4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - December 5, 2005
HITTING AFTER THE WHISTLE
A1
ICE HOCKEY
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Matt Davis
Miami (Ohio)
The senior center had a goal and an assist on Friday
night coupled with another goal in Saturday's win.
Davis's tally on Friday was a short-handed goal that
sparked a three-goal outburst in the second period.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
"I'm at a loss for words right now.
This is not Michigan hockey."
- Michigan captain Andrew Ebbett after
Saturday's 4-3 loss to Miami (Ohio).
BY THE NUMBERS
Friday's Game
MIAMI (OHIO) 4 - MICHIGAN 2
Saturday's Game
MIAMI (OHIO) 4 - MICHIGAN 3
Miami meltdown
4w
Blue miscues lead
to RedHawks' sweep
68
The total number of penalty
minutes Michigan took over the
weekend series.
4
The number; of one-goal leads that
Michigan had --they blew each one of
them, dropping both games to Miami.
By Daniel Levy
Daily Sports Writer
OXFORD - Michigan was anything but
steady against Miami (Ohio) this past week-
end. In both games, the Wolverines worked
hard and put themselves in position to win.
But in the end, the result was two more losses
for Michigan, which extended its losing streak
to four games. And the weekend added more
questions than answers for a hockey team that
was ranked No. 1 in the nation just two weeks
ago.
Like a house built from a deck of cards, one
or two big mistakes caused everything to come
crashing down for Michigan each night.
On Friday night, Michigan and Miami
were knotted at two midway through the
second period. The Wolverines silenced the
crowd by scoring first in each period. With
10:36 remaining, RedHawk forward Stephen
Dennis was whistled for instigating, giving
the Wolverines a power play.
SCORING SUMMARY
Michigan 3, Miami (Ohio) 4
Michigan ................................................. 2 1 0 -
Miami (Ohio) ........................................... 2 1 1 -
3
4
FIRST PERIOD
1. MIA Matt Davis 7 (Kevin Roeder, Joe Cooper) 10:39; 2. MICH T.
J. Hensick 9 (Jack Johnson, Matt Hunwick) 12:59; 3. MICH Andrew
Ebbett 4 (unassisted) 15:28; 4. Ryan Jones 7 (Nathan Davis, Nino
Musitelli) 16:19.Penaites-Andy Greene, MIA (hooking) 0:26; Bran-
don Kaleniecki, MICH (CTH roughing) 4:11; David Rohlfs, MICH (high
sticking) 7:55; Andy Greene, MIA (cross checking) 11:07; Jason Bailey,
MICH (CTH roughing) 14:56; Kevin Roeder, MIA (slashing) 17:05; T. J.
Hensick, MICH (slashing) 17:05.
SECOND PERIOD
5. MICH Brandon Kaleniecki 3 (T. J. Hensick) 11:58; 6. MIA Nathan
Davis 6 (Ryan Jones, Brad Robbins) 17:10. Penalties - Raymond
Eichenlaub, MIA (obstruction-hooking) 12:39; Jack Johnson, MICH
(CTH high-stick) 14:17; Jack Johnson, MICH (boarding) 17:10; Jack
Johnson, MICH (game misconduct) 17:10.
THIRD PERIOD
7. MIA Andy Greene 5 (unassisted) 9:04. Penalties - Marty Guerin,
MIA (hooking) 1:14; Jack Johnson, MICH (contact to the head rough-
ing ATW) 2:10; Justin Mercier, MIA (hooking) 6:05; Matt Hunwick,
MICH (roughing ATW) 9:43; Geoff Smith, MIA (goaltender interfer-
ence) 9:43; Andrew Cogliano, MICH (cross checking) 16:16; Matt
Davis. MIA (slashing) 19:58; Andrew Cogliano, MICH (slashing) 19:58;
Matt Davis, MIA (slashing) 19:58.
Shots on goal: MICH 812-11-31; MIA 15-16-10-41. Power plays: MICH 1 of 5; MIA
1 of 7. Saves - MICH Noah Ruden (13-15-9) - 37; MICH Jeff Zatkoff
(6-11-11) - 28.
