The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 27, 2003 - 3B FRIDAY'S GAME Northern Michigan 0 Michigan 2 YESTERDAY'S GAME Northern Michigan 2 Michigan 5 FRIDAY'S GAME. Michigan 2, Northem Michigan 0 Quinniplac Michigan o 00 o 1 0 1-2 WILDCATS Continued from Page 1B Early in the third period, sopho- more Andrew Ebbett won a faceoff to the right of Kowalski and fed the puck forward to junior Michael Woodford, who skated behind the net and found classmate Eric Wern- er hugging the left goalpost. Rather than shoot from a tough angle, Werner made a clean pass across the mouth of the goal to Ebbett, who notched his second goal of the game. "We just kept it simple," Ebbett said. "We haven't been excelling (on the powerplay) lately, so we've been working in practice, and it's started to come through." Juniors Eric Nystrom and David Moss added tallies on the man advantage, the first multiple power- play goal game since the Wolver- ines took on Mercyhurst opening weekend. But trying to score even-strength goals proved to be a difficult task, as the Wildcats kept grinding Michigan's forwards all weekend. Despite the high number of shots in both games (34 yesterday and 57 on Friday), quality scoring chances were few and far between. "That was a pretty physical team," Ebbett said. "I think that's something their coach puts into their team, to make sure they grind you out in the corners, and you just have to battle." As a result, most of the goals Michigan got past Kowalski were typically second chances and bro- ken plays. Using screens - by hav- ing multiple players crash the net after firing a shot on goal - seemed to be the only way to light RYAN WEINER/Daily Struggling earlier this season, sophomore goaltender Al Montoya put together a solid weekend, complete with his first shutout of the season on Friday. First period - 1, MICH, Eric Werner 2 (T.J. Hen- sick) 10:06. Penalties- Michael Woodford, MICH (high sticking) 2:20; Nathan Oystrick, NMU (high sticking) 2:20; Zach Tarkir, NMU (kneeing) 4:16; Geoff Waugh, NMU (hit after whistle) 6:18; David Rohfs, MICH (hit after whistle) 6:18; Pat Bateman, NMU (cross-checking) 18:01. Second period - none. Penalties - Al Montoya, MICH (interference) 1:14; Waugh, NMU (slashing) 10:11; Brandon Rogers, MICH (tripping) 10:59; Dirk Southern, NMU (hooking) 14:45. Third period - 2, MICH, Milan Gajic 1 (Werner, Andrew Ebbett) 10:19. Penalties - Patrick Murphy, NMU (holding) 6:00; Oystrick, NMU (boarding) 9:34; Jeff Tambellini, MICH (roughing) 11:14. Shots on goal: NMU 4-5-10 19; MICH 21-27-9 57. Power plays: NMU 0 of 3; MICH 1 of 6. Saves - NMU, Kowalski 3-2-0 - 55; MICH, Mon- toya 5-1-0 - 19. At: Yost Ice Arena. Attendance: 6,973. YESTERDAY'S GAME Michigan 5, Northem Michigan 2 Northern Michigan 1 1 0 - 2 Michigan 1 2 2 -5 First period - 1, MICH, Eric Nystrom 3 (Brandon Rogers , T.J. Hensick); 2, NMU, Darin Olver 4 (Matt Maunu, Andrew Cotois). Penalties - TEAM, NMU (too many on ice) 5:15; Jason Dest, MICH (slashing) 7:58; Brandon Kaleniecki, MICH (high sticking) 16:19; Geoff Waugh (high sticking) 19:40. Second period - 3, MICH, David Moss 1 (Jeff Tam- bellini, Brandon Rogers); 4, NMU, Dirk Southern 3 (Justin Kinnugen, Geoff Waugh); 5, MICH, Andrew Ebbett 2 (Matt Hunwick, Michael Woodford). Penal- ties - Brandon Rogers, MICH (hit after whistle) 3:15; Dusty Collins, NMU (hit after whistle) 3:15; Brandon Rogers, MICH (10-minute misconduct) 3:15; Andrew Contois, NMU (10-minute misconduct) 4:59; Patrick Murphy, NMU (slashing) 6:07; Al Mon- toya, MICH (hit after whistle) 6:07; Zach Tarkir, NMU (obstruction-tripping) 9:27; TEAM, MICH (too many on ice) 10:45; Jamie Milam, NMU (interfer- ence) 15:06; Nathan Oystrick (high sticking) 16:19; Eric Nystrom, MICH (elbowing) 17:43; Matt Maunu, NMU (high sticking) 18:25. Third period - 6, MICH, Jeff Tambellini 5 (unassist- ed); 7, MICH, Andrew Ebbett 3 (Eric Werner, Michael Woodford). Penalties - Zach Tarkir, NMU (interference) 6:31; David Moss, MICH (high stick- ing) 8:48. Power plays: QU 1 of 5; MICH 1 of 10. Saves - NMU, Kowalski 3-3-0 - 29; MICH, Mon- toya 6-1-0 - 24. At: Yost Ice Arena. Attendance: 6,714. Brilliant gameplan gives Michigan defense claws the lamp. "A lot of goals are rebounds, deflections, loose pucks and the odd good play," Berenson said. "Werner made a great play to Ebbett on (his second) goal, and that was probably our cleanest goal of the game. The rest of them were deflections and that type of goal." On