4B -- The Michigan Ddily -- SpcrisMionday - March 19, 2001
Shouts from the point
"This year, I think we've had the better
team. There's no secret to it. We just
played our game and they played
eirs, and we ended up winning."
Michigan State coach Ron Mason, eplaining howhis
team has beaten Michigan four times this season.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Nebraska-Omaha 2
Michi gan 3
SATURDAY NIGHT
Michigan 0
Michigan State 2
Key play
Saturday, 19:38 of first period.
With Michigan State alread, leading 1-0, the
Spartans' Adam Hall skates into the of/ensive
zone and blasts a shap shot between Josh
Blackburn s legs. The goal gives Michigan
State a 2-0 lead and all ut finishes ol'
Michigan.
*H AL' TRSIr2 0 M he Michigan Daily hockey write r s' . IItn itencehome J, 4Aetitle
ic ks for Michigan's three stars of the ,
T
weekend.
JOE KAUTZ
EFT G WING
The unheralded freshman came up big
this weekend, tallying a goal and an
assist against Nebraska-Omaha on Fri-
day. Kautz was named to the CCHA All-
Tournament Team.
JOSH BLACKBURN
GOALTENDER
Although Michigan didn't win the CCHA
Tournament, Blackburn was stellar, giv-
ing up only four goals in two games this
past weekend.
DAVE HUNTZICKER
DEFENSEMAN
Huntzicker had a pair of assists in Fri-
day's win over Nebraska-Omaha and
was named to the CCHA All-Tournament
team.
'M' SCHEDULE
This week:
Saturday-Sunday at NCAA West
Regional (Van Andel Arena, Grand
Rapids)
Saturday: vs. Mercyhust (5:30 pm.)
Sunday: Winner vs. St. Cloud, 5:30 p.m.
Michigan, seeded third in the West
region, commences NCAA tourney
play against MAAC champion Mercy-
hurst, the sixth seed in the West.
The winner of this game will play No.
2 seed St. Cloud for a berth in the
Frozen Four. The past two seasons,
Michigan has won its opening game,
only to lose in the quarterfinals.
HoW THEY FARED
No. 1.Michigan State (30-4-4) def.
Bowling Green 2-1, defl.Michigan 2-0
No. 2 North Dakota (26-6-9) def. Col-
orado College 2-1, lost to St. Cloud 6-5
(OT)
No. 3 Boston College (30-8-2) def.
UMass-Lowell 5-1, def. Providence 5-3
No. 4 St. Cloud (29-81) def. Minnesota 3-0,
def. North Dakota 6-5 (OT).
No. 5 Minnesota (27-10-2) lost to St.
Cloud 3-0.
No. 6 Michigan (26-11-5) def. Nebraska-
Qmaha 3-2, lost to Michigan St. 2-0.
No. 7 New Hampshire (21-126) season
complete.
No. 8 Colorado Coll. (24-11-1) def. Wis-
consin 4-3, lost to North DakotaW2-1
No. 9 Clarkson (21-11-3) season com-
plete.
No. 10 Maine(19.1047) lost to Providence
4-3.
FRIDAY'S GAME
MIcHIGAN 3, Nebraska-Omaha 2
By Arun Gopal
Daily SportsWriter
DETROIT -- One team was cele-
brating. The other team couldn't bear to
watch.
This was the scene after the CCHA
Championship game on Saturday night
at Joe Louis Arena. Unfortunately for
the Michigan hockey team, it was once
again the one hanging its head after a
game against Michigan State.
For the fourth time in five meetings
this season, the top-ranked Spartans
circle that was ticketed for the far post,
but Miller made a spectacular glove
save on what was arguably Michigan's
best scoring chance of the game.
"Having played Andy a few times, I
knew I had to get out and challenge
him," Miller said. "He tried to go low-
glove, but from where he shot, I had
time to react."
Given new life by their goaltender,
the Spartans wasted little time in taking
the lead. At the 9:44 mark of the first
period, Michigan State's Adam Hall
skated into the Michigan zone and beat
(21-4-3 CCHA, 32-4-4
overall) throttled Michi-
gan's high-powered
attack. With an automat-
ic bid to the NCAA
Tournament hanging in
the balance, the Spartans
brushed aside the
Wolverines, 2-0, to win
their second-straight
CCHA Tournament
Need two?
