PeRTSctAiY Dao S .RP SM -Y Sports desk: 763-2459 sportsdesk@umich.edu SECTION B * S ,.anaii co on, Marh 25 200 Bflue needs a quick resolution for Martin or years everyone has been waiting for the Ed Martin issue to finally be resolved, for the names and dollar amounts to finally be revealed and for Michi- gan to own up and accept its punishment. The Martin saga began more than six years ago, and three sep- arate investigations dur- ing that time could only turn up minor violations. STEVE But this week we JACKSON aren't talking about birthday cakes, rides for Time for grandmas, big screen Action television sets or even cars. Now the scandal has been expanded to hundreds of thousands of dollars, paid in cash to "amateur" athletes at Michigan. The stakes have risen, and that should scare the University and anyone who cares about Michigan basketball. If the administration is smart, it will be holding emergency meetings this week so that it can act quickly and decisively on this issue. Michigan cannot hide behind its previous investigations or its banishment of Martin from Crisler. Robert Traylor and Louis Bullock still found ways to get their hands on Martin's money after the department publicly disasso- ciated itself from him. Michigan cannot hide behind the NCAA's statute of limitations either. If that statute were to protect Michigan, then the NCAA would be telling every school in the country that the best way to avoid sanctions is to not cooperate with investigations and just wait out the storm. That was the Michigan way - shut every- body up and hope people forget. That silent treatment almost worked, but the circus ended when the federal government stepped in with its subpoena power and forced people to admit what they saw and did. Michigan coach Tommy Amaker doesn't deserve to be punished, and neither does ath- letic director Bill Martin or interim President B. Joseph White. They weren't around when all this transpired. That is why Michigan needs to be proac- tive in putting the punishment on the old regime. Games ought to be forfeited. Banners ought to be brought down. Michigan has a long and storied tradition that has been built on success and fair play. What happened with Ed Martin and the bas- ketball program was shameful and it wasn't "Michigan." No action will really punish the people who were truly responsible. But by visibly distancing itself from the scandalous years, the athletic department will show every coach and every player that ever sets foot in Ann Arbor just how important integrity is at this University. Thirty years from now, peo- ple should see the same program that excelled for years without Ed Martin. Michiganhas the leadership to do that, but it also needs to have a system in place so that the traditions of honesty and fair play are never compromised again. Temporary sanctions like losing scholar- ships, postseason appearances or television time would only serve to kick this program while it's down and punish innocent players and coaches. Crossing out the program's embarrassing past would forever eliminate the association of Michigan with extra benefits. With each day that goes by without action from Michigan, it looks more and more like the administration isn't taking these accusations seriously. Despite all its best efforts, Michigan was never in complete control of this situation. Money continued to be exchanged after the University put safeguards in place. Athletes lived the high life, and investigation after investigation turned up nothing. Michigan's leaders had to know that this day was going to come. They may not have known the names and numbers, but they knew this scandal wouldn't just go away. Michigan has always been an exemplary athletic institution. The University must return to the values that made the Maize and Blue the envy of the nation. That process starts by admitting wrongdoing, and it ends with Bill Martin, White and Amaker taking a stand against their pro- gram's shameful past. e I id Ny-ht Only thing that can keep 'M' from national title run is itself By J. Brady McCo Iough Daily Sports Writer In every team's season, there's a turning point - something that can't really be understood by an out- sider. It either propels a team to the greatest of heights, or sends it spiraling down to rock-bottom. For the Michigan hockey team, that moment came on the fateful night of Oct. 27, when the Wolverines were swept at home by Northern Michigan and watched their conference record drop to 1-3-1. The team was embarrassed, angry and HOCKEY knew that something had to Commentary change with a grueling CCHA road schedule on the horizon. Although the fans and media panicked and thought that this team was too young to handle the pressure, Michigan coach Red Berenson never lost faith, and the Wolverines continued to believe in themselves. What transpired in the Michigan lockerroom that night after the loss can only be imagined, but one thing is for sure. It changed the Wolverines' season in a heartbeat. Michigan junior Mike Cammalleri had a message to deliver at the press conference - a message that formed the attitude of this team for the rest of the season. "I think that we're sick of being called a young team;' Cammalleri said. "I think the freshmen are sick of being called young players; they don't play like it out there." And he was right. Michigan's 11 freshmen responded behind the confidence of their leaders and coaches, and the Wolverines came together as a team. As the season went on, it became obvious that the freshmen weren't freshmen anymore. At times, they carried the team and scored