The Michigan Daily - SportsTuesday'- September 3, 2002 - 19A 'Tough' summer for icers as stars take off By Charles Paradis Daily Sports Writer When Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson was asked about losing two of his best players in the span of a few days this summer, he responded, "It's been a tough week." The Wolverines lost their No. 1 scoring threat, Mike Cammalleri, and their top returning defender, Mike Komis- HOCKEY arek, to the NHL. N b Ok Komisarek, the seventh overall oteboo pick in last year's draft, informed Michigan coaches on July 23 that he would be leav- ing school to play for the Montreal Canadiens next season. Two days later, Cammalleri also announced that he would forgo his final season at Michigan to play for the Los Angeles Kings. "I'm disappointed in what those players are going to miss," Berenson said. "I hope they do well in their careers, but I can't tell you how disappointed I am that they chose to leave now. "Each time it happens I'm not pleased. I want to see the kids do well in their future, but I sense some- times that things like greed and selfishness take over from some of the priorities that I would have thought were important." Both players decided to turn pro after giving the Michigan coaching staff verbal assurances that they would be returning to suit up for the Wolverines this season. The sudden and unexpected departure of the two stars has left the Michigan coaching staff with holes to fill in its roster. The loss of Komisarek means the rest of the Michigan defense will have to step up to fill the void vacated by the CCHA's top defensive player last season. While the blueline took a heavy hit with the depar- ture of Komisarek, the loss of Cammalleri, who was considered a top contender for next season's Hobey Baker Award, could be just as devastating. Despite playing in just 29 games last season, Cam- malleri led the Wolverines with 23 goals and was second in points with 44. In order to fill the spot left by Cammalleri, the Michigan coaching staff asked Andrew Ebbett if he would want to come to Michi- gan a year early. Ebbett, a native of British Colum- bia, graduated last year, but was going to spend another year with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in the British Columbia Hockey League to develop before coming to Michigan in 2003. With the departure of Cammalleri, the Michigan coaching staff needed to find another potent goal scorer to take his place. Ebbett got the call. "I was pretty surprised to hear that Mike (Cam- malleri) left," Ebbett said. "From all my sources I had been hearing that Mike had been planning to come back to graduate, but I was really excited." Ebbett was named the Rookie of the Year last sea- son in the BCHL Interior Division after scoring 45 goals and tallying 79 points. He was expected to vie for the BCHL scoring title next season, an award won by fellow incoming freshman and BCHL alum Jeff Tambellini in 2002. Ebbett faced a difficult deci- sion when offered the chance to play for the Wolver- ines, not because of his desire for personal accolades, but for agreater goal. "I was ready to go, the only thing that was hold- ing me back.was that I had pretty much told my coaches that I was staying," Ebbett said. "If I had stayed we.might have had a shot at the national championship." FIRST DRAFT: For the second straight year, Michi- gan had a player selected in the top 10 of the NHL Entry draft. Sophomore forward Eric Nystrom was drafted by the Calgary Flamesas the 10th overall pick this summer. Nystrom is only the fourth Wolverine to be selected in the top 10. While this pick surprised some, one group that expected it was the Michigan coaching staff. "It didn't surprise us one bit, because when you evaluate Eric Nystrom, It's really difficult to find holes in his game," Michigan assistant Billy Powers said. "When you have a kid that's 6-foot-2, tough, competitive, good hands, can score goals with good people. That made him a first-rounder. I think every- body thought he'd play in our league as a third or fourth liner. They didn't think he had the offensive skills he showed this season. He can play on the top line, with the top centerman and be an impact play- er." Nystrom was not the only player to hear his name called at the draft this summer. Fellow sophomores Jason Ryznar and Dwight Helminen were also tabbed by NHL teams. Ryznar was taken by the New Jersey Devils with the first pick of the third round (64th overall). "It was a great relief first of all," Ryznar said. "All year long everyone is talking about the draft. And when it finally comes around and you hear your name called, it is just a great relief." Helminen was selected in the eighth round as the 244th overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers. DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Mike Camallerl was one of two Wolverines to leave school this summer to play in the NHL. Cammalleri was Michigan's top offensive player last season. AP PHvU Ryan Miller also made the jump to the NHL prematurely, leaving the Spartans with a big hole to fill between the pipes. Miller won the Hobey Baker as a sophomore. Michigan State loses goalie Miller to NHL By Bob Hunt Daily Sports Writer Michigan State goaltender and fre- quent Wolverine-killer Ryan Miller has decided to forgo his senior season and sign a two-year deal with the Buf- falo Sabres. In his three years in East Lansing, Miller put together one of the best careers for a goalie in college hockey history. The East Lansing native became a national story during the 2000-01 season when he set the NCAA single-season save percentage record of .950 and set CCHA single- season records for goals against aver- age and shutouts. He also became just the second goaltender to capture the Hobey Baker Award. While Miller did not match those numbers this past season due to a weak- ened Michigan State defense, he still led the CCHA in goals against average and was named a Hobey Baker finalist. Drafted in the fifth round of the 1999 NHL entry draft by the Sabres, Miller was sought after by the organi- zation throughout the summer. Rick Comley - who left Northern Michi- gan to replace legendary coach Ron Mason - had talked with Miller throughout the summer and had been pretty sure he was going to leave school for the past month. "I kind of felt it all along," Com- ley said. The biggest hurdle for the Sabres in signing Miller was the value of his contract. While the terms of the contract were not disclosed, Comley hoped Miller would only go for what he deserved. "I didn't want him to go for less than he was worth," Comley said. Miller's signing was such a big event in Buffalo that the Sabers held a press conference at a Buffalo area golf course where the club was holding an alumni tournament, which is very unusual for a fifth-round draft pick. Although Miller's signing was big news, the former Spartan is likely going to have to spend significant time for the Sabres' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Rochester. Both cur- rent starter Martin Biron and backup Mika Noronen excelled in Rochester before making the Sabres roster. With Miller off to the professional ranks, the Wolverines will now face an inexperienced goaltender in their four players at a time, which will allow him to evaluate both Wyandotte and Tobe. Comley expects that he will use both goalkeepers throughout the first couple months of the season and will likely not have one No. 1 goaltender until at least Christmas. So in the meantime, Comley hopes that the defense can step up and make the new goaltenders' jobs easier. After looking at last season's games, Comley feels that the defense could do more. "They relied on (Miller) too much," Comley said. The Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives is taking applications for Student Leaders for KCP College Days Fall Visits, October 21 through November 22, 2002 Application Deadline is September 20, 2002 Student leaders must be out- going individuals with an interest in helping middle and high school stu- dents underrepresent- ed in higher education to seek a college education. Information i2f Sessions will be held in the Career Planning & Placement Conference Room .. on the following dates and times: Monday, September 16, 2002, 5-6:30 PM Tuesday, September 17, 2002, 7-8:30 PM Wednesday, September 18, 2002, 7-8:30 PM Attendance to one session is mandatory. Applications and job descrip- bions can be obtained at the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives -VIM Ctu..on Arth,;Atie hi it