jainful defeat in
playoffs can'
taint four
successful years
ok ing around the room, despair
as evident on the faces of these
attered young men.
Each sat in his cubicle, some sob-
bing, some staring, some just staying.
They had nowhere to go, no more
games to prepare for, no more foes to
vanquish.
The Michigan hockey team sat in
the Bradley
Center locker-
room after the
national semifi-
nal - finished
off by Boston
University, 3-2.
The Terriers
hit Michigan
from all angles in
MARK the game.
SNYDER Michigan junior
y the, w Matt Herr, a 6-
Ontey foot-2, 195-
Bp ayed pound forward,
was knocked
around like a rag
doll by BU's defensemen.
Brendan Morrison, named the
Hobey Baker Award winner just one
day earlier, was leveled near center-
ice by a vicious hit by Hobey runner-
up Chris Drury of BU.
BU played like it was on a mission
of revenge for having been trounced
Sby Michigan, 4-0, in the same game
eryear earlier.
But this night was not about BU
and its revenge against the
Wolverines. It was about a dream
unfulfilled. It was about history. But
mostly it was about people and pres-
sure.
The intense light focused on
Michigan coach Red Berenson's team
all season long, and it was relentless.
The Wolverines took the ice each
#ht as the hunted. During the four
years previous, they had fallen just
short of the national championship.
The prospect of another shot at the
title drove them on a daily basis to
improve.
But this year was different.
Michigan sat atop the college hockey
world as the defending champion and
the number one team in the nation.
While being the envy of all oppo-
lts, these sudden heroes were also
t e targets.
Teams attempted, unsuccessfully
for the most part, to knock Michigan
from its pedestal. A season record for
victories was interrupted only slightly
by Michigan State on two occasions
as Michigan dominated foes.
Accolades from other coaches were
abundant after their teams had fallen
to the mighty Wolverines.
*'The (Michigan) team may be one of
the best teams I've ever seen in college
hockey," said Miami (Ohio) coach
Mark Mazzeloni during the season.
And Red's army justified that
appraisal.
Michigan rolled through the regular
season, conference playoffs and
NCAA regionals like few teams in the
sport's storied history. This was a
team destined to be the first to repeat

since the 1971-72 Terriers.
Which made the scene in the
Bradley Center lockerroom so
improbable.
Each Michigan player built up to
the pressure of the day with his own
personal story.
Morrison, the captain, set Michigan
records throughout his career in the
spotlight. The scrawny kid Berenson
had recruited four years earlier had
Sed the national spotlight through his
y on the ice and exemplary character
off it.
Center Mike Legg, known interna-
tionally for his ESPY-winning goal,
had spent the last year of his life trav-
eling the globe and answering ques-
tions about the most unique five sec-
onds of his life.
The largest man on the team, Jason
Botterill turned down millions of dol-
lars from an NHL contract for this
#ot at history, and had accelerated
his play during this crunch time.
Then there was defenseman Harold
Schock. Schock, an Okemos, Mich.
native who spurned his hometown
team's offer of a scholarship to walk-
on at Michigan, earned this day. -it
was his after four years as the small-
est defenseman on the ice, yet still
there to make the opportune pass or
-e timely goal.
These men, all seniors, had played
their last game at Michigan.
In the press conference following
the loss to BU, Schock sat before the
media sobbing.
Each player had his own story, but
on this day, at this moment, their sto-
ries were the same.


HIoCKEY

The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 3, 1997- 5F

Hockey team met all but one expectation

By Jim Rose
Daily Sports Writer
For any other team, it would have been a terrif-
ic way to send off the most heralded senior class in
school history.
A berth in the NCAA semifinals. The most vic-
tories ever by a Michigan hockey team. The con-
ference championship for the fourth consecutive
season, a feat unmatched in the league's existence.
The No. I ranking in the nation for all but two
weeks of the season.
Without a doubt, the 1996-97 season was an
amazing one for the Michigan hockey team. But
truth be told - fair or not - players and fans will
most likely remember it for what it could have been,
but ultimately was not:: a national championship.
The Wolverines went 35-4-4 (23-3-3 in the
CCHA), placed three players (seniors Brendan
Morrison and John Madden and junior Marty Turco)
on the Titan West All-American first team, and were,

without a doubt, the odds-on favorites to repeat as
NCAA champions. But a 3-2 loss to Boston
University ended Michigan's season at the NCAA
semifinals, and ended the careers of nine seniors
who rewrote the Michigan record books.
But as devastating as the season's end was in
March, Michigan coach Red Berenson has come
to grips with his team's finish in recent months.
"You can't look back and be disappointed,"
Berenson said. "Sometimes the real success is not
in the destination, but in the trip itself. It's safe to
say that last season's team had the best season of
any Michigan hockey team in the last 25 years -
maybe even longer than that.
"And even though we didn't win the national
championship, what's gratifying is that even then,
the conclusion - by anyone who knows anything
about college hockey - was that we were the best
team in college hockey for the entire year, and it was
an upset when we lost."

