4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 24, 2003 Chatting into the boards "I could have gone up to him and talked as much as fie did ... I felt I was the bigger man. - Michigan freshman Al Montoya on Ferris State senior Chris Kunitz, in response to Kunitz calling him out on Feb. 1. FRIDAY'S GAME $X Ohio State 0 Michigan 3 SATURDAY'S GAME Michigan 5 U Ferris State 3 Key play 5:27 of the third period - Michigan's Michael Woodford scored for the first time in 14 games, giving Michi- gan a 4-2 lead. Woodford's goal was the eventual game-winner. " FRIDAY'S GAME Michigan 3, Ohio State 0 Ohio State Michigan 0 0 0 2 0 1 - 0 - 3 First period - Penalties - John Shouneyia, MICH (high sticking) 0:47; Paul Caponigri, OSU (hooking) 1:17; Nate Guenin, OSU (interference) 3:19; Andy Burnes, MICH (tripping) 7:11; Scott Titus, OSU (hold- ing) 12:16; Ryan Kesler, OSU (roughing) 16:56; Mike Roemensky, MICH (roughing) 16:56; Nate Guenin, OSU (goaltender interference) 18:38; Danny Rich- mond, MICH (roughing) 18:38. Second period -1, MICH, Dwight Helminen 14 (Eric Nystrom 10, Danny Richmond 19) 8:06; 2, MICH, Dwight Helmi- nen 15 (J.J. Swistak 3) 10:43. Penalties - Nick Martens, MICH (interference) 13:06; Michael Woodford, MICH (high-sticking) 15:55; Dave Steck- el, OSU (high-sticking) 15:55; J.J. Swistak, MICH (high sticking) 15:55; Scott Titus, OSU (interfer- ence) 18:24. Third period -3, MICH, Dwight Helmi- nen 16 (Nick Martens 9) 9:37 (sh). Penalties- Dave Steckel, OSU (roughing) 2:44; Michael Wood- ford, MICH (roughing) 2:44; Luke Pavlas, OSU (slashing) 5:29; Andy Burnes, MICH (hooking) 7:56; Chris Olsgard, OSU (goaltender interference) 10:20; Scott May, OSU (roughing) 12:46; Jason Ryznar, MICH (roughing) 12:46; Ryan Kesler, OSU (high- sticking) 16:14; T.J. Latorre, OSU (roughing) 19:45; Andrew Ebbett, MICH (roughing) 19:45; Eric Skaug, OSU (10-minute misconduct) 20:00; Al Montoya, MICH (roughing) 20:00. Shots on Goal: OSU 7-10-14 31; MICH 7-7-10 24. Power plays: OSU 0 of 5; MICH 0 of 7. Penalties: OSU 14 (36 m); MICH 12(24 min). Saves - OSU, Mike Betz (20-9-5-21; MICH, Al Montoya (27-9-3)-31. Referee: Steve Piotrowski. At: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit. Attendance: 12,967. SATURDAY'S GAME Michigan 5, Ferris State 3 Montoya n By Dan Rosen Daily Sports Writer DETROIT - The buzzer had sound- ed. The game was over. But Michigan goalie Al Montoya was still wrapped up in the emotions of the playoffs. On Friday night, the 18-year-old fresh- man burst out of the crease toward the Ohio State player who fired a wrist shot at him after the third- period clock had run out. Following a short scuffle, the Wolverines gathered Mon- toya, and the freshman skated away - content with a shutout win and a trip to the CCHA Championship Game. Montoya is young, but he has never been afraid to stand up for himself. On the ice this weekend, he played like he was oblivious to the gravity of the situa- tion. And he led his team to a CCHA Tournament title. "Obviously, he has a lot of pressure on him," associate captain Andy Burnes said. "Everybody says how goaltending will win you (playoff games), and goal- tending's the most important part of play- offs. I think for a freshman goaltender, who's the youngest player in college hockey, Al's handled that pressure great. He's playing great hockey, and he's giving us a chance every night." Montoya made 31 saves Friday night, takes a big one with his back on the goalline. Wi five minutes to go in the second perio the freshman had just denied anothe Buckeyes powerplay. Ohio State still co trolled the puck in the Wolverines zon and fired a slapshot at the net. "I didn't really see the puck from th point, and I knew I had to stay tight, Montoya said. "The puck hit my stici (and the) rebound went right in front." With sticks flying, Montoya was force to fall backward, and he, along with team mate Michael Woodford, swatted it out c trouble. Saturday, he shutdown the CCHA's to offensive team about as well as anyon probably could, making 17 saves en rout to a 5-3 win. "I (told) him this week, 'You know th real playoffs start this week,"' coach Re Berenson said. "And he had the righ response. He said, 'I can't wait.' And h was dead on." Montoya's wins this weekend als came against the two top goalies in th CCHA in terms of goals-against averag - Mike Betz