BASKETBALL
.ALakers 117.
NEW JERSEY 106
N - BONK 81,
LA Dippers 70
NNJANA 111,
M nnesota 108
SAN ANTONIO 103,
Miami 89
NHL
HOCKEY
WASHINGTON A,
Tampa Bay 1
OTTAWA 3,
San Jose 3
PHILADELPHIA 3,
Los Angeles 0
CHICAGO 2,
Colorado 1
MAJOR LEAGUE
BASEBALL
TAMPA BAY 7.
Detroit 1
BALTIMORE 4,
Kansas City 3
Chicago 8,
FLORIDA 7
Milwaukee 8,
ATLANTA 6
PORriS
Tracking 'M' teams
The Michigan baseball and softball teams face Ohio State
this weekend. The baseball team heads to Columbus
today for a four-game series while the softball team hosts
the Buckeyes at Alumni Field starting tomorrow.
Friday
April 3, 1998
l11
The key to MihikanS
surpisrng run at the title
could be riht under -feet
B OSTON - I've got a secret. I know what all the scouts have been look-
ing for, what all the coaches have been trying to find on tape, and what
Boston College would pay lots and lots of money to learn before
Saturday's NCAA championship game.
I know why Michigan wins. Specifically, I know why the Wolverines are
about to make a very unexpected trip to the national title game after falling in
the second round of the CCHA Tournament just weeks ago.
Sure, you could think of the obvious reasons. The Michigan defense, play-
ing basically only four deep, holding high-powered offenses well below their
usual output.
The Wolverines' offense finding a way to put the puck in the net at the right
times. Goaltender Marty Turco making the kind of miracle saves that would
leave God shaking his head in wonder. Grit, hard work, determination, blab,
blah, blah...
Silly fans, you could think of the obvious reasons, but you'd be wrong.
Only I know why Michigan has been winning, and
maybe, just maybe, I'll let you in on my little secret. Oh,
what the heck.
The special ingredient, the one thing the Wolverines
have that no other team has, the one factor keeping them
alive in the NCAA playoffs (drumroll, please) ...
My mom's socks. Yeah, you heard me right. My mom's
lucky socks. They're a pretty unassuming pair. Wool, yel-
CHRIS low (maize, actually). Nothing special, really.
FARAH Except for one thing. They make Michigan teams win
Farah's big games. The national football title? Wouldn't have hap-
Faucet pened without my mom's socks. The reason the basketball
team lost in the second round of the NCAAs? Sorry
Robert Traylor, but the lucky socks were in the wash that
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
Despite a strong start, New Hampshire goalie Sean Matile couldn't stop the Michigan onslaught. The Wildcats fell flat on their faces against a strong Michigan defense
yesterday and the Wolverines advanced to tomorrow night's NCAA championship game with a 4-0 victory.
Home crowd sends Eages to tite game
Wolverines to face recruiting rival Boston College tomorrow for Championship
day.
You can imagine, then, how adamant I was that my mom wear those magical
pair of stockings during the hockey team's run at the national title. After all,
the last time she didn't wear her socks, Michigan lost to Ohio State in the
CCHAs.
Whoops. Sorry guys.
Wait a minute. Do I hear some skepticism coming from the tried and true-
blue Michigan hockey fans? Maybe some snickering? A couple laughs'?
Oh ye of little faith.
Think about it a little.
Michigan shutting out a New Hampshire team that features three players
with more than 55 points on the season'? Michigan defenseman Bubba
Berenzweig scoring two goals in one game for the first time since he played in
high school? Turco making two unbelievable saves in the second to keep the
Wolverines in the clear? Come on.
Without those lucky maize socks, who knows what would've happened? OK,
so maybe the strength of Michigan's defense isn't all that much of a surprise.
Berenzweig thrives off extended playing time - he seems to just get better the
more he's on the ice. Mike Van Ryn has been strong all season long, and senior
Chris Fox has been playing like a four-year starter.
With the season-long progression of freshman Dave Huntzicker into one of
Michigan's best blueliners, the Wolverines' defense has dominated, even with-
out Sean Peach, who is still on the bench due to his third concussion of the sea-
son. And fine, so maybe Berenzweig's goals aren't all that surprising. They did
come as a shock, but Berenzweig is one of Michigan's most offensive-minded
defensemen. He's joked about being a left wing instead of a defenseman, but
that joke became a pretty serious matter for the Wildcats.
