4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 22, 1999
Puck talk , , Key ploy
"There's something about this time of year at 5:22 remaining in the third period of
Michigan. We'll die for each other.F IKAIy's smifinal, tie"scr e s
Michigan L3jici~gan 
- Michigan center Mark Kosick, on theiS
playoffs and his MVP performance S te£ ajfeed iom Mark Kosick (?tfthefco'Qf to
in the CCHA Tournament Ohio State 2 " NorthernMichigan 'slap home the game-winning goal and
secure Michigan s berth in the final.

The Dily Stas
The Michian Diy hoceywiters'
picks for Michiga's three stars of
the weekend s playoff games.
v MMKKOScK-
The sophomore became Michigan's
go-to guy at the Joe, notching
three goals and two assists, and set-
ting up multiple scorng oppertuni-
ties
V2. JOSH BLACKBURN -
GOALTENDER
Facing a total of 64 shots,
Blacburn Was often Mihigan's last,
line of defense in the Tournament
and came through in the utch for
his first
championship-
- 3. MIKE VAN RYN -
DEFENSEMAN
Van Ryn played like an allleague
defenseman, recording three assists
in the championship, including the
assist on Dale Romisd's gae-
1999 AI-CCHA
Tournament team
Most Valuable Player
Mark Kosick, Michigan
Forward
Mark Kosick, Michigan
Forward
J.P. Vigier, Northern Michigan
Forward
Sean Ritchlin, Michigan
Denfenseman
Mike Van Ryn, Michigan
Defenseman
Sean Conolly, Northern Michigan
Goaltender
Josh Blackburn, Michigan
NCAA East Regional
ticket information
Going to Worcester?
First, to get the accent down, practice
saying: "I paahked my caahr in
Haahvard Yaahd."
Then, if you want to go to the game,
call Ticketmaster in Boston for tickets
at (617) 931-2000 or (508) 931-2000.
Tickets are $40 for a two-day pass, and
$20 for either of the two days.
The Michigan Athletic Department is
not offering tickets to students, alumni
or the general public.
N. Michigan 5, Michigan St. 3
Michigan State 3 0 0 - 3
N. Michigan 2 0 3 -5
First period -1. MSt, Hodgins 2 (York, Dolyny),
6:06 (pp); 1. NMU, Holly 14 (Sandbeck, Connlly)
12:18; 2. MSU, Hodgins 3 (Kozakowski),y13:12
(pp); 3. MSU, York 22 (Hall, Insana), 13:30; 2.
NMU, Trudeau 19 (Vigier, Smith), 17:42 (pp).
Penalties- NMU, Vigier (hooking), 4:18; NM,
Riipi (slashing), 9:23; MSU, whitten (slashing),
9:23; MSU, Hutchinson (hooking), 1041; NMU,
Vigier (tripping), 11:18; MSU, Horcoff (charging),
13:57; MSUHorcoff (hooking), 16:44, MSU, Bogas
(hiting after the whistle), 18:08; NMU,
Mattersdorfer (hitting after the whistle), 18:08;
MSU, Whitten (hitting after the whistle), 18:08;
NMU, Phillips (hitting after the whistle), 18:08;
NMU, Sandbeck (cross checking), 19:15.
Second peod - No. scoring. Penalties - NMU,
Connolly (hitting after the whistle), 1:29; MSU,
Patchell (hitting after the whistle), 1:29; NMU,
Metro (hitting after the whistle), 1:29; MSUK
Loding (hitting after the whistle), 1:29; NM, K.
Schmidt (hooking), 3:15; NMU, Vigier (slashing),
11:49.
Third period -3. NMU, connolly 4 (K. Schmidt),
8:38; 4. NMU, Frattaroli 9 (Riipi), 16:06; 5. NMU,
Vigier 20 (Smith), 19:25 (en). Penalties - NMU,
Vgier (interference), :26; MSU, Insan (tripping),
5:54
Shts on goal- MSU, 134156-34; NMU, 866-20.
Power Plays - MSUJ 2 of 6; NMU 1 of 4.
Saves - MSU, Blackburn 66.3 - 15; NMU,
Ragusett 10-15-6 - 31.
Referee - Steve Piotrowski.
Linesmen - John Pearson, John LaDuke.
At: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit.

