The Michigan Daily - SportsWednesday - October 16, 2002 - 3B
Early penalties
cause fatigue
for Wolverines
By Dan Rosen
Daily Sports Writer
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Penalty killing might have
4 inally caught up with Michigan.
Saturday, after the Wolverines gave up two goals in
the final three minutes against North Dakota, associate
coach Mel Pearson felt that the team might have worn
itself down earlier in the contest.
"No question we took too many penalties, especial-
ly early in the game," Pearson said. "What happens is,
you might get through it initially, but it wears on you
so that later on in the game those kids have spent a lot
of energy killing penalties."
Michigan took nine whistles for a total of 18
minutes, including a game-high four in the first
period. That is two penalties more than the season
average last year.
One of the most costly penalties came when
Michigan was already shorthanded. Midway
through the first period, defenseman Brandon
Rogers was called for slashing just 42 seconds
into a North Dakota powerplay - giving the
Fighting Sioux a five-on-three advantage. Just a
minute later, sophomore Nick Fuher tallied the
first goal of the game for North Dakota on a
wrist shot to the upper-lefthand corner of the net.
Of its five goals on the night, North Dakota scored
just one when both teams were at even strength -
Zach Parisse's tally that cut Michigan's lead to 4-3.
The rest were scored on four-on-four situations, short-
handed or on the power-play.
David Lundbohm's game-winning goal in overtime
came on a four-on-four after Michigan sophomore
Milan Gajic and North Dakota freshman Matt Greene
were both called for roughing.
SATURDAY'S GAME Ii*
STEVE
JACKSON
Saturday showed the true
BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily
Eric Nystrom was one of the few Wolverines not penalized Saturday night in Michigan's 5-4 loss to North Dakota.
After the game, Lundbohm agreed that his team had
forced the Wolverines to expend a lot of energy.
"I felt we were just wearing them down all night,"
Lundbohm said. "We did it in the third. We kept going
and we got the puck in their end the whole time."
Friday night was similar for Michigan. Even though.
the Wolverines defeated Niagara 3-0, Michigan coach
Red Berenson said that his team took too many penal-
ties for his liking.
In that contest, Michigan accumulated eight whis-
tles for a total of 16 minutes. But Niagara managed
just three shots on the powerplay during the game and
Michigan escaped with a win.
"I thought the difference.in the game was our pow-
erplay," Purple Eagles coach Dave Burkholder said.
"We just looked so disheveled on our breakout, we
couldn't get the puck into their zone."
Burkholder felt that the outcome would have been
different if his team could have taken advantage of
those chances.
Berenson sounded like he would probably agree
with that assessment.
"This team hit us, they skated with us and they
moved the puck," Berenson said of Niagara. "For my
money, I thought they were the better team."
After Satuday's loss, Pearson was optimistic that the
team would learn from its mistakes over the weekend.
"We've got to get better, but it's early in the season,"
Pearson said. "We're still finding out what they're
going to call."
potential of ti
Last week, Michigan Drum Major
Matt Cavanaugh wrote a letter to
the University community calling
for better crowd participation.
"I figured that if I was going to ask
more of the crowd, I would have to ask
more of myself too," Cavanaugh said.
Saturday, Cavanaugh bent over back-
wards, touching the ground in traditional
fashion, but this time he accomplished it
without the aide of his oversized hat.
Likewise, the rest of the Michigan
faithful need to follow his example by
creatively finding new ways to "bend
over backwards" and quell the negative
image of Michigan Stadium fans.
The*Big House is recognized nation-
ally as one of the best college venues for
its classic structure, long-standing tradi-
tions and dynamic pregame environ-
ment for tailgaters. But its fans have
often been accused of being remarkably
languid and quiet for a crowd of more
than 110,000 people.
"If there's one area Somewhere al
where Michigan falls the same p
shy, it's the intimidation
factor on the field," demanded e
Matt Hayes of The from the Mal
Sporting News wrote in started to
his description of
Michigan Stadium, mediocre pel
which he ranked the from their f
No. 7 stadium in the
country overall.