Good seats are still available
for the NCAA West Regional
at Van Andel Arena in Grand
Rapids.
500 tickets go on sale today
at 8:30 a.m. at the Michigan
Ticket Office. The cost is $50
for the whole weekend (2
Huntzicker around
the corner. Hall
flipped a shot from
left of the net at
Michigan goalie Josh
Blackburn, who
made the initial save.
But Blackburn
was unable to control
the rebound, and the
Spartans' Joe Good-
enow pounced on the
loose puck to give
Michigan State a 1-0
championship. games on Sa
Behind 19 saves from on Sunday).
CCHA Player of the
Year Ryan Miller - who notched the
18th shutout of his brief but brilliant
career - Michigan State wrote another
chapter in a remarkably successful sea-
son and left little doubt about what team
is the best in the nation.
"We tried to give it away a couple
times early, but Ryan made some nice
saves," Michigan State coach Ron
Mason said. "Once we got our feet on
the ground, I thought we played as well
as we can play"
Most of the "nice saves" Mason
referred to came on the first shift of the
game. Off the opening faceoff, Michi-
gan defenseman Dave Huntzicker got
control of the puck and sent a pass to
Andy Hilbert, who streaked in alone
down the left wing toward Miller.
Hilbert fired a wrist shot from the left
turday and one
lead.
"I knew I had a one-on-one, so I just
tried to drive wide there," Hall said. "I
ended up getting around the corner, and
I tried to go far-side on the goalie. The
rebound just came out, and Joe (Good-
now) did a great job crashing the net."
Down only 1-0, Michigan still had a
realistic chance of winning the game.
But, the Wolverines' title hopes van-
ished at the 19:38 mark of the first when
Blackburn did something he couldn't
afford to do - give up a bad goal.
Once again, Hall was Michigan's
nemesis. The junior sniper skated
untouched into the offensive zone and
fired a slapshot from the top of the left
circle that beat Blackburn five-hole.
Hall's 18th goal of the year gave Michi-
gan State a 2-0 lead going into the inter-
DAVID KATZ{Daily
Michigan State players celebrate after the Spartans won the CCHA tournament title with a 2-0 shutout of Michigan.
mission and broke Michigan's back.
"Anytime a team scores in the last
minute before intermission, it really
helps the momentum of that team and I
think it really deflates the other team,"
Hall said. "It's something that's really
tough to come back from."
Two goals might not seem like much,
especially considering Michigan's
potent offense. But a two-goal deficit
against Michigan State is similar to a
four-goal deficit against anyone else.
With a stiffing defense mnd the nation's
top goaltender, Michigan State simply
sat back the last two periods and dared
Michigan to try and score.
"We didn't let them handle the puck
in the neutral zone and stretch guys out,
and I thought we took away their cross-
ice passes pretty well," Michigan State
defenseman Andrew lHutchinson said.
Friday night's semifinal game against
Nebraska-Omaha went considerably
better for Michigan. Seeking revenge
for last season's humiliating 7-4 loss to
the Mavericks in the same round, the
Wolverines came out flying and took a
3-0 first-period lead on goals by Craig
Murray, Mike Cammalleri and Joe
Kautz.
Nebraska-Omaha rebounded with a
pair of goals in the second-period to
trim the deficit to one, but the Wolver-
ines held on for the win. Nevertheless,
this was small consolation after the
Spartans stifled Michigan far the fourth
time this season.
"There's not much separating these
two teams, and I think it comes down to
scoring the first goal." Michigan coach
Red Berenson said. "I like the way our
team played in tonight's game."
Unsung Kautz comes up big in playoffs
By Jon Schwartz
Dlaily Sports Fditor
DETROIT - There was a lot of hype sur-
rounding the Michigan hockey team's fresh-
man class at the start of the season. Two
names in particular dominated the spotlight
- defensemen Mike Komisarck and Andy
Burnes.
But in light of the way Joe Kautz has come
on in the second half of his freshman year,
it's starting to look like not mentioning him
was a tremendous oversight.
