12 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 6, 2001 FROZEN F JUR Blue Blackburn come up big despite l BC by Eagles BCgoalk wins sweet e redemption from '98 By Joe Smith Daily Sports Editor ALBANY, N.Y. - It looked like a desolate situation. With the season, and eight seniors' careers on the line, the Wolverines desperately battled back from a 3-0 deficit to within a goal halfway through the third period of last night's semifinal loss to Boston College. But every heart on the Michigan bench stopped for a split second with just over nine minutes to go. Three-time All-American and Hobey Baker Award finalist Brian Gionta was in on a clean breakaway for Boston College. Nothing separated the prolific scorer and Boston Col- lege's best player from ending Michi- gan's season except goalie Josh Blackburn. Even Blackburn didn't like the pos- sibilities. "I knew it was Gionta coming down, so I was just wondering what he was going to pull out on me," Black- burn said with a chuckle. "I didn't know if he was going to do a back flip and choke me or something." But just like he's done time and time again - and all season long - Blackburn kept the Wolverines in the game with a big save. He stood his ground when Gionta deked, and steered aside his biggest save of the game with ease. "Gionta had his chances, but Black- ie stoned him tonight, Michigan asso- ciate coach Mel Pearson said. "It kept us in the game - it's one of those big saves you need to keep you in the game to give us at least a chance to win the game." And this performance wasn't a one- time thing, as Blackburn has contin- ued to come up big when it counts the most. "Josh, in his three-year career here, has been nothing less but a money goalie," said Michigan volunteer goalie coach Stan Matwijiw, who joined the program last season. "He's always given us a chance, and that's all you can ask for." Matwijiw spends vast amounts of time helping to develop the three Michigan goalies in practice. He uses his previous experience as a NHL goaltender to work on specific aspects of goalkeeping, both mental and phys- ical, in practice on a daily basis. But Matwijiw has tried a different approach at the end of the season in an attempt to implore his philosophy on Blackburn for his performance in important games: "You never make one game any bigger than another." "We stopped coaching with two weeks left in the season and just let him play," Matwijiw said. "We weren't going to teach him anymore, we just let him play in his comfort zone." Blackburn's "comfort zone" was challenged viciously, early and often, last night. Boston College had five glorious scoring chances on the doorstep of the goal, but Blackburn steered them all aside and gave the rest of the Wolverines confidence at the same time. "He's been our rock all season long,' Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "When our team was faltering, Josh Blackburn was there to make the difference. "He gives our defense confidence. He gives our whole team confidence." Especially when goalies are often put in the pressure-cooker because they're the last line of defense. When a team wins, they're praised. While Michigan goalie Josh Blackburn, here stopp ing a wrap around attempt by Boston College Hobey Baker candidate Brian Gionta, made big save after big save to kee p the Wolverines' hopes alive until the end in yesterday's 4-2 loss. after a loss, the netminders are easily made a scapegoat. But it's what is inside Blackburn that keeps him confi- dent about himself in tight situations. "I don't like being nervous when I play, so I try to trick myself and pre- tend it's just like any other game," I Blackburn said. "I just take a couple deep breaths and tell myself it's anoth- er hockey game. Hockey is just a game, after all - and I have to remember to have fun." With the question still remaining whether Blackburn, a 1999 draft choice of the NHUs Phoenix C will return to Michigan for his year, there's one thing that B knows for certain. "I'll put Blackburn up agai goalie," he added. "And you s5 in tonight's game." Honored 10icers may be NHL-bour By Jon Schwartz- Daily Sports Editor tDela ALBANY, N.Y. - Scott Clemmensen didn't have too much to say about it. But it was pretty clear that it was on his mind. After all, it was on everyone else's mind. Midway through the second peri- od, with the Wolverines down 2-0 and Boston College dominating the game in every way possible, Michi- gan senior Josh Langfeld got the puck about five feet from the net and fired an " . absolute bullet toward the net. fi Somehow, and replay didn't pro- vide any means of understanding how the hell it hap- JON pened, Clemmensen SCHWARTZ kept the puck out and kept his The Schrt shutout alive. He'd later lose the shutout, but he'd gain something far more important. AP PHOTO Redemption. Clemmensen downplayed it - anyone with a mind for sportsman- oyotes, ship would have - but it's not s senior remotely possible that the goalie erenson will ever see a tape from this game and not think 1998 at that moment. nst any In many ways, the entire game aw why was a throwback to the champi- onship matchup in '98 between Michigan and Boston College. What would have made the two line up perfectly would have been Mark Kosick and Langfeld leading the way for the Wolverines, and Scott Clemmensen playing a great game, but just not good enough in the crunch. Kosick and Langfeld did their best, but couldn't get the Eagles' goalie to join in on the fun. They attacked him. Together, they accounted for nine of Michigan's 33 shots on the night. They'd been per- forming brilliantly so far in the playoffs, and all signs were indicat- ing that they were going to be a Iy involved again last night. But Clemmensen kept the door n w7 closed. "I want to make every save," Clemmensen said after the game. "I on said. don't care who shot the puck." bility of Apparently, he no longer thinks about the fact that Kosick's two and that goals and Langfeld's overtime win- team a ner brought the Wolverines to the top of the mountain and left him me to a fighting back through the years - ial win. with three more Frozen Four berths Marty and two more championship game oke the appearances. n Brant Scott, I applaud your humility. NCAA But I don't believe you. I don't believe that when you emifinal stopped a Kosick breakaway with von 4-3. 