4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 25, 2002 Slap shouts "So many things are rushing through your head, so many guys are giving you hugs, punching you in the face. It was crazy." - Michigan freshman Milan Gajic describes the celebration after Saturday's 5-3 win over Denver FRIDAY'S GAME 43 St. Cloud 2Z Michigan 4 SATURDAY'S GAME Michigan 5 Denver 3 Key play 15:13 left in the third With the Wolverines trailing 3-2, Michi- gan freshman defenseman Eric Werner cut to the net, received a pass from forward Mike Cammalleri and buried a shot top shelf to tie the game. THE DAILY'S STARS The Michigan Daily hockey writers' picks for Michigan's three stars of the weekend. Jed Ortmeyer Center The Michigan junior captain scored the biggest goal of his career Saturday with 1:21 left in the third period to give the Wolverines a 4-3 lead and a trip to the Frozen Four. Eric Nystrom Forward The freshman started Michigan's scor- ig on Saturday early in the second per- od, then he made a beautiful pass to set up Ortmeyer's game-winner. He fin- ished the game with an empty-net goal. Milan Gajic Forward The freshman scored the game-winner in Friday's win over St. Cloud and creat- ed chances all weekend as neither the St. Cloud nor Denver defenses could successfully matchup with him. 'M' SCHEDULE NCAA Frozen Four Thursday, April 4 vs. Minnesota XCeI Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn., 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6 vs. New Hampshire or Maine XCeI Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn., 7 p.m. Michigan makes a return appearance to , the Frozen Four, and the Wolverines will do a role-reversal from the Regional at Yost Ice Arena, as they will open the Frozen Four by taking on No. 2 seed Min- nesota in St. Paul. If Michigan can pull off a win in that game, the Wolverines will move into the championship game against either New Hampshire or Maine. Michigan fell to Boston College last season in the National Semifinals, 4-2. FRIDAY'S GAME Michigan 4, St. Cloud 2 Explosive Yost crowd gives M' late boost By Naweed sikora Daily Sports Writer How much of a factor was the Yost Ice Arena crowd this weekend? When St. Cloud's cheerleaders took the ice Friday before its first round matchup with the Wolverines, the crowd began chanting "We want Molly!" in reference to a St. Cloud cheerleader who had criticized the Michigan fans prior to the game. The crowd was electric, and it paid off for the Wolverines. The energy and intensity of the fans played a huge part in Michigan's come-from- Chanting and raving The crowd at Yost during the West Regional provided the Wolverines with a major boost of energy and enthusiasm. It was a big factor in Michigan's comeback. "We want Molly" - The chant at the St. Cloud cheerleader who had criti- cized the Michigan fans prior to the game. "If you can't get into State, go to Denver" - This version of the tradi- tional song was adopted Saturday night when the Wolverines faced Denver. "Thank you seniors" - The chant after Michigan senior goalie Kevin O'Malley began waving the Michigan flag around the ice after Saturday's win. behind win Saturday night. "Our fans were amazing all week- end," Michigan captain Jed Ortmeyer said. "It was so loud in here. It just puts that much more energy into your legs." After winning a very physical and emotionally draining game Friday night, the Wolverines needed some- thing to give them an extra lift for Saturday's contest. The crowd seemed to embrace that role as it urged its team on and both fed off each other down the stretch. When Michigan freshman Eric Nystrom found Ortmeyer for the game-winner with just over a minute to play, Yost began to shake as almost everyone leaped out of their seats and began embracing each other. The noise level was deafening. The Michigan players on the bench at the time of the goal erupted into a frenzy of their own, as they formed a pile in the center of the bench. "I was at the gate on the left side, and I ended up on the gate at the right side," Michigan freshman Milan Gajic said. "The crowd went bonkers. Everybody was up and chanting, my buddy came to watch from Burnaby, B.C., and even he was chanting." Said junior John Shouneyia: "I can't even explain what those guys were like back there. It was incredi- ble." Holding up signs that said, "Not in 4 DAVID KATZ/Daily The Michigan hockey pep band played a major role in getting the Yost crowd excited over the weekend and gave Michigan the adrenaline rush that it needed to advance to the Frozen Four. our house" and "We own Yost," the Michigan fans gave their team the home-ice advantage that most visit- ing teams dread. "(The crowd) generated a tremen- dous amount of emotional adrenaline for the home team," Denver coach George Gwozdecky said. "At times it was difficult for us to combat." When the final buzzer sounded, the Wolverines ran off the bench and dogpiled their goalie Josh Blackburn in his crease. Meanwhile, the crowd began waving two enormous Michi- gan flags as the noise level