at the 6:15 mark of the
second period and Kevin Hilton
added an empty-netter to close the
scoring.
The win broke Michigan's three-
game losing streak at Goggin Arena.
Before Friday, Miami had won four
of the past six contests between the
two schools.
With the victory, Michigan suc-
cessfully bounced back from a dis-
tasteful 6-3 loss to perennial con-
ference doormat Notre Dame the
previous Saturday.
"It was a really good win for us,"
Berenson said. "It was the kind of
game you want to have after giving
up six goals the last time out."
Friday's Game
MICHIGAN 2 MIAMI (OHIO) 0
Michigan 0 1 1-2
Miami 0 0 0-0
F it Pad - No scoring.
SecondPaod- 1 UM, Madden 20 (Sakala), 6:15.
1tkd Pdod - 2, UM, Hilton 18 (Madden), 19:46
(empty net).
At Goggin Ice Arena & 2,743
Sunday's Game
MICHIGAN 10, OHIO STATE 2
Michigan 4 2 4-10
Ohio tate 1 0 1-2
Flit Pedod - 1, UM, Halko 2 (Gordon, Morrison),
8:5282, UM, Knuble 26 (Hilton, Morrison), 9:27.3, UM,
Botterill 14 (Morrison, Knuble), 12:26. 4, UM Herr 10
(Slon), 14:23 5, OSU, Guilbault? (Dufour, Richards),
19:31.
fecond Paled -6, UM, Morrison 22 (unassisted),
:54.,, UM, Knuble 27 (Morrison, Gordon). 10:34.
lkdPdod-8, UM. Sacka 7 (Arnold),5:09.9, UM,
Madden (Sloan), 9:42. 10, UM, Sacka 8 (Herr, Arnold),
1310. 11, OSU Guilbault ? (Smith, Holmes). 12, UM
Gordon 13 (Morrison, Muckalt), 16:09.
At State Fairgrounds k 3,351
Despite lack of talent,
Miami wins home-ice
advantage for playoffs
9
DOUGLAS KANTER/Daily
Michigan defenseman Mark Sakala hits the Ice while trying to chase down the puck against Ohio State yesterday.
First-place finish not worth much
OLUMBUS - There are
no more dress rehearsals
for the Michigan hockey
team.
Yesterday, the Wolverines put the
finishing touches on their second
consecutive CCHA regular-season
championship, but with the end of
the regular season at hand, the
curtain is about
to rise on
Michigan's real
season - the
playoffs.
The time has
come where it's
one loss, and
TOM you're home
SEEL.EY checking the
SeelE .reception on
of Approval your television
set.
The CCHA
playoffs begin this week and
continue for the next two weekends,
and then the NCAA Championships
get underway March 24.
A new rule guarantees the
Wolverines a bid to the NCAA
Tournament, but prior to this year a
regular season title did not even
promise that.
Last season, Colorado College
surprised many by claiming the
WCHA regular season crown, and
the Tigers entered the WCHA
Tournament as the top seed.
However, they failed to win their
first-round game, and then when the
12 bids for the NCAA Tournament
were handed out, the Tigers were
nowhere to be found.
The Wolverines won both the
CCHA regular season and post-
season tournament last year and
entered the NCAAs brimming with
confidence. But a 5-4 overtime loss
to eventual champion Lake Superior
State sent Michigan packing after its
first tournament game. The
Wolverines defeated the Lakers four
times last season - including a 3-0
victory in the CCHA tournament
finals - but lost when it counted the
most.
Lake Superior has made a habit
of falling short during the regular
season but coming alive when bigger
prizes are on the line. The Lakers
have not won a CCHA regular
season title in any of the last three
seasons, but have two national
championships and a runner-up
finish over that span.
In fact, they are at it again this
season.
Lake Superior lost a number of
players from last year's championship
team, and as a result spent a good
portion of this year's regular season
in the bottom half of the CCHA with
a losing record. However, as the end
of the season approached, the Lakers
found their usual late-season form
and owned a 10-game undefeated
streak heading into the regular
season's final weekend.
It's pretty obvious which first-
place finish the Wolverines would
prefer. To them, finishing the
regular season in first place is like
being nominated for an Academy
By Darren Everson
Daily Hockey Writer
OXFORD - The race for home
ice advantage in the CCHA playoffs
was over before any pucks were
dropped at this weekend's games.
Only the top five teams get to play at
home, and these clubs had already
distinguished themselves from the
rest.
Michigan had first place all to it-
self, Bowling Green and Michigan State
were battling for second and Lake Su-
perior State was right behind.
Oh, and Miami (Ohio) was in there
somewhere, too.
Miami? The same team that's
given up more goals this season than
it has scored?
All season long, the Redskins have
been a surprise. They lost twice this
weekend, ruining their chance of
catching Michigan State in the stand-
ings.
Even mentioning Miami in the
same breath as the preseason league
favorite Spartans, though, means
this team has accomplished some-
thing.
The Redskins opened the season
winning just seven of their first 18
contests. Since Jan. 1, however, Mi-
ami has turned it around by holding
its own against the league's top teams
- somehow.
"We only get about 3.2 goals per
game," Miami coach Mark Mazzoleni
said.
Somehow, the first-year head
coach has taught his Redskins how to
make their scores count for a little
more.
Bowling Green and Michigan State
have stars like Brian Holzinger and
Anson Carter to depend on for scoring.
The Lakers have a formidable scoring
tandem in Sean and Gerald Tallaire
and are loaded with defensivetalent,
while the Wolverines are just plain
Award - it's nice, but it doesn't
compare to winning the big trophy.
Senior Ron Sacka called winning
the CCHA in the regular season, "a
minor goal," and said that he places
"barely any weight" on it.