the other end of the ice, the Michigan defense was beginning to come together and clamp down on opponents. After surrendering nine goals to Miami two weeks ago and six to Quinnipiac last weekend, the Wolverines pitched the first shutout of the season on Friday, as goal- tender Al Montoya turned aside all 19 shots. He stopped 24 of 26 shots last night. Montoya had been consistently improving down the stretch last sea- son and was expected to pick up where he left off. But at the start of the season, he had been inconsistent at best. He gave up six goals to Miami on Oct. 10 and was pulled in the third period. Even against Quin- nipiac last weekend, he allowed nine goals in two games. But Fri- day's shutout gave him some much- needed confidence. "I feel I played pretty well," Montoya said. "Coming off the last couple weeks, I just wanted to get back in the groove of things. I start- ed to get rolling and feeling good." With the sweep, the sixth-ranked Wolverines now move into a tie for first in the CCHA with Ohio State and Miami. The Wolverine take a break from conference play next Saturday with a contest- against Niagara. puts retirement on hold after first goal on Friday night J. BRADY MCCOLLOUGH The SportsMonday Column Markus Curry doesn't know what to call it. I called it a "swagger," but he wasn't too sure about that. No one can really put their finger on what has the Michigan defense playing like Wolverines again. Maybe it's the claw. The Wolverines gave the student body 11 chances to showcase the claw for a national TV audience, shutting down Purdue's patented spread offense for four quarters Saturday. I don't think it's a coincidence that Michigan's defense has given up just 34 points in six home games and 82 points in three road games. At home, the Wolverines - like the students - have grown claws. They never stop attacking their prey, playing with a confi- dence that is devastating to their opponent. But it seems that as soon as they hit the road and become the hunted instead of the hunter, the Wolverines immediately look like they've been de-clawed. With the potent Michigan State offensive attack looming next week in East Lansing - that sounds real- ly weird, I know - the Michigan defense can't afford another, "Where did our claws go?" episode. So, Sparty's gimmicky spread offense awaits. What did the Wolverines learn this week about defending the spread? Never stop attacking. Michigan defensive coordinator Jim Herrmann really outdid himself this week. It would have been very easy for the Wolverines to sit back in a zone defense and play with the "Let's just avoid giving up big plays" philoso- phy. Instead, Herrmann loosened the reins on the Wolverines, allowing them to claw their way to three turnovers and four forced fumbles. Herrmann knew that Purdue could eat Michigan alive with its short passing attack. The Wolverines' only option was to put together a defen- sive package sprinkled with safety and corner blitzes, forcing quarter- back Kyle Orton to make quick decisions with the ball. Herrmann's plan - which emphasized lineback- ers disguising their coverages by showing blitz but instead backing up into coverage - had Orton looking like a scared, confused little child, lost in the grocery store looking for his Mommy. In this grocery store, Larry Stevens was the can of Jolt, con- stantly running his motor - and his mouth - to keep the Wolverines focused. On Purdue's first second- half possession, the Boilermakers drove all the way to the Michigan 4- yard line. But Stevens, who team- mates say is the loudest Wolverine, - chased down Orton for a six-yard sack. Purdue ended up kicking a field goal, as the Wolverines stopped Purdue for a second time in the red zone. Michigan's defense has excelled in the red zone this season. Curry says it's because the Wolverines are con- stantly preparing for different scenar- ios that put their back against the wall to unfold. For instance, the defense loved it at the end of the first half when John Navarre fumbled the ball to Purdue deep in Michigan ter- ritory. Sharpen those claws, boys. Just like in Michigan's loss at Iowa, when the Wolverines held the Hawkeyes to back-to-back field goals after being faced with bad field position, the defense found a way to keep its prey out of the end- zone. True freshman cornerback Leon Hall intercepted a horrendous Orton pass to keep the Boilermakers off the scoreboard. Not in our house. What sets this Michigan