4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 27, 2003
Chatting into the boards SATURDAY'S GAME Key play
"He scares me." Michigan 5 Saturday, 2:54 into the second
- After a scoreless first period in which each team had nine shots,
- Michigan coach Red Berenson of his freshman, Danny Richmond. sophomore Michael Woodford opened the floodgates for Michigan.
The offensive-minded defender has yet to master protecting his own 4 Lake Superior State 0 The forward one-timed a pass from Dwight Helminen for the first of
zone at the college level. the Wolverines' four second-period goals.
SATURDAY'S GAME
Michigan 5, Lake Superior 0
Michigan 0 4 1
Lake Superior 0 0 0
- 5
- a
Sweep dreams:
lCers win 5-0,
eve~ Bulldogsw ~
First period - none. Penalties - Reilly Olson, MICH
(crosschecking) 8:49; David Wyzgowski, MICH (hold-
ing) 15:59; Mike Adamek, LSSU (roughing the goalie)
17:22; Steve McJannett, LSSU (roughing after the
whistle) 17:22; Danny Richmond, MICH(roughing
after the whistle 17:22; Michael Woodford, MICH
(roughing after the whistle 17:22, Mike Adamek,
LSSU (roughing after the whistle) 17:22.
Second period -1, MICH, Michael Woodford 4
(Dwight Helminen) 2:54; 2, MICH, Jeff Tambellini 14
(Jed Ortmeyer, Danny Richmond) 3:58; 3, MICH,
Eric Nystrom 8 (Jed Ortmeyer, John Shouneyia)
14:15 (pp); 4, MICH, Jed Ortmeyer 9 (Brandon
Rogers, Jeff Tambelini) 18:07 (pp). Penaltes -
Steve McJannett, LSSU (obstruction-hooking)
13:15; Bo Cheesman, LSSU (slashing) 16:00;
Andrew Ebbett, MICH (slashing) 16:00; Ryan Bran-
ham, LSSU (high sticking) 17:15; Danny Richmond,
MICH (roughing) 18:29.
Third period - 5, MICH, Jeff Tambellini 15 (John
Shouneyia) 1:26 (pp. Penalties - Kory Scoran,
LSSU (boarding) 00:45; BoChesesman, LSSU
(obstruction-hooking) 3:59; Mark Mink, MICH (high
sticking) 8:21; Mike Adamek, LSSU (tripping) 14:52;
Nick Martens, MICH (interference) 18:53.
Shots oi goal: MICH 91815 42: LSSU 9-6-4 19. Power
plays: MICH 3 of 6; LSSU 0 of 5. Saves - MICH, Mon-
toya (17-6-1) -19; LSSU, Violin (2-15-3) - 37.
Referee: Matt Shegos.
At: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit.Attendance:8,912.
NEXT WEEKEND:
FERRIs STATE
Now it's time to find out whether
the Wolverines have what it takes
to win the CCHA, as Michigan will
have a home-and-home against the
league-leading Bulldogs. A squad
that nobody picked to accomplish
anything this season, Ferris State
raced out to a thunderous start
and has held onto first place in the
league ever since. The Bulldogs'
attack is led by senior forward
Chris Kunitz, whose 1.94 points-
per-game leads the CCHA. Also,
goaltender Mike Brown has been
stellar in netminding with a 2.38
goals-against-average. The Bull-
dogs lost Friday night on the road
against Miami, 6-3. This means
that the Wolverines are just four
points down in the league stand-
ings while they have played two
less games. If Michigan sweeps
here, the Wolverines could be on
their way to back-to-back CCHA
titles. If not, a year in which a
team other than Michigan or Michi-
gan State wins the league could be
upon us.
HOW THEY FARED
No. I Maine (20-24) de-Mass-Lowel
3-2, tied Mass.-Lowell 4-4
No 2 North Dakota (212) did not play
No. 3 Colorado College (19.25) def. W is-
bohsin 4-2, def. Wisconsin 5-0,
No. 4 Conell (16-3-0) def. Clarkson 3-0,
def. St. Lawrence 5-2.
No. 5 New Hampshire (17-5-3) Lost to
No. 14 Boston University 5-2, def. No. 14
Boston University 6-3.
No. 6 Boston College (1543) lost to
Providence 4-1, def. Providence 53
No. 7 Minnesota (124.7) tied No. 15
MSU-Mankato 2-2, tied No. 15 MSU-
Mankato 4-4.
No. 8 Ohio State (17.2) lost to Nebraska-
Omaha 4-0, lost to Nebraska-Omaha 31
No. 9 Michigan (1741) def. Lake Superior
State 4-1, def. Lake Superior State 5-0.
No. 10 Ferris State (187-1) lost to
Miami 63, def. Miami 42.
No. 11 Denver (15-74) did not play.
No. 12 St. Cloud State (12-9-3) def. M in-
nesota-Duluth 3-2, lost to Minnesota-
Duluth 31
No. 13 Harvard (12-1) did not play.
No. 14 Boston University (14-10-2) def.
No. 5 New Hampshire 5-2, lost to No. 5
New Hampshire 6-3.
No. 15 Minnesota State-Mankato (10-8.
8) tied No. 7 Minnesota 2-2, tied No. 7
Minnesota 4-4
CCHAROUNDUP
tusdays games:'
McUi 4, Lake Superior
Friday's games:
Western Michigan 6, ALASKA-FAIRBANKS 4
Michigan State 2, NOTRE DAME 1
MIAMI 6, Ferris State 3
NEBRASKA-OMAHA 4, Ohio State 0
Saturday's games:
Miclig an5,w SiioR 0
Western Michigan 6, ALASKA-FAIRBANKS 2
Michigan State 3, NOTRE DAME 3
Ferris State 4, MIAMI 2
NEBRASKA-OMAHA 3, Ohio State 1
CCHA STANDINGS
i
By Kyle O'Neill
Daily Sports Writer
DETROIT - Michigan has done its part.
Thanks to a weekend sweep of Lake Superiorr
State - including Saturday night's 5-0 win over the
Lakers at Joe Louis Arena - and a split by Ferris
State against Miami, the Wolverines are now four
points behind first place in the CCHA.
What made the sweep over last-place Lake Supe-
rior State so important is what the Wolverines over-
came to get it: They lost defenseman Eric Werner
for academic reasons, scratched junior Andy Burnes
because of a strained groin, made a long trip to
Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday night and had toh
rebound from blowing a third-period lead to West-
ern Michigan two weeks ago.
"When teams above us start losing games andg
give us a chance, that's what we need," Michigan'
freshman Jeff Tambellini said. "When we get a
chance to bury a team like Lake State, we can't
afford to ease up."$
Although easing up was never part of the
Wolverines' vocabulary on Saturday, they kept the
Lakers in the game.thanks, in part, to a lack of
good scoring chances. Even with the shots tied at
nine at the end of the period, Michigan coach Red
Berenson commented afterward that the Lakers
dictated play. But after the scoreless first period
the Wolverines came out with four second-periodS
goals and an 18-6 shot advantage.
"I don't know if there was much of a change (in
between periods), we were just trying to wear them
down (by) getting the puck in deep," Michigan
senior Jed Ortmeyer said. "Thursday night in the
first period things were pretty much clicking for us, Lake Superior State forward Mike Adamek was the only
then later in the game we were getting a little sloppy. Wolverines' 50 win Saturday night. Adamek received ay
The start (Saturday) was a little sloppy, but as the
game went on, we got a little more comfortable and er's powerplay shot past Violin. The Michigan cap-
executed well." tain did finally get a goal attributed to him when
The Wolverines continued their even-strength defenseman Brandon Rogers found him for another
success - they had four even-strength goals Thurs- powerplay goal at 18:07 of the period.
day - when they got on the board 2:54 into the "They're a team that, if they're still in the game at
period. Forward Dwight Helminen drove through the end of the game, they're going to play as hard as
the middle of Lake Superior State's defense and say, Ohio State would," Tambellini said. "Our goal
dished the puck to sophomore Michael Woodford, was to come out and crush them and get out in front
who was alone in the right faceoff circle. Woodford as fast as we could. So I think the second and third
then beat Lakers' goaltender Matt Violin five-hole goals were a dagger."
for the lead that Michigan would never relinquish. Tambellini also added the fifth goal -
One minute later, Michigan attacked again when Michigan's third powerplay goal -- when senior
Ortmeyer crashed the net. Although the captain John Shouneyia found him alone for the tally at
didn't score, the rebound from his shot left a wide- 1:26 of the period.
open net for Tambellini, who buried his14th goal of,. - Unlike when the Wolverines scored early in the
the year. Ortmeyer had the assist on the next goal third period on Thursday - prompting Lake Supe-
too, as sophomore Eric Nystrom redirected Ortmey- rior State coach Frank Anzalone to pull Violin for
TOM FELDKAMP/Daily
ything to get by Michigan goalie Al Montoya in the
penalty for roughing Montoya after the whistle.
freshman William Ciccone - Violin stayed in the
game even after allowing his fifth goal
"I think Matt was in control - he's fighting
the puck a little bit," Anzalone said. "I think for
his honor and our future, I think he needed to
work those druthers out. And he did in the third.
He had battled all the way through. He has not
felt comfortable in the net and I think it's impor-
tant that he learns how to do that. He did a fine
job. He should have stopped two (of the five),
but we're also seeing a lot of chances (42 shots
Saturday night) constantly.,
"It's like six-footers playing seven-footers in bas-
ketball. No matter what we do in the first eight min-
utes it's not going tolaat;the whole game. The,
seven-footer's going to dunk sooner or later, and
that's where we're at right now:"
Without
Werner, D'
in danger
By Courtney Lewis
Daily Sports Writer
DETROIT - Michigan collides with
CCHA front-runner Ferris State next week-
end in a home-and-home series that could
go a long way in determining the eventual
league champion. It's the Wolverines'
biggest test of the season, and their already
young defense will have to play it while
relying on at least one
unproven blueliner.
On Thursday, the Big
Ten declared defense-
man Eric Werner acade-
mically ineligible for the
winter semester.
"We've thrown Reilly
Olson into a tough spot, Werner
and Dave Wyzgowksi,"
coach Red Berenson said of the two rarely-
used defensemen, one or both of whom will
probably be asked to play a regular role for
the remainder of the season.
Losing Werner further depletes Michi-
gan's already thin defensive unit, particular-
ly because he was leading Michigan
defenders with 13 points.
"Being one of our top defensemen, (who)
we count on every game, it's a pretty big
blow to our team to have him out of the
lineup for the rest of the year," sophomore
defenseman Brandon Rogers said. "But
now it's up to other guys to step up and fill
in his role."
The Wolverines will be counting on
Rogers to be one of those guys.
Michigan was also without junior Andy
Burnes this weekend against Lake Superi-
or because of a groin injury, and that
meant that the Wolverines leaned heavily
on their remaining experienced defenders:
Rogers, fellow sophomore Nick Martens
and senior Mike Roemensky. Michigan
expects to have Burnes back for its duel
against Ferris State.
Of the remaining three defensemen that
Michigan dressed this weekend, Wyzgowski
has the most games under his belt. But he
played forward before thisseason and
hasn't been a regular in the lineup to this
point. Freshman Danny Richmond, now the
Wolverines' highest-scoring defenseman, is
known for his offensive skills, but is still
learning to play in his own zone at the col-
legiate level. Olson, a redshirt freshman has
played sparingly until now.
Brandon and Nicky Martens, they really
had to pick it up this week, and Mike Roe-
mensky, Berenson said. "They did a great
job playing with less experienced players
and doing what they had to do to help us."
That trio could see extra minutes for the
rest of the season.
The defensive hole was created because
Werner's overall GPA doesn't meet confer-
ence standards, Berenson said Saturday
night. He added that he was somewhat sur-
prised by the decision.
Werner attributed his trouble to personal
problems, and Berenson said Michigan
gave the Big Ten "some good reasons to
give (Werner) consideration."
"And yet, they went by the letter of the
law, saying, 'We've never made an excep-
tion, and there's no precedent for this,"'
Berenson said. "They gave us,.a decision
that sounded like it came from a legal deci-
sion rather than a human decision."
Werner is the third Michigan player to get
into trouble in the classroom this season.
Backup goaltender Chris Gartman sat out
the first half of the season because of prob-
lems with transfer credits (he came to the
Wolverines from Cornell). Michigan sus-
pended forward Milan Gajic in November
because he was in danger of losing his eligi-
bility. Berenson expressed disappointment
that Michigan players haven't been able to
escape academic penalties this season.
"The final accountability still comes
down to the student athlete, but they have a
tough job too, and one class can bury you
- make you or break you," Berenson said.
The coach added that Werner wants to
return next season, and Berenson hopes
he can, but he wouldn't say that the
defenseman will be able to come back
for sure.
And next fall, the Wolverines will be
crowding in behind the blueline. The
North American Hockey League
announced last week that Michigan,
which has already signed three talented
defensemen for 2003-04, has received a
verbal commitment from a fourth, the
Texas Tornado's Matt Nickerson.