And maybe Turco's saves aren't all that surprising, either. He's been a little
inconsistent this season, but he's been in this kind of high-pressure situation
before. We've all seen Turco make unconscious saves before, so maybe it isn't
all that strange that a goalie who lives for big games would make them - and
just when Michigan needed them.
Maybe Michigan's success as a team isn't even that shocking. Even when the
Wolverines have lost, they haven't usually lost by very much. Michigan may
not always be the most talented team on the ice, but the Wolverines can play
with anyone in the nation. So maybe it isn't too surprising that Michigan is
playing with any team in the nation - and beating them, too.
And the way the Wolverines looked after yesterday's victory in the post-
game press conference -a certain glow, a certain gleam of confidence, but no
cockiness and no premature celebrations - well, maybe these guys are for
real. Maybe it really is all about hard work and dedication and grit. Maybe the
cliches all hold true for Michigan, and maybe the Wolverines can really ... (I
won't say it - no jinxes from me)
After all, like captain Matt Herr said in the beginning of the season - if Michigan
didn't win the NCAA title as the most talented team in the nation last year, maybe
the Wolverines can win it as the hardest-working team in the nation this year.
Maybe it wasn't the magic of those maize, wool socks. Maybe the
Wolverines are winning these ones all by themselves.
And maybe I can even tell my mom that she doesn't have to wear her lucky
socks during tomorrow's game. She can save them for when a Michigan team
really needs them. And after all, she usually does the wash on Saturdays ...
On second thought ... nah. Better safe than sorry.
Ma, wear the socks - Michigan fans will thank you for it.
- Chris Farah can be reached via e-mail at cjfarah@umich.edu
Get.yjof
EUND
fasteii*
Do your taxes with
lSharat Raju
Udyi $ports Editor
POSTON - In last week's NCAA West
,egional held at Yost Ice Arena, the Michigan
fckey team was propelled into the national semi-
inals due in large part to the boisterous home
rowd.
in tomorrow's NCAA championship game, that
ame'home-ice advantage could play a large role
n1 determining this year's champion.
:ufortunately for the Wolverines, that home-ice
dvantage belongs to their opponents - Boston.
alege.
od. Ohio State freshman goaltender Jeff Maund
tried to poke away the puck, but Gionata calmly
held onto it, skated around the outstretched Maund
and scored.
"In the second half of the season. he's been the
best player," Boston College center Marty
Reasoner said.
The Buckeyes were outplayed throughout the
period, and they found themselves the victim of
crucial penalties. One costly
Ohio State penalty was Ryan
Jestadt's five-minute major
and 10-minute misconduct
that earned him an ejection
from the game.
At 10:24 in the second
period, Boston College for-
ward Jeff Farkas forced in a
shot just inside the post from behind the net to
give the Eagles a two-goal lead, and it looked like
the home favorites were on the verge of a blowout.
But the Buckeyes came charging back.
"With a 2-0 lead, we couldn't get Ohio State to
break," Boston College .coach Jerry York said.
"They had chances to get themselves right back
into the game."
Ohio State forward Dan Cousineau collected a
Tyler McMillan rebound and beat Boston College
goaltender Scott Clemmensen. top-shelf, putting
the Buckeyes on the scoreboard at 15:02 into the
second period.
A mere three minutes later, Cousineau scored
again on a beautiful cross-ice pass from Todd
Compeau, tying the score, 2-2.
Then Boston College turned to its big guns.
Reasoner - the Eagles' scoring dynamo with 32
goals on the season - scored on a one-timer from
Gionta at 6:21 into the third to give the Eagles a 3-
2 lead. It was all they would need, although the
Eagles added two more goals in the third period
for good measure.
Now, the Eagles - who have been staying at
home and not in hotels, so as to treat this weekend
like any other one - will prepare for the title
game against Michigan.
"We watched (Michigan) today in our dorm
rooms," Gionta said. "They have a real strong
team. It'll be a battle Saturday night. We'll have to
come out focused and ready to play."
The Wolverines have only faced the Eagles nine
times - the last time on Dec. 2, 1990, which was
a Boston College victory. Three of the meetings,
however, have been in the NCAA Tournament. Of
those three, Michigan beat the Eagles in 1948 and
1950 for the national championship.
See EAGLES, Page 12
e M I . " _ a~ rn