It was as big an upset as college hockey has seen
in years. and the people most upset about it were
Michigan's nine seniors, who, despite the anticli-
mactic finale, ended their careers as the win-
ningest class in Michigan history.
"They raised the bar to a new level of excellence?'
Berenson said. "No doubt, they left their mark here."
The season was filled with moments that will be
remembered not just in the record books, but in the
minds of college hockey fans for years to come.
Brendan Morrison became Michigan's career
points (284) and assists (182) leader while becom-
ing the school's first Hobey Baker Award recipi-
ent. John Madden, a Hobey Baker finalist,
improved on his own NCAA record with 23 career
shorthanded goals. Mike Legg was awarded an
ESPY in New York City for his outrageous
lacrosse-style goal in a 1996 NCA A regional
game. Blake Sloan received the Hockey
Humanitarian Award. Jason Botterill made the

conference's All-Academic team for the second
straight year. The Wolverines won their ninth con-
secutive Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis
Arena, and reached the NCAA's final four for the
fifth time in six years. The list goes on and on.
But what turned out to be one of the most telling
moments of the season actually came months
before the first practice. when Morrison and Jason
Botterill eschewed the guaranteed money of the
NHL to return for their senior seasons. Now, it is
virtually assured that several of the nine seniors
will go on to play some sort of pro hockey. Some
will not. Berenson likes to talk about Harold
Schock, who will go to medical school, and Chris
Frescoln, who will go to law school. But then, he
likes to talk about all nine seniors.
"They made a real commitment to come back and
not just have a great season, but have a better season
than the year before, when they won the national
championship," Berenson said. "And they did."

THE AGONY OF DEFEAT

Morrison takes
tol hleor in

Hockey
upset in
NCAA
tourney
0 '96 NCAA champs
defeated in semifinals
by Boston University
By Jim Rose
Daily Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE - In the end, there
simply was not enough time.
The Wolverines saw their season
come to a shocking conclusion March
27, in a 3-2 NCAA semifinal loss to
Boston, in front of 17,375 fans at the
Bradley Center.
It was the final collegiate game for
Michigan's nine-man senior class, and
the fourth time in six years that the
Wolverines have lost in the semifinals.
With 56.8 seconds left and goal-
tender Marty Turco on the Michigan
bench for an extra attacker, senior
Brendan Morrison to cut the deficit to
one.
But a frantic final minute, spent
mostly in front of the Boston net,
resulted in a mass of bodies on the ice
and no more goals for the Wolverines.
And just like that, the season ended
for Michigan.
"Obviously, it's a very tough game to
lose," said Michigan coach Red
Berenson, who is now 1-4 in the
NCAA semifinals as a coach. "People
often say the best team doesn't always
win, but the team that plays the best
wins. And that may have been the case
tonight."
The Wolverines were unable to over-
come a smothering Boston defense,
which held Michigan to a season-low
20 shots on goal. The Terriers con-
trolled the play for most of the final 30
minutes, after taking the lead for good
with less than four minutes remaining
in the second period.
Tommi Degerman, one of three true
freshmen that scored for Boston, scored
what turned out to be the game-winner
by slamming a pass from teammate
Chris Drury past a helpless Turco.
"It was a heck of a college hockey
game to watch," said Boston coach
Jack Parker. "It was fast, and from a

Michigan team
captain given Hobey
Baker Award in March
By Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE - Friday, March 28
was not a normal day for the captain of
the Michigan hockey team, Brendan
Morrison.
He had been told the night before
that he would be honored with the
Hobey Baker Award - presented annu-
ally since 1981 to the nation's top colle-
giate hockey player.
Under normal circumstances,
Morrison would be overjoyed to win the
award, but this situa-
tion was different.
Michigan had fallen
in the national semi-
finals to Boston
University the previ-
ous Thursday, just
hours before
Morrison was
scheduled to receive
the Hobey.
But despite his Morrison
disappointment
after losing the game, Morrison put on a
good face and graciously accepted the
honor.
Michigan fan Kevin Ebner, a School
of Architecture junior, fully endorsed the
selection.
"I think he deserves it," Ebner said.
"He's been a fantastic college hockey
player for four years. I went to the game
(Thursday) and it was very disappoint-
ing, but I'm glad he won."
The award, sponsored by the
Decathlon Athletic Club of Minneapolis,
was voted on by a select number of pan-
elists from around the nation.
Morrison, a center for Michigan, is
the first Wolverine to win the award.
"It's good to bring a lot of recognition
to the school," LSA first-year student
Rick Kowal said.
When his name was announced as
the award recipient, Morrison, along
with Michigan coach Red Berenson,
emerged from behind a curtain to
accept the trophy.
Morrison's selection was hardly a
surprise to the large crowd assembled
in a ballroom at the Hyatt Regency, but
the roars of approval were significant
nonetheless.
Fans waved signs and displayed their
Michigan paraphernalia with pride, as