the goals that no one else would score, and this weekend, they scored six of Michi- gan's nine goals. Give credit to the freshmen for growing up, but without the team's leadership, embodied in the heart of captain Jed Ortmeyer, the Wolverines would not be making reservations for the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn. The Omaha native is the consummate leader. All the freshmen had to do was mimic his every move and word to learn how to be a Michigan hockey player. The Wolverines have had every chance to crum- ble. Aside from the traumatic start to league play, Michigan had to play from Jan. 12 to March 1 with- out Cammalleri, its most talented playmaker who was sidelined with mono. But the Wolverines stayed atop the CCHA in his absence, playing their best hockey of the season while rolling off seven straight conference wins. The NCAA Tournament selection committee gave Michigan another chance to crumble, to whine and make excuses. The Wolverines were awarded a No. 4 seed in the West Regional, while Michigan State - which the Wolverines beat out for the CCHA Tournament championship and regular season title - got a No. 3 seed. Michigan, by virtue of a new regionalization rule which placed the three worst teams in the East Regional, needed to go through a gauntlet of the top two teams in the WCHA - St. See SURVIVING, Page 4B I , ___ ,~ a ~ -3 il I , N fi PHOTOS BY DAVID KATZ/Daily Top: Michigan freshman forward Eric Nystrom celebrates after the Wolverines' 5-3 victory over Denver on Saturday night. Nystrom scored two goals and assisted on captain Jed Ortmeyer's game-winning tally. Above: Michigan's first powerplay unit embraces after Mike Komisarek's goal, which gave the Wolverines a 2-1 lead early In the second period on Saturday. Nystrom ea s Migan to rozen our berth By Naweed Sikora Daily Sports Writer Michigan freshman Eric Nystrom is known for his elaborate post-goal celebrations. He often practices what he is going to do after goals during the week at Michigan's practices. Saturday, all his practice paid off. After Jed Ortmeyer's game-winning goal with 1:21 left in the third period, every Michi- gan player on the ice crashed into the Denver goal in celebration. The first player to emerge from this dogpile was Nystrom, who came out pumping his fists into the air towards the crowd and leaning back on one skate in jubilation. "Ortmeyer was stuck in the net so he could- n't get out;' Nystrom said. The freshman, who had assisted on the Ort- meyer goal, skated to the Michigan bench where his teammates congratulated him. But he wasn't finished yet. With 27 seconds remaining, Nystrom sealed the victory with an empty net goal from the red - U: - _ prise to the Wolverines, who had witnessed the freshman score several big goals for them throughout the season. But as Michigan coach Red Berenson said, Saturday night's clutch per- formance by the freshman was extra special. "His assist was huge," Berenson said. "What a play for a freshman to make in that situation. It was awesome." Nystrom gave the Wolverines their first lead of the game early in the second period. Ort- meyer held the puck in the zone near the blue line and passed it to junior John Shouneyia, who found himself on a 2-on-1 with Nystrom. Shouneyia fed Nystrom, who wristed one by Denver goalie Wade Dubielewicz while falling on his back for the 1-0 lead. "The defenseman committed to me, so Nys- trom was wide open," Shouneyia said. "And he just put it in." Late in the third period, with the score knot- ted at three, Nystrom made the pass of the sea- son thus far. Ortmeyer got possession of the puck at the Denver blue line and dished it to Vxem . h fr.han- eka- t th .t .oad "We were watching the video of their goalie, and coach (Billy) Powers told us that some- times he overcommits," Nystrom said. "That time, he slid all the way across, I saw the seam, and I hit Ortmeyer." And finally, the empty netter capped off an astonishing night for Nystrom, and sent Michigan's bench and crowd into a frenzy. Success in clutch situations is nothing new for Nystrom. The freshman has scored several goals that have accounted for not only wins, but also turning points in the sea- son. Just ask Nebraska-Omaha. On two separate occasions against the Mavericks this season (Nov. 17 and Feb, 8) Nystrom scored overtime goals to give Michigan two crucial victories. After the 4-3 win on Nov. 17, Michigan went 6-0-1 in its next seven CCHA games. After the 2-1 win on Feb. 8, Michigan went undefeated in con- ference play (5-0-0) and rolled into the play- offs with a head of steam. Against Michigan State in the CCHA Tnrurmemnt ehamninshin gme -NvstrAm the game. With the score tied at two and the Wolverines on the powerplay, Nystrom got control of the puck in the Michigan State zone and fed the puck in front of the net to Ortmeyer who scored the game-win- ning goal. "We call him 'Ny'zerman," said fellow freshman Milan Gajic, in reference to Detroit Red Wings forward Steve Yzerman. "He scored a huge goal, made an unbeliev- able pass to Ortmeyer, and then put in the empty netter. You can't write it any better than that. He's had an unbelievable year." Now, Nystrom and the rest of the Wolver- ines must prepare for what is going to be their toughest game of the season - Min- nesota in St. Paul, Minn. The crowd, which will be composed of nearly 20,000 Gopher fans, will be the complete opposite of Yost this past weekend, which was overwhelming- ly behind the Wolverines. "So far this season, we've been a great road team," Nystrom said. "We need to play that strong road hockev we've nlaved all sea-