4B - TheMichiganDaily-SportsMonday-_January_8,_2001
Shouts from the point FRIDAY'S GAME YESTERDAY S GAME Key play
"It stuck in my mind. I thought about it a lot I Lake Superior 0 ?v Lake Superior Q 20:00 of the first period Sunday
going into the weekend. I wanted to punish - Mike Cammalleri, Andy Hilbert and Mike Komisarek
that team." step onto the Yost Arena ice after missing the last three
Michigan 2 Michigan 5 games while playing in the World Junior Championships.
- Senior Scott Matzka on comments made by Hilbert and Cammalleri combined for six points.
Lake Superior coach Scott Borek earlier in the week.
THE DAILY'S STARS
The Michigan Daily hockey writers'
picks for Michigan's three stars of the
weekend.
JOSH BLACKBURN
GOALIE
Blackburn's 49 saves led the
Wolverines to two shutouts on the
weekend.
CRAIG MURRAY
CENTER
Murray caught fire this weekend,
scoring three goals and centering the
first line on Friday night.
ANDY HILBERT
RIGHT WING
Returned from Moscow on Saturday
night, only to score two goals yester-
day afternoon.
M' SCHEDULE
This weekend:
at Ohio State
Fiday: at Value City Arena, 7:35 p.m.
Satuday: at Value City Arena, 7:05 p.m.
The Wolverines take their act on the
road after reasserting themselves in
the CCHA race this past weekend.
Ohio State is an upstart, posting a 7-
61 conference record in a season
filled with low expectations.
USCHO TOP 10
No. 1 Michi an State (14-1-4) def. Yale 5-
0, def. Yale 4-0.
No. 2 Boston College (13-4-1) lost to
Boston University 32.
No. 3 North Dakota (14-4-4) did not play.
No. 4 Colorado College (134-1) def. Denver 4-
1, def. Denver 5-1.
No. 5 Western Michian (14-3-2) def. Ohio
State 3-1, def. Ohio State 3-2.
No. 6 New Hampshire (13-4-3) tied Maine
0-0, def. Maine 4-1.
No. 7 St. Cloud (13-4-1) def. Minn.-Duluth
6-3, def. Minn.-Duluth 5-4.
No. 8 Michigan (13-5-3) def. Lake Superior
2-0, def. Lake Superior 5-0.
No. 9 Minnesota (12-5-2) def. Alaska-
Anchorage 3-1 def. Alaska-Anchorage 4-2.
No. 10 Providence (9-5-3) def. Mass.-
Amherst 4-0.
FRIDAY'S GAME
Michigan 2, Lake Superior 0
Lake Superior 0 0 0 -0
Michigan 2 0 0-2
Fast period -1. UM, Ortmeyer 9 (Koch, Shouneyra),
1:45 (pp); 2. UM Murray 4 (Mamza, Langfed) 25 (pp)
Pnalties-UM,Jillson (roughrg), :17; LSSJ,
McNamara (unsportsmanlike conduct),.:17; LSSU, Knox
(elbowing); 1:33; UM, Fraser (tppig), 4:6; LSSU
Vince (unsportsmanlike conduct), 5:36; UM,ijilson (hold-
ing the stick),.5:36; LSSU vince (roughing), 5:36; LSSU,
Phillips (slashing), 6:35; LSSU, Davis (tpping), 8:25;
UM, Kosick (interference), 10:20; UM, Shouneya (slash-
ing),16:25; LSSU, Platt (interference), 17:27.
Sec Mnd pettod -no scong. Penalties - UM, Langfeld
(obstructionaolding), 3:18; UM, Gassoff (checkig from
behind) 5:24;LSU,bench minor (too manymen) 7:18;
LSSU, Wilson (holding), 8:55; LSU, Micek (holding),
14:23; UM, Ortmeyer (roughing), 14:49; UM, Matzka
(holding),19:02.
Thr peald - no scoring. Penltes - UM, bench minor
(too many men), 8:53; LSSU, McNamara (roughing after
whistle), 15:52; UM, Gassoff (cross checking), 18:11.
Shos on gol- UM, 17-57 - 29; LSSU, 612-11 -29.
Power Plays - UM, 2 of 9; LSSU, 0 of 9.
Saves-UM, Blackburn 612-11-29; LSSU, Platt 15-
5-7-27.
Rer ee-John Gosger.
Unessnen - John LaDuke, Kevin Langseth.
At:Yost ice Arena. Attendance: 6,428.
YESTERDAY'S GAME
Michigan 5, Lake SuperIor 0
Lake Superior 0 0 0 -0
MichIgan 1 2 2 -5
Fast peotd-i. UM, Murray 4 (Koch), 9:49 (pp).
