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12B - The Michigan Daily - FACEOFF 2001 - Thursday, October 4, 2001
Box office competition
The Michigan Daily - FACEOFF 2C
Fresh faces help Blue
Michigan State
2000-2001 Record: 33-5-4
CCHA Finish: 1st
Key Returners:
G Ryan Miller
F Adam Hall
Key Losses:
F Andrew Bogle
F Rustyn Dolyn
Rating: * * *
MICHIGAN STATE:
The Spartans will look to repeat as
CCHA champions as they enter the
2001-2002 with their lobey Baker
Award winning goalie, junior Ryan
Miller, back for another year.
Along with Miller, Michigan State
will return five defenseman, led by
seniors Andrew Hutchinson and Jon
Insana. Their blue line will once
again be one of the best in the nation,
providing throttling defense while
adding offensive flare. Hutchinson
scored 24 points last season on five-
goals and 19 assists.
Up front, the Spartans lost the
majority of their scoring power with
the departure of five senior forwards
who scored over 20 points apiece. To
replace them, the Spartans will add
six new forwards to the lineup who
they hope will provide the team with.
energy and unique skills.
Senior captain Adam Hall, who
finished with 18 goals and 12 assists
Miami
2000-2001 Record: 20-16-2
CCHA Finish: 2nd
Key Returners:
F Jason Deskins
D Bart Stevens
Key Losses:
F Gregor Krajnc
Rating: * X
last season, and junior Brian
Maloney are expected to be Michigan
State's top offensive performers.
Miller, who held a stingy 1.32
goals against average last season,
should be in top form as he prepares
to enter the new season. Miller also
led the nation in wins, winning per-
centage, save percentage and
shutouts.
"When you have a Ilobey Baker
goaltender you are going to be well
respected," Michigan coach Ron
Mason said. We have the kind of
team that should be in every game we
play. That's the key in our league
if you can win the close games, you
will develop a good record.-
MIAMI:
This season's squad should contin-
ue what was started last season at
Miami, with 22 players from that
team returning to wear the red and
white in 2-001-2002. The RedHawks
Ohio State
2000-2001 Record: 17-18-2
CCHA Finish: 7th
Key Returners:
F R.J. Umberger
F Dave Steckel
Key Losses:
F Jean Francois-Dufour
Rating: * x x
know what it takes to win, and want
to prove to the rest of the league that
last season wasn't a fluke.
"We've got to take nothing for
granted, and enjoy the journey,"
coach Enrico Blasi said. "We've
established the fact that we have a
good work ethic, and a good system
in place. Our guys believe in it.
They're as focused as I've seen in a
team. They believe in each other.
They're a family"
Blasi's squad ended the 2000-2001
campaign in disappointing fashion --
losing to Bowling Green in their first
round playoff series. With nine
returning seniors, a letdown should-
n't be a problem this season.
"I don't care what anybody says,
you win with your seniors." Blasi
said. "1f you're going to win a cham-
pionships your seniors are going to
lead you there."
Leading the charge for the
Redflawks will be senior Jason
Deskins, a second team All-CCH A
selection last season.
OHIO STATE:
Ohio State enters the 2001-2002
campaign ready to make itself a force
in the CCHA. The Buckeyes finished
seventh in the conference last season
with a record of 17-18-2, but plan to
build off a strong performance by a
freshman class comprised of 10 play-
ers.
Those players will be one year
5
6
ika
a
Western
Michigan
2000-2001 Record: 20-13-6
CCHA Finish: 5th
Key Returners:
F Mike Bishai
Key Losses:
F David Gove
F Steve Rymsha
Rating: * ax
more experienced this season which
means a lot in a tough conference
like the CCHA.
"There's not a tremendous amount
of anxiety like when you've got a
young team," Ohio State coach John
Markell said. "As far as going into
the season, we know the structure of'
our forechecking system and our
backchecking system. We've also
done a good job lifting and preparing
ourselves for the C'('HA."
Markell's Buckeyes have reason to
believe they can contend for the title
this season with 20 of' 22 letter-win-
ners from last season returning.
"Obviously when you're not going
to be making too many additions to
your lineup, along with the way we
finisled the season on a positive
note, we can carry all of that into the
season," Markel) said.
Ohio State will count on super
sophomores R. J. Umberger and Dave
Steckel to continue what they started
last season when they were selected
to the CC IA All-Rookie team.
Markell expects both guys to be even
better this season.
WESTERN MICHIGAN:
The upcoming season looks to be
very promising for Bronco head
coach JiM Culhane. A fer being
picked to finish next to last in the
CCHA last fall, Western Michigan
was able to raise its level of play and
finish fifth. '[he Broncos also fin-
Nebras
Omah~
2000-2001 Record: 24-15-3
CCHA Finish: 4th
Key Returners:
F David Brisson
Key Losses:
F Jason Cupp
F Dace NocI-Beier
Rating: * *
i
ished seventh nationally in scoring.
This year, with the return of 21 play-
ers from last season, the Broncos
have the experience needed to con-
tend in the CCIIA.
The NCAA's leading scorer last
season, Mike Bishai, will lead a tal-
ented group of experienced forwards.
