4 4 lPORTS 8A michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu THURSDAY MARCH 21, 2002 Ka-boom! St. Cloud explodes into Yost JEFF PHILLIPS ICE HOCKEY ANN ARBOR By J. Brady McColkough Daily Sports Writer At last season's NCAA West Regional in Grand Rapids, No. 2 seed St. Cloud went into its second-round matchup against No. 3 seed Michigan with a bad case of "competition anxi- ety." "We were intimidated by (Michi- gan's) storied history," St. Cloud coach Craig Dahl said. "We had never played Michigan in a game before, and I think our players were a little taken back in the first period when we played them." The Wolverines jumped on the Huskies in that first period, taking a 2- 0 lead into the first intermission. St. Cloud fought back to cut Michigan's lead to one at 4-3 with just under five minutes to play, but it was the Wolver- ines and goaltender Josh Blackburn who had the last laugh, earning a berth to the Frozen Four with a 4-3 victory. "I feel that our players feel they did- n't put their best foot forward last year," Dahl said. "Now we want to make sure that we play the type of game that we are capable of playing." The Huskies will get that opportuni- ty tomorrow at 8 p.m. at Yost Ice Arena, when they duel with the Wolverines for a chance to play No. 1 seed Denver in the second round. Is revenge for last season's crushing Cloud surfing St. Cloud will bring one of the most potent offenses in the nation into Ann Arbor this weekend to compete with the Wolverines. Tale of the tape CCHA Conference WCHA 26-10-5 Record 29-10-2 3.48 Goals per game 4.31 2.29 Goals against average 2.31 7-1 Record in last eight 3-5 73 Top five goal scorers combined 114 1-0 Head-to-head record 0-1 defeat a motivating factor for Dahl's team? "There is no revenge factor," Dahl said. "I think now that our players have played them before, it is not the same mentally." St. Cloud will be the most explosive team Michigan has played this season - by a long shot. The Huskies are scoring 4.3 goals per game while allowing just 2.1, and the Wolverines are lighting the lamp just 3.5 times per game while allowing 2.3 goals per game. St. Cloud is the second-highest scoring team in the WCHA, but Dahl still isn't satisfied, as his team is emphasizing scoring goals in its prepa- ration for this weekend's action. St. Cloud forward Mark Hartigan - a Hobey Baker candidate - leads the WCHA in scoring (37-38-75) and has more points on the powerplay (12-19- 31) than all but three of Michigan's players have all season. Hartigan, like the Wolverines' Mike Cammalleri, is the type of player who can take over a game at any moment. "He's got the best shot I've seen in college hockey this year," Michigan associate head coach Mel Pearson said. "He really shoots it." "We have to make sure that we don't just rely on Hartigan and that we have other guys to score goals, too," Dahl said. That shouldn't be a problem, as the Huskies have six players aside from Hartigan who have scored more than 30 points this season, including Nate DiCasmirro and Ryan Malone. Each has put up more points than Michigan's leading scorer, John Shouneyia. St. Cloud got off to a hot start this season against top competition such as Minnesota, Colorado College and Maine, and held the No. 1 ranking in the nation at one point. But the Huskies lost some games they shouldn't have in the middle of the season, and lost the WCHA regular season title to Denver. "I think our players got a little lazy mentally in the second half of the LeSucurcould benefit DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Brandon Rogers and the rest of the Michigan blueliners will have to be on the top of their game tomorrow, when the offensive juggernaut of St. Cloud arrives at Yost. year," Dahl said. "They were able to get by with only a little bit of effort. The playoffs have been able to get us back in that mindset." Coming off a disappointing finish in the WCHA Tournament last weekend, in which the Huskies lost 4-1 to Min- nesota and 2-1 to Colorado College (both of which are in the West Region- al), Dahl is concerned that his team has lost its scoring touch at the wrong time. "We've had trouble scoring," Dahl said. "That has been the number one thing. We are getting back into tourna- ment style of play. We outshot Col- orado College 36-25, but we couldn't score." One area the Huskies haven't had trouble with is their powerplay. They boast the top unit in the nation, scoring 71 goals compared to the Wolverines' 37. St. Cloud scores a powerplay goal one out of every three times it's on the ice with the man advantage - more than enough to earn the respect of the Michigan coaching staff. "They're very dynamic and give you a lot of different looks," Pearson said. "It's harder to defend than most power- plays. They're all very skilled with the puck, and they play off each other well. They all shoot the puck hard. They shoot to score, especially Hartigan." Much like the Wolverines' power- play, the Huskies like to shoot from the point, and it all starts with Hartigan and his ability to one-time the puck. St. Cloud also operates from behind the net, giving its opponents a lot of looks for which to prepare. The Huskies' tallied two of their three goals last season against Michi- gan on the powerplay, and Pearson believes there is just one way to keep the unit grounded for an entire game being disciplined and committing a minimum number of penalties. "I don't care how good your penalty killing unit is," Pearson said. "If you're taking penalties against a team like this, that gives them a life. The best way to defend their powerplay is to stay out of the box." from, L ast Saturday about an art phia Inquire member of Michig been arrested for s My first thought w question was fresh nia native Marlin J appointment this w Wolverines fans w make tremendousr earn a starting posi Todd Howard. I imagine that M elated that it