18B - The Michigan Daily - Faceoff '99 - Thursday, October 14, 1999 0. 6 0 e Thursday October 14, 1999 - Faceo Y rboka Last season a roller-coaster for M' Michigan braces for year after several key ro DAILY FILE PHOTO The Michigan hockey team entered the 1998-99 season with a lot of questions to answer. Gone were goaltender Marty Turco - the NCAA career wins leader - and prolific goal scorers Bill Muckalt and Matt Herr. "People asked how was Blackburn going to follow Marty Turco?" Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "Everybody heard the hype of Mike Comrie, but could he replace the seniors that graduated before him. Jeff Jilson was the big recruit on defense and every one wanted to see how he played. They all lived up to the expectations people had for them and that was a key to our season." The Wolverines season was a roller coaster ride. Michigan stumbled out of the gate - losing at home to Niagara and was slaughtered by Northern Michigan, 6-1, on Halloween night. But until Christmas the Wolverines went undefeated - rising to No. 3 in the nation. But the New Year was not friendly to the Wolverines. From mid- January until late February the Wolverines were a winless 0-4-4 - their longest winless streak in a decade. The streak placed the Wolverines on the NCAA Tournament bubble heading into the CCHA Tournament. But the Wolverines regrouped and defeated Ohio State and Northern Michigan to claim the CCHA Tournament title and a berth as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Regional in Worcester, Mass. After falling behind Denver, 3-0, in the second period of the regional semi-final, Michigan stormed back with five straight goals to move on to the regional final against New Hampshire. For 60 minutes the Wolverines and Wildcats battled to a 1-1 draw, thanks to the outstanding goaltending of Josh Blackburn. But, the Wildcats proved to be too strong as Jason Krog ended the Michigan sea- son with an overtime goal. While the Wolverines missed the Frozen Four for the first time in five years, they left an indelible mark on college hockey. - Chris Grandstaff DAILY FILE PHOTO Pictures clockwise from top left. Josh Blackburn makes yet another great save against: New Hampshire. Rookie Mike Comrie on the move at Yost Ice Arena. Senior captain Bobby Hayes moving the puck off th eboards against Northern Michigan in the CCHA Tournament Championship game. Sean Peach, Mark Kosick among4 others celebrate a goal against Ohio State in the CCHA Tournament semi- finals. DAILY FILE PHOTO By Geoff Gagnon Daily Sports Writer As Michigan sets its season in motion with hopes of returning to the NCAA Tournament that it's known so well, it's forced to realize there will be an unfamiliar cast of characters that will play a big role in leading the team there. Most notably, a talented freshman recruiting, class eager to prove itself will be vying for playing time and respect as Michigan's newcomers. But their services are desperately needed. With defensive uncertainty plaguing the team all fall, the squad was dealt more unfortuante news concerning its goal-stopping ability. Sophomore Josh Blackburn, a key component in last season's CCHA Tournament title run, was sidelined just days after he led his team to a 11-4 weekend advantage over Notre Dame. Injured with torn ligaments in his toe, Blackburn was forced to undergo surgery in a move that will force the Wolverines to be without him for at least three months. The announcement of Blackburn's setback became only the most recent in a string of losses the Michigan program has unexpectadly suffered this fall. Headlined by the early departure of sophomore defenseman Mike Van Ryn who was elected an assistant captain last spring, the Michigan back line bid goodbye to three of its own before the start of this season. But Michigan coach Red Berenson is determined to keep his team focussed on what they need to do - regardless of who that team is. "I really don't think it'll affect us as a team that much," Berenson said prior to losing Blackburn. "I mean losing them in the summer, is not like loosing three players in the middle of the season. Our team is just starting out so their loss wont be that damaging." Rather than worry about losses in his roster, Berenson said he'd like to con- cern himself with what Michigan is gaining in its freshmen. Andy Hilbert, one of the nation's premier recruits from a year ago, joins a talented incoming group set to bolster offensive productivity. "Our incoming freshman class should be talented," Berenson said. "We're going to expect a lot form Andy Hilbert, John Shouneyia and Mike Cammalleri." Interestingly, Cammalleri, a Canadian scoring phenom, will join former fellow teammates Mark Mink and John Shouneyia to form an explo- sive offensive line that may lead Michigan for several years to come. Also on offense, expect to hear from the likes of Mike Comrie and Josh Langfeld who headline a crew of proven goal scorers. So proven in fact, that Berenson says the attention that Comrie received last year in being honored as the CCHA Freshmen of the Year will only help opponents single in on the speedy cen- ter. Berenson said he hopes that players like Comrie and fellow sophomore Mark Kosick can continue to excell without