Bishai finished last season with a 68
total points. The Boncos will also
look to Jeff Campbell to carry the
offensive load. As a freshman last
season, Campbell led all rookies in
scoring in the NCAA last season with
1.43 points per game.
The Broncos will have all eight of
their defenseman back from last sea-
son. Senior Austin Miller should be
the team's most dominant blueliners.
Last season, he was only one of' two
players to appear in all 39 of Western
Michigan's games.
NEBRASKA-OMAHA:
Don't be fooled by Nebraska-
Omaha's early success in the CCIIA
- or as a program.
While they may have finished last
year with a 24-15-3 record, and
among the top 15 in the nation, the
Mavericks are still the new kids on
the block.
This will also be the first year they
are playing without the "original
Mavericks," the 10 first recruits of
the Nebraska program. Among these
players are James Chalmers and last
year's team captains Jason Cupp and
Dave Noel-Bernier as well as a
group of physical, reliable defense-
men.
"Experience is one of the things
we are going to miss this year,"
coach Mike Kemp said. "Those guys
had a good perspective. They were
there when we started playing that
first year of hockey and had the
understanding of what it was like at
the start."
It should also be reassuring for the
Mavericks to know that over 50 per-
cent of their offense last year came
from freshmen and sophomores,
meaning their young players can and
will produce.
In addition, the Mavericks will
also be returning five of'their top six
scorers as well as close to 70 percent
of their goal scorers.
2001
Continued from Page 2B
Berenson believes the play of'
Blackburn, last season's team MVP
will be central to the success of the
team.
"I feel like I'm starting to find a
groove and get back to where I was
last year," Blackburn said. "I just
need to get the basics back and get
into some good habits early."
After working hard and rehabili-
tating all summer from a torn ACL
suffered last season, Michigan junior
and newly-named captain Jed
Ortmeyer will make a much-antici-
pated return to the ice.
Ortmeyer showed signs of coming
alive offensively last season, but was
unable to return after suffering his
injury in January against Notre
Dame.
"This is an important year for me
and I wanted to be 100 percent,"
Ortmeyer said. "The knee feels
great. I don't even think about it any-
more."
Sharing the offensive load with.
Ortmeyer will be junior assistant
captains John Shouneyia and Mike
Cammalleri, who led the Wolverines
in goals last year.
All three will have to perform well
until the freshmen are able to come
into their own.
Defensively, Michigan will be led
by a pair of sophomores, Mike
Komisarek and Andy Burnes. Last
season, the two proved to be a
dynamic defensive duo, and estab-
lished themselves as top defensenmen
on the team. This season, Berenson
is looking to them, as well as senior
assistant captain Jay Vancik, to take
charge at the blue line.
"I think the defense now is better
than it was in 1998," Berenson said.
"Jay Vancik is a solid player and will
be a steadying influence on defense.
Burns and Komisarek are two young
guys who I expect to lead the team
defensively. It's is not a very high
profile defense, but I think it could
be one of the strongest we have ever
had here."
Just as in 1998, the Wolverines
have a thin senior class, made up of
only four players. Besides Vancik
and Blackburn, the senior
class includes forward Craig Murray,
and backup goalie Kevin O'Malley.
The experience and leadership pro-
vided by these four will be invalu-
able for a team characterized by
youth and inexperience.
The similarities between this sea-
son and 1998 even go beyond the
simple make-up of the team. They
also show up on the schedule.
For the first time since 1998 and
only the second time ever, Michigan
will host the NCAA West Regional
Finals at Yost Ice Arena. This is just
one highlight of a unique and diffi-
cult season that Michigan will have
to fight through if it wants to stay at
the top.
The team's conference opener is
going to be one of the most signifi-
cant games in college hockey history.
Dubbed the "Cold War", the game
will be played against Michigan
State on a rink built inside Spartan
Stadium.
"When we come out of the locker-
room, it's going to be really some-
thing," said Michigan State head
coach Ron Mason. This event expos-
es college hockey to a lot of people.
The elements will be the same for
both teams, I can't predict anything,
and I'm not sure what to expect."
From the team to the schedule to
the coach, there are many preseason
similarities between this year and
1998.
Berenson is hopeful that his team
will gel and find the magic that Ihis
1998 team found.
"This year, we don't have a Billy
Muckalt, but we have a Mike
Cammalleri. We don't have a Matt
Herr, but we have a Jed Ortmeyer."
Still, until the first game is out of
the way, it will be hard to measure
how successful this team is going to
be. In 1998, the young team went on
to win the NCAA championship.
Could this be the sequel?
The 1998 national championship team featured nine freshmen - only one less tha
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D 20 Fr Charlie Henderson F
D 21 Fr Eric Nystrom F
So Andy Burnes
Fr Brandon Rogers
Fr Reilly Olson
Jr Brad Fraser
So Mike Komisarek
Fr Milan Gajic
Fr Dwight Helminen
So Joe Kautz
Jr J.J. Swistak
Jr Mike Cammalleri
Sr Craig Murray
Sr Jay Vancik
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Jr Mike Roemensky
So David Wyzgowski
Jr Mark Mink
Jr Jed Ortmeyer (C)
Jr John Shouneyia
Sr Josh Blackburn
So Justin Spurlock
Sr Kevin O'Malley
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