The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday -- March 19, 2001- 5B
. . .. . . . .
Jeff Panzer
North Dakoia
The WCHA Player of the
Year; Panzer led the
nation in scoring with 50
assists and 74 points.
Brian Gionta,
Boston College
A three-timhe Hobey Baker
finalist. Gionta led the
nation in goals this
season and scored five
times in a game against
Maine.
Hobey Watch
AV, v Here are the Daill
hockey writers'
favoritesfir the
1 Hobe Baker Award,
given to colle
>:ti hockeis est play~er
Andy Hilbert,
Michigan
Hilbert led all
sophoniores in scoring
with 60 points and
wVaked havoc on
opposing goaltenders
with a lethal wrist shot.
Ryan Miller
Michigan State
,'iller recorded a
shuwout in over 30
percent of his starts,
giving Michigan State a
No. I ranking for the
patol fr months.
'M' nominees shut out on CCHA's big night
By Jon Schwartz
Daily Sports Fditor
DETROIT - The Academy Awards may not be for
another week, but this past Thursday night at the Fox
Theater, the CCHA put on a show with all of the glitz
of the Oscars.
At the CCHA Awards, players and coaches from the
conference were recognized and
rewarded for a season full of HOCKEY
rd work and heated competi-
ion in a night that kicked off the Notebook
CCHA Championship Weekend.
For the Michigan players, the evening brought no
new accolades, as the only recognition that the Wolver-
ines were in awards announced earlier in the week.
Defenseman Mike Komisarek was named to the
All-Rookie team and Jeff Jillson to the All-Academic
team. Jillson was also named to the All-Conference
first team, along with sophomore forwards Andy
lbert and Mike Cammalleri. Goalie Josh Blackburn
s named to the second team.
"It's such a great honor to be there with those.plav-
ers and be in the same company as those players,"
Hilbert said. "Those are some great players up there
and I was just really honored to be up there."
While no Wolverines won awards, several were
nominated. Komisarek was a candidate for Rookie of
the Year, Jillson up for Best Offensive Defenseman,
Mike Roemensky for Best Defensive Defenseman and
Hilbert for Player of the Year.
For Roemensky, the nomination was special since
he was first added to the team at midseason last year.
"It was a huge honor for me," Roemensky said. "I
was a bit surprised. Nobody ha told me I was up for
that honor. I take a lot of pride in playingdefense and
that was a nice way of telling me that I'm doing well.
Hopefully I can keep it up during these playoffs."
BAD MEMORIEs: The ghost of Lake Superior almost
haunted Michigan again Friday night, when officials
reviewed what they thought was a goal after the goal
judge hadn't indicated it as such.
This time, though, unlike Feb. 22 at Lake Superior
when the goal was counted, replay proved inconclusive
and the score stayed as it was.
"That wasn't a goal," Michigan coach Red Berenson
said. "It was ridiculous to even think about reviewing
it. There was nothing to review."
INJURV BUG STINGS AGAIN: As has been the case all
season, Michigan was hounded this weekend by
untimely injuries.
In his first shift on Friday night, defenseman Andy
Burnes took a hit to the head that knocked him down
and sent him to the showers. He was diagnosed with a
mild concussion.
"Especially with an injury to the head, you don't
want to mess around with it," he said. "I've had a his-
tory of concussion'problems so I'm just taking precau-
tions.
"I've still got a pretty good headache right now."
Burnes did not dress for Saturday night's matchup
with the Spartans.
Senior Josh Langfeld, one of Michigan's most solid
wingers lately and a renowned playoff performer, rein-
jured his knee on Saturday night.
The knee was first hurt on Feb. 17, in a game that
was also at Joe Louis Arena and against Michigan
State.
He played the first period but missed the next two.
Still, Berenson expects him to be ready to play against
Mercyhurst on Saturday.
Michigan appeared to be hampered by the injuries.
"Langfeld's definitely a huge part of the team," John
Shouneyia said. "Burnes is too. He's one of our best
defenseman and not having them hurts our team."
East ehan e'. ' .
Reg os Reglonals' Semifinals Fit
Marh 23-24 March 24-2 " April 5 Ap
East Region B ) boston Co.
4) Minnesota
3) Michigan
6) Mercyhurst>
West Regional 2 St. Coud
East Regional 2) North Dakota
3 Cokrado Col.
6) St Lamrenc
@4) WIsconsin - '
5) Providenc~e
West Regonal i)MIchigan State
rhf 7
. . . .. . ...........
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Miml .i t ll
,..____..T_--
And you thought the CCHA
was confusing!
bracket
The NCAA, using its typical backwards logic, creat-
ed a bracket that makes very little sense.
instead of the two regions meeting only in the
finals, the East No. 1 is slated to meet the West
No. 2 in the semifinals, and vice versa, barring
upset.s.
This makes it possible for an East team to meet.
another East team in the finals, creating the potence
ti M for a Michigan-Michigan State championship;
game,
More playground pains for the Wolverines
DAVID ATZDIIy
CCHA All-Rookie team selection Mike Komisarek sticks it to Nebraska-Omaha's
James Chalmers in Michigan's 3-2 victory Friday night.