defense apart is its senior leadership. Cor- nerback Jeremy LeSueur, linebacker Carl Diggs, defensive tackle Grant Bowman and Stevens have been in every imaginable situation during their careers and know how to moti- vate their teammates. They're also playing the best football of their careers. LeSueur, who Curry says is the toughest guy on the defense, is play- ing through a shoulder injury. But don't think that's holding him back - LeSueur is issuing the blows. LeSueur had six tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and two pass deflec- tions Saturday. Grant Bowman is tough as nails. In fact, he's got screws holding his massive body together after five years of destruction. Curry sees Bowman as the leader of the defense, keeping everyone together when times are good and bad. And then there's Diggs. The fifth- year senior stops the run better than anybody, as he showed by forcing the fumble that put the Boilermak- ers away. Diggs was on the brink of picking off Orton several times, brilliantly executing Michigan's dis- guised coverages. The seniors have presented a firm foundation for Michigan's unbeliev- ably talented youth to flourish with- in. Lawrence Reid is becoming a more-than-dependable linebacker. Curry and Hall are making it tough for opponents to strictly throw away from LeSueur. Pierre Woods and Ernest Shazor are playing like the freaks of nature we always thought they'd become. In other words, this defense is shaping up to be a domi- nant force for years to come. At home. As bowling ball/defensive tackle Gabe Watson said after Saturday's game, the defense only has a swag- ger "if we can do it two games in a row." Without the students showing the defense the way the next two games, it will be up to Herrmann and the Wolverines to make sure they're not de-clawed. J. Brady McCollough can be reached at bradymcc@umich.edu. By Sharad Mattu Daily Sports Writer In honor of parents weekend, the Michigan hockey players' welcomed their parents onto the ice before Fri- day's game against Northern Michigan for a photo opportunity. Milan Gajic's parents were unable to make it to Ann Arbor all the way from British Columbia. Considering their son had pretty drastic thoughts on his mind, it might have a good game for them to attend. Before his third-period goal in Michigan's 2-0 win over Northern Michigan, the junior forward's frustration had been mounting steadily higher. Gajic's first 17 shots Player Hensick Tambellini Ebbett Werner Moss Rogers Kaleniecki Hunwick Gajic Rohlfs Nystrom Helminen Woodford Henderson Dest Kautz Cook Martens Burnes Brown Wyzgowski TOTALS GP 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 5 6 3 5 4 6 7 S 1 STATS G A Pts +/-1 2 6 8 E 5 2 7 -1 2 3 5 -3 1 4 5 -3 0 4 4 E 0 3 3 E 1 2 3 1 2 13 E 3 0 3 -4 1 1 2 -4 0 2 2 -2 1 1 2 1 1122 0 1 1 -2 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 E 0 00 E 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 -1 25 36 61 -4 PIM Sht 2 21 6 47 4 15 6 19 2 13 22 20 6 24 10 9 6 23 4 13 4 16 0 14 6 10 2 9 7 3 2 3 12 5 4 5 03 2 16 0 2 107 290 of the season didn't connect, and his hockey career might have hinged on the eighteenth. "Before (the goal) I was thinking about retiring, hon- estly," Gajic said. "I put (shots) everywhere: I put them off his head. I put them off his back. I was getting pretty upset about the whole situation." One shot Gajic fired managed to knock off Northern Michigan goaltender Craig Kowalski's helmet, but still didn't cross the goal line. "I don't know how I hit a goalie in the back of the head and the puck didn't go in the net," Gajic said. "I'm not a physics major, so I couldn't tell you." No mathematical analysis was needed to analyze Gajic's tally midway through the final period. Off a faceoff won by sophomore forward Andrew Ebbett, jun- ior defenseman Eric Werner got the puck and passed it across the ice to an open Gajic at the left faceoff circle. Gajic ripped a one-time slapshot to the top left corner for the powerplay goal. The immense relief that Gajic felt after his goal was obvious to all 6,973 in attendance. As the puck hit the net, Gajic threw up his arms and looked even more energetic than usual. "It was a great pass," Gajic said. "The goalie didn't see it coming across, and I just had to shoot it." The fact that he "just had to shoot it" was especially key because of Gajic's tendency to do too much with the puck. At times this season, Gajic has gotten caught try- ing to