12 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 15, 1995 THE 1995 CCHA AMPIONSHIP PREVIEW Wolverines get opportunity to defend last year's first-ever title By Tom Seeley Daily Hockey Writer There are not many new experiences for Michigan hockey, but in the program's 73 seasons, no team has ever embarked on the task of this year's Wolverine squad. Michigan takes the ice for the semifinals of the CCHA playoffs this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Joe Louis Arena and carries the distinction of being the defending champions - a claim that no other Michigan team has ever made. Last season, the Wolverines won their first CCHA postseason tournament, and after finishing the regular season in first place this season, they are favored to repeat. "Last year was a big year for us in that we had never won (the championship) before," senior forward Mike Knuble said. "We haven't put any pressure on ourselves, feeling like we're going down there and everybody is gunning for us, we just want to win it again for ourselves." After sweeping a two-game set from Ohio State last weekend in the first round, Michigan is waiting for the result of tonight's Lake Superior-Miami (Ohio) matchup in Sault Ste. Marie to find out who it is playing Satur- day. Michigan won the season series with both teams, sweeping three games from the Lakers, while taking two of three from the Redskins. Before last year, the Wolverines lost to Lake Superior in the league playoffs three straight years, including twice in the finals. Michigan broke the Lakers' playoff strangle- hold last season with a 3-0 victory in the championship game. "We proved last year that our team was capable of making that jump," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "We'd been frustrated two years in a row for getting beat by Lake Superior in the championship game. (Beating them) was good for our team and got a monkey of our back." The win proved that the Wolverines could beat the Lakers' in the postseason, but given what's happened in the past, would Michigan rather not face its postseason nemesis at Joe Louis? "You could say that just because they've beaten us in crucial times in the past," Knuble said. "(But) we did beat them down there last year, and we don't fear one team in this league. "We don't fear Lake State. We don't fear Bowling Green or (Michigan) State. We'll take anybody in time." If the Wolverines do come away with their second consecutive playoff crown, they are assured a first-round bye in next week's NCAA Tournament. Michigan would be guaranteed a day off because of a rule that gives any team that wins both their conference's regular season and tournament a first or second seed in the NCAA Tourna- ment. "It doesn't matter to me if we get the bye or not," Berenson said. "We've had (a bye) three out of the last four years, and I don't know how much it helped us. We're just trying to play our best down the stretch." The NCAA Tournament gets underway at regional sites next Friday in Madison and Worcester, Mass. 0 1995 CCHA Championship No.I Michigan (29-6-1) JONATHAN LURIE/Daily Michigan defenseman Mark Sakala hoists the trophy that four teams will be chasing this weekend at Joe Louis Arena. Last season the Wolverines claimed their first-ever CCHA playoff trophy. League's big guns race toward Sundays final Saturday 1. P.M. No. 4 Lake Superior St. (19-11-6) At Norris Arena, Sault Ste. Marie Tonight' 7 p.m.' Sunday 2 p.m. No. 5 Miami (Ohio) (18-14-6) At Joe Louis Arena, - Detroit No. 2 Bowling Green (25-10-2) I'M~ N No.3 Michigi s5' Saturday 5 p.m. gan State (24-10-3) ,55 ;55 / By Darren Everson Daily Hockey Writer Not a single week of the season has gone by without Bowling Green, Michigan or Michigan State sitting atop the league standings. And in the second half of the year, their performances have nearly been matched by Lake Superior State and Miami (Ohio). Now that the first-round playoff formalities are over, these teams can get down to the business of deciding the league champion. The CCHA Final Four takes place this Saturday and Sunday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Of course, you can't have a Final Four with five teams, so the Redskins and Lakers must play an elimination game today. Miami (13-8-6 CCHA - fourth place, 18-14-6 over- all) shouldn't mind that arrangement too much. The Redskins, who were under .500 as late as February, recovered in time to earn home-ice advantage in the first sound of the playoffs. They put it to good use, too, sweeping sixth-place Ferris State in two games. Eliminating the Bulldogs was expected; Miami's of- fensive output, however, was a surprise. The Redskins exploded for 14 goals against Ferris State, including 10 in Game 1 Friday, despite averaging just 3.26 goals per league game prior to last weekend. The reason they have survived despite their lackluster offense is goalie Chuck Thuss. The senior netminder has posted a 2.81 goals-against-average and was recently named to the all-CCHA First Team. "They might have the best goalie in the league," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "They need Chuck Thuss to really play well. If their team defense is solid, then they'll stay in a close game like they did (against) us." Offense has been a concern all season long for Miami - especially against Lake State. The Lakers allowed the Redskins just five goals in three games. However, Miami has managed a 1-1-1 record in the series. Lake Superior (14-9-4 - fourth, 19-11-6) gets to play the Redskins in Sault Ste. Marie, where the Lakers trounced Miami, 7-1, Jan. 28. Lake State has trounced most everybody lately - the Lakers have won 12 of their past 14, including a pair of easy victories over Western Michigan in the first round of the playoffs. "(The Lakers) have the most momentum of anybody," Berenson said. "I said all along that (they) were going to be a good team at the end." Lake State is perhaps the only team remaining without a legitimate CCHA Player of the Year candidate; however, the Lakers are quite solid at all positions. They lack the standout netminder they've had the last couple years in Blaine Lacher and DarrinMadeley, but goalies John Grahame (2.60) and Sean Kulick (2.96) have worked quite well in a Felsner platoon system. And while this team has never been one to light up the scoreboard, Brian Felsner (21 goals, 27 assists -48 points), Sean Tallaire (20-25-45) and Wayne Strachan (20-15-35) are among the league leaders in goals scored. In years past, the Lakers won, games and champion- '(Te Lakers) have the most momentum of anybody. " - Red Berenson Michigan hockey coach ships with their defense, though, and since Michigan beat them twice back in January, they have returned to that form. Led by league first-team selection Keith Aldridge (8- 26-34), the Laker defensive corps has allowed only 1.93 goals per game since then, and have stopped 83 per cent of its opponents' power play chances. Bowling Green (18-7-2 - second, 25-10-2), by con- trast, has hardly been stifling on defense. The 101 goals the Falcons allowed during the regular season is the worst total of any team remaining by far. They can get away with that, though, because they have Brian Holzinger on their side. "If I had to vote for one guy today-(for Player of the Year), it would probably have to be w . Holzinger," Michigan State coach Ron Mason said. "He took that team and led them to second place all by himself." Holzinger The senior center has indeed been the driving force behind the Fal- cons' impressive campaign. Holzinger (34-34 - 68) led the league in scoring for much of the year before Michigan's Brendan Morrison overtook him at the end of the regular season. However, he's not the only one to praise for Bowling Green's strong showing. "It's not just any one guy with them," said Notre Dame coach Ric Schafer, whose Fighting Irish were swept out of the firstround by the Falcons last weekend. "If you do that, you forget about (Mike) Johnson and (Curtis) Fry, who can hurt you." Johnson (16-32--48) and Fry (13-32-45) rank eighth and 15th, respectively, in the CCHA in overall scoring. Michigan State (17-7-3 - third, 24-10-3) boasts an offense with just as many weapons. Anson Carter (32-16 - 48) gets most of the press, but Rem Murray (19-34 - 53) and Steve Guolla (14-34 - 48) are just as big a part of the Spartans' scoring prowess. The Michigan State-Bowling Green semifinal matchup promises to be a tight one -- the Spartans and Falcons finished within a point of each other in the standings and split their four meetings, with each team scoring 19 goals. "You couldn't get a more even matchup," Mason said. 9 Why sit in a stateside classroom dreaming about Stonehenge or the Parthenon when you could If there is a difference between these two, it's in goal. The Spartans have the advantage there with CCHA second-teamer Mike Buzak (3.07) minding the net. Michigan State's personnel seems to match up with Bowling Green's and anyone else's, statistically. And while Berenson may feel Lake State has the most momentum, the Spartans and Falcons have the best streaks going - each team has won six straight. see them for yourself? Don't wait until after you graduate to catch the travel bug. Instead, why not spend a semester or a year making memories i w+ w w s ma. s Ak AM s as r_ _ _.