Peafties -UM, Koch (checking from behin), 3:03; LSSU,
Wilson (hooking), 9:10; UM, Fraser (slashing),11:52; UM,
Gassoff (slashig), 1S19.
Second peded - 2. UM, Hilbert 15 (Cammaled), 3:50; 3.
UM, Hilbert 16 (ammalleri), 14:20. Penalties- UM,
Swistk (obstructionooking), 4:59; LSSU, Thompson
(holding), 620;LSSU, Vice (iterfrence), 15:30.
pettod-4. LM, Murray 5 (unassisted), 4:55; 5. UM,
Cammalleri 13 (Hilbert, Blackbum), 18:26 (pp). Penalties
- UM, Bues (obstruction-ooking), 209 LSSU, Phillips
(high sticking), 5:31; UM, Muay (roughing), 10:1; UM,
Kch Iroijhing), 1=49; LSSU. Phillips (ohing), 149;
UM, Mink (high sticking) 14:02; UM, ilsond mir
(roughing after the whistle), 16:50; LSSU, Thompson double
minor (roughing after the whistle), 16:50; LSSU, Turgeon
(elbowing), 17:19; UM, Gassoff (roughing), 19:26; LSSU,
Davis (roughng); 19:26; UM, Gassoff (holding the stick),
19:26; LSSU, Davis (holding the stick), 19:26; UM, Gassoff
(10-7mnute mrisconduct), 19:26; LSSU, Davis (10-minute
Smisconduct), 19:26; UM, Largfeld(10minute misconduct),
T19:26; LSSU, Redden (10-minute misconduct), 19:26.
5hob&on gDe - LSSU,10-45 - "20; UM, 12-7-12 -31.
wer P opys-LSSU,0of 7;UM,2of5.
- LSSU, Platt 11-5-10 - 26; UM, Blackburn 1064
--20.
Re ree -Steve Mclnchak.
Luenun - Pat Bracco, Brent Gaw.
- At Yost lce Arena. Ate nmmc 6,403
A WEEK'S DIFFERENCE
The return of missing players, cou-
pled with better overall play, helped
Michigan to a four-point weekend.
Last weekend at Great Lakes
Invitational (two games):
Opponent's shots: 60
Opponent's goals: 13
Opponent's powerplays: 4 of 10
Michigan's record: 0-2
This weekend vs. Lake Superior
(two games):
Opponent's shots: 49
Opponent's goals: 0
Opponent's powerplays: 0 of 16
Michigan's record: 2-0
Sweet revenge for Wolverines
By Joe Smith
Daily Sports Writer
Nothing cures the pain of two-game losing streak
like the hunger for the sweet taste of revenge.
The Wolverines' consecutive shutouts of Lake
Superior this past weekend unveiled an entirely dif-
ferent Michigan team than the one that came out
lifeless in its two embarrassing losses and a last-
place showing at the Great Lakes Invitational the
previous weekend.
The reason?
It wasn't too hard to get Michigan's blood boiling
for these Lakers after Lake Superior swept the
Wolverines last season at Yost Ice Arena for the first
time since 1989- including a shutout. Coming into
this past weekend, Lake Superior had won four of
the past five meetings, which led Michigan to put a
sign up in the locker room with Lake Superior's
name on it.
"We have on our board teams we owe and Lake
State was one of them," captain Geoff Koch said.
"So it's definitely a big deal to beat them twice in our
own barn after they'd done it to us last year."
Adding to the drama was some chalkboard mate-
rial given by Lake Superior coach Scott Borek this
past week. Although senior Scott Matzka never
specified what Borek allegedly said, his words were
certainly not forgotten.
"It stuck in my mind," Matzka said without hesi-
tation. "I thought about it a lot coming into the week-
end. I wanted to punish that team. Every chance I got
I took a hit and I think everybody else did too."
Michigan played inspired hockey, and this time at
both ends of the ice. With the forwards staying dis-
ciplined in their defensive responsibilities, finishing
every check, and the special teams shutting down
Lake Superior's power play to an 0-for-16 perfor-
mance - the opposing coach seemed to change his
tune about the Wolverines.
"They did a great job with being aggressive and
challenging the puck," Borek said. "Hats off to them.
They were very aggressive and made a lot of things
happen on the penalty kill."
But Borek also knows that this is not the same
team that he's unleashed in previous matchups with
the Wolverines.
The Lakers have been decimated by injuries this
season, having missed 70 man-games to injury in
their first 20 games. This is not something that many
teams, even in college hockey, can relate to.
"It's like quicksand," said forward Trevor
Weisgerber, who was sitting out the game with a
concussion. "One guy goes down and then three or
four follow. It's definitely hard to play through."
