4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 14, 2005
LINE OF THE WEEK
Milan Gajic
Forward
Friday vs. Notre Dame
2 Goals, 2 Assists, +3
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
"It's entertaining for the fans, and
it's hard on an old coach."
- Michigan coach Red Berenson
on playing a scoreless game in overtime.
Morgan Cey
(Notre Dame)
After getting lit up in game one,
Cey bounced back with the best
performance of the weekend. He
made 43 saves Saturday.
Eric Werner
(Michigan)
Werner scored the series-clinching
goal and led the Wolverines in plus-
minus on the weekend with plus-five.
He made key plays at both ends.
0
FRIDAY'S GAME
:NotreDame Irish
SRankin
1
Irish goalie shines in swan song
Michigan Wolverines 10
Gajic (2), Rogers (2), Kolarik
(2), Nystrom, Woodford,
Porter, Tambellini
SATURDAY'S GAME
Notre Dame Irish
None
0
1
Michigan Wolverines
Werner
Michigan 1, Notre Dame 0 (OT)
Notre Dame 0 0 0 0- 0
Michigan 0001 - 1
First period - None. Penalties - Brandon
Kaleniecki, MICH (holding) 13:15; T.J. Jindra. ND
(interference) 13:15.
Second period - None. Penalties - Andrew
Ebbett, UM (holding the stick) 0:10; Ebbett, UM
(cross-checking) 0:10; Jason Paige, ND (holding
the stick) 0:10; Kaleniecki, MICH (interference)
5:11; Mark Van Guilder, ND (holding) 8:55;
Brock Sheahan, ND (holding) 1:50.
Third period - None. 9. BGSU, Bryan Dobek 3
(unassisted) 12:03. Penalties - Dan VeNard, ND
(interference) 4:39; Matt Hunwick, MICH (cross-
checking) 12:45.
Overtime - 1. MICH, Eric Werner 8 (David Moss,
Nick Martens) 2:05. Penalties-Eric Nystrom,
MICH (roughing) 0:19; Sheahan, ND (roughing)
0:19.
Shots on goal: MICH 8-5-6-0-19; ND 14-13-11-6-44.
Power plays: MICH 0 of 3; ND 0 of 3. Saves
MICH, Al Montoya (8-5-6-0) - 19; ND,
Morgan Cey (14-13-11-5) - 43.
Referee: Mark Wilkins
At: Yost Ice Arena Attendance: 6,721.
'M' STATS
By Ryan Sosin
Daily Sports Writer
When the first game of the series between Notre Dame and Michigan
was all said and done, the Irish goaltenders had a combined 9.80 goals-
against average versus the Wolverines. With a number like that hanging
over him, Notre Dame senior goalie Morgan Cey knew it would take the
performance of his career in game two to challenge the Wolverines.
The previous night, after being pulled midway through the second
period, Cey was visibly frustrated at being yanked for the third time
this season in games against Michigan as he sat on the south end of the
Notre Dame bench.
"Obviously, I didn't want to have my college career end the way it did
(Friday) night," Cey said. "I spent the day really thinking about what I had
to do tonight to give us a chance (to win)."
Cey is no stranger to big games, having helped Notre Dame overcome
a 1-0 deficit to twice advance to the CCHA Super 6. As a sophomore, Cey
blanked Miami-Ohio twice in deciding games to send the Irish into the
tournament. But Cey missed much of the 2004 playoff run with an injury
that limited him to just 14 games on the season.
"He's won every time (in the CCHA playoffs) and taken them to Joe
Louis (Arena)," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "They didn't have
a good year, but Morgan Cey did. He gave them a chance. And he gave
them a chance in his final game."
From the time the puck dropped Saturday until just before Michigan
senior Eric Werner deposited a loose puck into the net, it looked as if Cey
was going to, once again, lead Notre Dame to a decisive third game.
"I'm happy with the way I came out and happy with the way the team
came out," Cey said. "I'm happy about everything except the one goal
that I let in."
Throughout the first 62 minutes of the contest, Cey stymied every
chance the Wolverines could muster. In the second period, Michigan
sophomore T.J. Hensick had a golden opportunity from the left circle
that a sprawling Cey kicked up into the air. As the puck came down and
bounced into his crease, the Irish netminder blindly searched for the puck
until the whistle blew because the net behind him went off its pegs.
"Morgan made the big save when we needed it," Notre Dame coach
Dave Poulin said. "He was great, but tonight kind of sums up his career.
He had a magnificent career, and he's taken our goaltending expectations
to a new level as a program."
As the game moved on, Cey's unrelenting play began to wear on
the Michigan players, stopping everything that came his way - shots
through traffic, wrap-arounds and one-timers. Poulin emphasized the
need to keep Michigan's momentum at bay, and, as Wolverine freshman
Chad Kolarik slammed his stick onto the ice following another big save
indicated the Irish were successful.
"He stood on his head tonight," Michigan senior Milan Gajic said. "We
knew he was going to come out hard, and he came out hard. He gave his
team a chance to win, and that's what all great goalies do. It's just too bad
it couldn't have turned out better for him."
