4B - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - January 26, 1998 HOCKEY Quotable: "I'm kind of like a fireman. You never know when the fire's going to start, but you always have to be ready to put it out:" - Goaltender Greg Malicke The Three Stars The Michigan Daily hockey writ- ers picks for Michigan's three stars of the garmer 'third Star: Greg Crozier After sitting out Friday's game, the junior forward scored Michigan's third goal in Saturday's 4-3 loss after Michigan netminder Marty Turco left the ice for the extra attacker. Second Star: Josh Langfeld The freshman right wing scored his 14th goal of the year on the power play midway through the third period of Saturday's game to pull the Wolverines to within two goals. First Star: Bobby Hayes The junior center has been on a tear lately, scoring at least a point in his last eight games. Hayes continued the streak scor- ing his 15th and 16th goals and adding an assist. Miami (Ohio) 3 3 Michigan I Miami (Ohio) 4 Michigan 3 Key play: UP With Michigan trailing 2-1, six minutes into the third period, the RedHawks put the game out of reach scoring two goals in 16 seconds. ° Two losses something to worry about? Think of'96 By COws Farah Daily Sports Writer OXFORD - So, it's finally begun. Michigan is done playing the creampuffs of the CCHA - teams like Western Michigan, Alaska-Fairbanks and Bowling Green. The Wolverines are done padding their No. 1 ranking in the CCHA with victories against sub-par teams. Now that the Wolverines are playing teams like Miami (Ohio), the real Michigan is going to stand up. The Michigan all the fans were afraid they'd see. The Michigan that can't come up with the big win in the big games when it real- ly counts. The Michigan that loses two games in a row to a team like Miami.Y Wait a minute. Maybe not. Flash back to that magi- cal season, just two years ago, when the Wolverines managed to win the NCAA crown after defeating Colorado College, 3-2, in overtime in the title game. Flash back to that same year of wonders, when Michigan went an amazing 34-7-2 and won a CCHA tournament title. Yes, flash back to the 1995-96 season, when the Wolverines lost two straight games to Lake Superior State at the tail end of the season, in the midst of a tight regular-season race in the CCHA. Hold on. Lost two straight games? To Lake Superior? In 1996 - the year of the NCAA cham- pionship? That's right. With the regular-season CCHA title on the line, the Michigan team of '95-96 traveled to Sault Ste. Marie and promptly lost. Twice. In fact, Michigan goaltender Marty Turco was pulled from the second game - a 3-7 whooping at the hands of the Lakers - much like he was pulled from Michigan's game on Friday against Miami, a Miami (Ohio) 3, Michigan 12 Michigan 0 0 1 - 1 Miami (Ohio) 2 1 0-- 3 First period -1. MU, Boyle 1 (Brindley, T. Leahy), 8:49. 2. MU, Krajnc 1 (Tropper. Mizerek) 18:07. Penalties - UM, Peach (interference), 2:11; MU, Brindley (hooking), 15:20. Second period - 3. MU, Andreev 1 (Tropper), 13:12. Penalties - MU, Bautch (tripping), 3:17; MU,, Copeland (slashing), 9:50; MU, Bautch (hitting after the whistle), 14:38; UM, Muckalt (hitting after the whistle), 14:38. Third period - 1. UM, Hayes 1 (Ritchlin, Muckalt), 0:47. Penalties - MU, Copeland (tripping), 1:05; UM, Ritchling (elbowing), 13:18; MU, T. Leahy (10- minute misconduct), 19:06; UM, Rominski (10- minute misconduct), 19:06: UM, VanRyn (hooking) 19:32; UM, VanRyn (10-minute misconduct) 19:32, UM, Herr (roughing), 19:38. Shots on goal - UM 6-12-16 - 34; MU 7-7-3 - 17. Power Plays - UM, 0of 4; MU 0of 4. Saves - UM, Turco 5-6-x - 11; UM, Malicke x-x-3 - 3; MU, Prior 16-12-15 - 33. Referee - Steve Piotroski. Unesmen - Butch Friedman, Mike Poliski. At: Goggin Ice Arena. A: 2,850. Miami (Ohio) 4, Michigan 3 Michigan 1 0 2 -3 Miami (Ohio) 1 1 2 -4 First period - 1. UM, Hayes 1 (Turco), 10:07 (pp). 1. MU, Copeland 1 (T. Leahy, Whitecotton) 15:13 (pp). Penalties - MU, Boyle (high-sticking), 2:56; UM, Crozier (slashing). 2:56; MU Bautch (unsports- manlike conduct), 7:46; UM, Hayes (unsportsman- like conduct), 7:46; MU, Brindley (holding), 8:12; UM, Kosick (tripping), 10:26; MU, Chateau (hold- ing), 12:50; UM, Rominski (holding), 12:50; UM, VanRyn (holding), 14:21; MU, T. Leahy (slashing), 15:47: MU, Brindley (boarding), 16:11. Second period - 2. MU, Deskins 1 (unassisted), 6:26. Penalties - UM, Langfeld (high-sticking), 1:33; UM, Muckalt (roughing), 9:10; UM, Rominski (high-sticking), 13:55; MU, T. Leahy (holding), 16:00; MU, Deskins (roughing), 20:00; MU, Brindley (roughing, double minor), 20:00; UM, Muckalt (rcghing, high-sticking), 20:00; UM, Hayes (rough- ing), 20:00. Third period - 3. MU, Tropper 1 (copeland, Krajnc), 6:37 (pp). 4. MU, Copeland 2 (T. Leahy) 6:53. 2. UM, Langfeld (Herr, Hayes) 13:48 (pp). 