- The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, March 27, 1995
Crowd badgers Michigan
By Tom Seeley
Daily Hockey Writer
MADISON - The Michigan Hockey Band was not
the only group to feel the wrath of the Wisconsin fans in
Dane County Coliseum this weekend.
Anybody caught not wearing red was prey for the
Badger faithful that turned out in droves for this weekend's
contests at the NCAA West Regional.
During Saturday's Michigan-Wisconsin quarterfinal
matchup, the Wolverine band's traditional opening cho-
rus of "The Victors" only lasted a hail-and-a-half before
the roar of the Badger fans, who drowned it out. Then in
the middle of the second period, the packed house turned
and pointed to the Michigan musicians and chanted "high
school band."
But while the crowd directed some of its attention
toward the stands, much more of its energy was focused on
the Badgers' opponents and the actions on the ice.
"The crowd was just unbelievable," Wisconsin coach
Jeff Sauer said after his team's 5-3 win over Michigan State
Friday. "It was definitely a major factor. It was so loud down
on the ice, you couldn't even hear the line changes."
Saturday, the boisterous crowd was so loud that it
overpowered the announcer's introduction of Michigan's
freshman goalie, Marty Turco. The nearly 8,000 Badger
fans welcomed the Wolverine netminder to his first NCAA
playoff game with such a hearty "sieve" chant that it
seemed to make the entire building shake.
The crowd was so loud that at times it made the noise
level at Yost Ice Arena seem more like the accepted level
at the Graduate Library.
Before Saturday's loss to the Wolverines, Wisconsin
was 8-0-1 in NCAA games held at their home arena.
"Tonight's crowd was a great crowd for a college
hockey game," Michigan coach Red Berenson said after
the Wolverines' 4-3 win. "It was a hostile environment,
but I think it helped bring our team closer together."
In addition to having the capacity crowd on their side,
the Badgers had the advantage of being used to Dane
County Coliseum's larger ice surface.
Wisconsin's home ice measures 200 feet in length and
97 feet across - 12 feet wider than most of the rinks the
Badgers' opponents are accustomed to.
Friday night, Michigan State jumped out to a 3-1 lead,
and successfully took the crowd out of the game. But in the
third period the effect of the larger rink took its toll on the
Spartans and left the team skating as though it were
dragging an anvil behind it.
The Badgers capitalized on their opponents' fatigue
and used breakaway after breakaway to score four unan-
swered goals and claim the victory.
"The bigger rink makes your work a lot tougher."
Michigan State forward Rem Murray said. "And they
really took advantage of the wide ice."
Saturday night, fatigue did not appear to cause the same
problems for the Wolverines as it did for the Spartans.
"The width was more difficult for the defensemen,"
Michigan blueliner Steven Halko said. "It was an item we
had to get used to. We watched the Michigan State game
and adjusted to it."
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DOUGLAS KANTER/Daily
Wisconsin defenseman Mark Strobel tries to keep Michigan's Kevin Hilton from getting a handle on the puck
during Saturday's game. The win was the Wolverines' third in their last eight games against the Badgers.
Blu 1 1 es
Mediocre
showing
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t Barry 1%1knbogt
Daily Hockey Writer
MADISON --Saturday's 4-3 win
over Wisconsin wasn't the No. 1
Michigan hockey team's best perfor-
mance of the season.
But in the end, it really didn't
matter.
Nor did it matter that the selection
committee sent Michigan off to play in
front of 8,000, as Mike Knuble said,
"anti-Michigan people."
It didn't matter that the Wolver-
nes started a freshman between the
pipes in the biggest game of the
season. It didn't even matter that
Marty Turco gave the Badgers a
goal when he cleared the puck to
Wisconsin's Mike Strobel instead
of the boards early in the second
period.
When Strobel took the gift and
was greeted with an empty net, all of
Madison went nuts.
The Badgers had the momentum
and the frenzied crowd behind them,
but in the end, it didn't matter. The
better team ended up winning.
Michigan's 4-3 victory over Wis-
consin means the Wolverines are
headed to their third final four in
four years.
Michigan outshot the Badgers, 40-
27, and never trailed, but the Wolver-
nes did blow countless chances to dis-
'ose of Wisconsin early at the Dane
County Coliseum.
The Michigan power play, No. 1 in
he nation heading into the weekend,
vas clueless for the first two-and-a-half
periods Saturday and finished one for
:ix.
"When you're losing faceoffs on
he power play, you spend most of
your time carrying the puck up the
ce," Wolverine coach Red Berenson
.aid. "Wisconsin did a good job of
orechecking our power play."
Fortunately for Michigan, the goal
he Wolverines scored with a man ad-
vantage earned them a trip to Provi-
Jence.
While they couldn't even find the
-uck during their first five opportuni-
es. Mike Knuble broke a 3-3 tie at
1:51 of the third period on Michigan's
xth power play of the evening.
"I thought we had things under con-
rol early in the third period," Wiscon-
a-in coach Jeff Sauer said. "But then we
,nded up with that four-on-three situa-
-on and (Knuble's goal) was the differ-
nce in the game."
It's safe to say that Knuble is the
eason Michigan's season isn't over.
Ehe senior right wing, who leads the
ation in goals with 37, scored two
-nor- and added an assist.
People can make careers out of
)off hockey," Knuble said after
game.
HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
M' survives second-
period blanking
By Tom Seeley
and Barry Sollenberger
Daily Hockey Writers
MADISON - Even though
Michigan skated off the ice after the
second period with a 3-2 lead Satur-
day night, the Wolverines couldn't
have felt very good about themselves.
They had just
missed a chance to
' put the game out
of reach.
Michigan
completely domi-
nated the second
s t a n z a ,
outshooting Wis-
consin, 16-6, yet
the Wolverines
managed just one
Daubenspeck goal. Badger
goalie Kirk
Daubenspeck kept Wisconsin in the
game with 15 saves during the pe-
riod.
"In the second period, we prob-
ably should have scored four goals,"
Michigan coach Red Berenson said.
"We definitely had the opportunity to
score more goals than we did."
During one of Michigan's power
plays in the second, Daubenspeck
placed his stick behind him and fought
off the Wolverines with his hands.
Michigan was 0-for-3 in the second
stanza with a man advantage and 1-
for-6 on the evening.
AlWest Regional Team
Forward
Nick Checco - Minnesota
Mike Knuble - Michigan
Mike Strobel - Wisconsin
Defense
Dan Trebil - Minnesota
Brian Rafalski - Wisconsin
Goaltender
Kirk Daubenspeck - Wisconsin
MR. QUOTABLE: The Wolverine
fans were so outnumbered by the Bad-
ger faithful that whenever the Michi-
gan band would try to strike up a
familiar cheer of "Let's Go Blue," the
Wisconsin fans would replace the
"Blue" with "Red" and turn it into
their own rallying cry.
Berenson had his own unique way
of responding to the fans' cheer.
"I would like to thank everyone
for cheering for 'Red' tonight," he
said at the postgame press confer-
ence. "I haven't had that many people
cheering for me in a long time."
THE BEST CONFERENCE?: The
Western Collegiate Hockey Associa-
tion placed four teams in the NCAA
final eight - the most of any confer-
ence. Colorado College, Wisconsin,
Denver and Minnesota represented
the WCHA.
Hockey East and the CCHA each
had two representatives while the East
Coast Athletic Conference was shut
out. The CCHA's Michigan and Lake
Superior State joined Hockey East
members Maine and Boston Univer-
sity reached the final eight.
THE RIVALRY: Michigan has faced
Wisconsin in three of the last four
NCAA Tournaments. The Badgers
knocked off the Wolverines, 4-2, in
the 1992 NCAA semifinals, and
Michigan nipped Wisconsin in over-
time, 4-3, in the national quarterfinals
two years ago.
The Wolverines lead the all-time
series with the Badgers, 52-46-6, in-
cluding a 7-2 victory at the College
Hockey Showcase in November.
GOT THEM WHEN IT COUNTED:
Michigan's 4-3 victory over Wiscon-
sin was the Badgers' first-ever defeat
in an NCAA Tournament game at
Dane County Coliseum. The Badgers
are 8-1-1 in NCAA games and 52-7-
2 in post-season games at Dane
County.
KNUBLE IS THE MAN: Mike Knuble
"I haven't had
that many people
cheering for me in
a long time. "
- Red Berenson
Michigan hockey coach, on the
crowd chanting "Let's go Red"
was the regional's Most Outstanding
Player and the only Wolverine se-
lected to the West Regional All-Tour-
nament team.
Wisconsin's Mike Strobel and
Minnesota's Nick Checco joined
Knuble as forwards on the squad as
chosen by the media. The Badgers'
Brian Rafalski and Minnesota's Dan
Trebil were named as defensemen
and Daubenspeck was the All-Tour-
nament goalie.
WISCONSIN
Continued from page 1
trol the action most of the game.
Wisconsin's special teams outplayed
the Wolverines' all night long. The
Badgers scored all of their goals ei-
ther up a man or down one, and that's
what kept them in the game until the
very end.
"(When it was 3-3), I told my guys
that the next goal was going to win,"
Wisconsin coach Jeff Sauer said.
"They had more shots than we did,
but the bottom line was it was 3-3."
Kirk Daubenspeck, who made 36
saves on the evening, was as much to
credit for that as anybody. The Bad-
gers' sophomore goaltender turned
away Michigan's Brendan Morrison
twice on breakaway chances in the third
period, keeping the score tied.
