4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 23, 2006

HITTING AFTER THE WHISTLE

*

ICE HOCKEY

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brandon Kaleniecki
Michigan
In his return to the lineup, the senior forward had
the Wolverines' lone goal in Friday's game and
scored two goals in Saturday's 5-5 tie. The alter-
nate captain had been sidelined for the previous
three weeks with a groin injury.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
"There should be a time limit on it.
I don't know if their equipment is too
small or someone needs glasses."
- Michigan coach Red Berenson commenting
on the 10-minute video replay review that disallowed
an apparent Michigan State goal on Friday night.
BY THE NUMBERS
4 The number of leads Michigan blew
in Saturday's 5-5 tie.
SATURDAY'S SCORING SUMMARY
Michigan State 5, Michigan 5
Michigan State...............2 1 2 0- 5
M ichigan .............................................3 1 1 0 - 5
FIRST PERIOD
1. MICH Kevin Porter 13 (T. J. Hensick, Chad Kolarik) 3:57. 2.
MSU Tyler Howells 8 (Chris Mueller) 13:47. 3. MICH David Rohlfs
1 (Andrew Cogliano, Mark Mitera) 15:12. 4. MSU Chris Mueller 8
(Colton Fretter, Tyler Howells) 16:43. 5. MICH Andrew Cogliano 11
(Tim Miller) 18:28. Penalties - Jack Johnson, MICH (cross-checking)
1:18; Jim McKenzie, MSU (slashing) 2:16; Andrew Cogliano, MICH
(unsportsmanlike conduct) 2:16; Tim Kennedy, MSU (unsportsman-
like conduct) 2:16; Tyler Howells, MSU (CTH roughing) 2:43; Zak
McClellan, MSU (hooking) 5:49; Nick Sucharski, MSU (obstruction-
hooking) 10:33; Andrew Ebbett, MICH (high-sticking) 17:09; Tim
Cook, MICH (obstruction-holding) 19:57.
SECOND PERIOD
6. MSU David Booth 7 (Justin Abdelkader) 1:29. 7. MICH Brandon
Kaleniecki 7 (Jack Johnson, T. J. Hensick) 16:12. Penalties-Andrew
Cogliano, MICH (tripping) 1:25; Jim McKenzie, MSU (obstruction-
hooking) 14:56; T. J. Hensick, MICH (roughing ATW) 16:40; Bryan
Lerg, MSU (roughing ATW) 16:40.
THIRD PERIOD
8. MICH Brandon Kaleniecki 8 (Andrew Ebbett, Chad Kolarik) 0:36.
9. MSU Tyler Howells 9 (Jim McKenzie, Bryan Lerg) 11:37. 10. MSU
David Booth 8 (Tim Crowder, Justin Abdelkader) 16:04. Penalties -
JustinAbdelkader, MSU (interference) 4:05; Matt Hunwick, MICH
(CTH high-stick) 10:49; Tim Miller, MICH (hooking) 14:51.
OVERTIME
No Goals. Penalties - Corey Potter, MSU (CTH roughing) 4:01.
Shots on goal: MSU 6-10-9-2-27; MICH 19-6-8-1-34. Power plays: MSU 3-of-6;
MICH 2-of-7. Saves - MSU Jeff Lerg (16-5-7-1) - 29; MICH Billy Sauer
(4-9-7-2) - 22. Referee: Brian Aaron. Attendance: 18,071.
M' STATS

Friday's Game
MICHIGAN 1.- MICHIGAN STATE 1

Saturday's Game
MICHIGAN STATE 5 - MICHIGAN 5

All Tied Up
Rohlfs effective following position change

By H. Jose Bosch
Daily Sports Writer

DETROIT - Junior David Rohlfs played
forward for the Wolverines his freshman and
sophomore year - tallying 12 goals and 11
assists in the process - but this season, Michi-
gan coach Red Berenson
moved him to defense.
On Friday night, Rohlfs
returned to his former posi- $O*X\
tion and performed admi-
rably in the team's 2-0 loss
to the Spartans.
With freshman Jason
Bailey out indefinitely, the Wolverines needed
a banger that could be physical near the net, so
Berenson decided to move Rohlfs up to forward
and play just five defensemen.
"(Rohlfs) played well and did what he
had to do," alternate captain Brandon
Kaleniecki said. "I'm sure he would've
liked to put a couple of (his shots) in, but
that's tough going from defense to for-
ward like that."
Rohlfs's first scoring opportunity came early
in the first period. During a scrum in front of
the net, the puck slid away from Michigan State
goalie Jeff Lerg toward Rohlfs on the left side
of the crease. The junior had an open net but
fanned on the shot and failed to recover in time
to get off another.
"Obviously the first two shifts were a little
rough," Rohlfs said. "But after that, I got a little
more confident. It was good after the first few
shifts to feel more comfortable."
Fate dealt Rohlfs a cruel hand in over-
time. Freshman Andrew Cogliano had the
puck on Lerg's glove side. From the cor-
ner, he sent a pass out toward Rohlfs, and
the Northville native had an opportunity
eerily similar to the one he had early in
the first period. Again, Rohlfs had trouble
with the puck, and could not bang home
a goal.
"I could've put that one (goal) in, in overtime
and really help (the team) out," Rohlfs said. "But
I just tried to stay strong and not be a liability out
there and try to add a little more presence out
there to the offense."
On Saturday night, Rohlfs was finally able
to convert a goal. With the score tied at one,
Cogliano put a shot on Lerg, and the rebound
fell in front of the goalie. Rohlfs came charging
in and batted the puck into the net to give Michi-
gan a 2-1 lead.
DAILY POWER RANKINGS

PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily
David Rohlfs made the change from defense to offense with relative ease, notching a goal in Saturday night's 5-5 tie against Michigan.

Rohlfs had a 1-0-1 line and a plus one rating
for the weekend.
DID THE SUNBELT CONFERENCE PROVIDE THE OFFI-
CIALs?: During Friday night's game, Michigan
State defenseman Ethan Graham fired a slap
shot from just above the left face-off circle.
It appeared Michigan was now down 2-0, but
the play continued.
Players claimed the puck had actually gone
through the net, but neither the officials nor the
goal judge ruled that there was a goal.
Play was stopped for 15 minutes while
referee Stephen McInchak reviewed a
replay provided to him by the CCHA

replay cameras. According to those
replays (the cameras were installed above
the net and therefore can only provide an
overhead shot) there was not enough proof
that the puck had indeed gone through the
net.
But subsequent replays provided by CSTV
showed without a doubt that Graham had
scored.
"With what he had to work with, (Mclnchak)
made the right call," the replay supervisor said.
After the game, Berenson acknowledged that
his team may have gotten lucky with the call
- though he hadn't seen the TV replay and

seemed upset with the amount of time it took to
make the call.
"There should be a time limit on (replay),"
Berenson said. "I don't know if their equipment
is too small or if somebody needs glasses. All
they have is an overhead camera, just like at
(Yost). If it's not clear, then it's not a goal, and
that shouldn't take 15 minutes.
NEXT TIME JOHN L. SMITH WILL BRING THE FOOT-
BALL TEAM: Michigan State achieved its first sell-
out of the season with a crowd of 6,896 thanks
to the help of its entire band attending the game.
The band provided a loud atmosphere and even
performed on the ice before the third period.

Player

GP

G

A

Pts

+/- I PIM

Sht

Hensick 25 11 24 35 +3 20 83
cogliano 23 11 13 24 0 30 78
Johnson 22 5 18 23 +7 95 57
Porter 23 13 10 23 0 26 56
Kolarik 25 8 15 23 +1 26 55
Ebbett 25 7 15 22 +3 21 62
Hunwick 25 7 14 21 +8 42 56
Kaleniecki 21 8 5 13 +5 33 60
Turnbull 25 4 8 12 +2 41 39
Miller 25 3 10 13 +10 26 29
Naurato 21 6 3 9 -2 4 44
Mitera 23 0 8 8 +5 37 25
Bailey 20 5 2 7 -1 45 23
Rohlfs 24 1 4 5 +6 33 26
Dest 25 1 3 4 0 31 19
Fardig 22 2 1 3 +1 17 34
Swystun 21 1 1 2 -10 10 24
cook 24 1 0 1 -1 29 18
Dunlap 3 0 0 0 0 2 2
Montville 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kaleni~ecki* doesn't miss a beatJ

Ward

2

0

0

0

-1

0

0

1. Miami (Ohio)
(16-4-2)
The RedHawks went
into Big Rapids and
swept a hot Ferris
State team. Miami's
win, coupled with
losses by Wisconsin
and Boston College,
makes it No. 1.
2. Minnesota (16-6-4)
The Golden Gophers
are probably the
hottest team in
college hockey,
winning 11 of their
last 12. This weekend,
they went into
Madison and swept
No. 2 Wisconsin.
3. Boston College
(17-4-4)
The Eagles' loss
to rival Boston
University on Friday
night removed them
from the top spot.
Boston College could

not hold onto a 2-0
first period lead and
suffered a 4-3 defeat.
Luckily for the Eagles,
they rebounded the
next night with
a 4-3 win over
Massachusetts-Lowell.
4. Colorado
College (18-4-2)
The Tigers have one
of the best offenses
in America, but they
get no love because
they are in the highly
competitive WCHA.
They were off this
weekend, but have a
huge series with North
Dakota coming up.
5. Wisconsin (13-4-2)
The Badgers have lost
four straight home
games, and with the
loss of goaltender
Brian Elliott, Bucky's
normally stout "D"
has fallen apart.

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

S2 ..