Contributing to the Lakers struggles have been the
absences of both assistant captains, Jeremy Bachusz
and Jason Nightingale, for parts of the season. While
Nightingale was in the lineup this weekend, Bachusz
is expected to be out for the season with mono.
The captain and leader on defense, Ryan Knox,
played on Friday but a hamstring injury sidelined
him for yesterday's game. He's won't return until
mid-February.
That's not all.
Freshman defenseman Chad Dahlen has missed
,
DAVID KATZ/Daily
John Shouneyla and the other Michigan forwards helped the defensemen by backchecking all weekend"
the past two months recovering from surgery, and
another freshman standout, Adam Nightingale, just
returned from a 17-game absence due to a broken
hand - but it is still not completely healed.
Not a good sign for a team which faces three
games against No. 1 Michigan State - all in a 10-
day span.
The Lakers' brutal second-half schedule could
continue to loom over their worries, as they play the
top three teams in the CCHA a total of nine times,
including Michigan twice more.
"Right now I'm very concerned about our team;"
Borek said. "I think we're really fragile with the way
our year has gone and our expectations that have
been shot by a number of different things - and
then to take our heart and soul out with Knox and
Bachusz. It's going to be a tough second half.
"We're going to have to button our chinstraps and
get busy here."
Unsung center Murray emerges from shadows
By ArunGopal
Daily Sports Writer
For two years, he was a forgotten man.
Amidst a sea of high-powered offensive talent,
Craig Murray struggled to define a role for himself on
the Michigan hockey team. Coming off a successful
career in Juniors, Murray arrived in Ann Arbor in the
fall of 1998 with tremendous expectations.
Unfortunately, things did not work out as planned
for the Penticton, British Columbia native. Hampered
by injuries and inconsistency, Murray played only 39
games and scored just two goals in his first two sea-
sons.
The experience was under- _
standably humbling. HOCKEY
"My first two years were
pretty frustrating," Murray said. Notebook
"You begin to doubt yourself
and wonder."
All of which makes this season's developments that
much more gratifying.
Playing on the fourth line, Murray doubled his
career output with a pair of goals against Ferris State
the weekend of Nov. 10-11. He also carved out a niche
as one of the Wolverines' most dependable penalty-
killers.
Then, this weekend against Lake Superior, Murray
had the most productive series of his career. He scored
three goals - two of them in yesterday's 5-0 win -
and continued his stellar special teams play.
It looks as though the forgotten man has finally
stepped into the spotlight.
"Craig Murray's a character hockey player" sopho-
more center Mike Cammalleri said. "He maybe does-
n't get the credit he deserves sometimes, but he's out
there trying to do all the little things for the team every
night. It's great to see a guy like him get some goals."
WELCOME BACK: Yesterday's game marked the
return of some familiar faces to Michigan's lineup.
Cammalleri, fellow sophomore Andy Hilbert and
freshman Mike Komisarek rejoined the Wolverines
after spending the last several weeks playing in the
World Junior Championships in Russia.
LAKERS 0
Continued from Page 1B
Moscow.
The addition of their two top scorers,
Hilbert and Cammalleri, would make
defending their own goal a little bit easier for
the Wolverines.
Craig Murray touched off the scoring
yesterday at the 9:49 mark of the first period.
With Lake Superior's Kevin Wilson in t
penalty box for hooking, Murray took a p
from Geoff Koch, attempted to slide the
puck around goalie Jayme Platt, then poked
the rebound past the helpless Platt for the 1-
0 lead.
The play remained fluid on both sides of
the puck until 3:50 into the second period
when Cammalleri lined up to take a faceoff
in the Lake Superior zone. In the blink of an
eye, Cammalleri won the faceoff back to his
linemate Hilbert who wristed a shot towards
Platt. The netminder looked surprised a
handcuffed by the shot as it eluded h
glove-side for the 2-0 Michigan lead.
Play turned sluggish after the goal,
thanks to numerous play-stoppages. Hilbert
reinvigorated the crowd with his second goal
of the game at the 14:20 mark. The sopho-
more fired a harmless-looking turnaround
shot from the top of the left circle which
eluded Platt five-hole and gave Michigan the
3-0 advantage.
Murray poured it on in the third periO
beating Platt up-close, five-hole to make the
score 4-0. Appropriately enough,
Cammalleri topped off the scoring with a
powerplay goal with 1:34 left in the game,
walking in on Platt and tapping the puck by
him stickside.
Friday night's game proved to be a phys-
ical, tough-it-out contest, more characterized
by referee John Gosger's whistle than a lack
of offensive fireworks.