After Werner's goal, Cey sat in the locker room with his goalie pads
still on, trying to come to the grips with the end of his career. His thoughts
were with his teammates - most of which were in suits by then - who
will go into the offseason with a 19-game winless streak hanging over
them. The senior wants those returning players to carry Saturday's
game with them as they attempt to recover from a 5-27-6 campaign.
"I'm feeling really happy that we gave them everything they could
handle tonight," Cey said. "But it's quite a feeling to know that you'll
never play another college game. It's taking me a long time to take off
(my pads). I hope the guys are headed in the right direction for next
year. I hope we can take this game and know that we can play with the
best next year."
Despite the loss that ended his career and the Notre Dame season,
Cey can take some solace in what his performance did for the ailing
program. Poulin sees many similarities between this year's series and
the first-round series in 1998 between the same two teams. Notre Dame
split the first two games with the eventual national champions and had
a 2-0 lead in the second period of the third game before Michigan
6
TOMMASO GOMEZ/Daily
Notre Dame senior goalie Morgan Cey goes down to stop a Michigan
shot. cey denied 43 shots in Saturday's impressive performance.
stormed back on the shoulders of Bill Muckalt's two assists. Michigan
took the game and the series with just six minutes left, but the Notre
Dame players knew they could play with the best teams in the country
- something Poulin said was the foundation for the next six years of
success.
"We knew what it took to play at that level," Poulin said. "We learned
a lot from that series. That's what I told (the players) after the game,
this has to be the same sort of lesson of what it takes to be successful
at this level."
OFF THE DRAW
Player
Hensick
Tambellini
Gajic
Ebbett
Kolarik
Nystrom
Moss
Werner
Porter
Hunwick
Rogers
Ryznar
Kaleniecki
Martens
Rohlfs
Brown
Dest
Woodford
Henderson
Montoya
Olson
Cook
Ruden
GP G
35 22
38 19
38 18
36 6
38 17
34 12
36 10
35 8
35 11
36 6
38 4
32 5
38 11
35 1
30 5
31 3
38 1
22 3
10 2
36 0
13 0
34 0
7 0
A Pts +/- PIM Sht
29 51 +15 24 120
30 49 +26 24 182
19 37 +7 40 109
28 34 +13 28 86
16 33 +8 49 105
18 30 +18 31 56
19 29 +10 26 75
21 29 +23 42 45
13 24 +11 45 57
17 23 +12 54 51
19 23 +19 66 81
17 22 +6 46 44
6 17 +7 46 117
10 11 +8 32 28
5 10 +8 14 40
5 8 +12 95 53
6 7 +24 52 36
3 6 +3 26 30
1 3 0 4 10
3 3 -- 22 0
1 1 +4 6 5
0 0 +7 50 14
0 0 -- 0 0
MICHIGANiPLAYERS
3 - Eric Werner
18 - David Moss
NOTRE DAME PLAYERS
19 - Wes O'Neill
29 - Morgan Cey
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:, h t ::
S
V
.5
-'C- ;:
a
a
6
I I
- Skating w/ puck
Skating w/o puck . . - Pass - - Shot
Player
Montoya
Ruden
Mayhew
GP
36
7
1
w
27
1
0
L
6
1
0
T
3
0
0
GAA
2.58
1.34
0.00
PCT
.894
.953
1.000
CCHA STANDINGS
Team
Michigan
Ohio State
Northern Mich.
Nebraska-Omaha
Bowling Green
Michigan State
Miami (OH)
Alaska-Fairbanks
Lake Superior
Western Michigan
Ferris State
Notre Dame
CCHA Overall
How it happened: Michigan went on the attack in overtime,
holding the puck in the Notre Dame zone and creating quality scoring
chances by taking advantage of the open ice during four-on-four play.
Two minutes into the extra frame, senior David Moss skated down the
left side of the slot and fired a shot that was stopped by Irish goalie
Morgan Cey, who failed to clear the rebound. Notre Dame defense-
man Wes O'Neill also misplayed the puck, which popped out to Mich-
igan senior defenseman Eric Werner in the low right circle. Werner
flipped the puck into the net over Cey's outstretched glove to win the
game and the series.
Analysis: Werner's goal was Michigan's first overtime score in
over two years. The significance of the marker was immediately appar-
ent, as Notre Dame's season came to a close while the Wolverines
advanced to the Super 6 for a shot at the CCHA's postseason crown.