I. - I I
Michigan 3, Ohio State 2
Ohio State 1 1 0 -2
Michigan 1 2 0 -3
First period-1. oSU, Meloche 11 (Boisvert), 7:45
(pp). 1. Mich, Kosick 10 (Berenzweig), 14:07 (pp).
Penalties- Mich, Kosick (hooking), 5:52; Mich,
Rominski (slashing), 7:45; OSU, Meloche (holding),
13:39; Mich, Crazier (tripping), 16:11; Mich,
Ritchlin (holding), 19:11.
Second period-2. Mich, Kosick 11 (Berenzweig,
Langfeld), 3:30 (pp). 2. OSU, Cousineau 6
(Rchards), 12:01. 3. Mich, Ritchlin 11 (Kosick),
14:38. Penalties - OSU, Colsant (tripping), 1:56;
oSU, Signoretti (delay of game), 2:38; OSU, Selleke
(cross checking), 17:12; Mich, Langfeld (high stick-
ing).,18:16.
Third period - No scoring. Penalties - none.
Shots on goal - OSU, 8-10-16 - 34; Mich, 6126- 24.
Power Plays - OSU 1 of 5; Mich 2 of 4.
Saves - OSU, Maund 5-10-6 - 21; Mich, Blackburn
7-9-16 - 32.
Referee- Matt Shegos.
Linesmen - Kevin Langseth, Larry Lulich.
At: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit. Attendance: 14,261.
Michigan 5, N. Michigan 1,.
N. Michigan 0 1 0 - 1
Michigan 2 3 0 -5
First period -1. Mich, Matzka 7 (Van Ryn, Peach),
11:59; 2. Mich, Rominski 14 (Van Ryn), 14:11.

Scoring slump in his past, Kosick
takes charge in MVP performance

By Chris Duprey
Daily Sports Editor
DETROIT - It's been an up-and-
down season for Mark Kosick, to say
the least. And just like the Michigan
hockey team, while he once was
struggling, March has come and he's
not messing around.
True to form, when Kosick explod-
ed for three goals and two assists to
lead Michigan to the CCHA playoff
championship, and when he was
named tournament MVP,~ he didn't
have much to say about himself-- it
was all business.
"I don't know what it is, but the
whole team picks it up this time of
year," Kosick said. "There's some-
thing about this time of year at
Michigan. We'll die for each other."
Kosick's play was a better form of
self-expression than his ho-hum self-
analysis. At times he relied on deft
touch, at others luck came his way.
But no matter the situation, he execut-
ed his opportunities to perfection -
much like Michigan, which has won
eight playoff games in a row, dating
back to last season.

"It was a big game for Kosick,"
Michigan coach Red Berenson said.
"A number of players stepped up, but
his goals were huge."
In Joe Louis Arena, where the
memory of another No. 9 reigns,
Kosick frustrated Ohio State on
Friday night by involving himself in
every Michigan tally.
A 360-degree pirouette freed him
up for his first goal, and he picked up
a rebound on a two-man advantage
for his second score of the game, giv-
ing Michigan the lead again. And to
top it off, his faceoff draw netted him
a direct assist on Sean Ritchlin's
game-winning goal, closing out a
career night for Kosick.
By the time the championship
game rolled around, Kosick could do
no wrong. With Michigan up 3-1, on
the verge of putting the game out of
reach, Kosick delivered the knockout
punch.
He directed a three-on-two that led
to Greg Crozier's goal, and then con-
verted on another odd-man rush for a
cherry-on-top goal and a 5-1
Michigan lead.

"We had a lot of confidence going
into the game, especially the way we
played (Friday)," Kosick said. "I think
our team's starting to come together.
Everybody's just real upbeat."
Kosick modestly admitted after'
Saturday night's championship that'
it's always nice to score. And as even-
tempered as Kosick has been all sea-
son, goals haven't always been so
easy to come by.
Around midseason, Kosick hit a
scoring slump. Like his teammate
Bobby Hayes, he just wasn't scoring,
no matter what he did. The bounces,
and the goal-scoring luck, just wasn't
coming his way.
That misfortune didn't really both-
er Kosick. He took on a different role
during his scoring drought, a role that
included playmaking - a skill well
within the realm of Kosick's abilities,
proven by 32 assists his freshman sea-
,son.
When the time came this past
weekend for Kosick to reassume his
role as a scorer, he was ready to do so.
Like his Michigan teammates, he
knows when it counts.

WARREN ZINN/Daily
Michigan center Mark Kosick receives his CCHA Tournament MVP award from CCHA
commissioner Tom Anastos. Kosick's three goals and two assists paced Michigan's
championship effort.
Red-hot offense lights
up Joe Louis Arena

By David Den Herder
Daily Sports Writer
It must be the postseason.
If you didn't know by looking at the
schedule, all you had to do was watch
Mark Kosick on the ice this weekend.
The sophomore center was the deciding
factor at Joe Louis Arena, tallying three
goals and a vital assist while becoming
the latest player to assume the reigns of
a volitale Michigan offense.
The Wolverines have now outscored
their opponents
25-10 in the last HOCKEY
five games, while Notebook
their goals per
game average in----------
the CCHA Tournament was an impres-
sive five. And six of the eight goals tal-
lied by the Wolverines came from the
third line, thanks in no small part to its
center.
One scqring chance after another,
Kosick almost made it look easy with
his collected demeanor and confident
stick handling.
"It feels good to score," Kosick said,
"but right now - especially this time
of year - the only word you can say is
team."
Practicing what he preached, Kosick
also assisted wingers Sean Ritchlin
and Greg Crozier to produce the week-
end's third-line scoring trifecta.
HEAD OF THE CLASS: Saturday
marks only the fourth CCHA
Tournament championship for
Michigan in the tourney's 28-year his-
tory. The class of 1999 has been
involved in three of them.
"In all the great teams and great
players we've had, this only the fourth
time - and three were with this senior
Blackburn
posts' Win
over Bucks
CHAMPS
Continued from Page 113
Friday night's 3-2 victory over the
Buckeyes.
The goalpost provided that help.
The Buckeyes hit numerous posts
throughout the game. Blackburn and
the post blanked Ohio State in a
third period when the Buckeyes had
16 shots on goal.
"It was a game that went back and
forth," Berenson said. "I liked the
way we played in the second period.
I didn't like the way we played in the
third period when Ohio State threw
everything at us. Besides the goal-
post I thinkaJosh Blackburn was the
difference in the outcome of the
game."
Kosick became the playoff hero
again, tallying two goals and an
assist in a performance reminiscent