THE 2000 SEASON -
PROMISE, INCONSISTENCY, HOPE
STRONG START
The Wolverines begin the season on a high
note, capturing the Johnson-Nissan Classic
in October on their way to a No. 1 ranking
in the polls on Nov. 4.
Facing a difficult nonconference schedule, #
Michigan swept the College Hockey Show-
case over Thanksgiving, beating two then-
top 10 teams in Wisconsin and Minnesota. 9
Confidence was high as Michigan headed__
into Christmas break at 13-3-3. 0ANN MLCsHoh/Dly
G.L.I. BLUNDERS
With leading scorers Mike Cammalleri and
Andy Hilbert and defenseman Mike Komis-
arek representing their countries at the World
Junior Championships in Russia, Michigan
suffered a major bump in the road. "
At the Great Lakes Invitational, Michigan
lost to Michigan Tech (7-3) and Boston Col
lege (&5) to take fourth place in the tour-
ney. MARJORIL MARSHAL /Ddily
BEAT STATE
Following several weeks of inconsistency,
Michigan hit the high point of the season by
knocking off No. 1 Michigan State in an
overtime thriller at Joe Louis Arena, 4-3.
This brought Michigan to within three points .* <'
of the conference leading Spartans, giving
the Wolverines a glimpse of hope for a first-
round bye in the NCAAs with a strong finish.
BRAD QUINN Daily
SEASON LOW
With Michigan controlling its own destiny
for first place in the CCHA and a possible
first-round bye in the NCAAs, Michigan
ended the season on a six game skid -
going 1-4-1.
That included a 4-4 tie to Notre Dame and f
a 21 loss to then-last place Lake Superior
in Sault Ste. Marie - sending Michigan to______
its worst finish since the 1980-81 season. BRENDAN o DCNNELLDady
SWEEP!
Michigan finally started to come together
and produced its first weekend sweep since
January 7th against Lake Superior - and it
came at the right time.
The No. 3 seeded Wolverines took care of 1,: :
No. 8 Ferris State in the first round of the
CCHA playoffs, sending them to Joe Louis
Arena in their quest for a tournament
crown. BRAD QUINN/Dady
SAME OLD, SAME OLD
Michigan got the game it wanted in the
CCHA title game - a rematch against
Michigan State. But the Spartans proved
superior once again, shutting out the
Wolverines, 2-0 and hoisting their banner
for the second straight year at Joe Louis.
Michigan State owned the Wolverines
this season, going 4-1 in the teams' five
meetings. DAViD ATZ/Dao y
By Ryan C. Moloney
Daily Sports Wnter
It's a playground fight, really.
It makes no difference where on the
playground - the monkey bars at
Munn Arena, the jungle gym at Yost,
slide at Joe Louis Arena -- the
bully, Michigan State, stares little
Michigan down and pounds its fist in
anticipation.
Time for the HOCKEY
inevitable.
S o m e t i m s, Commentary
Michigan scrai pi-
ly battles back; occasionally managing
to get a few licks in. It even won once,
Jan. 27 at Joe Louis Arena in what
ght have been Michigan's best game
of the year. When Andy Hilbert scored
the overtime winner, it was for the
underdogs - the smaller kid can come
out on top sometimes.
But that only got the bully more
worked up.
On Mar. 1, the bully handed Michi-
gan a little payback to the tune of a 3-1
score. Afterward, the ever-graceful-in-
victory Ryan Miller called Mike Cam-
llcri's goal "a gift" and made fun of
sophomore center's fall during
player introductions.
Michigan came out to meet its
nemesis on Saturday night, prepared to
go down swinging - the chance to
bounce Michigan State for the CCHA
playoff title could never fail to bring
about Michigan's best effort, and it
didn't.
Problem was, Michigan was looking
0 the haymaker -- the play that
would open the floodgates on a seem-
DAVID KATZ/Daily
Brad Fast and the Spartans' defense made qdick work of Michigan's offense for the fourth time this season, Saturday.
ingly impenetrable goalie. Michigan
State stuck to dancing and quick jabs.
"We couldn't generate that goal we
needed early in the game" coach Red
Berenson said.
Michigan is such a loaded team,
strong in every area, it's easy to blame
losses on poor effort - against Michi-
gan State, this wasn't the case.
Twice, Cammalleri weaved to the
front of the Michigan State crease for
tip-shots, only to be denied by the
flawless Miller.
At one point, Hilbert whistled a blue
line drive up high on Miller- the net-
minder froze gingerly, unaware of
where the puck ended up. The Spar-
tans' defense, steady as usual, quickly
cleared it away.
Afterwards, Berenson expressed a
sincere belief in the closeness between
the two teams
That might ring true, except on the
scoreboard. Sad as it is, over the past
four years, the Wolverines are 4-11-2
against Michigan State.
The heart goes out to a team like
Michigan - the discouragement of
losing to such a hated rival regularly
only stokes the coals of frustration.
But Michigan will bear the scars of
the Spartans' abuse going into the
NCAA tournament, and who knows?
Maybe the bully and bullied will meet
again, this time on a special play-
ground - Albany.
West Regional
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids
A
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