The Michigan Daily- SPORTSMonday - March 23, 1998 - 5B
5
...........
Key play:
wr
No room
for error
inz Blue
.postseason
Although he
made the CCI
all-rookie tean
Michigan
defenseman
Mike Van Ryn
was unable t
prevent Ohio
State from sc
ing four goals
The Wolverine
couldn't
rebound from
two crucial
errors which i
to third perio
goals.
JOHN KRAFT/
HA
'm,
I MIGHT NOT EVEN KNOW, BUT IT'S BUBBA BERENZWEIG,
t would be so easy. The mistakes the
Wolverines made against Ohio State
were so glaring, so blatant, that i
o could easily go on and on about what
Michigan did wrong. About what
or- could've been or should've been ifjust
a few key errors hadn't happened.
es Goaltender Mary Turco - a senior
with three years of CCHA playoff
experience - making the kind of slop-
led py plays that would embarrass a rookie.
d Turco has a reputation for leaving the
crease to play the puck, but Friday
Daily night was just ridiculous, and Michigan
gave up a goal directly because of
Turco's love of living on the edge.
Junior center Bobby Hayes, who
Michigan coach Red Berenson said is
one of Michigan's most consistent play-
ers, making one
of the
Wolverines' most
4 perfect passes of
the evening.
Unfortunately,
it was directly to
Ohio State's
CHRIS Louie Coisant for
FARAH the Buckeyes'
Farah's second goal of
Fauraeh' the evening.
Faucet eStar forward
Bill Muckalt - a
Hobey Baker candidate - missing the
net entirely on slapshot after slapshot.
The list really could go on and on.
But there wouldn't be much of a point.
After almost every single loss this
season, one of the Wolverines has said
that Michigan would learn something
from its mistakes. Even after
Michigan's loss to Notre Dame in the
first game of the CCHA Tournament's
opening round, Muckalt said the
Wolverines would be able to take
something away from the defeat.
And Michigan did end up winning
the series against the Fighting Irish. But
time was running out on Michigan's
educational experience. The Wolverines
lucked out in the CCHA first round.
They got another chance. They were
able to learn, and adjust and prepare.
But during the postseason, learning
should be the lowest priority. Playoffs
should be the time to practice what you
know, what you fine-tuned over the
regular season. Sure, playoff experience
will be valuable for freshmen in future
seasons, but if the 1997-98 Wolverines
are still finding things out about them-
selves as a team, then their problems
are just going to continue.
And in the NCAA Tournament, there
is no best-of-three series. If Michigan's
problems do continue, they won't be
continuing for much longer - one
final game is all it will take.
So the real question is: Are the
Wolverines ready to put it all behind
them? Can they bring everything
together for one last, great run in the
NCAAs?
The pressure in this situation doesn't
lie on the freshmen. The pressure lies
on the upperclassmen, particularly the
seniors. This is their season. This is
their last shot at glory - their last shot
at their own legacy, one that isn't inter-
twined with names like Morrison and
Botterill and Sloan.
Their last shot didn't seem to matter
too much to them in the CCHAs, at
least not against the Buckeyes.
As easy as it would be to think that,
though, they did care.
Turco refused to talk to the press,
mumbling something about being late
as he walked towards the bus. Muckalt
answered questions with a glassy stare,
rarely making eye contact.
A visibly emotional Hayes - not a
senior, but still a team leader - barely
choked out a statement and seemed to
bear the full weight of Michigan's loss
on his shoulders.
No, these Wolverines did care. They
Ohio State center Hugo Boisvert
scored with nine seconds left in the
second period to tie the score, 2-2.
The goal, coming 1:10 after a
Michigan score, gave the Buckeyes
momentum heading into the final
period.
Hockey conference
championships
Hockey East
No. 3 Boston College (26.8-5)
defeated Maine (17-15-4), 3-2
ECAC
Princeton (18-10.7) defeated No. 6
Clarkson (24-7-3) 5-4, in 2 OT
Consolation game: Harvard (14-17-
2) defeated No. 7 Yale (23-8-3) 4-1
WCHA
No. 10 Wisconsin (26-13-1)
defeated No. 2 North Dakota (30-
7-1), 3-2
Consolation game: No. 9 Colorado
College (25-12-3) defeated, St.
Cloud State (22-16-2) 6-1
The NCAA Regionals
Friday, March 27 through
Sunday, March 29
West Regional, Ann Arbor
Game 1, Friday, 5 p.m.
No. 5 Yale vs. No. 4 Ohio State
Game 2, Friday, 8:30 p.m.
No. 6 Princeton vs. No. 3 Mchigan
Game 3, Saturday, 6 p.m.
Winner of Game 1 vs.
No. 1 Michigan State
Game 4, Saturday, 9 p.m.
Winner of Game 2 vs.
No. 2 North Dakota
East Regional, Albany, NY
Game 1, Saturday, 12 p.m.
No. 6 Colorado College vs.
No. 3 Clarkson
Game 2, Saturday, 3 p.m.
No. 5 New Hampshire vs.
No. 4 Wisconsin
Game 3, Sunday, 2 p.m.
Winner of Game 1 vs.
No. 2 Boston College
Game 4, Sunday, 5:30 p.m.
Winner of Game 2 vs.
No. 1 Boston University
Hobey, oh Hobey
The Hobey Baker Memorial Award
finalists were announced on Friday.
This year's recipient will be the
18th. Last year, Michigan's
Brendan Morrison captured the tro-
phy given to the NCAA's top player.
Name
Chad Alban
Dan Boyle
Chris Drury
Ray Giroux
Eric Healey
Jason Krog
Mark Mowers
Bill Muckalt
Curtis Murphy
Mike York
School I
Mich. State
Miami
Boston
Yale
Rensselaer
New Hamp.
New Hamp.
Michigan
N. Dakota
Mich. State
Pos.
G
D
F
D
F
F
F
F
D
F
USCHO Poll
As of March 16
Team RecordI
1. North Dakota (20) 30-7-1
2. Michigan State (10) 31-5-5
3. Boston College 26-8-5
4. Boston University 28-7-2
5. Michigan 29-111
6. Clarkson 24-7-3
7. Yale 23-8-3
8. Ohio State 25-12-2
9. Colorado College 25-12-3
10. Wisconsin 26-13-1
Pts.
290
280
200
192
185
144
110.
103
57
53
(First place votes in parentheses)
Others receiving votes: New
Hampshire (26), Maine (4), St.
Cloud State (4), Miami (Ohio) 2
Got tickets?
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