Hockey 'U' CCHA Tournament The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 19, 1999 - 11 Mildcats smell upset at the Joe By David Don Herder Daily Sports Writer Michigan and Ohio State will have more than just CCHA fans watching with interest tonight as the two teams meet in e CCHA semifinals for the second-straight year. The winner of the other semifinal rematch tonight - Michigan State vs. Northern Michigan - will surely be curi- ous as to their final round opponent. Three hours before the Wolverines hit the ice at the Joe, the top-seeded Spartans will deal with surging Northern, attempting to secure a berth in the CCHA title game for the third consecutive season. But unlike last year, when Mike York and the green machine brushed off Northern, 5-1, this season's edition could prove to be a game. The Wildcats are at Joe Louis Arena tonight because they earned it. After losing to Michigan and Notre Dame in the final series of the regular season, Northern put on its playoff face, ,gaveling hundreds of miles to defeat the Irish in three games. l ie first-round road victory was the first in school history. But Northern has been in good position for a playoff run all season. The Wildcats won six straight out of the gates, and went on to compile their first 20-win season since 1993. Perhaps the most memorable show of talent for Michigan fans was Northern's 6-1 drubbing of the Wolverines at Yost Ice Arena last Halloween night. Northern forward J.P. Vigier is in the top three of nearly every offensive chart in the CCHA - including goals, power play goals and game-winning goals. Junior Tyson Holly and Wshman Sean Connolly also netted two goals each in the first round to help the Wildcats outmuscle the Fighting Irish. With all that said, there is a reason the Spartans are the No. I seed. Michigan State has a suffocating defense that led to its school-record 23-game unbeaten streak this season. At'93.1 percent, the team's penalty kill unit is the best in the nation. Bryan Adams and Hobey Baker Award finalist Mike York give the Spartans a lethal offensive threat as well, but the Spartans have rarely needed more than three goals to secure a victory. In fact, since Feb. 26, Michigan State has averaged only 2.83 goals per game (going 5-1 in the process). Michigan coach Red Berenson said he was impressed but t surprised by Northern's play so far this season - most notably the first round series with Notre Dame. As for the Spartans? "Lake Superior took Michigan State into overtime in their building, and Lake Superior is an eighth-place team in our league. Bowling Green played us in a tough, tough game (last) Friday and they're supposed to be a seventh place team," Berenson said. "I don't think there's a big difference between teams in our league." Hobey finalists include two from ,CCHA Yesterday, the finalists were announced for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, presented annually to college hockey's most out- standing player Two CCHA players are among the candidates. M' hopes for last laugh over Bucks Photos by MARGARET MYERS/Daily Most teams are fortunate to discover one impact freshman on their roster - the Michigan hockey team found three. From left and continuing clockwise; newly-named CCHA Rookie of the Year Mike Comrie and All-Rookie Team teammates Jeff Jilison and Josh Blackburn. Corie, freshman cass haXvCe soared beyond epectatios By Mark Francescutti Daily Sports Writer Life as a first-year student on any school's campus isn't the favorite time of most students. For student-athletes the job isn't any easier. Freshmen deal with the ever-present practical jokes. And when the game is on, freshmen are looked upon to contribute like seniors. This sea- son, the HOCKEY Michigan Commentary hockey team needed its ---------------~~ freshmen to perform three years older. With the loss of a huge core of seniors, including the offensive power of players like Bill Muckalt, the Wolverines needed their freshmen more than ever. And in a season when goals were sometimes hard to come by, Mike Comrie answered Michigan's call. The 18-year-old smashed through the freshman barriers and swatted through the butterflies from the very begin- ning. In just his second game of the season, Comrie tallied four points. Not bad for game number two. In 38 games thus far, the cen- ter has netted 43 points while leading the team in plus-minus with a +19. Former Michigan superstar Brendan Morrison had 48 points in his freshman season. Comparisons to past greats like Morrison and Muckalt are common place for Comrie, whether they come from his teammates, coaches or the press. What makes him the special player that Michigan coach Red Berenson calls him? It's because every time he touches the puck, people get excited. He swoops around defenders like a roadrunner, using both his skill and speed to make his opponents look like pee-wees. Great players come to mind when watching Comrie, because when great players touch -the puck, everyone stops what they were doing and watches in awe. But Comrie isn't the only star freshman that has gotten Michigan fans excited. Goaltender Josh Blackburn and defenseman Jeff Jillson have also shown the signs to be the next Michigan greats. It's bad enough to be a goalie, but a freshman goalie is ten times worse. Yet at a time when some teams redshirt their young goal- tenders, Michigan needed Blackburn behind the net. Few goalies in history have reached a consistency in the net this early in their careers. But no matter what team the Wolverines faced, Michigan could count on their goalie. Mistakes may have haunted the freshman in some games, but shutouts and strong perfor- mances diluted those errors. And with backup Kevin O'Malley at Blackburn's side, the Wolverines should have no worries about the fate of their goaltending for years to come. ,The Michigan defense received a big boost when Jillson came to Ann Arbor. The defenseman not only has shown his strength on the defensive end, but on the offensive