"If we don't win the national
championship, it's a definite
disappointment," Sacka said. "If we
win the CCHA championship, and
we don't win the NCAA
Tournament, (the CCHA title)
doesn't mean anything." .
Sacka and the rest of the seniors
have been to the big dance before,
making it to the final four in 1992
and '93, but even that shouldn't be
enough for the Wolverines this year.
The national championship has
been a monkey on this team's back
for the last five seasons. Last year's
senior class finished as Michigan's
all-time winningest class but may
be best remembered for falling
short in four consecutive NCAA
Tournaments.
Should the Wolverines come
away with this season's top prize,
that monkey will be catapulted from
the Michigan hockey program. But if
they lose, that loss will be what is
remembered, and nobody will
remember that on March 5, 1995,
Michigan finished the regular season
in first place in the CCHA.
This year's stage is set, the spot-
light is on, and the orchestra is all
warmed up.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to
take your seats. It's playoff time, and
the show's about to begin.
9
Thuss
loaded.
The Redskins don't have any of
those luxuries, but they do have Chuck
Thuss.
"There's no question in my mind
he should be goalie of the year (in the
CCHA),' Mazzoleni said.
The senior goaltender didn't be-
gin the year as Miami's No.. J
netminder, but he may very well end
the season as the CCHA's top goalie.
Prior to this weekend's games, Thuss
had the sixth-best save percentage in
the nation.
And against the Wolverines, Thuss
didn't disappoint. He stopped all but
one of the shots he faced, keeping his
team in the game.
That's nothing new, though. This
season, Miami has surrendered over
100 more shots on goal than they've *
attempted.
Still, the Redskins are in position to
make an appearance at the CCHA
championships at Joe Louis Arena -
even if they give up more goals than
they score.
01
HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
By Darren Everson
and Barry Sollenberger
Daily Hockey Writers
Michigan's Brendan Morrison probably won't win the Hobey Baker award,
given to college hockey's best player. Bowling Green center Brian Holzinger is
the front-runner for that honor given Mar. 31 in Providence, R.I.
As far as CCHA play is concerned, however, no one had a better season in the
league than the Wolverines' sophomore center. Morrison won the league scoring
title with 49 points on 17 goals and 32 assists. Holzinger finished second (21-23-
44) after leading Morrison most of the season.
While Lake Superior State and Ferris State shut out Holzinger over the
weekend, Morrison scored six points yesterday against Ohio State on a goal and
five assists to grab the title.
"I knew that the race was close entering the weekend," Morrison said. "I was
really fortunate with the ways things turned out."
Morrison is the third Wolverine to win the league scoring title. A year ago,
right wing David Oliver led the league in scoring with 18 goals and 34 assists.
Denny Felsner won back-to-back league scoring titles in 1990-91 and 1991-92
with 58 and 62 points, respectively.
SHOCK THE wORLD?: Despite an awful regular season showing, Ohio State still
has an opportunity to win the CCHA playoff title. The Buckeyes do have to pay
Morrison captures
CCHA scoring title
a price for their last-place finish, though.
Ohio State must play league affiliate member Alaska Fairbanks tomorrow to
advance to the first round of the playoffs. Should the Buckeyes win, they will face
first-place Michigan in a best-of-three series at Yost Ice Arena next weekend.
The Nanooks are in a different situation, since their record doesn't count in the
league standings. That being the case, if they win tomorrow, Michigan has the
option of facing them or ninth-place Notre Dame. If the Wolverines pass on
Alaska Fairbanks, second-place Bowling Green gets to choose between playing
the Nanooks or eighth-place Illinois-Chicago.
If Bowling Green passes, then it's Michigan State's turn to decide, and then
Lake Superior State's, if the Spartans also pass. If the top four teams choose not
to host the Nanooks in the first round, then Alaska Fairbanks will visit fifth-place
Miami (Ohio).
BACK ON TRACK: Prior to yesterday, the Wolverines' Jason Botterill was
scoreless in his last eight games - a streak dating back to a Jan. 21 game against
Notre Dame. The sophomore left wing finally snapped that string when he
notched a first-period goal against Ohio State, yesterday.
"It has been a long time since he's scored," Michigan coach Red Berenson
said. "It was good to see him put one in the net. It'll be a confidence-builder
0
DOUGLAS KANTER/Daily
The announced attendance at yesterday's Michigan-Ohio State game was
3,351, but these two fans had a section nearly all to themselves.
Michigan State secures third place
Associated Press
Anson Carter and Steve Guolla
scored two goals each to lead Michi-
gan State to a 6-3 win over Miami
(Ohio) Saturday night.
The Spartans (16-7-3 CCHA, 21-
10-3 overall) held a 2-0 lead in the
first period after goals by Tony
Tuzzolino and Carter.
In the second period, the Redskins
(13-8-6, 16-14-6) got on the board
with a goal by Marc Boxer at 1:12 to
make it 2-1.
Carter's second goal at 14:15 wid-
for the Falcons (18-7-2, 23-10-2) at
2:29 of the first period. Johnson's goal
at 9:28 of the second proved to be the
game-winner. Chad Ackerman added
a goal for Bowling Green at 90 seconds
into the third.
Derek Crimin scored for the Bull-
dogs (9-144, 12-18-4) at 3:52 of the
third.
W. Michigan 2, Notre Dame 1
Western Michigan shut Notre
Dame out for two periods Saturday en
route to a 2-1 win.
Derek Innanen opened the scoring
at 16:57 of the first period with a
shorthanded goal to give the Broncos
(9-14-4, 17-16-4) a 1-0 lead.
In the second period, Mike
Whitton's power-play goal at 16:58
widened the gap 2-0 for Western
Michigan.
Notre Dame's only goal came at
2:49 of the
Theel.
third period by Justin
^jLM A
'U> ~'*