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2B - The Michigan Daily - Faceoff 2004 - Thursday, October 14, 2004
Thursday, October 14, 2004 -
Table of contents
3
Summer temptation
Follow Al Montoya through a whirlwind
summer after being selected by the Rangers.
4&5
The second to last line
A look at the six men chosen to keep
opposing players from getting to Montoya.
6
Refs getting strict
The NCAA is looking to enforce old rules
in a new way.
7
NHL lockout 101
Find out how the NHL lockout affects the
Wolverines, past and present.
8
TambellinilHensick
Who will shoulder Michigan's scoring
load in 2004-05?
Gde idiW aft~
STAFF PICKS
Preseason
selections
CCHA first place
CCHA second place
CCHA third place
Mason Cup winner
Mason Cup second
CCHA Coach of the Year
Surprise CCHA team
CCHA MVP
GIl champion
Gabe
Edelson
Ian
Herbert
Jake
Rosenwasser
Ryan
Sosin
Michigan
Michigan State
Miami (Ohio)
Michigan State
Michigan
Walt Kyle, NMU
Northern Michigan
Al Montoya
Michigan
Michigan
Michigan State
Notre Dame
Notre Dame
Michigan
Dave Poulin, ND
Notre Dame
Vince Bellissimo, WMU
Michigan
Michigan
Northern Michigan
Michigan State
Michigan
Ohio State
Kyle, NMU
BowlingGreen
T.J. Hensick
New Hampshire
Michigan
Michigan State
Notre Dame
Michigan Sate
Michigan
Tavis MacMillan, UAF
Alaska-Fairbanks
Jim Slater, MSU
Michigan
TONY DING/Daily RYAN WEINER/Daily
Former Michigan captain Brendan Morrison is the Vancouver Canucks representative Michigan captain Eric Nystrom, a Calgary Flames draft pick in 2002, and his
to the NHL Players Association. teammates have been keeping an eye on the current NHL labor impasse.
NHL lockout weighs on Blue minds
Michigan MVP Montoya Jeff Tambellini Hensick Milan Gajic
Michigan leading scorer Tambellini Chad Kolarik Hensick Gajic
Top Michigan freshman Kolarik Kolarik Kevin Porter Kolarik
By Ryan Sosin
Daily Sports Writer
2004-0 Michigan schiedule
Date Opponent Time Date Opponent Time
10/8 Northeastern 5:00 1/28 N. Michigan 7:35
10/9 Boston University4:30 1/29 N. Michigan 7:35
10/8 New Hampshire 7:35 2/4 Michigan St. 7:35
10/9 St. Lawrence 7:35 2/5 Michigan St. 7:30
10/21 Lake Superior St. 7:30 2/11 Neb.-Omaha 7:05
10/23 Lake Superior St. 7:30 2/12 Neb.-Omaha 7:05
10/23 Feri StapeS.7:35 2/18 Notre Dame 7:35
10/29 Ferris State 7:35 2/19 Notre Dame 7:35
10/30 Ferris State 7:05 2/26 U.S. NTDP 7:35
11/5 Miami (Ohio) 7:35 3/4 Bowl. Green 7:05
11/6 Miami (Ohio) 7:35 3/5 Bowl. Green 7:35
11/18 Michigan St. 7:05
11/20 Michigan St. 7:35
11/26 Minnesota 7:05 CCHA Tournament
11/27 Wisconsin 7:05 3/11 CCHA 1st Rd. TBA
12/3 Notre Dame 7:35 3/12 CCHA 1st Rd. TBA
12/4 Notre Dame 7:05 3/13 CCHA 1st Rd. TBA
12/10 Bowl. Green 7:35 3/17 CCHA 2nd Rd. TBA
12/11 Bowl. Green 7:05 3/18 CCHA Semis TBA
12/29 Michigan Tech 4:00 3/19 CCHA Final TBA
12/30 MSU or NH TBA
1/7 W. Michigan 7:35 NCAA Tournament
1/8 W. Michigan 7:35 3/25 Regionals TBA
1/14 Alaska-Fairbanks7:35 3/26 Regionals TBA
1/15 Alaska-Fairbanks7:35 3/27 Regionals TBA
1/21 Ohio State 7:05 4/7 Frozen Four TBA
1/22 Ohio State 7:05 4/9 Frozen Four TBA
I
Last night should have marked the
opening of the 2004-05 NHL regular
season. But the NHL owners locked
out the players on Sept. 15, delaying the
beginning of the season indefinitely and
leaving Michigan hockey players to con-
template their future.
When the curtain comes up on
tomorrow's home opener, Michigan
will be the best show in town for all
those Hockeytown fans seeking their
fix of vulcanized rubber. The Wolver-
ines don't boast the No. 1 ranking any-
more, but with the Detroit Red Wings
locked out, senior captain Eric Nys-
trom and his teammates think fans will
enjoy the speed and excitement that the
college game provides.
"Hopefully, it's a good thing for us in
that more fans will be coming out to college
hockey this year," senior Brandon Rogers
said. "And we will get more support from
all the fans who would be going to NHL
games and don't have anything to do."