With three goals and three assists in his
last six games, Kautz is certainly turning
heads in the CCHA, a point proven by the
fact that he was selected to the CCHA All-
Tournament team by members of the media
this past weekend.
"It just so happens that the puck is bounc-
ing my way and I'm getting some points,"
Kautz said. "I'm not always the guy that gets
all the points, but the last couple of games
I've gotten some."
When sophomore winger Jed Ortmeyer
went down with an ACL tear, things looked
bleak for the Wolverines. Ortmever offered
the team a great physical presence as well as
offensive skills.
Needing someone to fill the void, the team
looked at many different players, offering
chances to step up and hoping for production
similar to Ortmever's. Kautz is playing the
part as best he can after first becoming an
everyday player since the injury.
"I'm really happy for the kid," Ortmever
said. "He goes out every game and works
hard and shows that he's stepping in and
doing the job. He comes in and he works out,
he's in the weight room every day. You just
have to be happy for him and hope things go
well for him."
One thing that makes Kautz so valuable is
his penchant for stepping up in big games.
Two of the best performances he's had this
season were at the cavernous Joe Louis
Arena. Friday night at the Joe, he scored a
goal and assisted on another, while at the
same time offering the physical presence that
kept Nebraska-Omaha in check.
"I doni't know if he's too young to be ner-
vous or what it is but some guys step up at
different times or different buildings," assis-
tant coach Dilly Powers said. "It's just great
that it's playoff time and he's doing what he's
doing.
"Joey's finally realizing that he belongs
here and that he can produce here and that lie
can have an impact on the outcome of games
and help our team and he picked a perfect
time to do it. He's a consummate team guy
and he's absolutely adding a lot to our team
right now."
Kautz prides hnimself on his physical
prowess. To him, goals are just secondary.
And despite the honors that he's receiving
and the newfound ability to put the biscuit in
the basket, he intends to approach the NCAA
West Regional this weekend the same way
lie's gone into every previous game.
"I don't care if I'm playing against the first
line or the fourth line or if I'm on the first
line or the fourth line," he said. "I just play
the same way and just try to play harder
every night and every shift."
Neb.-Omaha
Michigan
0 2 0
3 00
2
3
Frst peuod- 1. UM, Murray 10 (KautzHuntzicker,, 7:25;
2. UM, Canaller 26 (Hilbert Roemensky), 9:52;3.UM,
Kautz 4 (Hunticker. Souneytat. 18:26
Penaties-UO ,Jaworski (obstructionhooki.g). 3:22;
UNO, Zanon (boarding). 5:53; UM Matzke (charging;. 7:18;
LUM, Shouneyia (hgh-ticking), 12:00: LINO, Zaon (high-
sicking). 12,00; UM, Roemensky(hitting after whistke
13:43; UNO, NoeF8ernier (hitting after whistle,13:43; UM,
Matti. (obstruction # ding). 16:10
Second peiod-4. UNO, Turner 3 (Smith), 10-02.5. UNO,
Z anon 12 (OKeefe), 15:50.
Peddes- UNO, Wong (interference), 3:09,UMHilbert
(unsportsmanlike conduct). 6:24; UM, Jillson (charging),
15:56; UM, Hilbert (hitting afterwhistle), 16:16; UNO,
chalmers (hitting after whistle), 16:16; UNO, Smith (slash
), 17:02; UNO, Smith tboarding), 19:33.
Thirdprod - no scoring.
Penalties- UM, Vanck (delaying the game), 4:14: UNO.
Jaworksi (slashng), 14:50 UNO, Z anon (tripping). 17:30.
Shotsongoal-UNO. 774-18;UM,13417---34
Power Plays-UNO05,I UM 0-7.
Penaites-UNO 10 (20m:n); UM 8(16min).
Saves-LUNO,Ellis 104-17- 31;LUM.,Blarkburn 7.54-
16.
le- DukeShegos
Linesmen-Butch Freidman, KeviniLangseth
At:Joe Luis Arena. Attendance: 13,655
SATURDAY'S GAME
MICHIGAN STATE 2, Michigan 0
TOM FELDKAMP/Daly
Little-known freshman Joe Kautz made a name for himself in
the CCHA tournament with his hard-nosed, physical play.