side as well. Jillson is fifth on the team in points with 23. The big fresh- man has definite potential to be one of the best defensemen to wear a Michigan jersey. Not bad for just freshmen. By Chris Duprey Daily Sports Editor As the only conference team Michigan has not beaten, tonight's CCHA playoff semifinal game against Ohio State looks to be the most formidable of tasks. But confidence is running high for the Wolverines, who have won five of their last six. Their offense has sparked with the resurgence of Bobby Hayes and other scoring-capa- ble seniors, and goaltender Josh Blackburn is keeping Michigan in contention almost every night. "We knew we had goal-scorers all along," Michigan forward Sean Ritchlin said. "There's a lot of guys on this team that have a lot of ability to score goals. Besides the championship at stake tomorrow night, the Wolverines need a victory over Ohio State so they can sleep well, knowing an NCAA at- large bid is likely coming their way. "We're really not talking about NCAAs," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "We're talking about this game, Ohio State, the playoffs, this weekend." If there's been one series this sea- son where the game results haven't told the entire story, it's this one. In Michigan's three regular-season meetings with Ohio State, victory and execution have just barely eluded the Wolverines' grasp: Jan. 2 in Columbus: The pre- miere of the Value City Arena was available only to those who were able to tunnel through blizzard conditions. Michigan played Ohio State tight the entire way, but a late power-play goal by Chris Richards, with just 6:09 remaining in the game, cost the Wolverines a tight 1-0 decision. * Jan. 23 in Columbus: A goal in the second period by Michigan's Mike Comrie looked like it would hold up as the margin of victory. But the Wolverines were unable to clear the zone and get a line change at a crucial juncture late in the third period, and Ohio State's Ryan Jestadt made them pay with 1:10 left. The contest ended in a I-1 tie. ® Feb. 6 in Ann Arbor: Michigan seemed to bury itself early, falling behind 2-0 in the first 4:05 of the game. The Wolverines would rally to within a goal and were pressing hard to tie the game when Hayes slipped and fell as he carried the puck out of his own zone. Ohio State's Hugo TONIGHT Wh. 'Ohio State vs. Michigan Where: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit When: 8:30 p.m. TV: MediaOne local channel 19) will broadcast a live feed from Fox Sports Detroit. Radio: WCBN 88.3 FM and WTKA 1050 AM will both broadcast the game live. Notables: Michigan has not beaten the Buckeyes all season, posting an 0-2-1 record ... Ohio State advanced to the CCHA semifinals with a sweep over Ferms State in Columbus .. Michigan is 1-2 at Joe Louis Arena this season. Boisvert - a dangerous scorer in traffic, much less on a breakaway - flipped the puck past Blackburn for what turned out to be the game-win- ner. "I think we've got to go out and establish ourselves right from the start," Ritchlin said. "The first five minutes and the last five minutes of periods can be heartbreakers." Despite the previous outcomes, Michigan doesn't plan on changing its strategy for tonight. As a matter of fact, given their recent offensive explosion, the Wolverines hope for the same type of game the two teams have played all season. "Hopefully they don't really do anything to stop it (Michigan's offense)," sophomore Scott Matzka said. "If we get going, I don't know if anyone can stop it." Michigan will have to test Ohio State goaltender Jeff Maund fre- quently if it wants to have a realistic chance of moving on to tomorrow's championship game. Maund's selection to the all-CCHA First Team on Monday won't be able to help him on the ice, but it shows his ability to keep the Buckeyes in the game - even when they make costly defensive errors. "It seems like we kind of play a lit- tle bit timid, and sit back on our heels when we play them," Matzka said. "If we go after them, I think we can take advantage of their weakness - their defense." Name Jason Blake Hugo Boisvert Brian Gionta Jeff Hamilton Eric Heffler Steve Kariya on Krog Mke Larocque Brian Swanson Mike York Pos. Yr. F Sr. F Jr. F So. F Jr. G Sr. F Sr. F Sr. F Sr. F Sr., School North Dakota Ohio State Boston College Yale St. Lawrence Maine New Hampshire Boston University Colorado College Michigan State The recipient of the Hobey Baker award will 'be announced on Friday, April 2 in Anaheim, Calif. 1999 CCHA Tournament 1 Michigan State 8 Lake Superior 4 Notre Dame 5 N. Michigan 2 Michigan 1 Michigan State Tonight, 5:00 p.m. Joe Louis - Arena 5 N. Michigan 2 Michigan Tonight, 8:30 p.m. Joe Louis Arena 7 Bowling Green 3 Ohio State Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. Joe Louis Arena 3 Ohio State 6 Ferris State Big season nets award for Comrie COMRIE Continued from Page 9 dominated by Michigan State, simi- lar to the way the Spartans dominat- ed the CCHA on the way to a 20-3-7 mark. Mike York led the Michigan State arge, as he won both the Player of the Year and Best Defensive Forward awards. York also was a first-team selection on the all-CCHA team. Michigan State defenseman Mike Weaver also graced the stage at the Second City comedy club a few times, garnering first-team honors and winning the Best Defensive Defenseman award. t Goaltender Joe Blackburn also got a little hardware to take home with him, as he was named Goaltender of the Year. Finally, Michigan State coach Ron Mason rounded out the green inva- sion when he received his seventh Coach of the Year award. or call 764-0554 to have your SENIOR WISH published April 15th deadline March 31 ALLISON Thank you for finally graduating. You were the worst tenant. Please never call here again. And no, we will not shovel the driveway. -Your Landlord Charles F. yocum Alfred S. Sussman Collegiate Professor of Biology and Professor of Chemistry LifeLght, and Photosntnsi How Plants Make Oxyge,,on 1 /mtod E '.. -' U ~tI..: