The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 11, 2004 - 3B Former linemates reunite a tourney By Gabe Edelson Daily Sports Writer DAYTON, Ohio - The pair stood in a parking lot under a deep pink and purple sky. One wore a blue warm-up suit, the other a red one. Two rumbling buses waited for them just a few feet away. Michigan junior Jeff Tambellini - who was clad in blue - was about to hop on his bus for the ride back to Ann Arbor after the hockey team's 7-2 win over Boston Univer- sity in its final game at the Lefty McFadden Invitational on Saturday. His crimson counterpart - Terrier junior forward David Van der Gulik - had another night in an Ohio hotel ahead of him before yester- day's early-morning flight back to Massachusetts. But for just a moment, the two took advantage of a rare opportunity to catch up with one another. Tambellini and Van der Gulik - who hail from Port Moody, B.C., and Abbotsford, B.C., respectively - have known each other since they began playing together for the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League in 2000. In fact, they were linemates for about a year before the two head- ed off on their separate paths two years ago. "It's fun to come back and see guys (you used to play with) and to be able to play against them," Tam- bellini said. "You see a different side of the relationship, I guess." Last weekend was just the second time the two have faced each other on the ice since their days of junior league hockey. The first contest was held on Dec. 29, 2002, in the Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Both Tambellini and Van der Gulik scored game- tying goals, but in the end, then-No. 10 Michigan was upset by then-No. 14 Boston University, 5-4. Saturday night's game may have given Tam- bellini some sense of retribution in head-to-head competition against his former teammate. The quest for the Brown Jug GENNARO FILICE The SportsMonday Columnm Early Monday morning one week ago. it dawned on me that I'd never seen college football's oldest trophy in person. The last time the Little Brown Jug made a public appearance in Ann Arbor was at the end of Michigan's 31-10 thumping of the Golden Gophers in 2001. And, being a foolish, beer- thirsty freshman, I had left the game before the Jug's Big House cameo. But why is this postgame celebra- tion the only chance I've had to see the Jug? Michigan's had it since 1988, so why hasn't it been more prominently displayed during my time here? I was pretty sure that we were going to win Saturday's game. Regardless of the Golden Gophers' insane skill at running back, I just knew that, if they couldn't hold a 21-point fourth-quarter lead at home last year, there was no way they were going to leave the Big House with the Jug on Saturday. So, following this year's win, I wanted to give the Jug a new home where everyone could see it in per- son - at my favorite Ann Arbor bar, The Brown Jug. But, first things first, I needed to locate the Jug and speak to its keeper. Unfortunately, this was much easier said than done. . I e-mailed a member of the foot- ball administrative staff, explaining my grand scheme to give the Jug a stage for the viewing pleasure of Maize and Blue diehards and I asked for directions to the keeper of the Jug. His response was short and not so sweet: "The story that you e-mailed me about is not one that the department is interested in participating." Shadiness in the Michigan foot- ball program? Eh, this was noth- ing new. So I stayed upbeat and e-mailed a different member of the administrative staff, hoping that he could at least tell me where the Jug is kept. After receiving no response for a few days, I began to investigate why the athletic department seemed to have a gag order on the subject of the Jug. On page 363 of the football media guide, I found my answer - it all ties back to some Depression-age tomfoolery: "The trophy disappeared from the trophy case of the Michigan Athletic Administration building in 1930 and was not found until 1934. Before the actual jug was found behind a clump of bushes by a gas station attendant in Ann Arbor, a replica of the prize was displayed in Michigan's trophy case. The authenticity of the original was confirmed by a flaw that could not be duplicated. Since then, the trophy has been carefully safe- guarded." Aha! I knew then that the University would provide minimal assistance - taking matters into my own hands was the only way I could get any- where. So. I grabbed Shaggy, Scooby and the rest of the gang (or one of my friends with way too much time on his hands), and headed down to Michigan football's epicenter, Schembechler Hall. As we arrived at Schembechler, the football team was on its way out. I lowered my hat bill over my eyes because I was pretty convinced that one of the administrators I had bad- gered would identify me and turn the linebacking corps loose. Pierre, Prescott, Shawn ... sic 'em! Our first destination was the Mar- garet Dow Towsley Museum in the front of Schembechler. The museum features Desmond Howard's and Charles Woodson's Heisman Tro- phies (both the player and the Uni- versity receive a copy of the vaunted hardware), many Big Ten champion- ship trophies and even Bo's hat and whistle. But, curator Paul Lowry informed us that the Jug was not present. He said its kept in a vault at an undisclosed location. Does this thing have nuclear capabilities? Paul led us to the Michigan vs. Minnesota exhibit that featured a replica of the Jug. As my friend and I took pot shots at the University for presenting a knock-off Jug to the public, Michigan athletic director Bill Martin walked by. I swear I saw him do a double take out of the corner of my eye, and I waited for hired goons to strong-arm me out of the building. It's those pesky Daily kids, who are trying to uncover the Jug's location. Security breach! Security Breach! But Martin passed without inci- dent and we continued to badmouth the athletic department. Then a bad situation got horribly worse. Two college-aged men with cameras spotted the Michigan