The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 15, 2001 - 3B Icers stampede past Friars in Omaha RAPHAEL GOODSTEIN By Seth Klempner Daily Sports Writer OMAHA - Against Michigan State last week, Michigan not only picked up one CCHA standing point, it also picked up needed big-game experience for a young team. That added experience for Michigan paid off Friday night in the opening game of the Maverick Stampede, against No. 6 Providence, in the forn of a 6-3 win. The Wolverines exhibited their depth as two players on each of the top three lines scored a goal. Michigan wanted to pressure Provi- dence early and take advantage of a team that was yet to play a game this season. The effort paid off as Michigan never trailed, nor did it let Providence get closer than a one-goal deficit. The Friars' wet feet showed in the first shift of the game when the Wolver- ines created several scoring opportuni- ties by keeping the puck in the Friars' zone with hard checks leading to turnovers. Michigan set a fast and physical tone, as junior captain Jed Ortmeyer and sophomore defenseman Mike Komis- arek delivered strong checks, while pushing the puck up ice on odd-man rushes. "We brought the play right to them from the start," Komisarek said. "We had a great first shift and built on that. We did a lot of good things - took a hit to make a play, got the puck in deep. Guys were blocking shots and we played well on the power play" Michigan struck first on the power- play after Providence freshmen Cody Loughlean was called for an unneces- Ortmeyer By Seth Klempner and Naweed Sikora Daily Sports Writers sary tripping penalty. Michigan took advantage of the powerplay and make passes relatively uncontested. After being fed from down low by Ortmeyer, Komisarek fanned on a slap shot from the point, sending the puck into the middle zone. Freshman Jason Ryznar, who had been setting a screen in front of the net, opportunistically skated to the puck, twirled and shot without setting himself in an attempt to put a shot on goal. Providence goalie and second team All-American Nolan Schaefer never saw the shot coming. Schaefer admitted that he was a little nervous from the faceoff, which was compounded by Michigan's early attack. Less than two and a half minutes later, with Michigan forward John Shouneyia and Providence senior Drew Omicioli in the penalty box for coinci- dental hitting after the whistle, Michi- gan struck again. This time it was two freshmen hook- ing up. David Moss backhanded a Milan Gajic shot that hit the post and rebounded right in front of the net. With Providence reeling like a boxer after a hard one-two combination, coach Paul Pooley called a timeout to settle his team and get it back on track. "We weren't very composed at the start of game so I asked the team if they were ready to play," Pooley said. "We needed to get the nervousness out of us, calm down and do what we were sup- pdsed to do and just relax. We were really uptight and nervous. I could see it in our guys eyes, and we weren't mak- ing good decisions with the puck." After the timeout, Providence began to settle down and play more consistent- ly. With seven minutes left in the period, Problems cotne BRETT MOUNTAIN/Daily Freshman forward Jason Ryznar began the scoring against Providence just as he did against Michigan State in the "Cold War" game. the Friars took advantage of a Michigan mistake. Having cleared the zone, the Friars were able to pick up a loose puck in the natural zone and skate in for a breakaway on which Jon DiSalvatore slid the puck past a sprawled-out Josh Blackburn. After several strong shifts, it appeared as if Providence might get back into the game. But Shouneyia took a pass from sophomore Joe Kautz, who picked up the loose puck after a screened shot. "I though we got off to a good start," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "We jumped them pretty well and put a couple of chances in, and after that it was pretty even. We always managed to score the go-ahead goal that kept us up by two goals so they were also timely goals. We had some good efforts at some key times and we didn't let them play as well as they can play." The Friars pulled within a goal mid- way through the second period to make the score 3-2. But Providence never got closer than that, as Michigan scored the next three goals to cement the game and two more overall standing points. With the win, Michigan advanced to the championship game of'the Maverick Stampede, where it attempted to use its newfound experience to win its first reg- ular-season tournament since the 1996- 97 Great Lakes Invitational. 'U' deseri n case you didn't hear, freshman cornerback Markus Curry was charged with domestic assault and telephone or telegraph cutting, tap- ing, breaking or connecting Friday morning. In layman's terms, the woman charged Curry of assault and then cutting her telephone so that she couldn't call for help. Curry pled not guilty to this charge. Michigan coach Lloyd Carr found out early Friday morning and imme- if Michig diately suspended have a footba Curry indefinitely. needs studer "This is a serious who realize.t issue and it is very important there be no doesn't end rush to judgment. An game does. investigation will be made, the facts will be revealed and a judgment will be made based on those facts," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said in a press release. This is not the first time that a foot- ball player has been charged with a heinous crime. At the end of last school year, defensive end Shantee Orr w as charged with third degree sexual assault. In that case, Orr called the victim, whom he once dated, and proposed having sex one last time. She said no. They had sex anyway. In an e-mail to her the next day, he said: "I was just thinking to myself and I violated something that I said I would never do." The victim ultimately dropped the charges. Neither Curry nor Orr were found guilty, but the fact that these charges are even filed against these players is bad for the University. "It's totally unacceptable behavior," Athletic Director Bill Martin said. "You don't condone this but you can't police these kids 24 hours a day." Much like the basketball program, the football program has had a series of off-the-field problems. Besides Curry and Orr, former players David Terrell, James Whitley, Jason Brooks, Maurice Williams, Larry Stevens and Cato June are just a few players that have had off-the-field problems recently. Some of these players were dis- missed from the team, some weren't. res better ;a th There are inconsistencies with who's dismissed and who isn't. Some say that the stars get away with more than backups. Regardless, when these student- athletes represent Michigan so shab- bily, the entire University looks bad. "Last year, after ai instance that happened on the basketball team, an alumnus said to me 'my degree has just been devalued,' " Martin said. "And I agree with him." For many, the football team is what comes to mind when n is going to people think of I team, it Michigan, not the -athletes engineering school. And for this reason, e spotlight the University cannot lien the afford to let these problems continue. So then one needs to ask oneself, do the benefits of hav- ing a football program outweigh the negatives that come with it? The University of Chicago, which at the time dominated the Big Ten, once asked itself this question and decided that it didn't need a football program. Martin, who isn't ready to contem- plate this question yet - nor am I saying he necessarily needs to - is quick to point out that regular stu- dents commit crimes as well as foot- ball players. But that when a football player commits a crime, the media reports the news. I, as a reporter, say that's the deal football players make when they agree to play at Michigan. They live in a fishbowl. The media reports the crimes and misdemeanors they com- mit, just as we report the touchdowns. There are a number of perks football players get because of the football team -- fame, in some cases fortune, and the opportunity for a free degree are just a few. Martin is right. These athletes can't be policed 24 hours a day. But if Michigan is going to have a football team, it needs student-athletes who realize that the spotlight doesn't end when the game does. And if they're going to sign the unwritten contract to become a stu- dent-athlete, they must realize that accountability comes with the fame. Raphael Goodstein can be reached at raphaelg@unich.edu. makes homecoming in Omaha OMAHA - Michigan captain Jed Ortmeyer returned home this weekend. But what made this return particularly sweet