Fortunately, the Penn State game
showed America another side of the Big
House. From the moment that Ronald
Bellamy and Bennie Joppru led their
team out of the tunnel and onto the
field, it felt like a different aura was sur-
rounding the stadium.
Throughout the exciting second half
against the Nittany Lions, Michigan
supporters rocked the Big House with
spirited cheers.
Even when Penn State took the-lead in,
the fourth quarter, the fans helped push
Michigan and quarterback John Navarre
to a dramatic tying score. After-throwing
him a chorus of boos in the Utah game,
the crowd finally trusted the junior sig-
nal caller, and Navarre responded by
turning in his best performance to date.
The student section was clearly visi-
ble' on TV thanks to the "Maize Out"
- a practice that doesn't change the
game dramatically but still ought to be
made a permanent tradition. And when
the overtime struggle finally ended on
Chris Perry's three-yard touchdown
run, the players met the students to
celebrate the victory together.
ij
16
e.
i2
0
'r
°e
ie Big House
There was a lot of excitement in the
air on Saturday, but much of that was
the result of a very tight and dramatic
game. As much I as I would like to think
that our fans are getting better, the real
challenge is finding a way to maintain
that fervor week after week. I still think
that Iowa could jump out to a 14-0 lead
in two weeks and kill the spirit of the
Big House again.
But if nothing else, the Penn State
game was a step in the right direction.
When students are confronted with
the bland image of Michigan fans, they
often blame the stereotypical alumni that
sit and watch the game with a cell phone
in one hand and a cane in the other. But
some of those same students will grow
to see football games as social events
rather than sporting events later in life.
Somewhere along the line, the same
people that demanded excellence from
the Maize and Blue started to accept
mediocre performances
ong the line, from their fellow fans.
eople that The Nebraska and
Tennessee alumni are
excellence famous for their pas-
ze and Blue sion, but both students
accept and alumni at Michigan
spend too much time
rformances working on the wave
ellow fans. (which should only be
done during the inter-
mission between the third and fourth
quarters) and clapping, when the situa-
tion really calls for screaming.
How do we transform the "symphony
crowd" into raucous and passionate
fans? It won't happen overnight, but
there are some steps that can be taken in
the short term.
The band should play some inspira-
tional music each time the defense takes
the field. The football players should
make a tradition out of meeting the fans
after the game, and each and every one
of the people in the bleachers should
come to the game and make a conscious
effort to live up to the high expectations
they set for the players on the field.
Our stadium has capacity of 107,501;
our fight song is the best in country; our
boys in the winged helmets have won
more Division-I games than anyone
else, including 11 national titles, 40 Big
Ten titles, three Heisman Trophies and
27 straight bowl appearances. So there
is no excuse for us not having the best
fans in the nation as well.
Steve Jackson can be reached at
sjjackso@umich.edu.
North Dakota 5, Michigan 4
*(OT)
Michigan 211 0 -4
North Dakota 112 1--5
First period - 1, UND, Nick Fuher 2 (Zach Parise,
DaivdLundbohm) 11:30 (pp); 2, MICH, Eric Nystrom
1 (Dwight Helminen, Jed Ortmeyer) 14:36 (pp); 3,
MICH, David Moss 1 Eric Nystrom, Charlie Hender-
son) 19:26. Penalties - David Moss, MICH (inter-
ference) 1:44; ZachParise, UND (o) 5:39; Dwight
Helminen, MICH (High Sticking) 9:53; Brandon
Rogers. MICH (slashing) 10:35; Andy Schneider,
UND (oi) 14:04; Nick Martens, MICH (interference)
20:00.
Second period - 4, UND, Zach Parise 4 (Quinn
Fylling) 4:21 (sh); 5, MICH, Mark Mink 2 (Michael
Woodford, Al Montoya) 18:59. Penalties - Ryan
Connelly, UND (tripping) 3:25; Jed Ortmeyer, MICH
(holding) 9:11; Charlie Henderson, MICH (oi) 14:11;
Kevin Spiewak, UND (oi) 15:43.