Referee: Brian Aaron Attendance: 2,850.
'M' STATS
Despite boasting the nation's top power
play, the man advantage turned out to be
Michigan's undoing. Twenty-five seconds
into the Dennis penalty, Miami forward Jus-
tin Mercier hounded Michigan defenseman
Matt Hunwick behind the net. Mercier stole
the puck and centered it to an uncovered Matt
Davis, who beat Michigan goalie Billy Sauer
to give the RedHawks the lead.
Barely a minute later, Davis repaid the
favor. Still shorthanded, he fed the puck
ahead to Mercier who fired a shot from the
left slot over Sauer's left shoulder to give
Miami a two-goal cushion. After Michi-
gan had battled hard for the first half of the
game, two shorthanded goals gave Miami its
first lead of the game. That short stretch of
play proved to be the difference in the Red-
Hawks' 4-2 win:
"When our power play is turning the puck
over and giving up shorthanded goals, it gives
the other team a huge lift," Michigan coach
Red Berenson said. "We turned the puck over
too much all over the ice."
Saturday's game played out the same way.
The two teams battled back and forth with
neither team holding more than a one goal
lead. Tied at three in the third period, Michi-
gan appeared to build momentum with some
crisp passing on an even-strength play. But
any hopes Wolverine fans had of taking the
crucial third period lead were quickly dashed.
Miami dumped the puck into the Michi-
gan zone. Michigan defenseman Tim Cook
took the puck behind the net and attempted
to pass the puck out of the zone, but Miami
defenseman Andy Greene intercepted the pass
at the blue line. The captain skated in alone on
net and beat Michigan goalie Noah Ruden for
what turned out to be the game-winning goal
in a 4-3 Miami win.
"On the winning goal, we gave the puck
away," Berenson said. "That was pretty
obvious."
The problem for the Wolverines is that the
costly mistakes that haunted them this past
weekend came in different situations. There
isn't one specific problem that Michigan can
address to turn things around.
Besides giving up two shorthanded goals,.
the Wolverines lost the lead twice on Friday.
CAITLIN KLEIBOER/Daily
Freshman forward Andrew Cogliano is turned away during Michigan's 43 loss to Miami on Saturday.
The first squandered lead was due to a power
play goal. The second time, Michigan gave up
a three-on-two rush following a missed oppor-
tunity, which led to another Miami goal.
"We have a three-on-one rush when the
score is 2-1 for us, and we don't score and we
don't even get a shot out of it," Berenson said.
"They go down and score on an unearned
goal, and that gives them the momentum of
the game."
On Saturday, it was missed defensive
assignments that hurt Michigan. Late in the
first period, the Wolverines left RedHawk
forward Ryan Jones open in front of the net
on a Miami power play. Nathan Davis found
the open man and Jones banged the puck into
the net to tie the game at two. Late in the sec-
ond period, Hunwick got.caught out of posi-
tion and Miami took advantage. This time,
Jones found Davis streaking ahead. Davis
slid the' puck though Ruden's legs to 'ie the
game at three.
"We need to be more aware as a defense on
the ice," defenseman Jack Johnson said. "For-
wards in college hockey are good and quick
so we have to keep our heads on a swivel and
be more aware."
Inconsistency plagued Michigan all
weekend long. The Wolverines are aware
that they need to cut down on their mistakes
in order to snap out of their losing funk..
"It's not that we're playing poorly," Mich-
igan defenseman Jack Johnson said. "It's
just a couple minor details that turn out to
be big details. We just need to get better in
key situations."