Much like the two teams' meeting
in November, the game was slowed
considerably by frequent and often
inexplicable whistles. Berenson was
asked what the Wolverines could do
to avoid getting so many penalties in
their game next Thursday.
"We'll have new referees next
week," he said.
MICHIGAN 4, WISCONSIN 3
Wisconsin I 1 1-3
Michigan 2 1 1-4
First Period - 1, UiM, Knuble 36 (Gordon,
Hak 7:39. 2, UW, Raygor 18 (Carter, Bianchi),
11:23(pp). 3, UM, Gordon 15 (Knuble), 11:43.
Penalties - Botterill, UM (charge), 5:10;
Tompkins, UW (hit after the whistle), 8:24;
Botterill, UM (hit after the whistle),8:24; Sinclair,
UM (interference). 11:02; Spencer, UW (hit after
the whistle), 12:34; Spencer, UW (hit after the
whistle), 12:34; Knuble, UM (hit after whistle),
12:34; Luhning, UiM (hit after whistle), 14:11;
Rafalski, UW (hit after whistle), 14:11; Tompkins,
UW (tripping), 17:27; Mark Strobel, UW (hit after
whistle), 17:27; Gordon, UM (hit after whistle),
17:27.
Second PerIo- 4, UW Mike Strobel 22
(unassisted), 2:54 (shg). 5, UM Morrison 23
(Gordon), 9:33. Penalties - Spencer, UW
(interference), 1:27; Williams, UW (interference),
5:37; Mark Strobel, UW (hit after whistle), 6:28;
Tok, UW (hit after whistle), 6:28; Botterill, UW (hit
after whistle), 6:28; Gordon, UM (hit after whistle),
6:28; Madden, UM (hit after whistle), 11:06; Mark
Strobel, UW (hit after whistle), 11:06; Raygor, UW
(interference), 14:50; Schock, UM (interference),
19:05.
Third Period - 6, UW Williams 26 (Mark
Strobel, Rafalski), 2:54 (pp). 7, UM Knuble 37
(Hilton), 11:51 (pp). Penalties - Gordon, UM
(roughing), 3:22; Carter, UM (roughing), 3:22; Herr,
UM (holding), 5:42; Spencer, UW (hit after whistle),
10:11; Ellick, UW (hit after whistle), 10:11;
Botterill, UM (hit after whistle),.10:11; schock, UM
(hit after whistle), 10:11; Balkovec, UW (holding),
10:35.
Shots on goal - UW 9-612-27. UM 12-16-
12-40.
Power'Plays- UW 2 of 4, UM 1 of 6.
Goalie saves- UW, Daubenspeck 10-15-11-
36. UM, Turco 8-5-11-24.
Referees-J. Gravallese, J. Fitzgerald
Unesman- Jones
At: Dane County Coliseum
0
DOUGLAS KANTER/Daily
Wisconsin goalie Kirk Daubenspeck makes one of his 36 saves in Saturday's NCAA quarterfinal against Michigan.
.0
1995 NCAA Hockey Championship
WI: Michigan (29-7-1)
Gophers eliminate
Colorado College
W4: Wisconsin (23-144)
Dane County Coliseum
Madison
W5: Michigan St. (25-11-3) /
E3: New Hampshire (22-9-4)
The Centrum
Worcester, Mass.
E6: Denver (24-14-2)f
Dane County Colsum Michigan, 4.
Providence Civic Center
WisconsinProvidenceceRRII
E2: Maine (29-5-6) Providence, R ..
April 1
o oCes ent 30 Maine4-2
Denver, 9-2
W2: Colorado College (30-11-1
Dane County Coliseum Mneoa52
Madison Mn'soa -
Minnesota, 3-0 ProvidennceeR.I
March 30
By Tom Seeley
Daily Hockey Writer
MADISON - Minnesota's 5-2
victory over Colorado College Satur-
day meant more than just a return trip
to the NCAA semifinals for Gopher
coach Doug Woog.
The win was the 300th of Woog's
career.
"There's a lot of heart and soul in
this program and a tremendous amount
of tradition that overcomes obstacles,"
Woog said.
Right wing Dave Larson scored
twice for Minnesota (25-13-5 over-
EAST REGIONAL
Boston University 6, Lake Su-
perior State 2
WORCESTER, Mass. - Kaj
Linna had a hat trick as Boston Uni-
versity beat Lake Superior State 6-2
Saturday night and advanced to the
hockey final four.
The Terriers avenged a 9-1 loss to
the Lakers in last year's champion-
ship game. It is the third straight final
four appearance for BU.
BU will face Minnesota Thursday
night in Providence.
1\s., A T n.sr i.'
W3: Minnesota (23-13-5)
Dane County Coliseum
Madison
W6: RPI (18-13-4)