3. UM, Crozier (Herr, Kosick) 19:01. Penalties - UM, Rominski (interference), 6:15; MU, Walford (hold- ing), 7:21; MU, Mizerek (roughing) 9:19; MU, Chateau (roughing) 9:19; UM, Rominski (roughing) 9:19; UM, Crozier (roughing), 9:19; MU Tropper (slashing), 13:00. Shots on goal - UM 14-12-11 - 37; MU 12-7-7 - 26. Power Plays - UM, 2 of 6; MU 2 of 6. Saves - UM, Turco 11-6-5 - 22; MU, Prior 13-12-9 -34. Referee - John Kelly. "nlnesmen - Steve Mclnchak, Butch Friedman. At: Goggin Ice Arena. A: 2,850. Upcoming Schedule mere 1-3 loss to the RedHawks. Michigan ended up finishing the regular season tied for first place in the CCHA with Lake Superior, after beating the Lakers, 4-3, at home in the last game of the regular season. And, like everybody knows, that same team went on to win both the CCH A tournament title and th NCAA title. Not bad for a bunch of guys who to two in a row when it really counted, huh? Granted, there are a lot more question marks sur- rounding this group of Wolverines than there were surrounding the '95-96 Wolverines. Michigan had an offense that could be counted on to put up big numbers. The Wolverines' defense was tested. This year, Michigan coach Red Berenson will be the first to admit that the Wolverines won't win most of their games with their offense. And Michigan's defense has played well so far, but t fact remains that they lack much experience. No, this year's team will have to rely a lot less on pure talent, and a lot more on effort - on grinding out victories and playing harder than its opponents. It'll also have to rely a lot more on Turco. Turco now owns sole possession of the NCAA record for career wins, so let's put that aside for now. The toughness and resolve, on the other hand, may be another matter. The Wolverines came out sluggish Friday night against a Miami team they knew would be their toughest challenge in a whil Michigan let the RedHawks get out to a 3-0 lead, something this Michigan can't afford to do. The Wolverines started out a lot stronger Saturday night but still weren't able to finish, allow- ing Miami to pick up two quick goals in the third period, effectively putting the game out of reach. But resilience can be worked on. A more consis- tent work ethic can be achieved. Whether or not it will be remains to be seen. After all, how many teams can come back fro two tough losses to win a championship? 1 Oh yeah, that's right. Michigan did it just two 'M' off ice JOHN KRAFT/Daily Despite outshooting the RedHawks 70-40, Chris Fox and the Wolverines were swept in a weekend series for the first time since losing two games to Lake Superior in 1996. Malicke may be backup, but still leads' By Chris Farah Daily Sports Writer OXFORD - For most people, the third peri- od of Friday's game between Michigan and Miami (Ohio) was nothing very memorable. Sure, the Wolverines lost for the first time in a while. Sure, the CCHA race is tighter now than it was before. But mostly, it was just a third period of anoth- er hockey game. There were many periods, many games before that one, and there will be many more to come. In the grand scheme of things, it probably won't mean much. But for Michigan backup goaltender Gregg Malicke, the third period of Friday's game repre- sented nothing less than hockey reality. Michigan starter Mary Turco isn't having a good night? Send in Malicke. Michigan is blowing out its opponent? Send in Malicke. So, when the third period came around, and the Wolverines were down to Miami, 3-0, and Turco hadn't been performing as well as he usu- ally does ... send in Malicke. And Malicke, as usual, did what he could. Michigan outplayed Miami during the third period, allowing the RedHawks just three shots on goal. Malicke stopped them. The Wolverines still lost, 3-1, but Malicke did what he could - as much as he can ever do in such circum- stances. "I'm kind of like a fireman," he said. "You never know when the fire's going to start, but you always have to be ready to put it out. I'm not happy with my role - of course I want to play as many games a possible. "But if that's what I'm called upon to do, you have to do whatever helps contribute to the team," Malicke said. When we're young, the potential that life holds seems limitless. We are told, over and over again, "Set your mind to it, and it can be accom- plished." Maybe that's what Malicke was thinking to himself when he transferred to Michigan from Clarkson after playing hockey for the Golden Knights during the 1993-94 season. Malicke hadn't put up the greatest numbers as Clarkson's goaltender. Seeing action in seven games, he had a 5.44 goals against average and a .757 save per- centage. But Malicke's stats weren't indicative of his skill. The year before Clarkson, Malicke played for the U.S. Midget National Champions, the Detroit Little Caesars. He wasn't named Michigan Midget Hockey Player of the Year by accident, and he wasn't selected Team Most Valuable Player by luck. And maybe after a disappointing year at Clarkson, Malicke