is that he has never played in his hometown of Omaha before. He received a-thunderous ovation from the Omaha Civic Auditorium crowd as he skated to the blue- HOCKEY line during Saturday's starting lineups. The fans wanted to Notebook show their appreciation for their hometown hero even though most of the fans were not cheering for Michigan. Ortmeyer became the first Omaha native to receive a Division I college hockey scholarship when he signed with Michigan three years ago. That was the year after Nebraska-Omaha joined the CCHA, a symbol of progression in hockey for an area predominantly known for its football. While the Wolverines played a two-game set against the Mavericks in Omaha last year, Ort- meyer was unable to play, having torn his ACL prior to making the trip out west. On Friday night, Ortmeyer came out charging as Michigan won the opening faceoff against Providence and dumped the puck into the offen- sive zone. He went speeding behind the net in pursuit of the puck and laid a vicious bodycheck on a Providence defenseman, setting a tone that Michigan would follow for the rest of the game. Ortmeyer made sure his name was going to get onto the score sheet when he scored his first goal of the season to give Michigan a 6-2 lead. KILLING ME SOFTLY: Michigan allowed two sec- ond period powerplay goals to Minnesota-Duluth in Saturday night's championship game. With those two goals, Michigan has now allowed four powerplay goals in its three official games -the 'Cold War' against the Spartans and the two tour- nament games. The Wolverines allowed all three of Michigan State's goals while down a man. The first two came on official Michigan State power plays, while the third goal - scored by Michigan State freshman Jim Slater with only 47 seconds remain- ing to tie the game at three - came after the Spartans had pulled goalie Ryan Miller and were skating 6-on-5 against Michigan. So far this season, more than 50 percent of goals allowed by Michigan have come while the Wolverines were shorthanded. Tournament troubles: With its loss to Min- nesota-Duluth in the championship game of the Maverick Stampede, Michigan leaves Omaha still in search of its 17th regular-season tournament title; The Wolverines have been stuck on 16 since the 1996-97 season when they defeated Lake Superior State 5-4 to win the Great Lakes Invita- tional. Since that GLI, the Wolverines have now fallen in six regular-season tournaments - four GLIs, last season's Ice Breaker Tournament (played in Ann Arbor), and now the 2001-02 Maverick Stampede. The Wolverines will try to get their 17th title later this season when they participate in the 37th annual GLI on Dec. 28 and 29. The other teams participating in the tournament will be North Dakota, Michigan Tech, and Michigan State. REC SPURTS INTRAMURALS The University of Michigan Department of Recreational Sports INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAM WHAT'S HAPPENING so. REC SPORTS INTRAN4URALS The University of Michigan Department of Recreational Sports INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAM WHATS HAPPENING T PRE-SEASON FLAG FOOTBALL ENTRIES TAKEN: Mon 10/15 to Weds 10/17 11:00 AM to 4:30 PM, IMSB ENTRY FEE: $35 per team MANAGER'S MEETING: MANDATORY Thurs 10/18, 6:00 PM, IMSB TOURNAMENT BEGINS: Fri 10/19, Mitchell Fields "'.... . 1 ENTRIES TAKEN: Wednesday 10/17 ONLY 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, IMSB ENTRY FEE: $410 per team MANAGER'S MEETING: MANDATORY Thurs 10/18, 6:30 PM, IMSB PLAY BEGINS: Sunday 10/21 Yost Ice Arena ICE HOCKEY . Intramural Ice Hockey Officials Needed!! v " No Experie Necessary nce T- Get a Free =Shirt i. GOLF SCRAMBLE TWO-PERSON ENTRIES DUE: Thurs 10/18, 4:30 PM, IMSB ENTRY FEE: $25 per team plus Course Fees WALLYBALL a , .I. _ ENTRIES TAKEN: Monday 10/22 ONLY 11:00 AM to 5:30 PM ENTRY FEE: $50 per team MANAGER'S MEETING: MANDATORY Weds 10/24, 7:15 PM, IMSB PLAY BEGINS: Thurs 10/25 IMSB SCRAMBLE DATE: Sun 10/21 U of M Golf Course "Shotgun Start" , SPORTS * Officials are " Flexi Paid for All INTRAMURALS Hours Games 'Worked Training Clinics Begin 7.fifnm Tjjpvdn~v Oetnhpr 16t ble NOTE: The U of M Course has a spikeless shoe policy. Entries for Flag Football will be taken 11:00am - 5:30pm Monday 10122 while the entry deadline for the Wrestling Tournament is Thursday November 29. I