4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 23, 2006 HITTING AFTER THE WHISTLE 4 ICE HOCKEY PLAYER OF THE WEEK Chad Kolarik Michigan Kolarik was one of the few Wolverines that played well in both games this weekend. He had two assists in Friday night's 6-1 win, and followed up with a goal and an assist in Saturday night's loss. NOTABLE QUOTABLE "We haven't been known for scoring short-handed goals, but it's not against the rules." - Michigan coach Red Berenson commenting on the shorthanded goal scored by junior Tim Cook in the second period of Friday night's game. BY THE NUMBERS 72 Days since Michigan won a road game following Saturday night's loss at Bowling Green. The Wol- verines' last road victory came on Nov. 12 when they defeated Northern Michigan in overtime. SATURDAY'S SCORING SUMMARY Bowling Green 5, Michigan 2 Michigan .............................................. 0 1 1 - 2 Bowling Green ....................................... 1 2 2 - 5 FIRST PERIOD 1. BGSU James Unger 11 (Don Morrison, Derek Whitmore) 3:51. Penalties - Michael Hodgson, BGSU (cross-checking) 15:23; Kevin Schmidt, BGSU (interference) 16:55. SECOND PERIOD 2. BGSU Michael Hodgson 1 (Brett Pilkington, Jon Erickson) 2:20. 3. BGSU Derek Whitmore 10 (Brett Pilkington, Don Morrison) 7:29. 4. MICH Chad Kolarik 8 (Kevin Porter, Jack Johnson) 18:03. Penalties - Ryan Barnett, BGSU (slashing) 2:29; Matt Hunwick, MICH (slashing) 6:00; David Rohlfs, MICH (tripping) 11:23; Brett Pilkington, BGSU (tripping) 16:07; Mike Falk, BGSU (interference) 18:34; Matt Hunwick, MICH (hooking) 20:00. THIRD PERIOD 5. BGSU Rich Meloche 5 (Brett Pilkington, Mike Nesdill) 1:37. 6. BGSU Derek Whitmore 11 (Brett Pilkington, Don Morrison) 3:35. 7. MICH Kevin Porter 12 (T. J. Hensick, Chad Kolarik) 9:31. Penalties - Matt Hunwick, MICH (cross-checking) 2:07; Andrew Cogliano, MICH (slashing) 5:30; Jeremy Bronson, BGSU (slashing) 8:14; Tim Cook, MICH (holding) 9:37 Russ Sinkewich, BGSU (slashing) 12:25; Danny Fardig, MICH (hit after whistle) 12:25; Rich Meloche, BGSU (obstruction-hooking) 15:43; Andrew Cogliano, MICH (roughing) 15:43; Michael Hodgson, BGSU (rough- ing) 19:47. Shots on goal: MICH 15-12-6-33; BGSU 13.15.21.49. Power plays: MICH 2-of-8; BSU 3-of-6. Saves - MICH Noah Ruden (12-13-6) - 31; MICH Billy Sauer (0-0-13) - 13; BGSU Jon Horrell (15-11-5) - 31. Referee: Steve Piotrowski. Attendance: 4,989. Friday's Game MICHIGAN 6 - BOWLING GREEN 1 Saturday's Game BOWLING GREEN 5 - MICHIGAN 2 Bowling for Mediocrity Fast start not stressed enough by M' By Mark Giannotto Daily Sports Writer What a difference three days make. After coming out flat and falling behind to Michigan State last Tuesday night, the Wolverines looked to start quickly against Bowling Green on Friday night. All week, the Michi- gan hockey team stressed that a good start could cure many of the team's woes and propel it to victory. And Friday, the Wolverines were able to implement their game plan to perfection, coming away with a 6-1 win. Just one minute into the game, soph- omore Chad Kolarik came streaking down the right wing and made a nifty step-through maneuver to evade two Falcon defenders. He shot wide of the net, but the rebound deflected off freshman Mark Mitera to the waiting stick of senior captain Andrew Ebbett. Ebbett took the puck and beat Bowling Green goalie Jimmy Spratt for the first of six Michigan goals. But for the Wolverines, the first-period scoring was not done. Three minutes later, Michigan was on the power play when freshman Travis Turnbull retrieved a loose puck along the boards. He then whirled around and fired a pass toward the middle of the ice, where forward Andrew Cogliano was streaking at the net. Cogliano collected the pass and fired a shot by Spratt for his first of two goals. The early two-goal lead turned out to be insurmountable for the Falcons and acted as a catalyst for the Wolverines' six-goal outburst. "We were pumped up to play tonight," Ebbett said. "We weren't happy with the way we came out on Tuesday, and we got all the pieces together in the first five minutes. We took it to them for once." Unfortunately for the Wolverines, the good start on Friday night did not translate to early success on Satur- day night. An early Bowling Green goal doomed Michi- gan. At the four-minute mark of the first period, Falcon captain Don Morrison got loose on an odd-man rush and fed junior James Unger, who backhanded a shot past Michigan goalie Noah Ruden. "Bowling Green got that first goal, and it got the crowd going and they got some confidence," said Michigan coach Red Berenson. DAILY POWER RANKINGSj PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily All Michigan could do was look in disbelief as the Falcons took control of Saturday's game early and never turned back. AND THAT'S THE WAY THE COOKIE CRUMBLED: Michigan defenseman Tim Cook will never forget Friday night's game, but whether he remembers the moment he scored his first career goal is still in question. "I didn't know what was going on," Cook said. "I think I blacked out in the celebration. It was a good time." Two minutes into the second