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SPORTS
WEDNESDAY
MARCH 29, 2000
10
Senior icers bid adieu in radio show
By Uma Subramanian
Daily Sports Witer
if soeone had strolled into Yost Ice
Arena yesterday afternoon, he probably
would have done a double-take.
After all, it's not every day that Mike
Comrie dons goalie gear in order to stop
Josh )3lackburn from putting the puck in
the net.
But yesterday was not an ordinary day
- in fact, for Michigan's. top center and
its No. 1 goalie, their days of having
fixed routines are over, ended by the
Wolverines' loss to Maine on Sunday in
the semifinals ofthe NCAA Tournament.
Yet even though the season's over, the
players are still trekking to the rink - but
now it's to have a little bit of fun.
So how did Comrie, Michigan's top
score-. do in net? Rumor has it that he
stopped every shot he faced, prompting
seniorforward Krikor Arman to ask,
"Mike, is there anything you can't do?"
Alright, but in case any Michigan fan
is concerned, chances are pretty good that
by the time October rolls around, Comrie
will be back in his normal position.
But Oct. 6 and the 2000-2001 regular-
season opener are a long way away. And
though it may take them a while to get
readjpsted to life without a daily hockey
routine, the younger players are looking
forward to the extended break.
For the seniors, however, the summer'
will be their passage into the real world.
"It's tough for all the seniors," captain
Sean Peach said yesterday at Michigan
coach Red Berenson's weekly radio
show, held at Banfield's West Bar and
Grill. "I woke up (on Monday) and real-
ized that next year I don't know what I'm
going to do as far as playing hockey."
Regardless of what the future holds,
Peach and his fellow seniors can revel in
the successful runs they had at Michigan.
At the radio show, the last one of the
1999-2000 season, while the underclass-
men expressed their thanks, the seniors
bade goodbye to the loyal Dekers who
throw their hearts and souls into
Michigan hockey.
It was a chance for various Wolverines
to share memories of the past season, and
in a few cases, their careers.
Senior Kevin Magnuson, asked about
his most memorable moment wearing the
maize and blue, recalled Michigan's
early-season 5-1 victory over Michigan
State his freshman year, when a squad of
injury-plagued Wolverines defeated the
Spartans en route to a 35-win season.
Arman, who will pursue a hockey
career before heading to law school,
merely cherished the opportunity.
"Four years ago, I never would have
thought in a million years that I'd do the
things I've done," said Arman, who
walked on to the team as a freshman.
The same could be said for freshman
Mike Roemensky, who was added to the
team midway through the season to pro-
vide depth on the defensive front.
Against Colgate in the first round of
the NCAA Tournament, Roemensky
scored his first career goal - an image
still fresh in everyone's mind.
"It was really exciting (to score),"
Roemensky said. "It was a surprise to
me. I thought the shot was going to be
blocked, but then I looked at the bench
and saw that everyone was cheering. I
decided, okay, I'll cheer too."
As WTKA's Doug Karsch prompted
him for his comments, Comrie also had a
chance to speak his mind about many
things - including how, as one of
Michigan's smallest players, he has made
his mark on the college hockey universe.
"If you're working hard, it doesn't mat-
ter how big you are," Comrie said. "It
only matters how big your heart is."
Though it's rare for the players to make
appearances, Berenson's weekly show
has been a tradition in Ann Arbor for
years - in fact, even the Alumni Band
makes a showing. Yesterday, as the
Wolverines' general strode majestically
into the room, all eyes turned to him as
The Victors enveloped the audience.
But the most memorable aspect of the
evening is the image of Berenson's fans
hanging on to his every last word as he
reflected on a memorable season.
"We had high expectations," Berenson
said. "The team competed all year. It was
a great season. I'm proud of our team -
the way we handled adversity."
MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily
Michigan starter Brad McCloskey had a rough outing against Western Michigan yesterday, surrendering five runs in three
innings in the Wolverines' 11-4 home loss.
Ei ght stMichigan Nine s
winless strea continues at home
NIT final: Wake Forest-Notre Dame
NEW YORK (AP) - Notre Dame came into the National
Invitation Tournament focused on winning it. Now, there's just
one team standing in its way.
Troy Murphy had 18 points and eight rebounds to lead the
Irish to a 73-52 rout of Penn State in the semifinals of the NIT
yesterday night at Madison Square Garden.