make a perfect play. In yesterday's game, coming out of the penalty box early in the second period, Gajic received a pass and was all alone in front of the goal. But he made one too many moves and couldn't lift the puck over Kowalski's leg. Because of his penchant for being inconsistent - all 11 of his goals last year came at Yost Ice Arena - Michigan coach Red Berenson hoped that Gajic's goal signaled the start of a hot streak. With the 10-man jun- ior class being relied on so much, Berenson would love to see Gajic's flashes of brilliance, the ones that led him to be drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers before he came to Michigan, come together. Gajic continued to fire at the net yesterday, but could- n't convert any of his five shots. Another dozen shots, and he might reconsider hanging it up again. Player GP GA Avg Svs Pct Mins Montoya 7 18 2.68 163 .890 415:50 Ruden 1 2 8.47 4 .667 14:10 TOTALS 7 20 2.86 167 .880 420:00 CCHA ROUNDUP Edkavs gam: MICHIGAN 2, Northem Michigan 0 ALASKA FAIRBANKS 4, Ferris State 2 MICHIGAN STATE 4, Western Michigan 2 Miami 5, LAKE SUPERIOR 2 Union 3, BOWLING GREEN 1 } Notre Dame 1, BOSTON COLLEGE 0 Mercyhurst 3, OHIO STATE 2 Saturays games: ALASKA FAIRBANKS 4, Ferris State 1 MICHIGAN STATE 7, Western Michigan 3 Miami 2, LAKE SUPERIOR 1 BOWLING GREEN 1, Union 1 MICHIGAN 5, Northem Michigan 3 CCHA STANDINGS 5 A JASON COOPER/Daily It's been a frustrating start of the season for junior Milan Gajic, who scored his first goal in seven games. 1953 and 1964 Wolverines bring Yost championship atmosphere By Michael Nisson Daily Sports Writer Team Ohio State Miami Michigan Western Michigan Northern Michigan Notre Dame Alaska Fairbanks Michigan State Ferris State Bowling Green Nebraska Omaha Lake Superior w 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 L 1 1 3 2 2 0 2 3 3 1 2 T 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Pts 6 6 6 5 4 4 4 4 2 2 1 0 Overall W L T 4 3 0 3 4 1 6 1 0 2 3 1 3 3 0 3 2 0 3 3 0 1 4 1 0 3 1 1 2 1 There was a national champi- onship atmosphere at Yost Ice Arena during this week- end's series against Northern Michigan, and it had nothing to do with the players that were skating on the ice. Members of the 1953 and 1964 NCAA Championship teams were in Ann Arbor to celebrate the 50th- and 40th-anniversary reunions of their respective title runs. The 1964 team was brought onto the ice dur- ing the first intermission, and the 1953 team was showcased after the second period. Fans gave each eronn a standing ovation as the 6-3 in the 1964 NCAA Champi- onship game. The 1953 Wolverines, captained by John Matchefts, beat Minnesota 7-3 to etch their names in Michigan hockey history. The '53 team also used the reunion to wrap up some unfinished business. The players on that team hadn't received rings until this weekend. Michigan was the champi- on in 1951 and 1952, and the play- ers received rings and watches those two years. Michigan also holds the record as the only team to ever win three con- secutive titles. MORE ON POWERS: While it may not be common to see a player go to the hospital as a result of a normal play, it does happen. When a coach is sent to the hospital, it's an entire- iv different story. Powers unfortunately made news before yesterday's game against the Wildcats. At the end of the national anthem, Powers collapsed on the Michigan bench. Powers left the bench for the lockerroom where he passed out a second time. Powers was then taken to the University Hospital. Head coach Red Berenson noted that Powers had been recruiting in Chicago on Saturday and had an early morning flight back to Ann Arbor yesterday. Berenson speculat- ed that fatigue might have played a factor in the frightening episode. Powers was later cleared and released from the hospital. Berenson and the Michigan play- ers expressed Suge relief to hear he was recovering. "It's pretty scary, but it's good to hear that he's doing well." sooho- DAVID TUMAN/Daily The Michigan defense has grown claws at home, but has played like Its de-clawed on the road this season. 16y ~Q~&ViYuiS Avdid c~e? ITCS HAS SOLUTIONS! ITCS has enabled e-mail virus blocking technology. University members using ITCS e-mail services* have these advantages: / You won't receive infected e-mail attachments sent to HOW THEY FARED No.1 New Hanpehire (30) vs. Canisius W8-2, vs. Niagara L 5-2. No. 2 Boston College (3-2-1) vs. Notre Dame L 1-0. Nn_ 2 Minnan a t.1-3-01uv. Minnacrt. I