c~Ibr Bir 'igatn &lg SPORTS > 7** January 26,2004 SECTION B ini REIN iil:ii;i iil:ill:;I I - - ------------- Grapplers open Big Ten season victoriously By Steven Shears Daily Sports Writer When Michigan wrestling coach Joe McFarland looked at the sched- ule earlier this season, he noticed something frightening - rivals Iowa and Min- nesota would be traveling to AnnMC GN Arbor to start - the Big Ten sea- son. For a IATMAY Michigan team MICHIGAN 31 that has strug- gled to take an early lead in multiple dual week- ends, slow starts have meant quick losses. Fortunately for Michigan, a slow start led to two eventual victories, as the Wolverines closely defeated No. 10 Iowa 20-16 on Friday and crushed No. 12 Minnesota 31-4 on Saturday. "We have not wrestled well in our first duals," McFarland said. "We always seem to wrestle better on our second day or in our second dual. I'm not sure why we haven't wres- tled well in our first dual. In the first dual your nerves might be there, and then you get in your groove you start to get a little more comfortable." Two weeks ago at the National Duals, Michigan also began on the wrong foot as it struggled with, though eventually defeated, a mediocre West Virginia squad. The Wolverines picked it up thereafter and recovered with a third place finish. On Friday, Iowa had the benefit of facing Michigan first, and it took advantage. The marquee matchup of Michi- gan's 125-lb. redshirt freshman Mark Moos (ranked third in the nation) and second-ranked Luke Eustice to start the night was any- thing but exciting. Moos lost the match 13-3 and Iowa took a 4-0 lead. "(Moos) didn't wrestle a real good match, and that wasn't one of his best performances," McFarland said. It wasn't until the 149-lb. match that the Wolverines came alive. Seventh-ranked Ryan Churella of Michigan was tied 2-2 with eighth-ranked Ty Eustice at the end of regulation. The match spanned a total of ten minutes until Churella scored an escape and held Eustice down for the remainder of the second overtime to capture a 3-2 victory. The crowd at Crisler erupted, and Michigan regained the lead at 8-7. "I was a little fatigued," Churella said. "It was a pretty long match." Said McFarland: "I told him to continue to stay aggressive and See WRESTLING, Page 7B Cagers stop skid with win over Penn State By Daniel Bremmer Daily Sports Writer STATE COLLEGE - After his team's loss at Wisconsin on Wednesday night, Michigan coach Tommy Amaker stressed how important Sat- urday's game at Penn State would be for his Wolverines. Apparently, his team got the message. Michigan was clearly the more aggressive team en route to a rela- tively easy 69-59 Wolverine win at the Bryce Jordan Center - a win that snapped Michigan's three- game losing streak. "I think that we didn't play grit- ty enough," Penn State coach Ed Dechellis said. "We didn't play like a team that had just come off an embarrassing (80-37) loss (at Illinois on Wednesday), and we didn't play as hard as we could to try to win this game." Michigan had Penn State on the ropes, leading 21-8 with 7:20 to play in the first half. But the Wolverines allowed the Nittany Lions to go on a 10-2 run to pull within seven with just under four minutes to play in the half. Michigan (2-3 Big Ten, 11-5 overall) went on to score nine of the next 14 points - highlighted by a three pointer from guard Daniel Horton on a nice dish by Bernard Robinson - to lead 32-22 at halftime. Penn State made a quick run coming out of the lockerroom behind eight straight points from junior Jan Jagla. But the Nittany Lions couldn't stop Michigan on defense during the same stretch and never got closer than six for the rest of the game. Sophomore Lester Abram led Michigan with 19 points on 6-for- 8 shooting, including two three- pointers. "(Lester) was very efficient," Amaker said. "He took really good shots." Amaker was also pleased with the play of forwards J.C. Mathis and Brent Petway, who combined for eight points, nine boards and three blocks. "Both of them really ignited our team this afternoon," Amaker said. Petway silenced an already quiet Penn State crowd with two emphatic dunks: the first off an alley-oop from Horton and the second on a follow-up of a See NITTANY LIONS, Page 5B Friday: Michigan 4, WEIsRaN Mh : a 1i Saturday: MICHIGAN 7, Western Micbigan 0 Cers keep pace n CCHA with weekend sweep By Gennaro Filice Daily Sports Writer Posterize. The emotions that this sports verb encompasses run the gamut. For the receiving object, the poster- izee, there are feelings of pain, loss, subservience and unadulterated embarrassment. For the acting subject, the posterizer, there are sensations of gratification, victory and sheer dominance. Saturday at Yost Ice Arena during Michigan's 7-0 thumping of Western Michigan, Michigan center T.J. Hensick enjoyed the latter as posterizer on many different occasions. Although the freshman phenom, who earned the game's first star, repeatedly humiliated the Bronco defense, one first-period play stood above the rest. Senior captain Andy Burnes punched a pass through to Hensick on the right side " of the Western Michigan blueline. Quickly met by the Bronco defense, Hensick retreated toward center ice. But Hensick recognized an opening and reversed skate, scooting up the right side of the ice toward Western Michigan's net. Hensick had one defender to beat. But the defender, assistant captain Mike Jarmuth, was no slouch. Jarmuth - the lone senior defenseman in the Broncos' lineup - was named Western Michigan's most valuable defense- man in 2002-03. Face-to-face with Jarmuth, Hensick swiftly maneuvered the puck under Jarmuth's stick and juked his way around the 6-foot, 203-pound roadblock. In the clear, Hensick deked Bronco goal- tender Scott Foster into bewilderment and slipped the puck through the five-hole. The goal came with just over four minutes left in the first period and served as the Bronco dagger. "I think my instincts just took over," said Hensick, who totaled two goals and two assists on the night. "It's just one of those plays that you don't see too often because the defensemen are so skilled and they take a body. But I made a move and luckily got around him, and it was me and the goalie, and I found a little hole between the goalie's pads and it went in. "It brought a big smile to my face." Hensick's individual brilliance capped off a period that included a one-time goal by sophomore Bran- don Kaleniecki and a breakaway score courtesy of freshman Mike Brown. "It was a good start," Michigan coach Red Beren- son said. "They're a good team, and I thought we kept them on their heels. You didn't want the period to end because you knew that they would regroup" Michigan (10-4-1 CCHA, 16-7-1 overall) contin- ued its offensive onslaught in the second period, tal- lying three more goals. Kaleniecki notched his second goal in the period's third minute, burning See BRONCOS, Page 4B ROLLER COASTER ON ICE Looking at the team's winning percentage over the last three fall seasons, it's clear this winning streak could change in a hurry. Below, the team's "hottest" months are in - and their "coldest" are in blue. 2000-01 Sept.IOct. November December January .571 .500 .750 2001-02 .375 .714 .500 .71 2002-03 .714 .250 2003-04 .875 .429 .500 1 s V U v " n + ' ' ; 1 ' i a ::. si . II .elR.. .'4