23-3-2
21-5-2
17-7-4
13-11-4
13-12-3
12-13-3
11-13-4
11-14-3
8-14-6
8-18-2
7-17-4
3-20-5
26-7-3
24-8-4
20-9-7
17-15-4
16-14-4
17-15-4
15-16-5
13-15-4
9-20-7
13-19-2
12-20-4
5-25-6
Seniors bid farewell to
Yost
FRIDAY'S RESULTS:
MICHIGAN 10, Notre Dame 1
Alaska-Fairbanks 6, BOWLING GREEN 3
OHIO STATE 4, Ferris State 2
NEBRASKA-OMAHA 4, Lake Superior 3
MICHIGAN STATE 2, Miami (Ohio) 1
Western Michigan 2, NORTHERN-MICHIGAN 1
SATURDAY'S RESULTS:
MICHIGAN 1, Notre Dame 0 (OT)
NEBRASKA-OMAHA 4, Lake Superior 3 (OT)
Alaska-Fairbanks 6, BOWLING GREEN 3
Ferris State 1, OHIo STATE O (OT)
MICHIGAN STATE 5, Miami (Ohio) 4 (OT)
NORTHERN MICHIGAN 4, Western Michigan 2
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS:
OHIO STATE 5, Ferris State 4 (OT)
NORTHERN MICHIGAN 4, Western Michigan 1
By Jake Rosenwasser
Daily Sports Writer
After senior Eric Werner's
overtime game-winning goal in
Saturday's 1-0 win over Notre
Dame and the subsequent pile-on
celebration, the
seniors - instead
of heading straight
to the locker room
- took one last
victory lap around
Yost Ice Arena.
The group circled
n o
., p0
the ice and thanked the pep band,
the season ticket holders and final-
ly the raucous student section.
Then, senior captain Eric Nys-
trom skated to one side of the exit,
and senior Milan Gajic settled on
the opposite side. One-by-one,
the seniors filed out, never to play
again in front of the packed arena.
Nystrom and Gajic congratu-
lated their classmates and even
waited for the equipment manag-
ers to leave the ice before they
took one final wave. Finally, the
pair stepped off the ice, hugged
and headed to the locker room.
"I tried to block it out as much
as I could during the game," Gajic
said. "But, once Werner scored that
goal, it pretty much hit me right
career
.From HERBERT
)nfident Continued from page 163
away. Skating around with the stu-
dent section going, 'Thank you,
seniors' and with the band going
nuts - it was special. There will
never be a place like this again in
my life."
Last weekend, the seniors were
honored on senior night in their
regular-season finale against
Bowling Green, but Saturday was
really the final game at Yost. And
it was no surprise which players
soaked it in the longest.
"We're always the last two off
the ice," Nystrom said. "But it was
a little different tonight because it
was the last time we'd ever play a
game here and it's sad. We didn't
want to ever step off the ice. It's
been a hell of a run, but it's not over
yet, and that's what it was like. We
may not play at Yost again, but we
still got Joe Louis Arena, which is
a home away from home for us."
Nystrom understands how lucky
he's been to have had four years
playing in what is widely consid-
ered as the best arena for college
hockey in the nation.
"There will never be another
place to play like Yost Ice Arena,"
Nystrom said. "Whether it's in the
NHL or not, it's just such a unique
place, and I'm so fortunate and
humbled to be able to play at a
place like this."
HAT-TRICK?: On Friday in the
third period, Gajic gave the crowd
another reason to cheer. He slipped
behind the defense and skated in
on Irish goalie Rory Walsh. Gajic
put the puck past Walsh and scored
what the crowd thought was his
third goal of the game. The Yost
faithful celebrated and chucked
their headwear onto the ice.
But Gajic's goal was actually his
second of the game because a goal
that he was rewarded with in the
second period was later rewarded
to Michael Woodford.
"The guys were joking (about
the hats)," Gajic said. "Ever since
we've been here, it was the most
hats that have ever come on a hat
trick, and I didn't even get one.
Me and Woody both whacked at
it, and it went (in). That's all that
matters."
NOTES: Michigan is currently on
a season-best eight-game winning
streak. It is Michigan's longest
winning streak since last season's
eight-game streak from Dec. 28,
2003 to Feb. 6, 2004 ... Eric Wer-
ner extended his career-best point
streak to eight games with his
game-winning overtime goal. He
has two goals and 11 assists in the
span.
TOMMASO GOMEZ/Daily
Senior Milan Gajic scored two goals on Friday, but the Yost Ice Arena crowd thought
that he registered a hat trick. On Saturday, Gajic played his last game at Yost.
TOMMASO GOMEZ/Daily
Senior captain Eric Werner will lead the
Wolverines Into the Super 6 at Joe Louis.
UP NEXT:
SUPER 6
IRISH
Continued from page 113
Nevertheless, Berenson decided to put
his more offensive-minded players on
the ice during overtime, even though he
knew some of his scorers were "defensive
risks."
"We're nlavino to win " RBrenson nid.
win, he did finish his collegiate
with a spectacular performance
the opening faceoff, Cey was co
and stoic. He denied shot after sh
the Wolverines, despite constant h
from the crowd.
"I went out there thinking I wa
shut up 6,000 Ann Arbor fans," C
"Needless to sav they're not very
ot from
eckling
nted to
ey said.
nice to
team with four game-winning goals, missed an
open net, he slammed his stick against the ice in
disgust. The pressure was mounting, and everyone
was on the edge of their seats. It wasn't quite over-
time, but, with the way the goalies were playing, it
was transformed into a sudden death game.
scores from around the CCHA. Michigan State was
in overtime, tied at 4-4 with Miami (Ohio). Ohio
State was in overtime, tied at 0-0 with Ferris State.
Two underdogs taking good teams to overtime told
me what I already knew: Playoff hockey was in full
swing.
And when the game I was watching made its way
into overtime, I got giddy. As a writer and a fan
of the game, this is what you live for. You live to
I