falling into a sophomore- slump. "That's a real big challenge for every player. The first thing you have to do is prove yourself and show that youre a good player. They all did that,"Berenson said. "Now they need to take that a step further. These guys aren't rookies - theyre marked players." While the Michigan offense may have to work to keep from falling short of expectations - the mission is not as simple for the defense. Expectations vary for the defense, largely because little is known about how they can operate together. With the return of six veteran defenseman, expe- rience at that spot may not be an issue. Depth, however, has been a concern leading the team to add walk-on Brad Fraser to help slodify the lineup. Also lacing up at defense for Michigan will be junior Dave Huntzicker, Kevin Magnuson, Jeff Jillson, and team Captain Sean Peach. Expect new rule changes that limit physical play to work toward Michigan's advantage with smaller, faster, skill players. "We don't have the size that maybe we've had in the past," Berenson said. "But I hope we are faster and can move the puck better." 1999-2000 Mui Date Opponent Oct. 1516 Massachusetts Oct. 22-23 Alaska-Fairban Oct.30 Yale Nov. 5 Ohio State Nov. 6 Ohio State Nov. 12 Miami Nov. 13 Miami Nov. 19-20 Lake Superior ! Nov. 20 Notre Dame Nov. 26 Minnesota* Nov. 27 Wisconsin* Dec. 3 Bowling Green Dec. 4 Bowling Green Dec.10 Nebraska-Omal Dec. 11 Nebraska-OmaK Dec. 29 Lake Superior S Mich.Tech or M; Jan. 7 Michigan State Jan. 14 Miami Jan. 15 Miami Jan. 21 Ohio State Jan. 29 Ohio State Feb. '4 Ferris State Feb. 5 Ferris State Feb. 11 Western MichIg Feb. 12 Western Michig Feb. 18 Northern Michig Feb. 19 Northern Michig Feb. 25 Michigan State Mar. 3 Bowling Green Mar. 4 Bowling Green Mar. 10-12 CCHA first roun Mar. 14 CCHA play-in gai Mar. 17-18 CCHA tourname March 24-25 NCAA West Reg March 25-26 NCAA East Reg Apr. 6-8 NCAA Frozen Fc * College Hockey Showcase *~ Great Lakes Invitational DAILY FILE PHOTO Sprint PCS' presents WOLVERINE FANS... DON'T MISS THE 1999-2000 COLLEGE HOCKEY SEASON AT "THE JOE" Daily Hockey Writers' Preseason Picks Michigan CCHA finish CCHA champion CCHA runger-up CCHA tournament winner oil F. , x: :ry a... I II I STEPHN~uIE UMA OFFEN SUBRAMANIAN I GAGNON GRANDSTAFF 2nd Michigan State Michigan Michigan M~ICIGAN S CCHA player of the year Eric Meloche (OSU) GLI champion Michigan. CCHA Coach of the Year Dave Poulin (ND) 2nd Northern Michigan Michigan Michigan State Mike Comrie (UM) Michigan Rick Comley (NMU) Northern Michigan North Dakota Michigan Boston College Miami J. J. Swistak 2nd Michigan State Michigan Michigan Ben Simon (ND) Michigan Rick Comley (NMU) North Dakota Michigan State' Boston College New Hampshire -Lake Superior State John Shouheyia 1st Michigan Michigan State Michigan State Mike Comrie (UM) Michigan Guy Gadowsky (UAF) New Hampshire Boston College Ohio State Michigan Alaska-Fairbanks Andy Hilbert Team 1. Michigan (10) 2. Michigan State (2) 3. Northern Michigan 4. Notre Dame 5. Ohio State 6. Bowling Green 7. Ferris State 8. Lake Superior 9. Miami 10. Western Michigan 11. Nebraska Omaha 12. Alaska Fairbanks Points 140 131 121 104 93 89 67 56 53 38 25 19 SECURE YOUR LOWER BOWL SEATS TODAY! ONLY $105/seat adults, $52.50/seat for students TO ORDER YOUR TICKETS TODAY CALL: (313) 396~7575 JmITA u 0 j- NCAA semifinals (Champion in bold) Surprise CCHA team Favorite 'M' freshman Michigan State Maine North Dakota Boston College Nebraska-Omaha J.J. Swistak I I QUALITY 16 Jackson Rd. @ Wagner (1/2 mile west of Webers Inn) West bound 1-94 or M-14 exit @ Zeeb Rd. & go East one mile on Jackson 35TH ANNIVERSARY GREAT LAKES INVITATIONAL " DEC. 29 & 30 MICHIGAN STATE vs. LAKE SUPERIOR STATE " FEB. 5 MICHIGAN STATE vs. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN " FEB. 26 CCHA CHAMPIONSHIP " MAR. 17 & 18 NORTH AMERICAN COLLEGE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP " APR. 15 I m Z - { N 3 /I v A M AI. AN FALL MATINEES .SATURDAY&SUNDAYIO&11AM October 16th & 17th November 6th & 7th fws Quest for Camelot Rugrats (G) October 23rd & 24th November 13th &14th \ w Antz (PG) Jack Frost (PG) October 30th & 31st November 20th & 21st Muppets from Space Prince of Egypt (PG) Last year's record: 15-19-9 Last year's record: 15-19-4 Last year's record: 17-19 - - - ALL AUDITORIUMS INCLUDE Digital Stereo Dolby SRD & DTD High back rocking chair seats with cupholders STADIUM SEATING givesN you an unobstructed view Last year's results vs. Michigan: W 3-2 1998-99 games against Michigan November 26 Ann Arbor Players to watch Pos. Nate Miller F Dylan Mills D Last year's results vs. Michigan: T 1-1 1998-99 games against Michigan November 27 Ann Arbor Players to watch - Pos. Steve Reinprecht C Dustin Kuk F Conference WCHA Last year's results vs. Michigan: None 1998-99 games against Michigan Oct. 15/16 Ann Arbor Last year's record: 13-14- Last year's results vs. Michigan: None. 1998-99 games against Michigan Players to watch Mark Concannon Josh Reed Conference Pos. F D Hockey East Players to watch Alex Westlund Jeff Hamilton Conference Pos. G C ECAC rOACFfIEf 40; POFCUR' tMEASURED 8Y Vq.IAI(MO? WEIGHT) L lWITH THIS AOD'EXPRES 1111t4M OD Conference WCHA ------------ max-MALKNE ME ME Ram a ME MEE a w a a maju m m m m