The direct effect of the lockout on current
Wolverines won't become apparent until
Freshman
Left Wing
Shoots: Left
H 5 18 5
Drafted: Phoenix
4th round. 2004
I First point:
Assist vs. Boston
Scouting Report
Strengths: Porter is a great two-
way player. In the offensive
zone he has great vision and
should find himself among the
assist leaders.
Weaknesses: Porter can get a
little too fancy with the puck.
He needs to keep it simple.
Potential: Porter has been paired
early with Milan Gajic, which
should present him a ton of assist
opportunities.
Coaches Corner: "Porter is
solid, very dependable. We
feel comfortable with him
on the ice in any situation."
- Associate Head Coach Mel
Pearson
least a year from now when they attempt to
crack a pro lineup. But with 14 players hav-
ing been drafted by NHL teams, the issue
is weighing on some players' minds.
"A lot of guys are trying to have good
years so they can make the jump to the
NHL," Nystrom said. "With no league
going on, it's hard to know exactly
where you stand."
Nystrom, who was drafted by the
Calgary Flames in the first round of the
2002 entry draft, thinks he will eventu-
ally make his way into the Flames' sys-
tem, but the situation is much less certain
for the four seniors - Charlie Hender-
son, Nick Martens, Reilly Olson and Eric
Werner - that have gone undrafted.
'From a lot of guys' perspectives,
hopefully, they will figure it out at least
by next year so that there are places to
play," said Rogers, who was drafted by
the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2001.
The minor leagues provide some
sense of comfort to the current players.
Former Michigan captain Jed Ortmeyer
left Ann Arbor as a free agent bound for
the AHL team in Hartford, Conn. After
two months with the team, Ortmeyer
found himself in New York playing in
Orientation
Chad Mlark
Right Wing
Shoots. Right
Ht/Wt:5 11/175
Drafted: Phoenix
7th round, 2004
First point:
Goal vs. Boston
Scouting Report
Strengths: Kolarik is a big-
time goal scorer. Along with
his touch around the net, he
has the ability to set up his fair
share of goals, too.
Weaknesses: His defense is a
potential liability. He needs to
improve his play away from
the puck
Potential: Kolarik should find
himself near the Michigan
scoring leaders. Look for him
to embarrass a few goalies.
Coaches corner: "Chad is
energetic, skillful and dynam-
ic - the things we had hoped
he'd bring to our team." -
Pearson
the NHL.
"The path to the NHL is not always
direct," Michigan coach Red Berenson
said. "And I think that a lot of players
understand that they may have to play in
the minors anyway."
Even with most of the Michigan play-
ers earmarked for the minors, questions
that are being addressed in the collec-
tive bargaining agreement affect them
greatly. Nystrom pointed to a tighter cap
on rookie salaries pushed by the owners
and the possibility of a new free agency
system as issues with potential impact
on current Wolverines.
"We keep in contact with the teams
that drafted us, but we don't really
know where we stand contract-wise,"
Nystrom said.
Beyond the ramifications on their future
playing careers, the guys in Michigan's lock-
er room are fans. The lockout could provide
a brief benefit to the college game - includ-
ing more publicity and television coverage
- but the long term effects on the game
seem hardly worth the short term boost.
"I sure think that college hockey has a
window here and should take advantage
of it," Alaska-Fairbanks coach Tavis
MacMillan said. "But for the good of
the game, I really hope that it ends soon
- the sooner the better."
Perhaps the most daunting question
is whether there will be enough fans
around in the wake of a lockout to sup-
port the game of hockey. Former Wol-
verine captain and current Vancouver
Canucks forward Brendan Morrison
expressed concern that the fan base in
the United States might deteriorate as a
result of the lockout.
"I think it could have a big impact on
the game," said Morrison, who is the
Canucks representative to the NHL play-
ers association. "People will find other
ways to spend their money (in the United
States). People will always come back in
Canada. It's like a religion."
The game will go on at Yost even
without the NHL, but the lockout
will continue to be on the minds of
the Wolverines and Michigan fans
until the situation is resolved.
"It's a lose-lose situation for hock-
ey. Its just bad," said Josh Langfeld, a
former Wolverine and current Ottawa
Senator. "I don't see anything good
about it."
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Halloween Costumes!
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Home games in bold
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FACEOFF 2004
PRODUCTION CREW
Gabe Edelson
Ian Herbert
Jake Rosenwasser
Ryan Sosin Hockey writers
Jordan Schrader Editor in Chief
Gennaro Filice Managing Editor
Tony Ding Photo Editor
Tony Ding Cover Photo
Jonathan Dobberstein Business Manager
Tera Freeman Display Sales Manager
Alisa Bischoff Ad Design Manager
Display Sales Account Executives:
Michael Cooper, Heeral Patel, Adam
Kronk, Chris Pinckney, Ben Schottenfels,
Daniel Perach, Jessica Sachs, Courtney
Dywe, Sarah Wille
Special thanks to: Dan Bremmer, Seth
Gordon
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