0
It's pass first, shoot second for Shouneyia
By Dan Rosen
Daily Sports Writer
DETROIT - For most hockey
players, scoring a goal offers the ulti-
mate satisfaction. But don't tell that to
John Shouneyia.
The senior recorded two assists Sat-
urday night in Michigan's 5-0 win over
Lake Superior
and became the HOCKEY
17th player in the Notebook
school's history to
record 100 assists
in his career. He leads the team this
season with 16 helpers - including
amm - 1== X1171 =
nine in his last five games. For
Shouneyia, setting up a teammate is
what counts.
"If I scored more goals, I'd say goals
(gave me more pride)," joked
Shouneyia, who has five goals on the
season. "But since I get more assists,
I'd have to say (those do)."
Shouneyia's passing is one reason
that his line, which includes captain
Jed Ortmeyer and freshman Jeff
Tambellini, combined for eight
points, including three goals, in Sat-
urday's shutout.
"He sees the ice so well," Tambellini
said of Shouneyia. "He's just so easy to
read off. To have him in the middle and
(Ortmeyer) on the right, I couldn't ask
for a better line."
The freshman has been one of the
main beneficiaries of Shouneyia's pass-
ing, and Saturday was no exception.
Just a minute into the third period,
with Michigan on the powerplay, the
senior drew the nearest defender in
the Lake Superior zone and whipped a
quick pass across to Tambellini in the
slot. The freshman wasted no time in
getting his shot off, firing the puck
past Lakers' goalie Matt Violin to
make it 5-0.
Tambellini joined the two seniors
for the first time on the same line Dec.
28 in a 5-3 win over Michigan Tech at
the Great Lakes Invitational. In the
eight games since that switch, the Port
Moody, British Columbia native has
recorded seven goals and five assists
and catapulted up from fourth place to
first on the team in scoring.
"So far they've changed my season
around," Tambellini said of his line-
mates. "Getting to play with both of
them at the same time, that's what I
really wanted to do when I came to
Michigan. Coach gave me the chance
after Christmas break, and I think
we've just taken a good hold of it and
ran with it."
A LITTLE HELP: Michigan will now
refocus for a much-anticipated show-
down with CCHA-leading Ferris State
next weekend. But the Wolverines'
struggle for first place became a -little
easier on Friday night, when the Bull-
dogs lost to Miami 6-3.
Even though the team came back
and won on Saturday night, Ferris
State now leads Michigan by just four
points in the standings. The Wolver-
ines have also played two less games
than the Bulldogs.
The CCHA season could come
down to the Wolverines' final series,
a March 7-8 battle in Columbus.
Ohio State was swept this weekend
by Nebraska-Omaha, but is still tied
with Michigan for second place in
the conference.
The Wolverines are using the losses
around them as motivation for the
stretch run.
"We're in a spot right now where
team's are losing games ahead of us,"
Tambellini said. "We can't afford to
lose another game the rest of the
year. So every time we get out there
and we put the skates on, we have to
be at our best."
CCHA
Overall
Team W
Ferris State 13
Michigan 11
Ohio State 11
Western Michigan 11
Michigan State 10
Miami 9
Northern Michigan 9
Nebraska-Omaha 8
Notre Dame 7
Alaska-Fairbanks 6
Bowling Green 3
Lake Superior 11
L
4
4
4
7
6
9
7
11
9
10
12
16
T
1
1
1
0
1
2
0
1
2
4
2
1
Pts
27
23
23
22
21
20
18
17
16
16
8
3
W
18
17
17
13
14
15
13
10
9
9
6
4
L
7
6
6
12
9
11
10
13
12
11
15
18
JASON COOPER/Daily
Although Michigan's four second-period goals Saturday gave Wolverines fans something to cheer about, there was much
silence in the Joe Louis Arena for most of the first and third periods.
CCHA LEADERS
Through Jan. 12 - League games only
Player G A P
1. Chris Kunitz, FSU 15 18 33
2. Mike Kompon, Miami 9 15 24
3. R.J. Umberger, OSU 10 12 22
4. Rob Globke, ND 13 8 21
4. Greg Hogeboom, Miami 12 9 21
6_ Jim SlarMSU 5 15 20 9
three stars of the weekend
Ted Ortmeyer
1i
Jeff Tambellini
QI 1
John Shouneyia
0