period, Bowling Green was on the power play when Cogliano gathered a loose puck at center ice. The freshman raced down the right wing before passing to forward Tim Miller. Miller then gave it back to Cogliano, who slid the puck back to the streaking Cook. The junior chipped it past the sprawling Spratt for the Wol- verines' third goal of the night. "I didn't really see him," Cogliano said. "It was really weird. He has a pizza flipper as a blade, and I just saw that blade and stick behind me, so I just dropped the puck. I told him it was an honor to be a part of his first goal. Kolarik was not even on the ice when the play was hap- pening, but after seeing the goal, he hopped off the bench and retrieved the puck for his teammate. MONTVILLE SIGHTING: There were some unfamiliar charac- ters donning the maize and blue on Friday night. Sopho- more defenseman Jon Montville and senior Morgan Ward made their first appearances at Yost Ice Arena this season. Montville and Ward were called to duty because freshman Jason Bailey was out with a rib injury and senior Brandon Kaleniecki was still sidelined with a lingering groin injury. Freshman defenseman Jack Johnson was serving a one-game suspension because of his disqualification from last Tues- day's Michigan State game. With those three unable to play, it opened up an opportunity for the seldom-used walk-ons. "I liked the way (Montville and Ward) played," Beren- son said. "They didn't look out of place out there." 'M' STATS GP GIAIPts Player +/- PIM Sht Hensick 23 11 22 33 +5 18 76 Johnson 20 5 17 22 +8 91 54 cogliano 21 10 12 22 -2 26 73 Porter 21 12 10 22 +2 26 53 Hunwick 23 7 14 21 +7 38 52 Ebbett 23 7 14 21 +2 19 57 Kolarik 23 8 12 20 0 26 48 Turnbull 23 4 8 12 +4 39 36 Kaleniecki 19 5 5 10 +4 31 53 Miller 23 3 9 12 +8 22 28 Naurato 20 6 3 9 -2 4 43 Mitera 21 0 7 7 +4 37 23 Bailey 20 5 2 7 -1 45 23 Rohlfs 22 0 4 4 +5 33 20 Dest 23 1 3 4 -1 31 17 Fardig 20 2 1 3 +1 17 32 Swystun 20 1 1 2 -10 10 23 cook 22 1 0 1 -1 25 17 Dunlap 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 Montville 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 ,mall schools pumped for Blue A,-/ i 1. Boston College (16-4-2) Not only did the Eagles win both their games over Vermont, they didn't allow a single goal all weekend. In fact, in its last five games, Boston College has given up just two goals. 2. Minnesota (16-6-4) The Golden Gophers. swept Colorado College, who hasn't played very well lately. And since being swept by Wisconsin on Dec. 2-3, Minnesota has just lost once. Next weekend's matchup against the Badgers will be the only series in the nation that matters in the nation. 3. Miami (Ohio) (17-4-4) The Redhawks may have swept CCHA- cellar dweller Western Michigan, but a combined 1-2-2 record against Ohio State, Northern Michigan and Notre Dame in recent weeks may be a forecast of the team's future. 4. Wisconsin (18-4-2) The Daily Power Rankings are unkind to those who drop two games at home. Yes, it was against Denver, who happens to be second in the WCHA, but these are the Daily Power Rankings. We demand perfection. Besides, you only beat Michigan by one. The Gophers won by three. 5. Cornell (13-4-2) In its last five games, Cornell has lost just once and, in the process, moved to second place in the ECAHL. In his 11th season as head coach, Mike Schafer has the team rolling and quite possibly has won the award for goofiest looking coach ever for the 11th straight season. BOWLING GREEN - Saturday night was a stark reminder of something that every Michigan athlete must remember any time they go on the road. It means a lot to beat Michigan, especially on your home and were tied up from getting back into position. Senior goaltender Noah Ruden was right when he said there was no reason to celebrate some of his big saves when he even- tually gave up five goals. But on the aforementioned breakaway and several other odd-man rushes, there wasn't a whole lot ice. Ruden could do. Thankfully, he somehow managed a few bril- This desire to send the Wolverines packing is magnified in liant saves to keep the game from getting out of hand. ice hockey, where Michigan is part of the CCHA After it became clear that the Falcons had dic- rather than the Big Ten. Instead of facing just tated the style of play, their fans continued to get Michigan State and Ohio State, where the rivalry is louder and louder, and suddenly, Michigan was out intense regardless of the sport, Michigan also faces of the game. As the clock ran down, I kept waiting off with teams like Bowling Green, Alaska-Fair- for Michigan's talent advantage to pay off, and for banks, Northern Michigan and Miami (Ohio). b. Bowling Greenegoaltender Jon Horrell to crack, but Normally, these teams don't have a shot to beat - it never happened. Michigan.They're partofmid-major DivisionIcon- My suspicions of the attitudes of the two teams ferences like the MAC (Miami (Ohio) and Bowling ) '.5were confirmed by one of the Michigan Daily pho- Green) or even Division II (Northern Michigan). tographers, who was posted between the two teams' Although MAC football teams have come closer