Jed Ortmeyer and Craig Murray scored
Michigan's goals, both before the half .
point of the first period. It was all Michi
would need.
JE- HU-VIZ/Daily
Andy Hilbert tallied two goals and an assist in his first game back from the-World Junior Championships.
Hilbert, along with Mike Komisarek, helped the United States to a fifth-place finish in the tournament.
The trio arrived in Ann Arbor on Saturday, so
expectations were not especially high for their first
game back. But, showing no ill-effects of the long
flight home, the players looked like they never left.
Cammalleri and Hilbert picked up right where they
left off before going to Russia, as Cammalleri assist-
ed on both of Hilbert's goals.
Meanwhile, Komisarek's arrival was a blessing to a
depleted Michigan blueline - with Dave Huntzicker
and Jay Vancik sidelined by injuries, the Wolverines
were forced to use Bill Trainor as a defenseman in
Friday's contest.
"We have a lot of adrenaline going right now,"
Hilbert said. "We had no fans over there in Russia, and
the fans can carry us, so it's so good to be back play-
ing inYost."
A NEW FACE BEmD THE BENCH: Fans at Friday
night's game may have done a double-take when they
glanced at the Michigan bench - there was a "new"
face standing next to the coaches.
Huntzicker - who has been sidelined since Nov.
17 with a knee injury - stood alongside Berenson for
both games this weekend, occasionally wearing a
headset to communicate with an assistant coach in the
press box.
But, there's no need to worry - Huntzicker hasn't
traded in his skates for wing tips. He said that he was
merely acting as a cheerleader and trying to provide
some senior leadership on the bench.
Huntzicker is set to return to practice tomorrow
Don't close book on Kosick just yet
By Jon Schwrtz
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan offense can be so frustrating sometimes.
There are games when no one on the team can slip anything
past the opposing goalie.
Then there are games like yester- HOCKEY
day's, which featured another shutout
from a defense which has not caught a Commentary
break for most of the year. And on top
of it, a five-goal outburst from the Wolverines' offense.
It's all a part of the wildly-confusing world of hockey; what
works one day doesn't always accomplish anything the next.
It could also be synonymous with Mark Kosick's career at
Michigan.
Over the course of this season, Kosick has been railed by
nearly everyone - the media, Michigan students and even, at
times, coach Red Berenson.
His performance so far has been worthy of such criticism -
14 points past the midway point of the season is not nearly
enough for someone supposed to provide senior leadership.
The struggles reached their peak yesterday as Berenson and
the coaching staff chose to scratch him from the lineup and to
replace him on his line with junior Craig Murray.
Even worse for Kosick, his replacement scored two goals,
boosting a line that has produced little this season.
Kosick hasn't scored a goal since Thanksgiving, and
Berenson wouldn't promise that he'd be back next weekend.
"Mark was a healthy scratch," Berenson said of his decision.
"Right now, things aren't going well for Kosick.
"He obviously needs to be more productive. He's an offen-
sively skilled player but on the other hand, when you're not
scoring, you've got to be better defensively. He's been strug-
gling with that part of the game and just the intensity, and he
has no confidence. He's a good kid - a great kid - but his
game is just not where it needs to be."
It's unfortunate that these struggles come during Kosick's
senior campaign.
Should he fail to turn things around, his name will probably
elicit memories of the player who showed so much potential in
his freshman year, only to watch his point totals decrease with
each subsequent season.
It's unfortunate that he will be remembered less for his hero-
ic performance in the 1998 NCAA Tournament than for the
fact that his play in the first half of his senior year made him
replaceable.
It's flat-out sad that he could be remembered as unworthy of
Michigan's illustrious No. 9 sweater, even though he is, to this
point, leading his class with 129 career points -11 more than
his nearest classmate, Josh Langfeld.
But it's not too late and his envelope has about three months
to go before it's sealed.
"He's going to rebound fine" assistant captain Scott Matzka
- Kosick's roommate - said. "He's rebounded in the past
when things haven't gone well for him, and he's been a great
player for three-and-a-half years here. So I don't expect that
he'll let this get him down. He's just got to stay positive."
With a good second half to the season, Kosick could turn
around his fate. Maybe he'll be considered a player capable of
maintaining the tradition that lives within the No. 9 sweater.
Maybe he'll turn around the trend and score more points this
season than he did last year.
And maybe he'll be ready for a chance to score two goals in
the NCAA championship game - again.
DAVID KATZ/Daily
Mark Kosick is taken down in front of the Lake Superior net on Friday night. His
stats have also fallen this season, with only five goals and nine assists in 23 games.
CCHA STANDINGS
CCHA ROUNDUP
CCHA LEADERS
REMAINING
QC-11h1u
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