-UEms -IF --w T qw -W s w q 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." Ii* 25S Slale 3He Aeve Mr .Geks Halloween Costumes! *LahrJckt. ots*7si ns'BltB ls* -r Home games in bold PASS Restrictions may apply. MD ALL-NUDE AMATEUR CONTEST TONIGHT @1OPM $300 CASH PRIZE! CALL FOR DETAILS OCT. 8-9TH: PAJAMA PARTY WEEKEND OCT. 13TH: POLE PRINCESS 2004 OCT. 21-23RD: XXX FILM STAR : TRISHA UPTOWN 806 S. Sate St. (Between Hill and Packard) " Ann Arbor, MI 668-8669 The Full Service Shop - Men - Women - Children Mon. & Thurs. 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tues. & Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wed. 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sat. 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments Available 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 -i 1 '4 Y96+M ~ e 44 E - * tas .C. r. . Y . . " .r , * ir , a. _ a_ . . P R J . 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