JAMES V. benches to shoot the game. He described the Michi- and closer to their Big Ten counterparts in recent gan bench as angry, or frustrated, and the Bowling years, the Wolverines have rarely been challenged DOWD Green one as cocky and brooding. by a mid-major opponent. The same goes for field JamesOn... And it should have been that way. Michigan was Ward 2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 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) OFFENSE , Mark Giannotto It looked like the offense was back to its old self on Friday night when Michigan erupted for six goals. But for Saturday's game the Fal- cons switched goalies, and the Wolverines had trouble putting the puck in the net. DEFENSE Even with defensive pairings, the chemistry still wasn't quite there. Jon Montville filled in admirably for Jack Johnson on Friday and Tim Cook finally contributed on the offensive end, but Satur- day revealed lasting problems. GOALTENDING For the second straight series, Michigan's goalies showed up one day and disappeared the next. It would be nice to have one goalie to depend on, but neither one has done anything hockey, track and field and other sports in which Michigan perennially contends for conference and national titles. So when a school like Bowling Green has an opportunity to compete with Michigan in ice hockey, the team will certainly do its darndest not to let its opportunity to beat the evil empire pass - which is precisely what transpired on Saturday. The speed and talent discrepancy between Michigan and Bowling Green is significant, as evidenced by the Wolverines' 6-1 drubbing of the Falcons in Ann Arbor on Friday. But once the series headed to Bowling Green, there was no tentative defense and weak offense. There was a simple desire to finish the series with a victory. Right off the bat, the tone of the game was different than Fri- day. On Friday, junior T.J. Hensick darted around the Falcons to net an absolutely filthy - there is no better word than filthy - goal, but there was no chance of that on Saturday. Every time a Michigan player touched the puck, there was a white jersey on him, slamming him into the boards. And as the Falcons' fans cheered at the top of their lungs for each of the hits, they got increasingly harder. And sure enough, they eventually drew the Wolverines into their style of hard-hitting hockey. Next thing I knew, Bowling Green's Dan Morrison and James Unger were headed down the ice on a backside breakaway with forward Chad Kolarik as the only Michigan player anywhere near the play. The Wolverines' defensemen had been caught pinching into the offensive zone getting knocked off by an inferior team just one night after hammering them. But still, as time expired, I was in awe of how much the victory meant to the Falcons and their fans. The arena seems about a third of the size of Yost, the student section is significantly smaller and there were a ton of Michigan fans there. But it was still loud. You would have thought that the players had won the Stanley Cup. Instead of the relatively polite fist pounding and helmet smacking you've probably become accustomed to, the Falcons swarmed Horrell in his net - slamming him and the goal - into the end wall. And then, as the Wolverines left the ice and the Falcons saluted their fans, Rich Meloche was actually climbing up the glass, reaching the top and pumping his fist to the crowd. It was kind of like a Lambeau Leap on ice or "Spi- derman" Helio Castroneves after an Indy Car race. I almost wish that the Wolverines could have been out on the ice at that point. It might have made the bitter taste of losing a key game just a little more unbearable. But it would have served as a reminder for the next time Michigan heads out on the road in a home-and-home series. The Wolverines will always have more talent. They will always have great coaching. There will even always be fans on the road. But next time, as they pack up their gear, I hope they carry the memories of road losses like Saturday's at Bowling Green and Tuesday's at Michigan State along with them. - James Dowd can be reached atjvdowd@umich.edu AROUND THE CCHA Friday's results: MICHIGAN 6, Bowling Green 1 Michigan State 4, NEBRASKA-OMAHA 1 FERRIS STATE 2, Lake Superior 2 Ohio State 5, ALASKA-FAIRBANKS 1 NORTHERN MICHIGAN 5, Notre Dame 2 MIAMI (OH) 6, Western Michigan 1 Saturday's results: BOWLING GREEN 5, Michigan 2 NEBRASKA-OMAHA 3, Michigan State 2 FERRIS STATE 3, Lake Superior State 1 MIAMI (OH) 4, Western Michigan 3 Notre Dame 4, NORTHERN MICHIGAN 3 ALASKA-FAIRBANKS 3, Ohio State 0 *Home teams in caps CCHA STANDINGS James V. Dowd FALCONS Continued from page 1B Porter gave Michigan a last gasp its following Friday night's romp. Trying to improve upon its slow start against Michigan State last Tuesday, Michigan scored early the middle and shot back toward his left, leaving both the defenseman and the goalie helpless. The play was icing on the cake for the fans at Yost Ice Arena, who watched Team CCHA Overall Pts and often against the Falcons. Two goals in the first five min- I A, A A n IN 47 A A 7n U U n OT