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Hail tothe
nation's best
CINCINNATI - Hail to the victors valiant.
The tune resonated like never before through
RiverfontColiseum. The boys won the national
championship. Could there ever be a better reason to sing?
If you're a Michigan hockey fan, there is no better
feeling than seeing Wolverine captain Steven Halko raise
that trophy high above his head.
Well, maybe Brendan Morrison high-stepping like
Desmond Howard behind the Colorado College net was
pretty nice, too.
Or how about the two piles that gathered at either end of
the ice. Even better;,here was
Michigan coach Red Berenson, the
man who took the Michigan
program fromCCHA doormat to
national powerhouse, weeping at the
red line.
The 3-2 overtime victory gave
him his only national title - and
JOHN Michigan's first since 1964 -but it
was also his 300th career coaching
victory. How else could have the
Out of victory tasted so sweet?
Bounds "I still can't believe it," Halko
said. "I can't describe the feeling.
This is great, we're national champs."
Hail to the conquering heroes.
And they overcame a lot. Early exits the past four years,
overtime games that lasted forever, shots that rattled off
posts like a bad nightmare that doesn't seem real.
But now, that has all changed. The 1996 Michigan
hockey team has given the University its eighth champion-
ship - more than any other school - and in thrilling
fashion.
"I just jumped over the boards," junior left wing John
Madden said. "I think I fell flat on my back. That ice never
felt so good, though."
Hail, hail to Michigan, the leaders and best.
Senior leadership played no small role in the Wolver-
ines' championship run. Halko, Kevin Hilton, John Arnold
and Mark Sakala will not leave Ann Arbor without the
feeling of tossing their body carelessly into their closest
friends, heart racing, mind clear of everything but the
euphoria of winning, as those before them, equally
deserving, were forced to do.
"I don't even remember it right now," newly crowned kin{
Morrison said of his championship goal. "I can't describe the
feeling, but it's the best I've ever felt - ever."
"I'mjust so proud to be apart ofthis team," sophomore righ
See LER01, Page SE
Berenson snags
300th victory
By Alan Goldenbach
Daily Sports Writer
C INCINNATI - Red Berenson's wait is over.
"Our time will come" is the message
inscribed on a memento that sits on the
Michigan hockey coach's desk.
After 12 years and an even 300 victories at the helm
of the Wolverine ship, Berenson's time has, indeed,
finally come.
Anyone who had seen the Michigan coach just once
before Saturday, and then again, following the win,
knew that something was different. Something special.
As Berenson walked across the ice to greet his
players, he pumped both fists in the air and donned an
ear-to-ear smile. Later, he broke down into tears of
elation. Both expressions are precious sights if you
know the usually emotionless Berenson.
And the wait for this day may go further back than
Berenson's first coaching days in Ann Arbor. His career
has taken him through his days as an All-American in
the early 1960s for Michigan, followed by a 17-year
NHL tour, which included a Stanley Cup ring as
a player, and coach of the year honors with the
St. Louis Blues in 1981.
But all of that doesn't come close to the
emotions he felt as the
coach of a ae P
lgan's Bill Muckalt hugs Bubba Berenzweig and Greg Crozier after Saturday's NCAA final, celebrating the Wolverines' first national championship since 1964.
4ichends frustration by breaki overtime jinx
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