1:30 left in the game you didn't onents. think about the ghosts that you were ms have exorcising. 6, when I don't believe that when your team scored two early goals you weren't thanking god and every- thing holy that the post stayed out of the way this time. After all, you guys really were only a few inches , away from winning that game on 0 " ALBANY, N.Y. - While Michigan: appointingly last night, there is still pra ing for sophomore Andy Hilbert. Hilbei Hobey Baker Award, given to college hi The award will be presented today a Four weekend in Albany. Along with Hilbert stands Brian Gi< lege, North Dakota's Jeff Panzer and MY Miller as finalists who conikpeted this wf Miller is wifely regarded as the favi > 1997, Brendan Morrison Oecame the a n win the award. Should Hilbert's name not get engrx v can still boast that the American- Hockey Coaches Associd4on select- ed him as an All-Americ. While he is the only Michigan reesentative on the first team, defei$eman Jeff Jillson and center Mike Cimmalleri ata GOING AvwAY: Michigan coach Red E hoping that Hilbert's achevements 9 hi his last as a Wolverine. , 2000 dra ft Bruins of the NHL, Hilert could b e1 the next few weeks to join the Bruins . Jillson is also a candidate to leave ea to leave for San Jose before this :jea return for another year. And during ! his he threw around both possibilities al th Goalie Josh Blackburn's name ha around as someone possibly heading to "Josh Blackburn's as fine a goal e a hockey" Berenson said. Also, Michigan is saying good% ye senior class that led the Wolverines tot 3 season ended dis- nise for a silver lin- -t is a finalist for the )ckey's best player. s part of the Frozen onta of Boston Col- Eichigan State's Ryan eckend. rite for the award. In ly Wolverine to ever ved on the Hobey, he ]FROZEN FOUR Notebook de the second team. Berenson is probably s season will not be pick by the Boston leaving Michigan in rly. He was expected son but he chose to S season, he said that e time. s also been thrown the NHL. as there is in college to an eight-member the national champi- 0t "It'll be a big turnover year for our team," Berens "We had eight seniors and there's always the possil losing one of your top underclassmen or two. "But we've got a big freshman class coming in,a will be fun for the coaches. And it will change the lot, but we've got some solid players coming back." RANDOM NOTES: Boston College connected its na few NCAA Tournament records with the semifin Scott Clemmensen tied former Michigan goalie Turco with nine career tournament wins. He also br record for saves. Now with 322, he has one more tha Blair's old record of 321 with one game left in his career. Also interesting is the fact that in last year's se games North Dakota won 2-0 and Boston College w This year - the same scores, just with different opp This will be the first time that the same two tear played each other in the finals since 1975 and '7( Michigan Tech faced Minnesota both years.. AP PHOTO Michigan defenseman Jeff Jillson may forgo his senior season with the Wolverines to play professional hockey for the San Jose Sharks next season. 0 Spartans beat iy Soux at own By Joe Smith was tot > little, too late for the Spartans, ending i . I D~ail~ySports Edcitor ALBANY, N.Y. - The mighty Michigan State hockey team got a little taste Of its oWn medicine last night. North Dakota, the defendin.a nation al champions, jumped to an early 2-0 lead 6n the Spartans before locking down defensively and relying on stellar goalkeeping to shut cut Michigan State, 2-0, subsequently ending its season in the Frozen Four semifinal game. Sound familiar? This formula has been the recipe for suc- cess for the Spartans (33-5-4) who held e No. 1 ranking for the past 19 weeks. Sportig the nation's best team defense, a Hobey Baer Award finalist between the pipes and an h n- est, balanced scoring attack, Michigan State consistently took advantage of opponents' mistakes throughout the season to buid a lead and then ride it to the end. But the Spartans played terrible in the first period, admittedly their "worst period of'the their z .tempt to abolish their 15-year champi- onship drought. Michigan State is 2-5 in its last se 'in tournament games. Mea nwhile, the usually explosive and high- scoria g Fighting Sioux then got defensive, refusi ng to let risky odd-man rushes cost them the game, much like it has the whole season i. had bit ting awa odd tigh A glo God asid shu gan "! Tei te last month-and-a-half we thought we to ) tighten up our defensive scheme a little an d try not to give up anything offensive- Ii >rward Ryan Bayda said. "We were get- I hree guys caught and just giving games y . We didn't want to give our opponent 1 mumber situations. It's playoff time, let's A ;n up." u id when the Spartans did create some rj ous scoring opportunities, goalie Karl di wering closed the door. Goehering steered J - 30 shots and recorded his 15th career 4 out - marking the first shutout loss in 62 i es for the Spartans. f4orth Dakota did a good job of covering two occasions. But hey, a save is a save, right? Maybe so. Maybe it doesn't mat- ter who shoots, from where or' in what game. But I won't buy that the final result wasn't redemption. "That was a long time ago," Clemmensen said. "This is a whole new season." Did Bill Buckner take the field in 1987 and say that the grounder through his legs in the '86 World Series was out of his mind? Has Greg Norman gotten over choking at The Masters in 1996?' I doubt it. It might not hound them every minute of every day, but they cer- tainly think about it. And they certainly dream of a chance to redeem themselves. They dream of another Mookie Wilson dribbler to field cleanly or L _