The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 24, 2003 - 5B
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LEWIS
Continued from Page 1B
On Friday, Michigan shut down
another prolific scorer, Ohio State's
R.J. Umberger. In their regular sea-
son meeting, the teams tied in two
back-and-forth games. But this
time, Michigan's defense, led by
freshman goaltender Al Montoya,
blanked the Buckeyes.
To win championships, teams
can't afford to have lapses like
Michigan did against Ferris State
the first time, or third-period melt-
downs the way it did against Ohio
State in Columbus. The Wolverines
seemed to have figured that out
and, led by Ortmeyer, brought out
their best stuff when a title was on
the line.
The captain, who has been known
to hold himself accountable for
Michigan losses, was quick to
humbly deflect credit for the team's
play this weekend. He waved over
the rest of the seniors (defensemen
Mike Roemensky, J.J. Swistak, and
forwards John Shouneyia and Mark
Mink) to accept the CCHA Tourna-
ment Championship banner with
him, and gave them props for their
toughness and leadership afterwards.
"It's a team effort," said Ortmeyer
after lifting the Mason Cup for the
second straight year. "We have a lot
of leaders on this team that don't get
enough credit, starting with our sen-
ior class."
It was well deserved praise, as all
five seniors played well, but Ort-
meyer wears the 'C,' and it starts
with him. The player who Berenson
has called the best captain he has
ever coached is the undisputed
leader of this team, and if you don't
believe that, just ask any of his -
teammates about him. Every player
who brings up Ortmeyer's name
usually follows it immediately with
words of admiration and respect,
and it is obvious how much they
look up to him.
With Michigan's youth, Ortmey-
er's guidance has been vital all sea-
son. Although he is not Michigan's
scoring leader, he has been its vocal
leader, and then backed that up with
his stellar all-around play and total
effort.
Ortmeyer raised his game to anoth-
er level this weekend, and the rest of
Michigan captain Jed Ortmeyer high-fives his teammates after his first goal Saturday night.
* Despite winning the CCHA, 'M'
is a No. 3 seed at home this week
By Bob Hunt
Daily Sports Writer
It's official: The thrill of winning the
Mason Cup is over.
That's because the Wolverines learned
who will be coming to Yost this week-
end for the NCAA Midwest Regional
when the tournament brackets were
announced last night. Michigan was
seeded third in the regional and will play
second-seeded Maine this Saturday at
3:30 p.m. atYost Ice Arena.
The winner of that game will play the
winner of the other regional semifinal
between Colorado College and College
Hockey America champion Wayne
State at 3:00 p.m. next Sunday for a
spot in the NCAA Frozen Four April
10-12 in Buffalo, N.Y.
"(The Mason Cup) is over and done
with," senior captain Jed Ortmeyer said.
"If we want to make a run at a national
championship, it starts this week."
The 10th-ranked Black Bears - last
season's national runner-up - started
the season 21-2-3 and were ranked as
high as second in the nation. But they
took a nosedive in the season's final
month. They went 2-5-1 in their last
eight games and were swept at home by
Massachusetts in a stunning Hockey
East first-round playoff series. This
means that they will have had a 22-day
layoff before stepping on the ice at Yost.
Maine and Michigan have met in three
NCAA Tournament games in the past
decade, the last of which was when
Maine won in the 2000 East Regional to
go to the Frozen Four.
"I saw (Maine) as one of the top four
teams most of the year," Michigan
coach Red Berenson said. "They could
have been a one seed if they had won
their first round."
The Wolverines were the highest-
ranked third seed according to the Pair-
wise Rankings, which mimics the
selection of the at-large berths and
seeds. Michigan was tied with Boston
College for eighth in the Pairwise, but
Boston College likely received a two
seed instead of Michigan because its
RPI was higher.
"We thought we'd maybe get a two
seed after (winning the CCHA Tourna-
ment)," Ortmeyer said. "But it was (the
committee's) decision."
Michigan was one of three CCHA
teams to make the first-ever 16-team
field, while Hockey East and the West-
ern Collegiate Hockey Association both
received five bids despite being smaller
leagues. CCHA teams such as Northern
Michigan and Michigan State were left
out, while WCHA member St. Cloud
State is in with a record two games
above .500.
"I think our league got short-suited in
terms of credibility," Berenson said.
Colorado College won the WCHA
regular-season championship and was
ranked No. 1 in the last USCHO.com
poll. The Tigers lost on Saturday night
to Minnesota in the WCHA Final Five
title game, giving Cornell the tourna-
ment's top seed.