0
Player
GP
G
A
Pts
+/-I
PIM Sht
Hensick 15 9 16 25 +6 12 53
Johnson 15 4 16 20 +8 67 36
Cogliano 15 7 10 17 -2 14 48
Hunwick 15 5 12 17 +4 20 35
Porter 15 9 5 14 -1 10 39
Ebbett 15 4 10 14 -4 19 33
Kolarik 15 4 7 11 -2 18 27
Turnbull 15 3 6 9 +5 31 25
Naurato 12 5 2 7 0 2 22
Miller 15 1 4 5 +5 8 17
Kaleniecki 14 3 1 4 -2 27 37
Macvoy 8 1 2 3 0 6 6
Mitera 15 0 3 3 -2 27 20
Bailey 14 1 1 2 -5 35 16
Swystun 15 1 1 2 -11 10 18
Fardig 12 1 0 1 +1 16 8
Rohlfs 15 0 1 1 -2 8 11
Dest 15 0 1 1 -5 29 10
Cook 14 0 0 0 -2 19 11
DAILY POWER RANKINGS
'M' football alum leads Miami athletics
1. Wisconsin (13-1-2)
The Badgers affirmed
their rise to the top of
every national ranking
with a sweep on the
road at Minnesota.
With hapless Michigan
Tech heading to
Madison next weekend,
Wisconsin should be
safe in the top spot for
at least a few weeks.
2. Miami (Ohio) (11-2-1)
As Michigan went to
Goggin Arena for the
final time, few thought
it was possible the
RedHawks could sweep
the Wolverines for the
first time in seven years.
But the RedHawks
showed they were for
rel, notching eight goals
and extending Michigan's
losing streak to four.
3. North Dakota
(10-5-1)
With a pair of blowouts
over Michigan Tech this
weekend, the Fighting
Sioux jump up in the
rankings with losses by
many of the nation's top-
10 teams this weekend.
4. Vermont (11-3-1)
After tying New
Hampshire on -
Friday night, the
Catamounts defeated
Massachusetts-Lowell
on Saturday night. If
Vermont can hold on,
they might contend
for the Hockey East
title if the league's top
teams continue their
inconsistencies.
5. Boston College
(7-4-1)
The Eagles fell from the
No. 2 spot in the Daily
rankings after losing to
Boston University, 6-
2, on Saturday to split
the rivalry series. They
will try to bounce back
against Massachusetts
next weekend.
Dunlap
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THE 'RED' LINE
In a system named for legendary coach Red Beren-
son, the Daily hockey writers grade the Wolverines on
their performance in each of four areas.
(Graded out of 4 pucks)
By Mark Giannotto
Daily Sports Writer
OXFORD - Miami (Ohio) athletic director Brad Bates was
presented with an interesting dilemma during this weekend's
series against the Wolverines.
His employer faced his alma mater in
one of the biggest series of the year in the
CCHA. But the choice of whom to cheer for
was not hard for him to make.
"I know every single Miami hockey play-
er, and I know every single Miami coach,"
Bates said. "Seeing the time and commit-
ment that they put into it makes it easy to pull for Miami."
Bates, who graduated from Michigan in 1981, was a walk-
on defensive lineman for the football team from 1977-81
under the tutelage of legendary coach Bo Schembechler.
When the Wolverines are not facing a team from Miami,
Bates stays true to his roots.
"I had a great experience (at Michigan)," Bates said. "I
love the program and certainly still know some people who
work there. I really follow the Wolverines throughout the
year."
During his four-year tenure at Miami, Bates has over-
looked a revival in RedHawks athletics. Despite his success,
Bates said he has no desire to return to a major university
like Michigan and serve as athletic director.
"Because Miami is a mid-major, it provides some profes-
sional opportunities that are extremely engaging and chal-
lenging," Bates said. "To be at a major conference school
that may have accomplished things is professionally not as
challenging. The potential (at Miami) is fantastic, and I am
really thrilled to work here."
CONTROVERSIAL CALL: Miami center Nathan Davis got by
the Michigan defense and flipped a shot past a helpless Noah
Ruden with just under three minutes remaining in the sec-
ond period of Saturday night's game. But the activities after
the play were what made it so interesting.
Mark Giannotto
OFFENSE
Offense? What offense?
The line changes this week
did nothing to jumpstart
the goal-scoring. After a
fast start, the freshmen
forwards have been brought
back down to earth by
quality opponents.
DEFENSE
For the second consecutive
weekend, mistakes by Mich-
igan defensemen cost the
Wolverines two key games.
If Michigan hopes to climb
back up into the CCHA title
hunt, the defense must
be more consistent.
