10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 22, 2002 FRIDAY Focus 4 4 GHOST OF '98 HAUNTS YOST FOR REGIONAL By Naweed Sikora m Daily Sports Writer No. 6 Colorado College No. 3 Michigan State IRM"Now March 28, 1998: Those who were in attendance call it the greatest day of hockey ever at Yost Ice Arena. Michigan coach Red Berenson called it a mag- ical time, something that could never be "cre- ated, scripted or bought." The underdog Wolverines defeated nation- al powerhouse North Dakota, 4-3, in the sec- ond round of the NCAA West Regional to advance to the Frozen Four. Michigan went on to win its ninth national championship and complete what has come to be known as one of the most improbable title runs in col- lege hockey history. Four years later, the West Regional has returned to Ann Arbor, and the 2001-02 Wolverines are once again poised to begin a push 4 for a championship in their own barn. The striking similarities between this season and what transpired four sea- sons ago at Yost have not gone unnoticed by any- one. In fact, the parallels have been some of the hottest topics of discussion all year. a This weekend, the Wolverines will make an attempt to extend the parallels even further by capturing two wins at Yost. If they win tonight against St. Cloud, they will have to match up against arguably the strongest all-around team in the nation this season, Denver. Much like when they played North Dakota four years ago, the Wolverines will be young and inexperi- enced underdogs going up against a heavy favorite. But if they somehow man- Mike Camr age to come TOM FELDKA out on top with the crowd in their corner, this might go down as another historical night of Yost enchant- ment. THE MAGIC OF '98 The 1996-1997 Wolverines, considered one of the best college hockey teams of all-time, were heavily favored to win a national cham- pionship. But a loss to Boston College in the Frozen Four semifinal round ended those hopes. Several talented seniors such as Bren- dan Morrison and Mike Legg graduated. Without the services of those seniors, and with the addition of 10 freshmen, the '97-'98 Michigan team was not supposed to make much noise. "We had a much stronger team in '97," Berenson said. "That was the year we were supposed to win, but we didn't." With the West Regional being held at Yost, Michigan knew that if it could make it to the tournament, it would have a significant home- ice advantage to lean upon. The Wolverines struggled through an up- and-down season, which included four losses to Michigan State, but eventually found them- selves in the regional with a first-round matchup against Princeton. The Wolverines disposed of Princeton 2-1, with North Dakota in attendance. Ohio State also defeated Yale 4-0 earlier that evening to set the next day'ssecond-round games in stone: Ohio State vs. Michi- gan State, followed by North Dakota vs. Michigan. "Those were two great games," Berenson said. "When Ohio State took the ice against Michigan State, this place was full. We were watching in the lockerroom, but the game just went on and on." The game went into overtime before Ohio State put away the higher-seeded Spar- tans, 4-3. The Yost crowd, which was pulling for a Michi- gan State loss, exploded. "The atmosphere was incredible," said Matt Herr, allerl m wcaptain of the /Daily '98 team, and current member of the AHL's Hershey Bears. "It was the loud- est I had ever seen it in four years. Michigan State had just lost to Ohio State, so our fans were screaming and booing the Michigan State fans and players as we took the ice. "I got chills in pregame warm-ups." Excitement quickly turned into despair, as North Dakota jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead. The Fighting Sioux offense had thor- oughly dominated the Wolverines till that point, and Michigan needed a jolt to get back in the game. "We knew North Dakota was going to try and open up the game," said Bubba Beren- zweig, a junior defenseman on the '98 team. Today, 4:30 p.m. No. 3 vs. No. 6 winner No. 2 Minnesota Tomorrow, 4 p.m. , Iwa. , e s NCA A WEST REGIONAL Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. 40 No.1 Denver No. 4 vs. No. 5 winner Today, 8 p.m. No. 4 Michigan No. 5 St. Cloud Only two teams will earn the right to advance to the Frozen Four. If Michigan wants to advance, it will have its hands full, as the Wolverins will be facing some of the top offen- sive teams in the nation. The two teams that advance from this bracket will join the two teams that advance from the East at the Frozen Four in Minneapolis April 4-6. "They had a mature offense, and we knew we had to stop them from opening up the game." "We were down, and the fans were kind of shocked," Herr said. "They were probably thinking how were we going to get back in this game?" But Herr had an answer for the Yost faithful, as he converted a shorthanded breakaway chance just 47 seconds into the second period to cut North Dakota's lead in half. Each team scored another goal, and Michi- gan headed into the second intermission trail- ing 3-2. The Wolverines knew they were in a desper- ate situation. A comeback against the best team in the nation at this point seemed out of reach, but they refused to lose hope. "We knew we had nothing to lose in the third period," Berenzweig said. "Nobody gave us a chance, but we knew we could play when the time came. The most important thing for us was believing in ourselves." Fifty-six seconds into the period, that belief paid off, as Michigan's Greg Crozier scored a powerplay goal that tied the game at three. "When they got that powerplay goal, they had all the momentum," North Dakota coach Dean Blais said. "It was really disappointing. We took a bad penalty in our zone at the end of the second. It was a stupid play, and it cost us the national tournament." With that goal, the Yost crowd came alive. It didn't need much to get going, but the goal lit a fire under them that lasted throughout the final stanza. "That weekend came down to the wire," said '98 senior goalie Marty Turco, who cur- rently plays with the Dallas Stars. "We couldn't have won the championship if it wasn't at Yost." Said Berenson: "The environment was the best I have ever seen." Inspired by the enthusiasm of its home crowd, the Wolverines battled through the third period, staying alive as the minutes slow- ly ticked away. And finally, with 2:54 left, they struck. Herr, who had a goal and three assists on the night, broke out on a 2-on-1 breakaway with Bobby Hayes. Herr fed Hayes, who wristed one by North Dakota goalie Adam ~ Schweitzer for the game win-a ner. The Fighting Sioux fought furiously in the final minutes, but the Wolverines hel them off to come away with a mirac- ulous win. "North Dakota was stunned," Berenson said. "They couldn't believe what happened." "It was my last game at Yost, and it's the biggest game I have ever played in," Turco said. "Hear- ing that crowd roar created a good feeling in our stomachs and in our hearts." HERE AND NOW All of those Wolverines have since depart- ed, and just a few current players were at Yost for that incredible evening. Junior Mike Cammalleri attended that game with his father on a recruiting trip to Michigan. "It was a big crowd and there was a lot of excitement," Cammalleri said. "I was excit- ed to hear (the Regionals) were going to be here this year, and I hope we can recreate that. I tell my teammates that if we can be part of something like that, it would be real- ly special." Although that day will be difficult, if not impossible, to ever recreate, the stage has been set for this year's cast. In fact, this time around, Michigan might even be facing a tougher first-round opponent in St. Cloud. Like the '98 Wolverines, this team wasn't supposed to turn any heads or win any championships, but they have already walked away - N with the regular season title and the CCHA Tournament championship. "I know that I've caught myself saying dejA vu about this team," Berenzweig said. "But they're one step ahead of us because they won the CCHA Matt Herr Tournament." FILE PHOTO Berenson often shows the tape of the '98 Regional to young players he is trying to recruit. But he says that he is going to stop using the video because too much time has passed since then. Maybe after this weekend, he will have a new tape to use. ImP MP/ The Visitors... MAI J J{ . j FA~ 7N.. : Y14 44 ... ._ ;: