w w _-11 -_ NW ..W . ,w 6B - The Michigan Daily - FACEOFF 2003 - Thursday, October 9, 2003 Burnes made for sheriff's role Thursday, October 9, 2003 - FACE4 DEDICATION REDEFINED By Sharad Mattu Daily Sports Writer "It's hard to just put a finger on Burnes." - Michigan coach Red Berenson Is that ever true. After all, he notched just eight points last season and 20 in his first tie years. So his impact won't show up in the box score. Yet the last two years he has received the Vic Heyliger Trophy, awarded to the hockey team's out- standing defenseman. And now he's being asked to fill the void left behind by Jed Ortmey- er, just the seventh player to serve as Michigan's captain in back-to- batk years. So why is Burnes such an integral part of the team? To see where his presence is felt, watch the action going on when Michigan's opponent has a power- play. You'll see No. 4 moving franti- cally across the pond, ready to sprawl along the ice if he senses a slapshot directed at the net. He'll be willing to do anything and everything to keep the score where it is. Burnes has made it this far with hard-nosed play and a never-ending work ethic, just like Ortmeyer before him. "Jed was a hard worker more than anything," Burnes said. "He came to the rink every night with his hard hat on ready to go and ready to do whatever it takes for the team. "That's something I've been doing for the past three years, and that's not going to change." And that's exactly what the Wolverines will need from Burnes this year. Michigan is loaded with talent, but will be relying on two or possibly three freshman defensemen. Enter Burnes. "If I see the guys doing some- thing I've done in the past - because I've been in their shoes as a freshman defenseman and had a senior help me out - I know that just sitting next to the guy in the lockerroom and telling them how to deal with certain situations can make a difference," Burnes said. "But more than anything it's just leading by example as well as play- ing like a senior and like a captain." Gunslinger Jeff Tambellini commits his life to his first love By Gennaro Filicem Daily Sports Writer TONY DING/Daily Senior Andy Burnes is Michigan's new captain due to his tireless work ethic and tough play. With seven freshmen joining the squad, he's taking his role seriously. Each member of Burnes' senior class, all three of them, has had quite a three years. Each year they've made a grand run and seen their dream fall apart in the Frozen Four. But Burnes has learned a thing or two and hopes it can make a differ- ence. "Every shift is important," Burnes said. "You never know when it's going to be your turn to make a dif- ference. There's a small margin of error, and you've got to be ready every shift, every period, every sec- ond of the game." A national championship would be the perfect ending for the Bat- tle Creek native. But, champi- onship or not, Berenson hopes the freshmen are watching Burnes closely this year. "If you're a young player on the team - particularly a defenseman - you can just pattern yourself after Andy Burnes," Berenson said. "You look at what he brings to the table emotionally and look at the way he acts and the way he com- petes and the way he practices, you will be a better player." T here are athletes who dedicate their lives to a sport - spend- ing every waking moment mas- tering the negligible intricacies of their chosen craft. There are athletes who live and die by the quirky bounces of an imperfect object. There are athletes who would give their left pinky to savor the sweet taste of victo- ry on the season's final day. And then there's Jeff Tambellini. The hockey-infatuated sophomore who led last year's Wolverines in scoring as a wide-eyed freshman remembers first falling for his beloved pastime. "When I was seven or eight, I real- ized that this. was the game that I really enjoyed playing - the game I loved - and I just wanted to play it at the high- est level I could," Tambellini said. "And from then it kind of took off." Kind of took off? Scratch that ... Exploded. Last season, the 19-year-old led Michigan in overall points, received the CCHA Rookie of the Year Award and Ali-CCHA Second Team honors, helped lead the Wolverines to their third consec- utive Frozen Four and was drafted No. 27 overall by the Los Angeles Kings. "He was one player that was able to come in and not only skate as well or better than any of our players, but he had the knack with the puck to score at this level right from day one," coach Red Berenson said. Teammates illustrate Tambellini in a predictably uniform fashion. Junior for- ward Eric Nystrom describes the Port Moody, British Columbia, native as a quiet kid who "loves hockey and does- n't think about much else." Freshman defenseman Tim Cook echoes Nystrom's words, adding, "He's just real focused on everything he needs to do and he knows where he's going." So, how did this soft-spoken kid from north of the border with an obsession nearing insanity become a first-round pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft? Jeff's mother, Denise, has the easy answer: "The day that he decided hockey was his thing, he was focused and never looked back. That was just what he was on a mission for and that was his road. Jeff is the most dedicated, determined write about hockey,' because his life was all about hockey." At the age of 16, Jeff moved an hour from home to play for the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League. "As a mother, it was tough," Denise said. "We were fortunate he wasn't that far, and we saw him often, and it allowed him to kind of take that time and lean out of home and make that transition." Jeff starred on Chilliwack for two seasons. In his second year, he was named the BCHL Most Valuable and Most Sportsmanlike Player, accumulat- ing an impressive 171 points in 83 games. Maybe the most jaw-dropping statistic of his career, Jeff scored a BCHL-record four goals in the first 4:05 of a playoff game. But even with amazing stats to put on his resume, Tambellini believes his greatest asset while playing on Chilli- wack was performing on the same patch of ice as players of all ages. "Being around guys that are 21 years old whernyou're 16 years old really opens your eyes up pretty quick," Jeff said. "I think it has just helped me mature as a player and as a person." Jeff entertained scholarship offers from Michigan State, Boston College and Washington University in St. Louis, but he said, "When it came down to it, Michigan was just the right fit." Jeff credits the awesome success he enjoyed as a freshman to the experience and leadership of his linemates. "I got to play with two seniors last season, Jed Ortmeyer and John Shouneyia, who made my year so easy," Jeff said. "They took me under their wing last year for sure." Although Jeff worships his elder statesmen, thinking of the senior duo conjures the memory of last year's sea- son-ending overtime loss to Minnesota in the Frozen Four semifinals. "(I remember) sitting on the bench looking at my two linemates, seeing their college careers end without them being on the ice," Jeff said. "I was talk- ing to Ortmeyer when we saw (Min- nesota's game-winning) goal go in, and just the look on those two's faces - it was just emotionless." See TAMBELLINI, Page 8B I Everything a Woman Needs Bikini 'Fu Leg -Brazilian Waxing Waxing Waxing 'Facials For appointment call: Arbor Hills Hair & Bod y Salon 913-5557 2295 S. State and driven kid that I have ever seen. I personally don't know anybody who works harder than Jeff. He gives it 110 percent all of the time because he loves what he is doing." Jeff remembers an early influence to hit the ice. "I think it (was) just being around the game," Jeff said. "Every person in my family, including my grandma, played hockey." Deep bloodlines in the sport increased Jeff's yearning to partake in Canada's favorite game. Jeff's grandfa- ther, Addie, won an amateur hockey world title with the Trail Smoke Eaters of British Columbia in 1961. His father, Steve, was the 15th pick of the 1978 NHL draft and enjoyed a 10-year career in the league. Currently, he serves as vice president for player personnel for the Vancouver Canucks. "Growing up in the environment, hockey was a way of life," Jeff said. Being third in a line of phenomenal hockey players could have its downsides - such as additional pressure to per- form - but Denise believes the experi- ence benefited her son. "I don't think it was hard for (Jeff) growing up having a dad that played hockey," Denise said. "I think it offered him special situations. He spent a lot of his life around an NHL team, and there- fore he was real comfortable with being there." Tambellini got a taste of the profes- sional hockey life, skating with Vancou- ver players like Cliff Ronning and Trevor Linden on a regular basis. These NHL encounters motivated Jeff, and led him to train harder. "I think there's a point you can get to just on talent," Jeff said. "But when you're 12, 13 years old it doesn't just come to you - you've got to put in all those extra hours just practicing small things, and that's what really makes the difference" Jeff's passion for hockey didn't stop on the ice. "He was completely dedicated to hockey in his own mind," Denise said. "It's funny because his teachers in high school would give him an English assignment and say, 'Jeff, you can not 0 L $cmd e D $pOD WALK-INS WELCOME LOOKING GOOD - FEELING GOOD! 328 S. 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