Third perod-6, MICH, Jeff Tambellini 2(MilanGajic,
Eric Nystrom) 15:02; 7, UND, Zach Parise 5 (Brandon
Bochenski, Quinn Fylling)16:46; 8, UND, Brandon
Bochenski 2 (Zach Parise) 17:29. Penalties - TEAM,
MICH (protocol violation) 0:00; TEAM, UND (protocol
violation) 0:00; David Lundbohm, UND (roughing)
16:59; Dwight Helminen, MICH (elbowing) 16:59.
OT period -1, UND, David Lundbolm 1 (Andy
Schneider) 3:27. Penalties - Milan Gajic, MICH
(elbowing) 2:46; Mait Greene. UND (roughing) 2:46.
Shots on goal - MICH, 7-&4-0 -19; UND, 12-7-9-2 -30.
Power Plays - MICH, 1 of 4; UND, 1 of 6.
Saves - MICH, Montoya 1-1-0 - 25; UND, Josh
Siebida 1-0-0 - 23
At: HSBC Arena, Buffalo, N.Y. Attendance: 2,740.
FRIDAY'S GAME
Michigan 3, Niagara 0
Z510
'ux freshman dominates 'M'
By Kyle O'Neill
Daily Sports Writer
BUFFALO, N.Y. - When Sports Illustrated ranked North
Dakota's freshman Zach Parise as one of the nation's top
amateur athletes in last year's swimsuit edition, the editors
probably had no idea that Parise would become the hottest
item in the magazine.
It's doubtful that anyone could have predicted the
start that Parise had last weekend
against Canisius and Michigan - HOCKEY
five goals and three assists in his Notebook
first two collegiate games. Parise
had a hand in four of the five goals in the Fighting
Sioux's 5-4 win over the Wolverines.
"We knew he was a good player coming in," North Dakota
coach Dean Blais said. "We just didn't know he was going to
get three goals and one assist (against Canisius) and two (goals)
and two (assists) against Michigan. There are a lot of expecta-
tions, but he was in Sports Illustrated for a good reason."
There were a few, simple factors that led Parise - a Min-
nesota native - to choose North Dakota as his new home.
He loved North Dakota's new multi-million-dollar arena
and the relationship he formed with the coaches.
"The kid looked at about five or six different things, and we
were lucky to get him," Blais said.
Unlucky would only begin to describe the teams that didn't
lure Parise to their school. Unluckier could describe the teams
who have to play him now.
"Zach Parise is one of the top rookies that you'll see this
year," said Michigan associate head coach Mel Pearson -
coaching in the place of head coach Red Berenson, who was
attending his father's birthday. "We tried to recruit Zach. He
was the most highly sought after recruit last year.
"You have good players, very good players and difference-
makers in special players. He is a special player and he's a
great person off the ice. He's the whole package."
THE LONE COWBELL: Since Buffalo, N.Y. is very close to the
Canadian border and because the city is known for supporting
the NHL's Sabers well, it was believed that the Xerox Punch
Imlach College Hockey Showcase would be well-attended.
But with just 2,740 fans showing up for the title game
between Michigan and North Dakota, it was safe to say that
this year's site of the Frozen Four fell a few thousand short of
what it had promised.
"Well, I think we're disappointed (in the turnout)," Pearson
said. "When we originally signed on for the tournament, we
were a lot more optimistic for what the crowds would be."
Pearson also noted that Niagra and Canisius were both
strong local teams, yet not much interest was raised.
"Unfortunately a lot of people missed some good college
hockey," Pearson said.
One fan with a cowbell did make it into HSBC Arena and
led chants for the Wolverines the best he could.
Michigan
Niagara
1 2 0 -3
0 0 0 -0
First period - 1, MICH, Eric Werner 1 (David Moss,
Michael Woodford) 5:45 (sh). Penalties - Jed Ort-
meyer,
MICH (interference) 4:04; Brian Hartman, NU (hook-
ing) 7:05; Eric Nystrom, MICH (hooking) 7:19;
Andrew Lackner, NU (tripping) 12:51.
