("h w tl Van Ryn bolts for Canadian team 0 By Mark Francescutti Daily Sports Writer After a long hot summer, the 4ichigan hockey team finds its num- ber of defensemen slowly melting away. Mike Van Ryn said yesterday he will forgo his junior and senior season at Michigan to play for the Canadian National Team. He joins Scott Crawford - who will transfer to another Division I school - as the lat- est defenseman to leave the Wolverines. 0 Michigan could also lose a third defenseman, incoming freshman Matt Bannon, if he is ruled ineligible by an NCAA committee today. Van Ryn broke the news of his early exit to Michigan coach Red Berenson yesterday afternoon. "He's been going back and forth Wolverines cool o Huskies By Ryan C. Moloney Daily Sports Writer Cool as a cucumber. * No, this tried and true cliche does not describe the Michigan field hockey team's offense. The red-hot forward and mid-field units thoroughly thumped visiting Northeastern last Sunday, scoring two goals in each of the halves. And no, the scorching on-field tem- perature at Ocker Field - nearly 100 degrees - doesn't quite fit. Torturous might be a better adjective. The Wolverine defense - "proba- ly the best in the Big Ten," said coach Marcia Pankratz, chilled the Northeastern offense in the second half and secured the 4-1 win._ At times, it looked as though the temperature dropped 30 degrees once the ball entered the Wolverine zone. Led by captains Ashley Reichenbach and Erica Widder, the defense showed no sign of fatigue in gracefully inter- #pting Northeastern passes and feed- ing the offense. "It was about 10 or 15 degrees hot- ter on the field than the regular temper- ature," Reichenbach said. "But that can't be a factor because both teams are playing on it and we practice in it through the summer. "It gives us an opportunity to work on our tans." That was about as much work as it took for the Wolverines, though *ankratz deems the win as a crucial step towards the team's season-long goal - an tournament NCAA berth. . "It's an important win --it's an out- of-region win when you consider the rankings," Pankratz said. The Wolverines trounced Northeastern by the same tally last year, but Northeastern earned a tour- nament berth while the Wolverines 'tayed home. A slight the team has not forgotten. "We commanded this game," Pankratz said. "I'm very, very glad we won." The win put Michigan at 3-1 on the year with their lone loss occurring against powerhouse North Carolina the weekend before. Though it is early yet for the Wolverines - even in their non-con- ference schedule - the momentum of win streak could build a foundation See HUSKIES, Page 20A with the decision all summer long," Berenson said. "It's sad to see him go." Van Ryn - a staple in the Michigan dlefense for the past two seasons - net- ted 14 goals and 27 assists in his two years as a Wolverine. "I'm pretty sad to leave, but it does- n't have anything to do with Michigan," Van Ryn said. "I just felt that for my development, it might prepare me more to join the national team." The Canadian National Team offers Van Ryn the ability to play in almost double the games versus tougher, older opponents. The schedule of traveling to different countries around the world is grueling and demanding, something that Van Ryn says could help him take on NHL play earlier. "There were no cons as far as com- ing back to Michigan except the fact that there aren't enough games," Van Disappearing Defense The Michigan hockey team hasn't fared well in the off season, losing several Jey members of its defensive core. RemrnInin6 Bob Gass Dave Huntzicker Jeff JiHson Kevin Ma nuson Sean Peach Jay Vancik Defenseman lost: (3) Bubba Berenzweig Scott Crawford Mike Van Ryn Questionable: (1) Matt Bannon Ryn said. "The (Canadian National) team plays a schedule that is the most difficult at my level." Van Ryn could finish his season with the national team and then join the team that drafted him in 1998 - the New Jersey Devils - for the NHL playoffs. The departure of Van Ryn is the first of its kind in several years. The last promi- nent Michigan player to leave school early was Aaron Ward, who departed before his senior season in 1993.. The Wolverines could also lose a defenseman before he even gets to school. Bannon, their only incoming fresh- man defenseman, might become See VAN RYN, Page 15A FILE PHOTO Mike Van Ryn said yesterday he will leave school early and join the Canadian National Team. He is the second defenseman the Wolverines have lost in the off- season. Migaioon 2&, Notre Dame 22 p SI ar Brady las late-game By Josh Kleinbaum Daily Sports Editor The Michigan-Notre Dame football game last Saturday had to unfold this way: Fourth quarter, Michigan trailing by three points, just 4:08 left on the clock. Michigan had one last chance, one drive to fend off hated Notre Dame, sixty yards to move the ball to preserve the fading dreams of New Orleans. Who's hand does Lloyd Carr put the ball in? After a week of speculation, it turned out to be a no-brainer. Thanks to a five-minute dazzling display to start the second half, Tom Brady grabbed the quarterback reins and held on tight, refusing to be bucked off by anything - not Henson, not Carr, not the NCAA- record crowd that oohed, ahhed and cheered every time Uber-QB Henson dropped back to pass. Suddenly, this was Tom Brady's team. And in the final drive, he didn't dis- appoint. He hit two key passes, including a 20-yard strike to David Terrell at the five yard line, then watched as Anthony Thomas punched into the endzone on third-and-goal from the 1 with 1:38 left in the game. Michigan 26, Notre Dame 22. "Tom did a great job in there," Michigan offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson said. "He led the boys in the huddle, he led the boys on the field and he led us-to the end zone." He had a little help, though - namely from tailback Thomas and split end Terrell. Brady, Thomas and Terrell teamed up for a lethal pass- rush combination throughout the game. No more of this "Three yards and a cloud of dust" Big Ten hogwash. Although Brady claims not to be affected by the quarterback competi- tion between him and Henson, he See IRISH, Page 18A DANA LINNANE / Daily Tommy Hendricks and James Whitley celebrate a first-quarter defensive stop on Saturday. Despite a shaky secondary, Michigan held off the Irish, 26-22. Afer weeks ofdebate, Brady answers questions... with a smile m Brady couldn't wipe the grin off his face, no matter how hard he tried. How does it feel to beat Notre Dame? How do you think Drew Henson played? Will you be the starter next week? It didn't matter what he was asked. Brady answered all of the ques- tions through a smile as blinding as the television lights that beat down upon him. (By the way, the answer to the final question is yes.) But Brady didn't care. He didn't even make an effort to con- Andy ceal how Latack pleased he was. And he had a lot to be happy about. In his final showdown with nemesis Notre Dame, Brady remarkably sharp, completing 17-of- 24 passes for 197 yards and throwing no interceptions. He engineered the game-winning drive in what was one of the best Michigan-Notre Dame matchups in recent memory. But what's more impressive - and what makes it hard for Brady to stop smiling - was what he went through before he even took the field. Like Henson, his competition for the position, Brady endured the suffo- audition to win duties for the second half. Brady didn't even enjoy home field advantage in his home stadium. The record crowd cheered wildly when Henson entered the game in the second quarter, ready to stake his claim to the starting job. They cheered when he completed his first pass attempt. They cheered when he took a snap. And a drink of water. With Henson still an enigma, the fans on an 80-yard drive in the first pos- session of the half to retake the lead. And that was just the beginning. Sure, Brady didn't have the game- breaking potential of the game's other quarterback, Notre Dame's Jarious Jackson. But rather than comparing Brady to other quarterbacks - you've got to be getting tired of doing that by now - let him be himself. Watching Brady and Jackson duel Saturday was like reading Aesop's I - ., ~ I 1 I