still heard something like, "Set your mind to it, and it can be accom- plished." Michigan did present a much different realm of opportunity for Malicke, and his numbers show marked improvement during his two years as a Wolverine. After redshirting the 1994-95 season, Malicke maintained a goals against aver- age of 1.89 and a .909 save percentage during his sophomore and junior seasons of eligibility. There's just one problem. The stats reflect only about 530 minutes of playing time. So goes the life of a backup. "It's really difficult," Malicke said. "You real- ly have to stay positive with yourself and not question what you're doing wrong. Once you start doing that, you're going to go in the tank." No matter how many times someone says, "It can be accomplished," sooner or later, reality sets in. And Malicke's hockey reality isn't filled with limitless potential; rather, it's capsulized by games like Friday's. Malicke in, Malicke out. Life goes on. But for Malicke, life doesn't just come down to hockey. He's won the Michigan Athletic Achievement Award the past three years. He's an avid pilot and wants to fly in the military. Maybe his hockey reality will never be ideal, but Malicke's potential remains unbounded in other areas. And the attitude that Malicke brings, both to hockey and his other pursuits, may ultimately prove just as valuable to Michigan - particular- ly after losing two in a row to Miami - than anything he could do on the ice. "My role basically is to lighten up the team, whichever way I can,"he said. "I give guys pats on the back at the bench, or when they're down, I help them out. (I'm) just supposed to be an all-around team player." ate' A Jan. 30 Jan. 31 Feb. 7 Feb. 13 Notre Dame Notre Dame Lake Superior* Miami (Ohio) JOHN KRAFT/Daily Michigan's Mark Kosick relied on Gregg Malicke to fill the net for Marty Turco in the third period of Friday's game. *at Joe Louis Arena Home games in BOLD CCHA players =M of the week ,,. Offense: Eric Meloche (RW), Ohio State The sophomore right wing had four points (three goals, and one assist) as the Buckeyes defeated SNotreDame 5-3 and Northern Michigan 2-0. Meloche scored the game winning goal in both games. Defense: Trevor Prior (G), Miami (Ohio) The 5-foot-9, 190 pound goal- tender made 67 saves as the RedHawks defeated the first- place Wolverines 3-1 and 4-3. Prior allowed only one five-on-five goal and had a .944 save per- centage for the weekend. REDHAWKS Continued from Page 1B The Wolverines outshot Miami during the weekend, 70-40. On Saturday, Prior looked human in the final period after allowing two goals. But Friday he seemed superhuman. "Their goalie stood on his head," Berenson said. "He was a big factor in the game. You have to give Prior credit. He played a great game and I think he was the difference in the game." Prior's goaltending held Michigan to a single goal in a 3-1 victory for the RedHawks. Prior allowed only a Hayes goal to slip past the him, turning away 33 shots including 15 in the final period. "Their goalie played excellent," Herr said. "They've got two great goalies who've proven to be great goalies." The first period turned out to be the decisive one in the game, as the RedHawks scored twice on the Wolverines in the first period. Miami defenseman Dan Boyle scored midway through the opening frame after beating Turco from the left slot. Ten min- utes later, center Gregor Krajnc blasted a shot from the left wing into the goal, giv- ing Miami a firm 2-0 lead. "We don't like the idea that we lost or that we gave up early goals," Berenson said. "And obviously we don't like the idea that we couldn't score when we had our chances." The Wolverines can take solace in the fact that they out-played Miami in final period. Trailing by two goals, the Wolverines were able to score in the first 47 seconds when Bobby Hayes grabbed a Sean Ritchlin rebound and made the score 3-1. "It shows that our team can come back in the second or third period," Herr said. "They didn't dominate us, they only had 14 shots." Unfortunately for the Wolverine Prior was able to make the Miami lead stick, saving 15 shots. The Wolverines also played strong defense in the third frame, allowing just three shots. "We're back in the race," Mazzoleni said. "I think we made a statement." Before the weekend, the Wolverines won 13 of their last 14 games - beating mostly lower division 6pponents. "It's a good test for our team, not just for ou young players but for our veteran play - the ones who have to lead our team" Berenson said. "It's going to be like this the rest of the year." "We're done with the bottom half of our league. Now we're into the top half. JOHN KRAFT/Daily Michigan forward Dale Rominski and the rest of the Wolverines couldn't pull out a victory against Miami (Ohio) this weekend. The Wolverines remain in first place in the CCHA by one point over Michigan State after the two losses.