Second period - 2, MICH, Mark Mink 1 (Michael
Woodford, David Moss) 4:50. 3, MICH, Jeff Tambelli-
ni 1 (Jed Ortmeyer, Eric Werner) 12:58. Penalties -
Michael Woodford, MICH (holding) 2:41; Team,
MICH (too many on ice) 8:39; Matt Ryan, NU (inter-
ference) 10:52; Eric Werner, MICH (interference)
15:51; Brian Hartman, NU (tripping) 18:41.
Third period - None. Penalties - Milan Gajic,
MICH (tripping) 0:08; Hannu Karru, NU (hitting from
behind) 9:19; Michael Woodofrd, MICH (tripping)
11:22; Chris Welch, NU (slashing) 17:14; Jeff Tam-
bellini, MICH (interference) 18:44.
Shots on goal: MICH 11-10-9 30; NU 8-9-12 29. Power
plays: MICHOof 6; NUOof8.
Saves - MICH, Montoya 1-0-0 - 29; NU, VanNynat-
ten 1-1-0 -30-27
At: HSBC Arena, Buffalo Attendance: 2,981.
HOW THEY FARED
No.1 Minnesota (10.0) def. Ohio State 7-2
No. 2 Denver (2-0-0) def. Nebraska-
Omaha 3-2, def.,No. 7 MiChigan State
No. 3 Michigan (1-1-0) Lost to No. 13
North Dakota 5-4 (ot), def. Niagara 3-0.
No. 4 New Hampshire (140) def. Vermont
10-0.
No. 5 Boston University (1-0-1) def. Renssel-
er 5-1, tied Northern Michigan 4-4.
No. 6 Maine (1-0-0) def Lake Superior
State 8-1.
No. 7 Michigan State (1-1-0) def. Col-
gate 2-1, lost to No. 2 Denver 5-0.
No. 8 Cornell (0-0-0) did not play
No. 9 Boston College (1-0-0) def. Massa-
chusetts 6-0
No. 10 Colorado College (1-1-0) lost to
Massachusetts-Lowell 4-1, def. Massa-
chusetts-Lowell 6-4.
CCHA ROUNDUP
Friday's games:
Denver 5, Michigan State 0
Nebraska-Omaha 6, Colgate 5
Michigan 3, Niagara 0
Boston University 4, Northern Michigan 4
Alaska-Anchorage 4, Alaska-Fairbanks 2
St. Cloud State 2, Ferris State 1
Lake Superior 2, Quinnipiac 1
Miami 5 St I awrence 2
Sioux
Continued from Page 1B
the Wolverines in the end of the period.
"I think we got a little too over-
confident and we didn't start pay-
ing attention to our own zone,"
Tambellini said. "We were focusing
too much on the offensive zone and
that really hurt us. It's just that split
second. They got the 4-3 goal and
then they got the emotion coming
right back with them and they just
built off it."
Despite the third-period collapse,
associate head coach Mel Pearson
- who filled in while head coach
Red Berenson attended a family
event - liked the intensity of the
game, and thought the overtime was
good for the young Wolverines.
"It's going to be a growing
process for these young guys, espe-
cially for the sophomores and fresh-
men, but they're getting thrown into
good opportunities, good situations
at this time of the year," Pearson
said. "Hopefully that will pay off
down the road."
Pearson said he thought Michigan
played better against North Dakota
than it did in its 3-0 win over Nia-
gara the night before.
Tambellini, Mink and junior
defenseman Eric Werner all scored
in the penalty-riddled contest
against Niagara. Werner knocked in
a rebound for a short-handed goal
in the first period, and Mink and
Tambellini padded the lead in the
second period.
The Purple Eagles attacked offen-
sively, and out-shot the Wolverines in
the third, but they couldn't find the
back of the net. Montoya stopped all
29 shots he faced to earn the shutout
in his first collegiate game.
The freshman goaltender impressed
Niagara coach Dave Burkholder.
"He was making everything look
easy," Burkholder said. "He's going
to be a big timer. I hate to say it,
(but) I don't know how long they'll
have him."
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