4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 31, 2000
Puck talk
"I truly think we deserved to win that
game, but we didn't bury the chances
we had. We're a better five-on-five
team, but we didn't bury them
tonight."
- Michigan forward Scott Matzka
g Michigan
Key play
Saturday, 11:47 into the first period.
Captain Sean Peach trickled in a pass
firmjunior Geoff Kochfor his fifth goal
of the season. This would be the
Wolverines only goal in the I-1 tie.
SOhio State
1
S J - C I
Few penalties may have hurt 'M'
The Michigan Daily hockey writers'
picks for the three stars of the
weekend.
- JOSH BLACKBURN -
GOALTENDER
The sophomore saved 27 shots,
keeping Ohio State scoreless until
six minutes into the third period.
- SEAN PEACH-
DEFENS.MAN
The senior captain scored Michigan's
tone goal, while holding up the
defense, as Jeff Jillson did not play.
- MAIZE-OUT -
THE FANS
2,500 T-shirts were handed out at
Yost and led to the best crowd the
team has seen all season.
0
By Stephanie Offen
Daily Sports Editor
Saturday, a post-renovation record
crowd of 6,343 fans witnessed some-
thing amazing. Something they hadn't
seen all season. They witnessed - a
Michigan tie.
But that may not have been what they
were expecting. Saturday, the Yost fans
were expecting a brawl.
And the two go hand in hand. The lack
of brawls and calls that factored into
Michigan leaving Yost without a victory.
They were expecting Ohio State's
chief suspects from last weekend's
brawl, Scott Titus and Ryan Jestadt, to
take revenge on the team that beat them
at their own cheap game. The
Wolverines took a 6-4 victory over Ohio
State on Jan. 21 as the Buckeyes played
after the whistle, drawing penalties and
putting Michigan on the power play.
That's the opposite of what they wit-
nessed on Saturday. The game was clean
and virtually penalty-less, which seemed
to play into the hands of Ohio State.
"It was a lot cleaner;" junior Bob
Gassoff said. "We expected them to
come out and be a lot chippier."
The Buckeyes currently stand in
eleventh place in the conference, and
have lost to Michigan in three penalty-
filled battles this season.
In the first game of the rivalry on Nov.
5, the Wolverines scored four of their six
goals on the power play, as Michigan
dealt the Buckeyes a 6-1 road loss.
The next night, the two teams met
again, this time in Columbus.
Michigan's first two goals of the night
came off the power play. Then in the
third period, Ohio State's chippy style of
play showed its face again, as Jason
Selleke hit Michigan captain Sean Peach
with a check from behind. A fight broke
out, giving the Wolverines two five-on-
three opportunities and the momentum
to win the game, 84.
in Michigan's final victory of the
series last weekend, more than 40 penal-
ties were recorded. Michigan took advan-
tage of Ohio State's excessively rough
play - converting on two opportunities.
"They like to play after the whistle,"
junior Josh Langfeld said Jan. 21. "Like
coach said that's going to hurt them.
We'll get on the power play and beat
them on the power play."
But Saturday, the Wolverines didn't
even have a chance to convert on the
power play opportunities they received
when Ohio State played after the whistle'
The Buckeyes played a clean game and
were only whistled for five penalties.
"It could have been one of the best
officiating games of the year," Gassoff
said. "They let us play. There was so
much more flow to the game and so
much more intensity. Any time we can
get a good five-on-five, we're going to
dominate anybody."
Even though the Michigan players
praised the officials for letting the two
squads play five-on-five hockey, history
tells them that whistle blowing would
have been to their advantage. The
Wolverines did not convert on any of
their five power play opportunities.
It is important to keep in mind that
Michigan was not at full strength with
the one man advantage. The team's top
defenseman who leads the attack from
the point, Jeff Jillson, was scratched for
the game because of his disqualification
the previous weekend. So Berenson was
forced to play five forwards on one
power play opportunity.
"I know that I made the point of hav-
ing our team play focused and mentally
tough," Berenson said. "The referee was
instructed accordingly so that this game
did not have any problems or issues.:
Although Michigan was happy that
the referees were laying off the whistle,
and the Buckeyes were laying off the
fighting, they were not happy with the
final result. It's ironic that what made the
Wolverines happy - the lack of whistle
blowing - may have been a factor lead-
ing up to the unhappy final result.
"Any time you win, it doesn't matter
how you win, you will be more excited
and ready for the next weekend," junior
Scott Matzka said.
Michigan 1, Ohio State 1
Ohio State 0 0 1 0-1
Michigan 1 0 0 0-1
Frst period-1. UM, Peach 5 (Koch. Hilbert), 11:47.
Penalties-OSU. Ganga (charging), 13:30; OSU, Titus
(holding the stick), 19:16.
Second period - no scoring. Penalties -UM,.Peach
(tripping). 5:13; OSU, Team (too many on ice), 7:13;
UM. Peach (obstruction-interference), 8:22; UiM, Team
(too many on ice), 13:57: OSU. Ganga (holding).
19:03.
Thurd period -i.OSU. Meloche 13 (Lafeche.
Jestadt), 622 Penalties - UM, Matzka (roughing),
538,;UM, Peach (interference). 7:22;OSU, Jestadt
(interference), 11:33.
Overtme - no scoring. Penalties - no penalties.
Shots on goal -OSU.61363 -28; UM,.146142
- 32.
PowerPlays - OSU. 1 of 5: UM.0 of 5
Saves -OSU, Aho 13&102 - 31; UM, Blackburn
13d5-3-27
Referee - Mark Shegos
Linesmren - Patrick Bracco, Brian Hill
At: Yost Ice Arena
Athendance: 6.738
0
SAM HOLLENSHEAD/ Dany
Even though Michigan played five-on-five hockey for most of the game, the team could
not convert on scoring opportunities including this one by freshman Mike Cammalledi.
Muckalt, Ohio State return to hear vocal Yost crowd
This5 home-4
time Michic<
season.
NEXT WEEKEND
Friday: at Ferris State 7
Sm.
turday: vs Ferris State 7
p.m.
-nd-home series is the only
gan will face the Bulldogs all
The 6,738 fans at Saturday'sgame represented
the largest omwd.at Yost ke Arena since the renova-
tion in 1996-97.
Saturdays tie was the first time this season when
the Whverineswere not victorious when allowing
two or fewer goals.
The tie was only the fifth time in the past 122
games that Michigan did not win when leading after
two eriods.
By Uma Subramanian
Daily Sports Wnter
Bill Muckalt has played in every arena in the
NHL.
He's competed for his hometown Vancouver
Canucks; he's competed in front of the rambunc-
tious fans in Phoenix; he's even competed in the
Motor City.
Yet through it all, Muckalt's favorite ice is not in
a multi-million dollar locale, but in a field house
that was built in 1924.
"In Yost (Ice Arena) you have a lot more of that
atmosphere, which is very exciting," said Muckalt
- a former Michigan center and one of the NHLs
top-scoring rookies last season. "In the NHL, the
crowd and the fans are good, but if I had to rate my
favorite place to play, I'm in it right now - Yost."
Muckalt,W ho is currently on the New York
Islanders' injured reserve list, picked a great week-
end for a return trip to Michigan.
The Wolverines took on Ohio State in what had
been touted as a battle for the ages. Though the
teams skated to an inconclusive 1-1 draw, the
atmosphere in Yost lived up to the hype.
The anticipation for this past Saturday's game
was fueled by a contest that took place one week
earlier. In a bloodbath in Columbus, Michigan had
dismantled the Buckeyes. 6-4, in front of a rau-
cous, NCAA-record crowd of 1 7,343 at Value City
Arena.
Unknowingly, the Buckeye faithful played a
huge role in the vociferousness of the Michigan
crowd in this past Saturday's game. When the
Wolverines visited Columbus, the Buckeyes fans
were decidedly unsportsmanlike, throwing objects
at the visiting athletes.
In retaliation, it seemed, Michigan fans came
prepared for battle.
"The crowd was really into it tonight," Michigan
forward Scott Matzka said. "Right from the get-go
and even during announcements, they were more
raucous then they've been.
"Everybody was there early and it was a big
boost for us - we came out really hard and took
it to them."
Perhaps even more enticing than the promise of
a heated battle, the Wolverines fans came out en
masse for Maize Out 2000, a promotional event at
which 2,500 yellow shirts were passed out to the
earliest arrivals.
Often times, the stands at Yost are not filled until
well into the first period, but the premise of free
clothing had everyone in by the opening face-off.
"I think it's cool!," said Darlene McLean, an
eight-year season ticket holder from Ann Arbor, of
Maize Out. "I grew up in a hockey family and
everybody I knew played for Michigan growing
up.
Though McLean's favorite Michigan player,
Justin Clark, has graduated, McLean continues to
number among the Michigan faithful who turn out
for every home game.
"I called (Clark) Opie because he looked like
the kid from The Andy Griffith show," McLean
said.
Maize Out was modeled after the former
Winnipeg Jets' White Outs - a ritual in which
everv fan wore a white shirt creating an intimidat-
ing background for the opposing team.
On Saturday, the Michigan crowd put on a dom-
inating show. But in and of itself, Maize Out was
only semi-effective because the Athletic
Department did not hand out enough shirts for the
6,738 fans who attended. In fact, only one-third of
the post-renovation record crowd sported the yel-
low look.
Nonetheless, "we're excited," said Tom Brooks,
Michigan's director of marketing. "The Maize Out
is something we definitely want to continue as an
annual event. People really rallied around the con-
cept.
"We're happy for our first year. We expected the
students to get here close to the start of the game,
but we hope that in years to come, we'll do more
and more shirts."
The Maize Out was originally slated to take
place during Michigan's upcoming contest with
Michigan State. But since that game will be played
during Spring Break, Michigan coach Red
Berenson requested that the event be moved to this
past weekend.
"The crowd was great," Berenson said. "I wish
we could've given them something more to cheer
about. They were awesome.
"The Maize Out was a good idea. It gave the
rink a lot of color, but we couldn't give the crowd
what they needed."
This season, the Michigan-Ohio State hockey rivahy took
on new meaning. Here is a recap of the match-ups.
Now. 5,1999: The Wolverines hosted a 6-1 thrash-
ing of the Buckeyes as sophomore Mike Comrie
scored a career high five points.
Nov.6, 1999: Michigan traveled to Columbus and
defeated the Buckeyes 8-4 to complete the weekend
sweep.
SJan.21, 2000: In a penalty-filled battle, the
Wolverines defeated Ohio State 6-4 in Columbus in
front of a NCAA-record 17,343 fans.
t lan.29,2000: The 1-1 tie left the Wolverines
unsatisfied with the series' results.
KIMITSU YOGACHI/Daily
Michigan fans say 'See ya' to an Ohio State player. But the Buckeyes were not disposed of as easily. In
front of a very vocal crowd, Michigan and Ohio State skated to a 1-1tie.
No. t New Hampshire (18-4-4) tied Boston.
Universty, 3-3; lost to Boston Universty 4-2.
No. 2 WIsconsin (91) did not play.
No.3 Michigan (191) tiedOhio State, 1-1.
No. 4 North Dakota (18-6-2) def. Michigan Tedh
5-0; def. Michigan Tch, 11-1.
No. 5 Maine (15-6-4) lost to Boston College, 3-Z~
lost to Boston College, 3-0.
No.6 Boston University (1565) tied New
Hampshir, 3-3; def. New Hampshire, 43.
No. 7 Michigan State (17-8-2) tied Western
Michigan,2-2; lost to Western Michigan 3-2(0M.
No. 8Northen Michigan(17-7-2) lost to Bowling
Green,7-4;beat Bowling Green, 3-2.
No.9 Boston College (16-7-1) def. Maine, 3-2;
def. Maine, 3-0.
No.10 Rensselaer (15-7-2) def. Princeton, 6-2; def.
Yale, 3-0
Ohio State stalls 'M' offense to force first tie
BUCKEYES
Continued from Page 1B
attacking zone that made for some difficult
puck handling.
"The ice seemed really rough in that
zone," Berenson said. "The pucks were
bouncing, and you can't complain about
getting bad bounces, but we sure didn't get
any good ones."
As chances slipped away, so did regula-
tion as Michigan skated to its third over-
time of the season.
Once there, Michigan employed the
aggressive, attacking system that has kept
the squad undefeated in the extra stanza this
season, while a content Ohio State squad
seemed reluctant to mount a charge.
"The overtime was exciting," Peach said.
"We go into overtime to win; we don't want
to play passive like they did."
Making things exciting, Hilbert broke
free for one of Michigan's best scoring
chances with 3:38 left. But he failed to con-
nect, and Michigan settled for its first tie
this season.
"I think we played hard. It's just unfor-
tunate we came out on the downside of the
scoreboard," defenseman Bob Gassoff said.
"Well, not the downside, but not the upside,
either."
Is there an upside to Saturday's down-
side? Gassoff said maybe it's realizing the
importance of putting an opponent away
early.
"We had a lot of grade-A scoring
chances that we just didn't capitalize on,"
Gassoff said. "We know we have to score
more and make our chances count."
And while fans found that t-shirts were
free, on Saturday, Ohio State made sure that
league wins came at a much higher cost.
MichIan fans -
a stepabove Bucks
G RAN DSTAFF
Continued from Page 1B
But at Michigan, fans tend to slander and taunt with
a little more tact and wit than the simple Neanderthal
approach of the Buckeyes.
Besides, the Ohio State fans are going after the
wrong people. Do they really think that spilling their
beer on any member of the Wolverines bench is a smart
move? Do they realize the peaked intensity level hock-
ey players already have? Reaching into the Wolverines
bench to steal a hockey stick is about as smart as diving
your hand into a bowl full of piranhas - the instinct to
attack is already there.
Of course they don't realize what they're doing.
These are the same fans that still think they have a rea-
son to talk smack about a school that consistently beats
them in almost every sport - especially when it counts
the most.
And their players are the same way.
After the game on Saturday, the Buckeyes marched
back up to the lockerroom from the north end of Yost
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Behind its top scoring line, Michigan entered the weekend with the most explosive offense
in the nation, leading the country in goals scored and scoring average. One reason why -
Mike Comrie, Andy Hilbert and Geoff Koch, who've spearheaded the Wolverine charge
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Andy Hilbert.
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