News flash: MSU can score
Michigan 0 0 0
Michigan State 2 0 0
0
0
Frstpedod-1.MSU,Goodenow 3(HatMarkusen( 9:44;
2. MSU, Hall18(Hutchinson), 19:38
Penalties-MSU, Nail (obstructionfhooking), 11:48;UM,
Hilbert (slashing),20:00
Second period - no scoring.
Penlties-UM, Vank i(arding),2:16; MSU,Maloney
(eibowing), 5:36:MSU,.Koski (roughing the goalttnder).
1423; UM. HUntzKer(hooking).1704,'.StL nch o
many menon ice), 18:51
third peri- no scoring
Penalties- MSU.Whitten(roughing,,11:22; UM, Matzka t
(roughing) 1122; UMVancik (trippng),15:25
Shots on a -UM.103--19: MSU ?2 7-- 2
Power Plays -- UM. 04: MSU, 0.4.
Penalties-tUM 5:10minutes); MSU5(10minrtes).
Saves -UM.Blackburn 512-7 -24;MSU, Mllr 1036 -
18
1lem - tikeShnegos.
Unesm en -Butch Freidman,Kevin Langseth.r
At: Joe Louis Arena. Attendance:16.031.{
By Ryan C. Moloney
Daily Sports Writer
Ryan Miller to the rest of the Spar-
tans - much like Michael Jackson to
the Jackson Five, Larry Bird to the
Svcamores and Bugs Bunny to the rest
of the Looney Tunes.
Get the picture? Michligan State's
bull run through the CCH A and into the
NCAA tournament this season was due
in large part to Miller - a gangly
goalie whose dislike of the color red
lifted the Spartans to the No. I spot in
the nation.
By the amount of attention lavished
upon Miller by the East Lansing media,
you'd think the rest of the Spartans were
there to carry his luggage.
Michigan State's success against
Michigan and the rest of the country
this season boils down to two keys -
one obvious, one forgotten in all of the
hoopla. The first reason for Michigan
State's success - Miller and his
NCAA-record 1.36 career goals against
average and 17 shutouts. The second
reason - a laughably underrated often-
sive unit.
"There's not too many glory-seekers
on this team --- everybody is happy
when somebody receives an individual
accomplishment and that's something
to be proud of," said forward Rustyn
Dolyny, the Michigan State captain
whose country-western-sounding name
befits his easygoing temperament.
Unlike Michigan's steam-powered
offense, Michigan State rclies on cap-
turing the moment - after a defensive
stop, the puck is relayed with snapshot
speed up to streaking forwards, usually
on an odd-man rush. Michigan State's
first goal Saturday was a result of per-
fect execution by Adam Hall on just
such a situation - the senior snuck
around Dave Huntzicker on the far-side
to set up Joe Goodenow, who promptly
cashed the net for the game-winner.
"We create our offense off of transi-
tion and very good forechecking,"
coach Ron Mason said.
Contrary to-prevailing theory in
hockey, the Spartans' offense is not a
collection of glamour boys. They are
grinders who, in the spirit of a true
ensemble, let everybody get in on the
gig.
"We've got some guys who are com-
ing through at different times;" Mason
said. "We've gotten powerplay goals at
certain times, shorthanded goals at cer-
tain times -- we've been scoring by
committee all year, never knowing
who's going to get the job done for us."
But rest assured, somebody does the
job. Against Michigan this season,
Michigan State's top scorers - Dolyny,
Hall, Brian Maloney and Troy Ferguson
- each played on either the second or
third lines in Saturday's game.
Between Michigan State's leading
and 10th-leading scorer, there is a 15-
point differential, as opposed to 40
points between Michigan's. The work is
hard and the load is shared - a neces-
sary philosophy for a defensive club.
"That's the key, we have so much
depth this year," Maloney said. "That's
why we can win so many games -
those arc the teams that win champi-
onships.
"Mason can put anybody out there
on the ice."
JEFF HURVITZ/iaily
Andrew Bogle is part of a balanced offensive attack for Michigan State. The Spar-
tans' top three lines are as skilled as any group of forwards in the country.
East Regional
- Centrum Center,
Worcester, Mass.
Hockey East
WCHA
WVCHA
4 WCHA 1h
Hockey East ~X
ECAC l
I
_ =::