HOCKEY
The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - March 31, 1997 - 5B
Four 'M' All-Americans named
By Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE - On the edge of the
Bradley's Center's upper deck Saturday, a blue
sheet was adorned with the slogan "Hobey
Baker - No. 9."
While Michigan center Brendan Morrison's
Hobey Baker Award on Friday was undoubtedly
the highlight of a disappointing weekend for the
Wolverines, Morrison was not the only
Michigan player honored.
The recognition began with the selection of
four Wolverines as All-Americans.
For the third consecutive season, Morrison
was honored for his outstanding play as one of
three forwards on the West first
team. He led the nation in scor- =
ing with 88 points.
Hobey finalist John Madden
joined Morrison on the team,
capping off his career with his
first appearance on the top
squad.
The senior center concluded
his four seasons as the NCAA's Note
career leader in shorthanded
goals with 23.
game with a third-period spurt, the teams were
evenly matched.
"If we had played six times, it would have
been 3-3," Renfrew said.
Michigan was directed by Vic Heyliger, the
all-time winningest NCAA tournament coach,
with six titles to his credit.
"(Heyliger) didn't hinder you," said Wally
Grant, a forward on the '48 Michigan team."He
was a great individual - somewhat of a charac-
ter."
It was Heyliger who initiated the plan for the
national tournament in the first place.
He asked the coaches of the nation's other 20
teams if they were interested and the response
was overwhelmingly support-
it ive. And so the idea was born
and Heyliger's team won the
first title.
The following season, when
Michigan didn't even make it to
the championship game, may
have been a more talented
squad than the champions.
hook "We had a better team the
next year (when we didn't
win)," Renfrew said.
a
L
"When you don't see it coming, that's when
you get hurt the most," Parker said.
The facemask became a required addition to
the helmet in 1981, but the initial endorsement
was hardly unanimous. - 1
Former Michigan forward John Matchefts, a
member of the NCAA all-time team, served on
the-rules committee at the time.
He was one of only two dissenting votes on
the eight-member panel.
Attempts to change the rule have been futile,
as the coaches' wishes have been all but ignored.
In 1986, "We voted 108-0 at the coaches con-
vention to take it off," Parker said. But the over-
whelming support was not enough.
And if this weekend's debate is any indica-
tion, the issue is far from being settled.
CH-CH-CHANGES: With all the eyes of the col-
lege-hockey world focused on one locale, it was
a perfect opportunity to announce the alterations
that will affect the sport, beginning with the
1997-98 campaign.
The most applicable to Michigan is a change
that was spoken about in November. At that
time, Michigan coach Red Berenson spoke of
his desire to bring the College Hockey Showcase
to campus sites - and away from the tradition-
al large-arena venues of the initial four seasons.
This weekend, it was announced that
Minnesota and Wisconsin will be visiting Ann
Arbor and East Lansing during the
Thanksgiving weekend for the Showcase.
The following year, the hosts will be reversed
as Michigan and Michigan State will travel
westward to take on the Gophers and Badgers at
their home arenas.
The other major news came from the NCAA,
which plans to move the national semifinals and
championship game to the weekend after the
men's and women's basketball Final Fours, so
conflicts are reduced.
RAISE THE ROOF: While Michigan took a
great deal of its fan base home Friday, the orga=
nizers of the tournament hardly had reason to
complain about the early exit of the largest
school in the field.
The Bradley Center now holds the top six all-
time crowds for the NCAA hockey champi-
onship.
Saturday's championship-game crowd of
17,537 was the second-largest crowd in the tour-
nament's history.
Unlike last season's tournament in Cincinnati,
this championship was sold out in the fall.
As the goaltender on the West first team, Sounds familiar....
Michigan junior Marty Turco was recognized FACE FIRST: While there was an upbeat feel to
for a season in which he led the nation in win- the weekend, the former players from the cham-
ning percentage and was second in goals- pionship teams, the 50th anniversary team and
against average. the final four coaches turned serious when dis-
Michigan's three players on the first team was cussing problems with the college game today.
the highest representation of any school. "Take the face mask off so they can take their
Forward Jason Botterill's late-season push (13 sticks down;" Renfrew said.
goals since March 1) earned him a spot on the Colorado College coach Don Lucia agreed.
West second team. He finished the season Today, "the guys do play without any fear;'"he
among the nation's leaders in goals, with 37, and said.
power-play goals, with 20. Michigan coach Red Berenson, who played
A HISTORY LESSON: In honor of the 50th in the 1960s, when facemasks were not required,
anniversary of the tournament, the NCAA invit- explained that taking the masks off would pre-
ed the participants in the first national champi- vent injuries.
onship game to Milwaukee for the festivities. In "It would improve the college game if we
the inaugural contest - played in 1948 - took the facemasks off," he said. "If we can do
Michigan defeated Dartmouth, 8-4, at the anything, we can get the sticks down.'
Broadmoor Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The consensus among the coaches and for-
As the players from that contest reminisced, mer players is that the mask makes the players
their outstanding memory centered upon a con- less fearful of the opposition and more likely to
troversial goal that decided the championship. raise their sticks high enough to cause injuries
"We thought it was a hell of a goal," former by hooking and slashing.
Michigan forward and coach Al Renfrew said Berenson said that hitting from behind was
jokingly. never an issue when he played, and Boston
Renfrew believed that the championship was University coach Jack Parker explained why it's
a tight contest. Although Michigan won the an issue today.
+'+l K
I I
MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
Michigan sophomore Bobby Hayes took a beating all season long. Note strategically placed stick on
*ston University defenseman Jeff Kealty in Thursday's NCAA semifinal.
