4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 10, 2000 Puck talk "1 took a shot from the back and got emotional so I just tuned around and hit him. I didn't expect it to turn out like that, but it was kind of fun." - Michigan freshman J.1 Swistak on the full-scale altercation after the game. Michigan 2 Key Play 2:34 into the third period. Michigan goalie Josh Blackburn kick-saves the puck to Mike Comrie who drops it off to Andy Hilbert (right) on the breakHilbert" slap-shot goal put the Wolverines up 2-0 and solidified the win. Michigan State 0 Back from Team USA, Hilbert and Jillson lead Blue - JOSH BLACKBURN - GOALTENDER In his first game since October, Blackburn tumed in a stellar perfor- mance stopping all 23 of Michigan State's shots. - ScoTT MATZKA - LEFT WING Matzka kicked off Michigan's scoring by deflecting a Sean Peach shot past Michigan State goalie, Ryan Miller in the 2nd period, - ANDY HILBERT - RIGHT WING Not displaying any signs of fatigue, Hilbert blasted a third-period goal past Miller on a perfect pass from _ Mike Comrie. By Stephanie Offen Daily Sports Writer EAST LANSING - In one day, Michigan's Jeff Jillson and Andy Hilbert went from teammates to arch enemies with Michigan State's Adam Hall. The Wolverines returned to Ann Arbor Thursday morning after a month overseas with Team USA at the World Junior Championship in Sweden. Fans in East Lansing were eager to see Hall, the Spartans' leading goal scorer back in the lineup against the Wolverines considering his success in the past against Michigan. Hall has scored three goals in the three games he has played against the Wolverines. But it is Hilbert and Jillson who now hold bragging rights against their former teammate after shutting-out Hall and the rest of the Spartans on Friday. "Adam Hall was on my line during the entire world championships," Hilbert said. "It was fun to see him on the ice and it was definitely a good feeling to beat him." The three players did not compete in the teams' first meeting - Michigan's 3- I loss to the Spartans in the champi- onship game of the Great Lakes Invitational. Instead the trio was busy capturing a fourth-place finish at the championship for Team USA - Hall scored two goals and Hilbert netted one. With only one day to get back into their old routine, the returning Wolverines were in rare form against the Spartans. Everything seemed to fit together for Michigan as Hilbert and Jillson led the team to its first win at Munn Ice Arena in five years. "I've been tired, but the adrenaline always takes over," Hilbert said. Even though both were visibly exhausted after the game, Hilbert and Jillson didn't seem to miss a beat, start- ing once again on Michigan's top line. "On the bench (the return of Hilbert and Jillson) gives us a lot more confi- dence," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "We look at our defense with Jeff Jillson and it makes a huge difference. I look up front and we have a top line again with Hilbert back with Comrie." While nursing a knee injury sustained during the championships, Jillson led the defense in shutting out the Spartans on the power play. He complained of sore- ness before the game but there were no signs of any problems during his play - he helped stop all five of Michigan State's power plays. "They did a great job on the penalty killing," Berenson said. "There were times when they were kept out there for the whole penalty and if you were watch- ing what was going on, the defensemen have to work hard. "They're not just standing around, they're going from corner to the front of the net to the other corner. I thought we held up really well." Hilbert led the offensive surge with the Wolverines' second goal of the game. Hilbert took a pass from Comrie, flip- ping the puck over Michigan State goalie Ryan Miller's shoulder. With the return of Josh Blackburn in net, Michigan is almost 100 percent. The only missing link is Geoff Koch who sat out with a groin injury. Koch was sched- uled to play against the Spartans, but said his legs felt stiff during the Friday morn- ing skate. JESSiCA JOHNSON/Daily Jeff Jilson had a long flight back from Sweden, but led a stellar Michigan defense against the Spartans on Friday anyway. The Spartans went 0-5 on the power play. higan State 0 0 0 -0 st eriod -to o scoring. Penalties -- UM, Corore ghstlcking), 6:43; UM, Comrie (roughing after whistle), 10:13; UM, Mink (roughing after the iste), 10:13; MSU, Maoney (roujghing after the Iste), 10:13; MSU, Hiodgins (roughing after the iste), 10:13; MSU, Hodgins (cross-checlding), '13; MSU, Hall (hooking) 18:55Second period L. UM, Matzka 5 (Peach), 14:43. Penalties - iU, Lies (roughing), 5:24; MSU, Maloney (trip g), 12:23; UM, iluntzicker (holding), 20:00. rdpeWo-2. UM, Hubert 9 (Conrie), 2:34. alties -- UM.Comrietripping). 5:42; UM, cik (tripping), 16:02; UM, Gassoff (slashing), 22; MSb, Patchell (roughing), 20:00; UM, istak (roughing), 20:00; MSU, Hodgins (rough 20:00; MSU, Hodgins (fighting), 20:00; MSU, Iias (10 minute misconduct, game dq), 20:00; i, Whitten (fighting), 20:00; MSU, Whitten (10- ute misconduct, game dQ). 20:00; UM, Gassoff ,hng), 20:00; UM, Gassoff (10-minute miscon- t. game dq), 20:00. ts on goal - UM5-76-18; MSU 7-511 - wer Plays - UM 0 of 4; MSU 0 of 5. es - UM, Blackburn 7-5-11.