vs. Minne- sota exhibit and simultaneously exclaimed, "There's the Little Brown Jug. Wow!" The duo then informed a third guy of the supposed Jug. I didn't have the heart to tell them that they were being duped by the athlet- ic department (I never saw anything that stated the Jug was a replica). My friend and I decided to exit the museum and try to get some info from the people who worked the side entrance to Schembechler. As we ascended the stairs outside Schem- bechler's north end, we were harshly eyeballed by a short, stout man with glasses stood with his face pressed up against the double doors. When we got to the doors, he slightly cracked one open and asked how he could assist us. I inquired about the location of the Little Brown Jug. He said he didn't know. I asked him whether he'd ever seen it, and he said "only on TV." But then he expressed that he thought he could help us and began to lead us through Schembechler. Whoa! Here we go. I've finally cracked into the system! The man can't hold me down! But, he led us back to familiar ter- ritory, the front of the museum. "There's a replica of the Jug around the corner." We left Schembechler dejected, as we'd failed to gain any informa- tion on the Jug or its whereabouts. I decided to call The Brown Jug, to make sure the relocation attempt was worth my effort. I explained to the restaurant's assistant manager, Francisco Gomez that the University could splurge for a top-notch security system to keep the Jug in his restaurant - seri- ously, where does my $34,000 yearly tuition really go? After Francisco figured out what I was talking about (think I sprung it on him a little quick) and verified that, yes, I was serious, he seemed pretty into my plan. I don't know whether he desires the extra dough the authentic Jug would bring to his place of business or he just loves early 20th century water receptacles; either way, he said the bar would "definitely" be inter- ested in acquiring the Jug. On Saturday, I saw the Jug in the hands of Matt Lentz just 10 feet away from me, and this sighting fueled my fire to make the Jug more accessible to the student body. The trophy's origins go back to Michigan's famed "Point-A-Minute" teams of the early 1900s. It's a piece of Michigan history that needs to be on display. But Francisco and I need support and we need it soon. 'Cause before you know it, Minnesota's going to actually hold a fourth-quarter lead. Gennaro Filice can be reached at gfilice@umich.edu. TONY DING/Daily Michigan forward Jeff Tambellini and Boston University forward David Van der Gulik got to reminisce after Michigan's 7-2 win on Saturday. "I guess (Michigan) evened up the score," Van der Gulik said with a smile. From an individual standpoint, Tambellini was far more impressive than Van der Gulik in the second showdown. The Michigan forward and alternate captain chalked up three assists - including a helper on Michael Woodford's game-win- ning goal in the first period - and accumulated a plus-three rating, while Van der Gulik had just two penalty minutes to show for on the stat sheet. But neither player's per- formance prevented the duo from joking around before saying their temporary goodbyes. "I wouldn't want to play him all the time because I would beat up on him too much," Van der Gulik said as the two broke into laughter. "I could have lined him up there, but I didn't. I kind of took it easy on him a little." Despite their conflicting sched- ules, Tambellini and Van der Gulik make time for each other during the year and in the off-season. "We talk throughout the year to see how each other is doing," Tam- bellini said. "We went golfing this summer. It's definitely fun to keep in touch." Having known each other since Tambellini was 15 and Van der Gulik was 16, it's hard for the for- mer Chiefs to forget that hockey isn't a life-or-death matter. As the one-time linemates and long- time friends prepared to split up yet again, friendship seemed more important than wins and losses, goals and assists. "In the back of your mind, you remember that it's still a game," Van der Gulik said. "You're not going out there to kill each other." TERRIERS Continued from page 1B thing it didn't do Friday. "We were getting back to pucks faster and making plays," Hunwick said. "We tried to hit that first guy quick and get the puck out of our zone. Not mess around with it." Freshman Peter MacArthur was the only Terrier able to beat Montoya, putting two pucks past the Wolverine goaltender in the third period. His second goal - a slapshot from the right point that beat Montoya over his glove shoulder - came from the same exact spot that Northeastern's Danny Grover used to put Michigan away on Friday. Nothing seemed to be clicking for the Wolverines against the Huskies. The defense found itself trapped pinching on offense, yielding a lot of chances for North- eastern. About the only good thing that can be salvaged from Friday's loss is that the No. I target - and the overconfidence - is now gone. Junior Jeff Tam- bellini said the team was too confident coming into the opener and it showed in its performance. "Everyone tells you how good you are when you haven't even played a game yet, but this was a real game," Beren- son said. "We can forget about the No. 1 ranking. That'll be gone and that's fine. We don't deserve it anyway." Chiropractic... The Right Choice For Your Future Is your dream to become a doctor, to study in beautiful surroundings, with a world-renowned faculty and state of the art facilities - what more could you want in a professional education? Logan College students receive all this and more! If you are ready to accept the challenge of graduate professional study in science, physiotherapy, nutrition, radiology, clinical sciences, chiropractic techniques and extensive clinical rotations, then Logan College is the place for you. Logan College of Chiropractic gives you the skills to help patients get well through non-invasive healthcare while preparing you to earn a substantial income commensurate with your position as a Doctor of Chiropractic. m