much an endorsement of the selection as
a show of support for their fallen heroes.
But this was Morrison's honor and
his comments to the crowd were typical
of the soft-spoken senior.
"It's a great honor to receive this award
on behalf of the University of Michigan,"
he said. "It truly is humbling to be recog-
nized for such a prestigious award."
He then thanked the coaches and the
training staff before turning his atten-
tion to his four-year family.
Morrison then showed his leadership
as captain, publicly raising the spirits of
his disappointed peers.
"Most of all, I would like to thank my
teammates," he said. "I know some of
you guys were disappointed with the
outcome of the game last night, but we
have nothing to hang our heads about.
We have to be proud."
The withdrawal of the curtain also
revealed Morrison's teammates, and the
ceremony, which began as an award pre-
sentation, turned into a Michigan pep
rally as fans sang "Hail to The Victors!"
following Morrison's speech. Morrison
had been down this route before.
He was a Hobey finalist during both
his sophomore and junior years, both
seasons leading the nation in scoring,
but had not won the award.
Now it was his turn. It was far from
how Morrison had imagined the day.
All season long, whenever he was
questioned about the Hobey, he said he
hoped the presentation - if he were to
receive the award - would take place
as he prepared for the national champi-
onship game played Saturday - after
the Hobey presentation.
Unfortunately for Morrison, the day
did not go as planned.
And he let the crowd know his feel-
ings about Thursday's heartbreaking
loss, 3-2, to Boston.
"We did all the little things along the
way," Morrison said. "And sometimes
the best team doesn't win."
The scene in the room was unlike any
previous Hobey ceremony in terms of
attendance.
While chairs were laid out for 600
people to witness the presentation, fans
filled the ballroom, pushing the estimat-
ed number of people to nearly 1,000.
Most Michigan fans traveled five
hours from Ann Arbor to see the award
ceremony, but there were a few who trav-
eled a little longer. Morrison's parents
and sister attended the presentation. They
flew in from Pitt Meadows, British
Colombia, Morrison's hometown.

MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
Forward Warren Luhning gets checked to the boards by Boston University's Chris
Kelleher. Boston upset Michigan 3-2 in the NCAA semifinals in March.

technical point of view, I thought both
teams played extremely well. It was
just a great college hockey game."
It was for the Terriers, anyway.
Boston came out charging in the first
period, laying on perhaps the most phys-
ical five minutes of play the Wolverines
have seen all season. Michigan captain
Brendan Morrison was decked to the ice
on three separate occasions. Even 6-
foot-4, 217-pound Jason Botterill was
sent to the ground on one play.
But Michigan fought through the
physical play and struck first, when
Mike Legg threaded a pass to Warren
Luhning just outside Boston's zone.
Luhning fended off a defender with
one arm, carried the puck in with the
other, and squeezed off a shot that
beat Boston goaltender Michel
Larocque.
The defensive-oriented period came
to a close with both teams only manag-
ing six shots apiece, and Michigan
clinging to a 1-0 lead.
The Terriers started the second period

by killing the second half of a five-
minute major penalty that got Boston
center Billy Pierce ejected. After
Luhning narrowly missed his second
goal of the night by hitting the right post,
the Wolverines managed one shot during
the five minutes.
Parker called his team's penalty killing
the difference in the game.
The Terriers evened the score with
7:59 left in the second when Greg
Quebec slid the puck past Michigan
goaltender Marty Turco from between
the circles.
After another Michigan power play
came up empty, Boston took the lead for
good. Boston's Chris Heron deflected
teammate Shawn Blake's shot from the
left point past a screened Turco to make
the score 2-1.
Moments later, Matt Herr broke free
for a shorthanded breakaway but had the
puck knocked away from behind. The
next trip down the ice, Degerman deliv-
ered the back-breaker, putting Boston
ahead, 3-1.

Berenson's 13 years
change M' program

By Jim Rose
Daily Sports Writer
Red Berenson is telling the Michigan
State story. It is one of his favorites.
"The home crowds weren't always the
way they are now, you know;' Berenson
says. "I remember when Michigan State
would come into Ann Arbor, and they
expected to have the crowd advantage.
The place would be full, and three-
fourths of the fans would be rooting for
Michigan State. It was green and white,
everywhere." By now he is leaning for-
ward in his seat. "In our building!"
The story brings a smile to
Berenson's face these days.
These days, after all, are relatively

hat tricks -in just 28 games as a senior.
His professional career spanned 17
years and four teams, and he is still well
known for the night when he tied an NHL
record by scoring six goals in one game.
In 1982, he joined current Detroit Red
Wings coach and NHL legend Scotty
Bowman as part of the Buffalo Sabres
coaching staff. Berenson was playing for
Bowman in St. Louis in the late 1970s
when he had his six-goal game.
"Berenson was very serious, and he
was a well-conditioned player" Bowman
said. "You didn't have to do a lot of coach-
ing with him. He knew the game well."
Berenson stayed in Buffalo until 1984,
when he accepted the job at Michigan.