continued to grow. Once the team's celebration was over and both sides had shook hands, the Michigan players stayed out to thank the crowd. Senior goalie Kevin O'Malley borrowed one of the flags from a spectator and began skating around with it on the ice. The other players were banging on the glass to acknowledge the crowd. Soon after, the crowd began chant- ing "thank you seniors" and also broke out in a rendition of "It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine." Finally, the Wolverines formed a circle at center ice and raised their sticks in the air to salute the crowd. Back when Michigan decided to bid for the West Regional at Yost, there was no guarantee that it would be part of the tournament. But it was guaranteed that the crowd would be amazing. "I'm sure (other teams wished they had bid for the Regional), but I don't know if they have fans like this," Blackburn said. St. Cloud Michigan 1 0 1 -2 3 0 1 -4 Fst pedod- 1. UM, Ryznar 9 (Shouneyia, Mink), 4:09; 2. SC, Firger 6 (Cullen, Motzko), 5:19 (pp); 3. UM, Murray 7 (Werner),13:20 (pp); 4. UM, GAic 9 (Helminen, Roemensky), 14:21. Penaltes-UM, Woodford(crosscheckirg), 4:52; SC, Walsh (holdirg), 9:00; SC, Malone (hookiro),11:42; UM, Muray(boading), 1646;UM, Rgers(interference), 19:25. Second peiod - No scoring. Penafes - SC, aria (checkirg from behind), 9:34; SC, Motzko (rotghirg), 12:50; UM, Vanik (holdirg), 12:50 Thd pedod - 5. SC, Cullen 9 (Motzko, Malone), 4:19(pp); 6. Helnrinen 10 (C~ic), 14:40. Pene- UM, Shouneya (slashig), :37; SC, Hatigan (deaying the gam~e), :37; UM, Herrinen (hookirg), 2:19; UM,Vancik (crosschecking), 3:52; UM, Roemensky (holding), 5:18; SC, Finger (holding), 7:54; SC, Finger (crosschecking), 7:54; SC, Szabo (high sticking), 16:40. Shongoa-UM, 11&67-24; SC, 4140-24. werP -UM,1of6;Sc,22of6. Saves-UM, Blackburn-(6000, 22-24); SC, Moreland- (39:26,12-13), weaser-(20:00, 8-11) Rekeree-Scott Hanson Lineseen -Joe Andrews, Bob Bemard At Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor Atendunce:6,948. SATURDAY'S GAME Michigan 5, Denver 3 Denver Michigan 0 3 0 -3 0 2 3 -5 SURVIVING away. Luckily, Hartigan missed an open Continued from Page 11 In Saturday's game, Komisarek did Cloud and Denver - to advance to the something that nobody could believe. Frozen Four. With the Wolverines up 2-1 and on the But the Wolverines didn't panic about penalty kill, he caught the puck with his the tough road ahead. "We'll have to beat glove and chucked it across the ice like he them some time, so it might as well be was trying to gun a runner down at home now" was their attitude when the seedings plate. The referees had to create a new were announced. penalty - "throwing the puck" - And Saturday night, Michigan complet- because they didn't know what to call it, ed a feat that everyone - except itself - and Michigan found itself two men down. thought was impossible. In two nights, the Denver scored almost immediately to tie Wolverines disposed of offensive power- the game at two. house St. Cloud, 4-2, and No. 1 Denver, 5- At even strength, Michigan was the best 3. The Pioneers won the WCHA regular team on the ice both nights, but it contiiu season and tournament titles, but were ally committed penalties and gave its clearly overmatched by the Wolverines in opponents life. Staying out of the box was 5-on-5 action. Denver had been 28-1 this the one thing associate head coach Mel season, when leading after two periods, Pearson said his team needed to do. The but its 3-2 lead going into the second Wolverines didn't, and it almost cost them intermission on Saturday meant nothing dearly, as four of the five goals scored to Michigan. After the game, even Beren- against them over the weekend were pow- son admitted that his team knew it was erplay goals. going to win the game when it stepped on The bottom line is that Michigan was the ice for the final stanza. never beaten by Denver or St. Cloud this When forward Eric Nystrom made his weekend. It was constantly beaten by picture-perfect pass to Ortmeyer for itself. Every time the Wolverines got a Michigan's game-winning goal, it became lead, they committed a penalty moments official that this Michigan team will be later, giving their opponent a chance. But remembered as one of the most successful in Saturday's miraculous third period, in school history. For the first tine, the Michigan didn't commit one penalty, and Wolverines won the CCHA regular season it outscored Denver 3-0. title, the CCHA Tournament champi- This season will never be classified as onship and advanced to the Frozen Four. anything but a success. The Wolverines But the fact remains that in both victo- have already exceeded all expectations. ries this weekend, Michigan nearly gave But teams that win national champi- the game away because of a lack of disci- onships don't beat themselves with mental pline and was frankly lucky to escape errors. They force their opponent to make because of its blunders. mental errors and then take advantage. Defenseman Mike Komisarek made On April 4, Michigan will be facing off crucial mistakes in both games that could against Minnesota, another team that have cost his team the game. In Friday sports an 'M' on its sweater. But judging night's game, with Michigan up 3-2 in the from the Wolverines' dominant perform- third period, Komisarek passed the puck ance against the WCHA's best this week- straight to the Huskies' Hobey Baker end, it seems that the only 'M' that can Award candidate Mark Hartigan at the beat Michigan is the one each Wolverine Michigan blueline, which led to a break- sees when he looks in the mirror. fmt petod - No scoring. Penlies-DU, Caldwell (rogh- ing), 3:44; UM, Woodford (hit after whistle), 5:35; DU, Greg (charging, 9:35); UM, Wemer(interference), 12:39; DU, Adams(crosschecking), 18:55. Second petled -1. UM, Wstrom 17 (Shamneia, Ortmeyer), :56; 2. DU, Paradise 22 (JaCes, Caldwell), 3:05 (pp); 3. UM, Komisarek U (Shouneyia, Ortmeyer), 5:43 (pp); 4. DU, Doell 20 (Ulanski, Cook), 9:16 (pp); 5. Fulghun 5(Bull, MacKen- zie),12:25. Penalties-UM, Rogers (holding), 2:11; DU, Neale (charging), 5:37; UM, Ortmeyer (interrernc e),7:14; UM, Konisaek (throwing the pck), 8:10; DU, Adams (inter- ference),14:46; UM, Vancik (crosscheckirg),19:27. Thild perod - 6. Wemer 5(camnalleri), 4:47; UM, Ortmey- er 15 (Nystrom, Cammalleri),18:39; UM, Nystrom 18 (Cam- maleri),19:33 (en). Penlie- None. Soang-o-M,817-13-38; DU,58--21. Power Plays - UM, 1of 5; DU, 2 of 6. S -UM, Blckbn-(60:00,1821); DU, Dubielewicz -(59:09,33-37) Reieree-John avalese Uneemen-Joe Andrews, Bob Bernard At Yost Ice Arena,Ann Artbor AtteManxc.:6,933. ALL-WEST REGIONAL TEAM Three Wolvedne'S named to regonal team': At the close of last night's NCAA West Regional, the media selected the West Regional team. Hereare the players who were named to the squad: Jed Ortmeyer Forward Michigan John Pohl Forward Minnesota Chris Paradise Forward Denver Mike Komisarek Defense Michigan Jordan Leopold Defense Minnesota Josh Blackburn Goalie Michigan Most Outstanding Player: John Pohl, Minnesota LIVIN' IN THE PAST Wolvednes head to record 21st Frozen Four: With Saturday's 5-3 win over Denver, Michigan locked up its 21st trip to the Frozen Four - the highest number of any program in the country. Michigan's past Frozen Four appearances: DAVID KATZ/Daily Michigan freshman Jason Ryznar, who scored Michigan's first goal against St. Cloud Friday night, tries to battle through the grasp of Denver defenseman Aaron Mackenzie. Gajic delivers aaimnst Huskies as Blackbu slamsthedoor By Chris Burke Daily Sports Writer When it comes to playoff hockey, the teams that find success are usually the same teams that receive production from every player on their roster. Michigan put this theory into practice in Friday's 4-2 win over St. Cloud. While the Huskies were focus- HOCKEY ing their defensive attention on stopping Michigan superstars Notebook Mike Cammalleri, Jed Ortmeyer and John Shouneyia, freshman Milan Gajic was leading the Wolverines' third line to two of the team's biggest goals of the year. Just 1:01 after Craig Murray put Michigan ahead 2-1 with a powerplay goal, Gajic picked up the puck behind St. Cloud's net, made a tremendous juke move to get out front and then beat St. Cloud goalie Dean Weasler low stick side to put Michigan up 3-1 after one period. "Milan scored a huge goal," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "You knew one team would get the edge e'arly. This is our building and we knew this would be a tough game. We wanted to get off to a good start." Then later in the game, after St. Cloud had closed two periods while the Wolverines were clinging to a lead. Then in Saturday's 5-3 victory over Denver, Blackburn closed the door when it looked like the Pioneers were going to walk through to the Frozen Four. Blackburn started his run of big saves just under eight minutes into the first period. With the Huskies pressing at the end of a powerplay, Blackburn made two stops during a hectic scramble in front, and then defenseman Eric Werner batted the puck to the cor- ner to end the pressure. After Denver turned up the offensive pressure to take a 3-2 lead, Blackburn ensured that the Pioneers would not get any further. With three minutes left in the second period, Michigan was bombarding Den- ver goalie Wade Dubielewicz on a powerplay, but as Denver's Erik Adams came out of the box, he was hit with a breakout pass at center ice and went in alone on Blackburn. The Michigan goalie held his ground and made a pad save, keeping Michigan within striking distance. "(The crowd) was so loud (Michigan defenseman Mike Komisarek) didn't hear me banging my stick, so the guy came out of the box and just came down on a breakaway," Blackburn said. "I came out far and tried to make him make a move." Afto A;,-.. k.a .ad idth am R khr Year 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 Result 1st place; def. Dartmouth, 84 3rd place; lost to Dartmouth, 4-2 3rd place; lost to Boston, 4-3 1st place; def. Brown, 7-1 1st place; def. Colorado, 4-1 ... ;. ' ; '_ ., ..., . r V