The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 24, 2003 - 5B 4, HO. 1(OLODO D0(OLL4 U. 4 WAIVH~ I TI No. I new oMII mi 1UID11V, 4 P. M0. 4 SAfINT (LOUD STAfTI .. , Midwest AN" "N" - D " I(I1MQ WUH OM P.M. I UITUAPAYR 9 P.M1. Northeast wo""" "misc. - T9 IhI(T FRiOZEN FOuR NAlO..U.. - MAMNA Ho. 2 II NO. 2 .0 1 O IYWLtITY WTUAW, 110 P.M. N0. 101IUKAh FI WTHOR 7:10 P.M. NO. SAO EHO. 10IHH.O NO. 1 ("~lHILL UI~DAYV, §OP.M1. H. 4 0QM(UNT F WITUADY, 12 P.01. HO. 4 0IHI OTflSTflTI-MAI1HAUTO 4 AS. S9 IflHflLA: .ApI10, 12 P.M.AHD C P.M. (4AIPlOHPIIP:lPAI 12,1 P.M. West flIm fi~ tI ~u - AiucIU(I II1 EP.M. N- D( East 12 P.01. IAO VIKI). , A.I. - NUIH' IDONUTS (ZHi~.f a NO. 2 9411 MROT HO. 2 B~OSTON (OLLAA AM UIDA~fV, E P.M1. NO. HOATU WWOI1A WIT~HDAY, O P.M1. HO.3 01110 MRUI 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 u~n % maIinu Nin / wnih br (TnlTr lUIiii(111 IIGiJJuliinU. WYI1J- 114411.1-