-23; MSU, Miller Free - Matt shegos. asmen - John Pearson, Kevin Langseth. Munn ice Arena. ndance: 7,117. The Fight File Rejuvenated team snaps Munn curse NEXT WEEKEND Friday: Miami, 7:35 p.m. ~ Saturday: Miami, 7:05 P.M. Last tme the two teams Et, the Wolverines barely escaped with a pair of victories. This weekend, the Red Hawks will seek retribution at Yost Ice Arena. By Uma Subramanian Daily Sports Writer EAST LANSING - Michigan hadn't won at Munn Ice Arena in five years. Sparty and company had also just knocked off the Wolverines eight days earlier at Joe Louis Arena in the GLI Championship game. You could almost see the swagger in the Michigan State players' steps as they took the ice for Friday's matchup with the Wolverines. But by the time it was all over, the Spartans were hanging their heads HOCKEY and swinging their Commenta fists. Not even the fans ----------------- seated in Munn's brand new luxury boxes - which are ridiculous in and of themselves - could do anything about it. Those fans combined with the absence of students who weren't in school vet, may have factored into the Spartans' downfall. After all Munn was about as loud as the Law Library during exams. But Michigan earned its 2-0 shutout on its own in a hard fought, closely con- tested battle that thrust the Wolverines into a first-place CCHA tie with the Spartans. The win represents more than two points though. It strongly suggests that an arduous turnaround is complete and Michigan will be a force to contend with when March rolls around. On Friday night, the Wolverines pro- jected an aura of energy and complete- ness. They have finally arrived. It was the first truly complete game that the Wolverines played all season. Anyone who suffered through the tumul- tuous first 21 games knows that this win over the most hated yet most respected opponent is by far Michigan's biggest victory of the season. The game lived up to the hype. The intensity never lapsed and neither team gave the other an edge. But Michigan had an utishakable determination. It started at the top and filtered through the ranks. Goalie Josh Blackburn, who saw his first game action since an October injury, exuded perfection. Not to take anything away from L.J. Scarpace and Kevin O'Malley who did fantastic jobs upon being thrust into the starting goalie's role, but it was Blackburn who sparked the fire on Friday that ended when junior Scott Matzka and freshman Andy Hilbert who scored on the nation's No. I goalie, Ryan Miller. "I was anxious to give Blackburn a shot," Michigan coach Red Berenson said after the win. "He was our MVP last year as a freshman. He's a top-notch goalkeeper. "I can't tell you how pleased I am. He could have bombed and I was ready for that. I'm pleased for him because he's worked his tail off to get back" Blackburn's teammates couldn't say enough about him, either. They all under- stood what it must have taken for him to return and stop all 23 Michigan State shots. "Blackburn was unreal," Matzka said. "It was like he didn't even miss a game. We gave him some support, but he's an incredible goalie." Blackburn and the defense got it done on Michigan's end of the ice. Offensively a crew of veterans dominated the game. All season long Berenson has toyed with lines to find winning combinations that would finally click. Sometime in early December, he found one. Quietly and unassumingly, juniors Josh Langfeld, Mark Kosick and Matzka have become one of the team's top lines they have scored 46 points this season. Kosick tops the charts with 13 goals and Matzka and Langfeld also rank among Michigan's top six point scorers. The story does not lie in the points though - it lies in the chemistry which exists among the three. "Kosick has been the firing pin on that line and Matzka has been doing a lot of things for this team," Berenson said "The line is an experienced line and they're getting the chances." If you were to dissect famous hockey, trios through history, you'd find that more than anything else, the players have loved playing together. That's what has made them tick. "We're all good friends and we know each other pretty well," Matzka said. "I like playing with Kosick and Langer. We're working well together. It was a huge win for us." The veterans have come on strong, but there also comes a point in every season when the freshmen are no longer fresh- men. For Michigan, when the calendar turned over, so too did the labels for the six first-year players. "The freshmen have had an opportuni- ty to play important roles on the team," Berenson said. "They're gaining confi- dence. I'm getting confidence in them" The Wolverines are finally firing o all cylinders - everyone is healthy and the team is riding a wave of confidence. Things have come full circle for Michigan, although it is definitely a dif- ferent Michigan team -- wiser and per- haps more skilled. They know it, the fans know it, and on Friday night Michigan State knew it too. I No. 1 New Hampshire(154-3)0lost to Maine 9-4; def.ainsie 5-4. No. 2 North Dakota (15-3-2) tied Colorado College 1-1; def. Colorado College 40. No. 3 Maine (W43-2) def. New Hampshire 94; lowt to New Hampshire 5-4. p No. 4 W issin (16-5-01 def.St. Lawrence 4- 1; tied St. Lawoerece 6-6. No. 5 Michigan State (15-6-C) lost to Michigan 2-0. No. 6 MIchigan (16-6-0) def. Michigan State, 2-0. No. 7 Renssaiaer (12-5-1) lost to Dartmouth 2-0; tied Vermont 4-4. No. 8 Northern Michigan (15-6-1) def. FeNis State 2-1; lost to Ferris State 5-1. No. 9 Cogate (11-60) lost to Ohio State 3- 1. SPARTANS Continued from Page 1B the shoulder of Miller. "We got the goals we needed, we got the goaltending we needed, and the penalty killing that we needed," Berenson said. "It was a great victory for us, I'm glad we got a chance to play this team again" The Wolverines now stand tied atop the CCHA leaderboard with Michigan State after playing perhaps their most complete game of the season. And although no one knows exactly what the standings will be when the two teams meet again Feb. 25, there's no doubting that the intensity level will be at its peak - especially after Friday night's finish. The fight, which lasted for several min- utes, resulted in nine separate penalties and the game disqualification of Michigan's Gassoff, Michigan State's Hodgins and Damon Whitten. After the melee the two teams were not allowed to shake hands. But before the Spartans could make it to the lockerroom Michigan's entire team celebrated on the large green 'S' at center ice - an act which was met with a chorus of boos from the Michigan State faithful. "The rivalry just took over at the end," Michigan winger Andy Hilbert said. "There was a lot of adrenaline going through everybody, and I think they were pretty upset that we beat them in their own barn" Storybook comeback highlights 'M' victory over Spartans. 2 Friday's win over Michigan State at Munn Ice Arena was a first for all of the Michigan players. Michigan has not beaten the Spartans in East Lansing since Feb. 4,1995. P After Friday's victory, Michigan is 115-0-4 when leading after two periods. The last time the Wolverines fell when they led after two was on Feb. 11, 1995,. M Michigan's two goal victory was the first win this season in which the Wolverines scored less than three goals. 2 The CCHA chose to suspend the two-referee' two-linesmen system for the last half of this sea- son. The system was used in 20 games so far this season. By Geoff Gagnon Daily Sports Writer EAST LANSING - It was a storyline that seems too improbable to believe. And as things unfolded Friday night in East Lansing, one couldn't help but think that it was the same fairy-tale drama that flashed a thousand times through an injured Josh Blackburn's mind three months ago. Maybe the soft-spoken sophomore enter- tained visions of a storybook comeback as he sat in a hospital bed in October. Maybe it was quiet thoughts of a dramatic return that offered solace to the frustrated netmin- der. As his. team carried on without him four time zones away in Alaska, maybe thoughts of rejoining theii helped drown the desper- ation the hobbled young goalie must have felt. Three months is a long time. By his own admission, Josh Blackburn said that he thought about his comeback a lot. And there were times when thinking was all that he could to as we waited for his sur- gically repaired foot to mend. Whatever Blackburn may have thought, however he may have drawn the evening in his mind or played it out in his head, it could not have compared to the way history will remember Blackburn's return. With a record crowd of 7,117 on hand to open a renovated Munn Ice Arena, Blackburn, for the first time in his career, led his Wolverines past their most hated rival stopping 23 shots against one of the nation's most potent offenses. What's more, he held the league-leading Spartans scoreless, picking up the fourth shutout of his career and did it all in East Lansing where the Wolverines haven't won since 1995. "It was a very emotional game for me," Blackburn said. "I've been waiting for it for three months and I could have wanted it to go any better." In knocking off the fifth-ranked Spartans, Blackburn did more than win his first game back with the Wolverines, he capped off a remarkable recovery and pro- ceeded to stun critics who questioned his preparedness. "This kid is a real top-notch goal keeper and I can't tell you how thrilled I am that he had a good game," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "He could have bombed and I was ready for that. I'm pleased for him because he's worked his tail off to get back." And he seemed to answer, his own ques- tions as well as he let his play erase his doubt. "It was tough doubting myselfB' Blackburn. "I wasn't thinking 'I'm going to be bad tonight', but I wasn't sure what was going to happen. When you haven't played in three months you wonder 'what if?' And if that was the question that Blackburn was grappling with heading into Friday's game, his performance can put his mind at ease. "He played an amazing game," J.J. Swistak said. "First game back in months and he does that and stands on his head. That's th kind of kid he is. "You didn't expect it, but if there was any- body that could play like that, it's Josh Blackburn." But nobody, not even Blackburn, could've scripted Friday night any better. JESSICA JOHNSON/Daly, Josh Blackburn, playing in his first game since October, returns to record a shutout against nemesis Michigan State. igan State senior Shawn Horcoff and Michigan sophomore Mike Comde are fast becoming candidates for college nockey s CCHA W LT PtsGP Team Michigan Michigan State Northern Michigan P~ari tae GF GA 11 11 10 4 0 4 0 3 1 22 22 21 16 15 14 1A 60 48 47 34 19 33 OVERALL W L T 16 6 0 15 6 0 15 6 1 15 9 0 Shawn Horcoff Mike Comrie 21 8 21 33. Assists Points k ,< 46 43 I (;amM DPlavpd (Gnats AlAds PAHink'_ __ ,LI IVQ'S o !