Sioux-per N. Dakota wins
Sioux
Continued from Page 1B
to a fairy tale season.
Even Blais picked his team to finish
*ly fifth in the WCHA, but North
Dakota won the title of national champi-
ons Saturday with a 6-4 victory over
Boston University in front of 17,537
fans at the Bradley Center. The crowd
was the second-largest in NCAA cham-
pionship history.
"Opening the season 6-0 gave us con-
fidence, but never to the point where we
thought we'd be in this championship
ame- at any time this year," Blais
'd. "Everything just worked out this
year.'
Breaking the 2-2 tie in the second and
a 3-3 tie moments later was unlikely
hero: Matt Henderson, who joined the
Sioux three years ago - as a walk-on.
The junior left wing was named the
most outstanding player of the tourna-
met, after scoring two goals and an
assist in the championship game.
"I 'would have never thought it in a
'llion years," Henderson said of the
Yonor. "I said to myself before I went to
bed, 'I'm probably never going to have
this opportunity again - I'm going to
leave my heart on the ice."'
Blais said Henderson almost didn't
keep his spot on the team.
.Matt, after making the team, was sat-
isfied with that and got a little bit com-
plaoent," Blais said. "I had to ride him a
little. It was either get on board or get out
town.
"Obviously, he got on board."
Boston cut North Dakota's lead to
one, 5-4, with 36.8 seconds left when
Jon Coleman poked in a rebound with an
extra attacker on the ice.
After the ensuing face-off, the Terriers
again pulled goalie Michel Larocque for
a sixth skater, but North Dakota forward
Adam Calder got control of the puck at
center ice and flung it into the empty net
to secure the Sioux's sixth national
championship.
"This means the world to me, winning
the national championship," North
Dakota defenseman Curtis Murphy said.
"It's the best time of my life so far, and I
imagine it will be one of the highlights
of my life."
Murphy was named to the All-
Tournament team after scoring a goal
and an assist Saturday.
On the other side of the ice, losing in
the championship game is never easy,
especially after holding a two-goal lead.
In the postgame press conference,
senior center Shawn Bates couldn't hold
in his tears, burying his face in a towel.
Although he tried to hide his sobs, it
was loud enough to be heard through the
microphone sitting in front of him, and
only got worse as he got up and walked
off the stage.
"I was obviously disappointed in our
disintegration in the second period,"
Boston coach Jack Parker said. "But I
believe that the best team won the
national championship. My hat's off to
North Dakota and especially Dean
Blais."
This was only Blais' third year at the
helm of the Sioux.
North Dakota scored two goals in a
span of 1:32 in the second period to tie
the score at two.
Four minutes later,l
Henderson stole a
cross-ice pass during a Boston power
play. After streaking down the ice, he got
Larocque down, went left and snuck the
puck in.
The Terriers tied the game at three 1:21
later on another power play, but the Sioux
won the special teams battle two minutes
later. Calder fed Henderson from behind
the net for a stick-side one-timer on the
power play at 15:49 of the second.
David Hoogsteen then gave the Sioux
their biggest lead of the contest when he
poked in a rebound with 5.5 seconds left
in the period.
"Five goals in one period - we've
done it before, but I never thought we'd
do it in the national championship
game," Blais said.
Although the Terriers upset Michigan
in Thursday night's semifinals, talk and
questions about Wolverines continued
throughout the weekend.
"Michigan may be the most talented
team there is, but this is really the best
team in the country right now,"
Schweitzer said of his team. "These guys
deserve it."
NCAA AUt-
The 1997 NCAA al-tournament team:
F
F
F
D
D
G
Matt Henderson
Chris Drury
David Hoogsteen
Curtis Murphy
Tom Poti
Aaron Schweitzer
North Dakota*
Boston U.
North Dakota
North Dakota
Boston U.
North Dakota
* most outstanding player
APPHUOTO
North Dakota senior defensemen Mark Pivetz and Dane Litke celebrate after winning the NCAA championship Saturday.
SEN IORS
Continued from Page 1B
Red Berenson paced around, then sat and stared,
then paced some more. Finally he just sat and
slumped. Defeated. Defenseman Bubba
Berenzweig said it felt like there was a "death in the
family."
Morrison and Botterill, the pair that returned to
school for one more shot at a national title, were two
of the most disconsolate.
And strange as it seems now, this was why they
stayed.
Yes, they have said all along that winning the
championship was their goal from day one.
But you know what? They did something bigger
for Michigan than winning any championship.
They helped build a dynasty before our eyes. And
the fact that their careers included their senior years
says a lot about Michigan's program.
It says a lot about the program they helped to
build.
It took a special pair of athletes to do what they
did. Anyone can bolt out the exit when there's a
guaranteed pot of gold on the other side of the door.
Probably, at least one Michigan athlete will do so in
on a losing note is something -because of the life
that these players have poured into Michigan hock-
ey - that they will never forget. It is something that
will always be frustrating.
But as disappointed as they are now, check back
with these seniors in about five years. Chances are,
they won't be hung up on whether they won or lost
their final game together.
Chances are, they'll remember the time when
they were college students and for a few days, they
put off tests and classes to go to Milwaukee and
play hockey for Michigan.
What a great scene it was, the day after the horri-
ble loss, as Morrison was handed the Hobey Baker
Award and his teammates were there to cheer for
him.
Morrison choked back tears during his accep-
tance speech. Botterill cried while watching in his
seat.
And then the fans in the audience broke into a
rendition of "The Victors." Michigan was not even
in the tournament anymore. It was the day after the
most difficult loss in the careers of nine Michigan
hockey players, and at the same time, the culmina-
tion of an extraordinary four years.
Morrison and Botterill did not win a second
-