of Ohio State and Mik Brown of Ferris State. "After the awards banquet (on Wednes day), you know, I saw the highligh videos, I saw the awards handed out, an I was like 'I want to go out there an prove something,"' Montoya said "'These guys obviously don't think I'r one of the top (goalies) in the league.' S I went out there, and I feel like I (made) statement' th statement." d, BREAKING OUT: Sophomore forward er Dwight Helminen had his coach nervous. n- "When I looked at our stat (sheet) that 'J ie said that he had not scored a goal at Joe Louis in the past, I think he played six ie games here, I was a little worried about ,"him before the game," Berenson said with k a smile after Friday's game. T. Michigan's coach had just watched d Helminen score all three of the Wolver- a- ines' goals against Ohio State, including a of perfectly placed wristshot into the top right-hand corner of the Buckeyes' net p for his fourth shorthanded tally of the sea- e son. eo "It's a great feeling," Helminen said after that game. "You don't really expect e that going into a game. For it to go your d way like that, it's a great feeling." ht His eventual game-winning goal was e a backhand shot through the legs of Ohio State goalie Mike Betz. He added o his second score of the game two min- e utes later on a carom off of the boards e behind the net. e On Saturday, the sophomore added the empty-net goal with five seconds s- left in the game that clinched the it Wolverines' title. d "In the past, I've had chances and d things haven't been going in," said 1. Helminen, who has now scored six goals m in his last four games. "I've gotten a few TONY DING/Daily o bounces here and there, and the flood- This weekend Michigan freshman goalie Al Montoya beat the conference's top a gates have opened." two goalies In Northern Michigan's Craig Kowalski and Ferris State's Mike Brown. 'D' shuts down offensive machine Michigan Ferris State 1 1 2 0 2 2 - 5 - 3 0 First period -1, MICH, Jeff Tambellini 26 (Brandon Rogers 19, John Shouneyia 27) 4:25; 2, FSU, Chris Kunitz 33 (Jeff Legue 30, Simon Mangos 11) 10:47 (pp). Penalties - Nick Martens, MICH (obstruction- holding) 10:26; Matt York, FSU (interference) 12:30; John Shouneyia, MICH (obstruction-tripping) 17:16. Second period - 3, MICH, Jed Ortmeyer 15 (John Shouneyia 28, Brandon Rogers 20) 4:45; 4, MICH, Jed Ortmeyer 16 (Jeff Tambellini 17, Brandon Rogers 21) 18:41 (pp). Penalties- Mark Mink, MICH (high-sticking) 9:21; Phil Meyer, FSU (cross- checking) 13:03; TEAM, MICH (too many on ice) 16:18; Phil Lewandowski, FSU (roughing) 18:27; Carter Thomson, FSU (high-sticking) 19:28; Jeff Tambellini, MICH (hit after whistle) 19:28; Troy Milam, FSU (hit after whistle) 19:28. Third period -5, FSU, Simon Mangos 10 (Jeff Legue 31) 3:34 (pp); 6, MICH, Michael Woodford 5 (Andrew Ebbett 17) 5:27; 7, FSU, Matt York 6 (Greg Rallo 14, Mike Kinnie 14)17:00; 8, MICH, Dwight Helminen 17, 19:55 (empty net). Penalties-Andy Burnes, MICH (interference) 3:02; Michael Woodford, MICH (cross-checking) 14:59; Jed Ortmeyer, MICH (rough- ing) 19:55; Chris Kunitz, FSU (roughing) 19:55. Shots on Goal: MICH 13-7-10 30; FSU 6-5-9 20.Power plays: MICH 1 of 4; FSU 2 of 6. Saves - MICH, Al Mon- toya (28-9-3) -17; FSU, Mike Brown (29-9-1) - 25. Referee: Steve Piotrowski. At: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Attendance: 19,097. HOW THEY FARED No. 1 Colorado College (29-6-5) def. No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth 4-3, lost to No. 6 Minnesota 4-2. No. 2 Cornell (2841) def. Brown 2-0, def. No. 12 Harvard 3-2. No. 3 New Hampshire (25-7-6) did not play. No. 4 Ferris State (30-9-1) def. North- ern Michigan 4-2, lost to No. 8 Michi- gan 5-3. No. 5 Minnesota (24-8-9) def. No. 9 Minnesota State-Mankato 3-2, def. No. 1 Colorado College 4-2. No. 6 Boston College (23-10.4) did not play. No. 7 Boston University (24-13-3) did not play. No. 8 Michigan (28-9-3) def. Ohio State 3-0, def. No. 4 Ferris State 5-3. No. 9 Minnesota State-Mankato (20-10- 10) lost to No. 5 Minnesota 3-2, lost to No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth 6-4. No. 10 Maine (24-9-5) did not play. No. 11 North Dakota (26-11-5) lost to No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth 2-1. No. 12 Harvard (22-9-2) def. Dartmouth 5-3, lost to No. 2 Cornell 3-2. No. 13 Ohio State (25-11-5) def. Notre Dame 3-2, lost to No. 8 Michigan 5-3. No. 14 Michigan State (23-14-2) lost to Northern Michigan 7-5. No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth (20-14-5) def. No. 11 North Dakota 2-1, def. No. 9 Minnesota State-Mankato 6-4. CCHA ROUNDUP Thursday's games: Ohio State 3, Notre Dame 2 Northern Michigan 7, Michigan State 5 Friday's games: Ferris State 4, Northern Michigan 2 Michigan 3, Ohio State 0 Saturday's games: Northern Michigan 4, Ohio State 1 Michigan 5, Ferris State 3 CCHA LEADERS By Bob Hunt Daily Sports Writer TONY DING/Daily Michigan forward Dwight Helminen and Ferris State captain Troy Milam tangle for a loose puck on Saturday night. BULLDOGS Continued from Page 1B amazing, everyone on the bench feeds off it." For the 19 seconds after Burnes' play, Michigan dictated control of the game, as sophomore Dwight Helminen added an empty-netter to send the Joe Louis Arena crowd into a frenzy. After that, all Michigan could do was celebrate its second-straight - sixth overall - CCHA Tournament Champi- onship. "It was just a season ... I was letting it all out;' said a near speechless Mon- toya, when trying to describe his emo- tion after Helminen's goal. "It was just unbelievable. I can't describe the feel- ing. I was just letting it all out. Every- thing up to now didn't mean anything. We came out, and we were the better team tonight." For Montoya, tonight's game - and the weekend as a whole - was a state- ment that the freshman has been wait- ing to make. On Friday he earned a shutout against a good Ohio State team, and Saturday he shut down the league's top scorer in Chris Kunitz, holding him to just one powerplay goal. Stopping Kunitz was something on Montoya's mind since their last meeting over a month ago when Kunitz scored four goals in two games. Kunitz also com- mented after Ferris State's win over Michigan on Feb. 1 that Montoya had "let his team down," and that he let up soft goals. Montoya said after Saturday's game that for as much talking as Kunitz had done after the February game, all he could say during the post-game hand- shakes was "good job." This was a game where Michigan's defense shined, holding the Bulldogs' top line of Kunitz, Nesbitt and Jeff Legue to only one goal on just seven shots. In the previous two meetings between Michigan and Ferris State, that trio produced five goals on 20 shots. The only time they put the puck in the net has at the 10:47 mark of the first period, when Legue passed from the left corner to Kunitz, who was waiting at the point, for a top-shelf powerplay goal. "Our powerplay throughout the year has been adequate and not great - the strength of our team is five-on-five," Ferris State coach Bob Daniels said. He also noted that Michigan's quickness was a factor in scoring just one even- strength goal -though it came just one second after a powerplay expired. He also said how moving Kunitz to the point caught many teams by surprise, as it did Michigan when the Wolverines left him alone for his tally. Kunitz's goal tied the game at one. Michigan freshman Jeff Tambellini had scored an even-strength goal six min- utes earlier. The Wolverines came out on fire in the second period, and led by captain Jed Ortmeyer, built up a lead they would not relinquish. Ortmeyer scored his first goal of the night just over a minute into the period when senior John Shouneyia passed to him as he was streaking down the left side of the ice. The captain one-timed it past Ferris State goaltender Mike Brown to give Michigan a 2-1 lead. "Ort was flying up the wing ... he got three strides ahead of me, and the defender kind of keyed towards me so I gave it up to (Ortmeyer) for a one- timer," Shouneyia said. Ortmeyer scored again 14 minutes later when, on the powerplay, he saw a shot from Tambellini going just wide left of Brown. Ortmeyer positioned himself perfectly to receive the rebound off the back boards and put it between Brown's right leg and the post. In the opening minutes of the third period, Ferris State answered back when junior defenseman Simon Mangos scored a powerplay goal with Michigan defender Nick Martens in his face. Michigan responded 5:27 into the period when freshman Andrew Ebbett won a faceoff in Ferris State territory. The faceoff win went directly to sophomore Michael Woodford, who shot it through traffic to beat Brown glove-side. Before Helminen's empty netter, Ferris State's Matt York scored when Montoya couldn't control a rebound off him. DETROIT - For Ferris State forwards Chris Kunitz and Jeff Legue this season, the CCHA has been theirs. Going into Saturday night's game against Michigan the two had combined for 55 goals and 70 assists, flying by defenders and creating odd-man rushes at the greatest of ease. But that all stopped with the Mason Cup at stake, as the duo was silent in five-on-five situations. The Michigan coaching staff devised a plan after Friday night's semifinal to keep the two snipers at bay, putting tabs on the Bulldogs' top line every time they stepped on the ice. "We were aware when Kunitz was out there," Michigan defense- man Andy Burnes said. "We had a stick on them, we were in their face. We get in their kitchen, and they get off their game." Kunitz, one of 10 Hobey Baker Award finalists, had just one shot on net the entire game when the Bulldogs were not on the power- play. Legue had just three. This was because Michigan was able to keep up with them, leaving them unable to create the odd-man rushes they have wreaked havoc on all season. The two had aver- aged eight shots per game going into the Super Six. "Both ourselves and (Michigan) are two of the quicker teams (in the league)," Daniels said. "I think (in a lot of other games) we were able to generate offense because of our, quickness. So the things that would develop into an odd-man rush weren't developing." Michigan associate head coach Mel Pearson gave credit to head coach Red Berenson and assistant Billy Powers for preparing the for- wards and defensemen, respective- ly. Stopping the Bulldogs' top line effectively shut down their offense, considering 70 of Ferris State's 172 goals this season (40.7-percent) had come from Kunitz, Legue or linemate Derek Nesbitt. And 112 of the Bulldogs' goals (65.1-per- cent) came from one of their top two lines. "If we shutdown that No. 1 line, they don't have anything," goalie Al Montoya said. "Our defense, we haven't played this well in I don't know how long." The only time the vaunted line caused Michigan trouble was on the powerplay, which was a sur- prise considering the Ferris State powerplay came into the game ranked fifth in the league. The Bulldogs first two goals came with an extra man, as Kunitz blasted a shot over Montoya's glove from the blueline in the first period, and defenseman Simon Mangos scored on a pass from Legue while on a break. Kunitz's goal came from a change in the Bulldog powerplay that moved the league's top scorer to the point from behind the net, his role until the Bulldogs' playoff series against Lake Superior State last week. Instead, Legue took the puck behind the net - and fired it to an open Kunitz. "There is a reason he's scored 33 goals and is a Hobey Baker candi- date," Pearson said. "He's going to get his chances in a game and some of them are going to go in." But that shot was the only other one Kunitz had on net, as the Bull- dogs had just 11 shots on net in the first two periods. Add to that a solid performance in net from Montoya, and the Wolverines were playing solid playoff hockey. "Our whole mindset going into this weekend was to play good, strong defensive hockey," Burnes said. "Because we knew defense was going to win the tournament for us. In playoff hockey, that's what it comes down to is good defense and good goaltending." But the team's good defense is going to have to continue at next week's NCAA Midwest regional if the Wolverines are going to reach their ultimate destination, the Frozen Four. "Our eyes are set on next (Satur- day)," Burnes said. "We know we're going to have to continue (playing) good defense and good goaltending." 0 Party time at the Joe TINW, 4:OE P.M. - s H.4MU N O.MR, El W ffI(AYf~, MV 14W I W 1lw 19 H0. EiD liOAT14I11 fI(4IAH, 1 NO. 1 IS 1.[I T, I a ~N Ih0.1 I SifTAT4 01 U N.7 HOW "I, 2 MILAU NO~ O)I "10 iAI 0 NO. 2 flI(JIiN, I NO. 2 fflI(JJKiN, Through Mar. 24-- All games Player G 1. Chris Kunitz, FSU 33 2. Jeff Legue, FSU 23 3. R.J. Umberger, OSU 26 4. John-Michael Ules, MSU 16 5. Derek Nesbitt,FSU 18 6. Mike Kompon, Miami 17 A 41 35 27 34 31 31 P 74 58 53 50 49 48 Jed Ortmeyer Senior/forward Xhbe Afirhigwx BadI iTree stars of the weekend Dwight Helminen Sophomore/forward 1 3 Al Montoya Freshman/goaltender i