"They're bringing the best team in
the country to Yost in my mind," Beren-
son said.
But, for the second straight year, the
WCHA's best might have to face Michi-
gan at Yost to reach the main event.
"It's going to be to our advantage a
little bit, and we're going to love it,"
Shouneyia said. "But we're still going
to have to go out and beat Maine."
the team climbed up there after him.
"That's the sign of a great captain
- when he plays his best game in
the biggest game," junior Andy
Burnes said. "And I think he did
that tonight. He's the leader by
example. He's the leader vocally.
That's why he's the captain of
Michigan."
Berenson showed how much Ort-
meyer means to the team and what
kind of example the senior sets when
he told Woodford, "I want you to be
like Jed Ortmeyer. You've got to go
out and play like Jed Ortmeyer."
But perhaps the biggest tribute to
the captain's leadership was that
Woodford, and the rest of the
Wolverines, actually did it.
- Courtney Lewis can be reached at
cmlewis@umich.edu.
POSTSEASON RESULTS
Hockey East
u tts 5, Maine 3
Massachussetts 4, Maine 2
Boston University 5, Providence 4,(01)
Boston University 7, Providence, 1
Boston College 4, Merrimack 1
Boston College 2, Merrimack 1
New Hampshire 8, Mass.-Lowell 4
New Hampshire 8, Mass.owell 4
Boston University 6, Boston College, 2 (OT)
New Hampshire 5, Massachusetts 4
FNS:
New Hampshire 1, Boston University 0
CHA
QuAmTEIMS:
Wayne State 4, Air Force 2
Bemidji State 4, Findlay 0
SEMIRNA.
Wayne State 6, Niagra 4
Bemidji State 2, AlabamaHuntsville 1(OT)
Funs
Wayne State 3, Bemidji State 2
ECAC
QUARTMNLS:
DARTMOUTH 5, Colgate 2
Brown 4, YALE 0
SEMIRNAS:
CORNELL 2, BROWN 0
HARVARD 5, DARTMOUTH 3
THiRD PLAcE:
DARTMOUTH 4, BROWN 2
CORNELL 3, HARVARD 2(OT)
MACC
QUARRNALS:
QUINNIPIAC 3, CANIIsUs 2
BENTLEY' 2, SACRED HEART 0
HOLY CROSS 3, ARMY 2
MERCYHURST 5, loNA 4
SeIRNMIs:
MERCYHURST 10, BENTLEY 2
QUINNIPIAC 3, HOLY CROSS 0
FNA
MERCYHURST 4, QUINNIPIAC 3
WCHA
FinsT ROUND:
MINNESOTA-DULUTH 5, ST.CLOUD STATE 4
MINNESOTA-DULUTH 7, ST. CLOUD STATE 3
Sr. CLOUD STATE 3, MINNESOTA-DULUTH 2(O)
DENVER 4, NORTH DAKOTA 1
NORTH DAKOTA 3, DENVER 2 (OT)
NORTH DAKOTA 3, DENVER 2 (OT)
MINNESOTA 3, MICHIGAN TECH 1
MINNESOTA 5, MICHIGAN TECH 2
MINNESOTA STATE 2, WISCONSIN 1
MINNESOTA STATE 5, WISCONSIN 5 (20T)
COLORADO COLLEGE 5, ALASKA ANCHORAGE 3
"'El
TONY DING/Daily
On Friday night, Michigan freshman Andrew Ebbett skates around Ohio State's
Doug Andress.
Who's the
Yost-er boy of the NCAA?
HO. 1 (O1OAkflIO (OLLI.
Record: 19-4-5 WCHA, 29-6-5 overall
How Colorado College got here: Entering the WCHA
Tournament as the best team in the nation, many
expected the Tigers to win the tournament and
wrap up the West's No. 1 seed. After a loss to Min-
nesota in the semifinals, they are now here.
Key player: Junior forward Peter Sejna
35 goals, 44 assist, 8 game-winners
NO. 2 M1I.
Record: 14-6-4 Hockey East, 24-9-5 overall
How Maine got here: Many believed the Black
Bears were the best team in the nation. But they
are now a No. 2 seed because of just four wins
in their last 13 games - including being upset in
the first round of the Hockey East Tournament.
Key player: Freshman goaltender Jim Howard
14-6-0, 2.45 GAA, .916 SV%
Sejna
Howard
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