wasn' teammate Jeremy] remember him fron the Michigan State secondary. But for1 miliar with the LeS quickly bring you u LeSueur was a h back prospect from was considered a h Michigan (not to m north of the Mason didn't sign with a s Analysts said he c presence as a big, In his first yeara redshirted after tea MCL. The next sea lar playing time on regarding as one of defenses ever. The burned deep and w lead even with ano ed Drew Henson, E Anthony Thomas. In the 2001 seas expected from the( as it had an additio ence. LeSueur, Tod June were expecte But, while better many of the flawst 2000 season. How keep his No. 1 corn by midseason, LeS to Jackson, who pl pressure. By contra gled in the same si With less than ai Michigan State, Le yard personal foul1 change of scenery , a friend told me ripping off Charles Rogers' head. The icle in the Philadel- penalty kept the Spartans' drive alive r that reported a and led to the eventual loss in East ;an's secondary had Lansing. LeSueur was so distraught by oliciting a prostitute. the media's reaction to his play that he vas that the player in was unable to play in the secondary dur- man and Pennsylva- ing Michigan's remaining games. ackson. What a dis- Now it appears that his judgment is vould have been for just as impaired off the field as on it. ho saw the young star LeSueur gave the program a black eye plays all season and with his unsportsmanlike play and gave ition opposite senior it another with his latest debacle. And coming off the heels of fellow lichigan fans were secondary member Markus Curry's plea t Jackson, but instead of no contest to assault and reinstate- LeSueur. You may ment to the football team, it is time for m such blunders as Michigan coach Lloyd Carr to make an game and the 2000 example of someone. those of you unfa- Big-time football programs are often Sueur saga, I will criticized for lenient penalties on their up to speed. players, and Michigan is no exception. highly rated defensive Michigan football players have been n Mississippi, and it involved in no fewer than eight inci- iuge victory for dents in the past two seasons alone. In nention every school addition to Curry and LeSueur, corner- s-Dixon line) that he back James Whitley was convicted on a chool in the SEC. weapons charge and running back Kelly ould be a dominant Baraka was cited for drug possesion - strong cornerback. twice. Shante Orr and B.J. Askew were at Michigan, LeSueur accused of assault, although all the ring his ACL and charges against Orr were dropped, and ason, he earned regu- Howard nearly killed an old woman iwhat was widely with his wreckless driving this summer. f the worst Michigan LeSueur's college career wouldn't secondary was often have to end if he were to be kicked off . vas unable to keep a the team. Former Michigan cornerback offense which includ- William Peterson proved that a player David Terrell and could go on to have a successful career after being booted from the football on, great things were team. After being dismissed from the defensive backfield team after the 1998 season, Peterson 'nal year of experi- transferred to Youngstown State and id Howard and Cato then to Western Illinois, where he d to anchor this unit. became a defensive standout and even- r, the defense still had tually a third-round draft pick of the that it had during the New York Giants. ard had improved to Like all Michigan and college foot- nerback position, but ball fans, I hope that LeSueur can stay ueur had lost his job out of trouble and turn his game around, ayed brilliantly under but Michigan might not be the place for ast, LeSueur strug- him to do so. Name: Someone You Know Hometown: A Town Like Yours Year: Your Year Major: Your Major Likes: Same as Yours Dislikes: Same as Yours Campus involvement: An activity You are 1 of 6,000 Jews on Campus Many of the 6,000 Give a Shek... Do You? 0 tuations. minute left against Sueur earned a 15- penalty for nearly JeffPhillips can be reached at jpphilli@umich.edu. Otto Olson (left) has compiled a perfect record (37-0) at 174 pounds this season for Michigan. Reboundng on wrestlers' mds. WRESTLING e l ALBANY, N.Y. CHAMPIONSHIPS By Rohit Bhave Daily Sports Writer Despite having nine wrestlers qualify for the NCAA championships this weekend, No. 3 Michigan will march into Albany, N.Y. with a sizeable chip on its shoulder. At the Big Ten Championships, then- No. 2 Michigan was clearly outplayed in the standings by perennial power- houses Minnesota and Iowa. The Wolverines' third-place finish did not match coach Joe McFarland's lofty expectations. At Big Tens, "we really didn't get after euvs." McFarland said "Some at nationals. The Wolverines' senior captains, Otto Olson and Hrovat, have led all season with their relentless work ethic and fiery competitiveness in meets. Olson has torn through his com- petition with a 37-0 record, piling up major decisions and falls in the process. Although his matches at Big Tens were close, the confident senior never enter- tained thoughts of defeat. "I never really felt threatened," Olson said. Hrovat, on the other hand, has added motivation for a national title after los- ing to Minnesota rival Damion Hahn at Big Tens. Until that defeat, Hrovat was ranked No. 1 at 184 nounds. With his PEPsI ARENA Who: No. 3 Michigan (7-1 Big Ten, 16-3 overall) at NCAA Championships When: Today (11 a.m.), tomorrow (10 a.m.) and Saturday (8 a.m.) Latest: Top-ranked 174-pounder Otto Olson has not lost a match yet this season. unseeded at the NCAAs, Brink has been competitive against top-ranked foes like Minnesota's Garrett Lowney. Brink lost to Lowney in overtime, 3-1, to finish fourth at Big Tens. Going into his final collegiate meet at nationals, Brink has steadily recovered from a midseason knee injury. "Every week I have tried to step it up a little bit" Brink said. While No. 1 Minnesota appears to be a heavy favorite, several other squads