class, Berenson said. "That's pretty
remarkable when you consider the
teams they've been on and what
they've accopmlished."
POSH FROSH: Hoisting the CCHA
trophy Saturday represented the first-
ever career championship for
Michigan goalie Josh Blackburn.
In hockey, anyway. "I think I won a
baseball tournament when I was like
eleven," Blackburn said.
With a 1.50 goals-against average
for the tournament and 29 saves in the
championship game, Blackburn was
an easy pick for all-tournament goal-
tender.
"Josh Blackburn had a great week-
end," Berenson said. "He made up for
all our mistakes."
PUCKS FROM HEAVEN: After a short
scrum in front of the Ohio State net in
the second period Saturday, the red
light came on behind the crease.
Michigan fans cheered - after all,
the only time the red light comes on is
when the goal judge sees the puck in
the goal.
And there was a puck there, alright.
The interesting thing was, Ohio State
goalie Jeff Maund had another one
safely in his glove.
Upon further review, it turned out
there were two pucks on the ice - one
had been lodged in padding from the
pre-game shoot-around until it was
jarred lose by contact. Despite
Wolverines trying to the sell the magic
puck as a goal, referee Steve
Piotrowski used his authority to con-
sult video replay, and made the right
call.
"I've never even heard of something
like that before," said Ritchlin, who

WARREN ZINN/Daily
The action started to get physical with Michigan leading Northern Michigan all the way through Saturday's championship
game at Joe Louis Arena.

was an on-ice witness.
BIGGER IS BETTER: After Friday's
game, Ohio State coach John Markell
gestured a circle the size of hub cap.
"They had posts about this big
behind their goalie," said Markell with
a disapointed smirk.
In 34 shots, the Buckeyes were
twice denied by the indiscriminate

pipes at Joe Louis. The first period saw
Chris Richards flip a shot off the iron
from the nearside faceoff circle, and
Louie Colsant's slap from the blueline
in the final minutes of the game could
be heard from the press box as it richo-
cheted off the left goal post.
As Blackburn scrambled to cover
the deflection, Berenzweig offered his

relieved support to the freshman
goalie.
"He just told me, 'You're playing
good, you're playing good," Blackburn
said.
Markell was understandibly less
pleased with the outcome.
"Sometimes the game comes down
to the diameter of a puck," he said.

Van R n, blueliners
shut own Wildcats

By TJ. Berka
Daily Sports Editor
DETROIT - All season, the play of
the defensemen has been the key to the
Michigan hockey team. When the
Michigan defense has played well, the
team has won and vice versa.
With the Wolverines finishing sec-
ond in the CCHA standings, its safe to
say that the defense played well.
But when the all-CCHA teams were
released last week, the Wolverines
were not well represented. Only
sophomore Mike Van Ryn got any sort
of honors, receiving honorable men-
tion.
"It definitely showed a lack of respect
for our team," Michigan defenseman
and captain Bubba Berenzweig - who
had two assists in Friday's 3-2 victory
over Ohio State - said.
It's a safe bet that CCHA coaches
would rewrite their ballots after the
events of last weekend.
The defensemen paced Michigan's
run to the CCHA championship this
xv--Pnl rmhinnofor seven noints

defensemen like that."
Van Ryn was especially deadly
against Northern, racking up three
assists while helping deny Northern's
top line of Buddy Smith, J.P. Vigier and
Roger Trudeau.
"Yesterday, Bubba was more offen-
sive, so I sat back," Van Ryn said. "So
tonight, I tried to contribute offensively."
Van Ryn also scored a goal Saturday
- for Northern - as he accidentally
kicked in a Vigier centering pass to close
Michigan's lead to 2-1. But it was the
only mistake of the weekend for the
CCHA all-Tournament selection team
member.
"Things like that happen," Van Ryn
said. "I wasn't watching the puck and it
went off my foot."
But as with any good unit, one person9
steps up to cover another's mistake. On
Saturday. that person was Dave
Huntzicker, whose 40-foot slapshot
early in the second period beat Northern
goaltender Dan Ragusett and put a seal
on the Michigan victory.
Hrntzicker's "lone shot was Proba-

I