Notre Dame (22-14) will play Wake Forest (21-14) in tomor-
row night's NIT final. The Demon Deacons beat North
Carolina State 62-59 in the other semifinal. It will be the fourth
NIT final appearance for the Irish, and first since losing to
Virginia in 1992.
Matt Carroll added 13 points, and backup Jere Macura 12
points and seven rebounds for the Irish, who shot 53 percent on
25-for-47 shooting.
Penn:State trailed by double digits the entire second half, and
Notre Dame led by as many as 22 when Murphy's slam dunk at
2:25 gave the Irish a 70-48 lead. Murphy shot 6-for- 11 from the
field and catne out with 1:33 left in the game to a loud ovation.
WAKE FOREST 62, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 59 (OT): Wake
Forest won bragging rights in its rivalry with North Carolina
State and earned a spot in the final of the National Invitation
Tournament. Darius Songaila scored 18 points, including six in
overtime, as Wake Forest beat Atlantic Coast Conference rival
North Carolina State 62-59 in the semifinals of the NIT. Wake
Forest will play Notre Dame in tomorrow's final.
Songaila made a layup off a pass from Robert O'Kelley with
58 seconds left to give Wake Forest a 58-56 lead in overtime.
Songaila was fouled by Kenny Inge on the Demon Deacons'
next possession with 35.9 left and made both foul shots for a
60-56 lead.
N.C. State's Tim Wells responded with a 3-pointer with 22
seconds left to bring the Wolfpack within 60-59.
Songaila was fouled by Anthony Grundy with 13.7 sec-
onds and made both free throws to seal it.
By Ryan C. Moloney
Daily Sports Writer
A mudder: it's a horseracing term - a horse that loves
the sloppy conditions provided by lousy weather.
For Western Michigan, the term applied for more rea-
sons than the appropriateness of their nickname.
The Broncos seemed completely unfathomed by the
rain and hail pouring into Ray Fisher Stadium yesterday
as they handed Michigan an II-
4 drubbing, the Wolverines' W MICHIGAN 11
fifth straight loss and their
eighth defeat in the past nine " MICHIGAN 4
games. Western Michigan
ripped off five runs in three innings against first-time
starter Brad McCloskey (0-1) and cruised the rest of the
way behind solid pitching and fielding.
"It's the same thing and the players know it," Michigan
coach Geoff Zahn said. "The bases on balls kill us, the
errors kill us. We start out pitching behind on the count
and have to throw fastballs over the plate. But today I saw
a lot more positive things than I did on the weekend."
Western Michigan jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first
inning, but Jordan Cantalamessa's two-run shot in the
bottom portion of the frame trimmed the score to 3-2.
The Broncos sealed the deal with single runs in each of
the second and third innings before tacking on more
insurance with a five-run fifth inning off of middle reliev-
er Rich Hill.
Both McCloskey and Hill showed occasional flashes of
brilliance, though their game ERAs don't show it -
inevitable growing pains, Zahn explained.
"We gave McCloskey a start and he got anxious. He
wasn't himself" Zahn said. "Players have to go through
that - they have to deal with that anxiety. Now he's
angry, he knows what he did wrong and he'll correct it.
"The same goes for Hill. He can be dominating, but he
overthrew out there. He finally settled down and left
knowing he can win a game if he pitches like he did in his
last inning."
Angelo Palazeti worked the first four innings for the
Broncos, surrendering three runs. Josh Clark took over
for 3.1 innings and allowed Michigan's only other run.
Pat Misch finished up.
The Wolverines currently sport a 5.60 ERA in their
first five games at home. On the brighter side for
Michigan, it did not give up a single unearned run after
yielding 17 over the previous four games.
For Cantalamessa, his two hits signaled a bit of a break-
out after a recent slump.
"I'm feeling a little bit more comfortable out there,"
Cantalamessa said. "I've just got to keep swinging and
hopefully get a few more hits."
Freshman Alex Coleman got the start at catcher in
place of regular David Parrish and led the Wolverines in
hits with two. Zahn said Parrish will see occasional rest
due to the rigors of a season behind the plate.
"Alex is very intelligent and he calls a good game.
The season would wear on David a little bit to have to
catch every game, so it's good to give him a break. The
pitchers have confidence in Alex and he can help us
out a lot."
Bowling Green journeys to Ray Fisher Stadium at 3
Inside: See pitching analysis and boxscore.
Page 11
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