GOALTENDING
The goalies saw more
action than the Minnesota
Vikings, and for that, you
can't be too hard on them
for giving up eight goals
in two games. But two
losses doesn't warrant
AROUND THE CCHA
Friday's results:
MIAMI (OHIO) 4, Michigan 2
Lake Superior 4, Alaska-Fairbanks 2
NebraskaOnaha 5, Ferris State 2
Michigan Stae 3, Bowling Green 0
Western Michigm4, Notre Dame 3
Alabama-Huntsville 4, Ohio State3
Saturday's results:
MIAMI (OHIO) 4, Michigan 3
Le Suprior 3, Alaska-Fairbanks 2
Bowl ing Green 4, Michigan State 2
Notre Da7e3, Western Michigan 0
Alabama-Huntsville 2, Ohio State2 (OT)
Sunday's results:
NEBRASKA-OMAHA 5, FERIS STATE 3
*HOM E TEAM S IN CAPS
CCHA STANDINGS
Davis turned his'head toward the net to admire his goal,
when Michigan freshman Jack Johnson knocked him to
the ground. After the hit, Davis was on the ice for several
minutes before leaving the playing surface under his own
power.
"I thought (Davis) was trying to cut me from underneath,"
Johnson said. "I saw him looking at his shot and I caught
him not looking, but I thought the hit was legal."
The three officials then conferred for a few moments
before deciding to give Johnson a five-minute major pen-
alty and a game misconduct for boarding along with another
minor penalty for contact to the head-high sticking: With
those two penalties, the RedHawks got a seven-minute
power play.
Although the Wolverines were able to kill the penalty, it
left them with just five defensemen for the remainder of the
game - and without one of their leading scorers.
Michigan coach Red Berenson indicated that he also
thought the play was legal and that video of the check would
be sent to the CCHA league offices for review this week.
"It's too bad that no one got a good look at it," Berenson
said. "When you see the video, it's hardly a two-minute pen-
alty. To take a player out of the game, one of our best players
- and (the officials) are not sure - is unfortunate. That's a
big call if you aren't sure."
GOALIE SHOWDOWN: Last week, the Central Scouting Ser-
vices of the National Hockey League released their ratings
of all the NHL draft eligible players in college hockey. In the
goalie category, Michigan freshman Billy Sauer was ranked
No. 1, followed by Miami freshman Jeff Zatkoff at No. 2.
Unfortunately for NHL scouts and fans alike, the two
freshmen did not face each other head-to-head, with Sauer
playing on Friday night and Zatkoff playing on Saturday
night.
Both goalies played solid games when they were between
the pipes. Sauer faced 46 shots on Friday, and kept Michigan
in the game by stopping 42. Zatkoff got the win on Saturday,
stopping 28 shots for the RedHawks.
with shots throughout the weekend. On Saturday Ruden made 37
saves, while Sauer saw 46 shots on Friday night and saved 42.
Later in the second' period, Dest and Cook got caught in a big
pileup of players. The puck somehow trickled out of the pile to
a waiting Davis, who then unleashed a slap shot that hit the top
post and bounced right to Ruden.
The Wolverines then had some luck on the offensive side of
the ice. Kaleniecki let loose with a slap shot from the left faceoff
circle. The puck bounced off Miami defenseman Mitch Ganzak's
shoulder, popped into the air and flew by unsuspecting RedHawk
goalie Jeff Zatkoff. That goal gave the Wolverines a 3-2 lead
halfway through the second period.
"Off the draw (the puck) hit off (Ganzak), and after that I com-
James V. Dowd
REDHAWKS
Continued from page 1B
Wolverines' defensive zone. The ill-advised pass was intercepted
by Miami captain Andy Greene directly in front of the Michigan
goal, and the senior defenseman beat a helpless Noah Ruden for
the game-winning goal.
From the beginning, things did not go well for the Wolver-
ines. The crowd at Goggin Ice Arena was loud, and the Miami
players responded by out-hitting the Wolverines. The physical
Pts play prompted defenseman David Rohlfs to take a high sticking
21 penalty at the eight-minute mark.
Team
CCHA
Overall
1. Miami 10-1-1 11-2-1
HI R c rch