Mark Giannotto

The offense came to play
on Saturday night, getting
five goals and rebounding
from its anemic one-goal
output on Friday night.
Both nights, the Wol-
verines generated a lot
of good shots on net.
es.40
DEFENSE
Michigan used just five
defensemen in each night's
game with Rohlfs mov-
ing to forward. The move
did not hurt the Wolver-
ine defense, which only
gave up two even-strength
goals on the weekend.
GOALTENDI NG
Inconsistency continues to
plague Michigan in net. Billy
Sauer let in some soft goals
in Saturday night's wild affair,
but he did keep the Wolver-
ines in the game on Friday

By Daniel Levy
Daily Sports Writer
DETROIT - Lost in the shock of a
Michigan-Michigan State hockey game
ending in a 5-5 tie was the outstanding play
of Michigan alternate captain Brandon
Kaleniecki. Taking the ice for the first time
in three weeks due to various injuries, the
senior quickly showed just how much the
Wolverines have missed him.
Late in the first period of Friday night's
gameMichigan forward Chad Kolarik fired
a shot from just inside the blue line. Spar-
tan goalie Jeff Lerg made the save, but the
rebound was loose in front of the net. Kale-
niecki crashed the net and slapped the puck
home before Lerg could recover. The goal
proved to be huge, as the game ended in a
1-1 tie.
"We were talking about keeping the puck
low and trying to get the rebound," Kalen-
iecki said. "I saw (Kolarik) wind up, and I
figured he was going to try to do that. He put
it right where he had to.:
But Kaleniecki was just getting started.
With the Wolverines on the power play late
in the second period of Saturday's game, the
alternate captain positioned himself in front
of the net, where he is at his best. Kaleniecki
deflected a shot from Michigan defenseman
Jack Johnson and then banged the rebound
between Lerg's legs to give the Wolverines
a 4-3 lead.
"That's something that I try to do well,"
Kaleniecki said. "The way our power play
was set up, I was in front of the net and it
worked out."
The team has also missed Kaleniecki's
chemistry with captain Andrew Ebbett. The
senior connection was on display 30 sec-
onds into the third period, when Ebbett took
the puck deep into the Michigan State zone.
Kaleniecki streaked to the goal and Ebbett
sent a perfect pass across the crease from the
corner boards to Kaleniecki, who was wait-
ing right next to the net. The end result of
the play was an easy tap-in goal and a seem-
s DADT-AM

AROUND THE CCHA
Friday's results:
Michigan 1, MICHIGAN STATE 1
Nebraska-Omaha 4, ALASKA-FAIRBANKS 1
Miami (OH) 3, FERRIS STATE 1
OHIO STATE 1, Notre Dame 0
WESTERN MICHIGAN 4, Northern Michigan 2
LAKE SUPERIOR 6, Bowling Green 1
Saturday's results:
Michigan State 5, MICHIGAN 5
Miami (OH) 5, FERRIS STATE 0
LAKE SUPERIOR 4, Bowling Green 2
Notre Dame 1, OHIO STATE 0
Nebraska-Omaha 3, ALASKA-FAIRBANKS 3
WESTERN MICHIGANh2, Northern Michigan32
*Home teams in caps
CCHA STANDINGS

ingly safe 5-3 Michigan lead.
"We've been playing together for quite
some time," Kaleniecki said. "We've done
that play many times in practice. He goes
wide, and I go to the net."
Possibly the most encouraging thing for
the Wolverines are the plays Kaleniecki
made that won't show up on a stat sheet. Five
minutes into the game, he was on the ice for
a Michigan power play. Kaleniecki again
was a pest in front of the net, getting a few
cracks at the puck off a rebound. Late in the
first period, he finished a strong check on
Spartan defenseman Corey Potter - some-
thing you wouldn't expect someone playing
at less than full strength to do. The alternate
captain even had a couple chances at a hat
trick on a few one-timers, but each time his
slap shots sailed high of the net.
"I felt pretty good," Kaleniecki said. "I
was a little tired, but once the adrenaline
gets going, that helped me keep my tempo
up.:
Fretter skated down the left wing and tried

PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Dally
Senior Brandon Kaleniecki returned to the lineup to score three goals this weekend.

Kaleniecki's value to the team this week-
end was not lost on Michigan coach Red
Berenson.
"It was a great effort by Kaleniecki,"
Berenson said. "He's coming back to try and
make a difference on this team, and he is."
Despite the great individual play, the
blown third period lead was a bitter pill to
swallow for Kaleniecki, who might have
played his last game against Michigan State.
As a senior, Kaleniecki wouldn't mind get-
ting one more chance against the Spartans
in the CCHA tournament. Whether or not
Michigan gets that chance, the senior knows
a strong finish to the season could make up
for the disappointment of this past week-
end.
"It's a sickening feeling," Kaleniecki said.
"We had them where we wanted them, and
we just let it slip away. Maybe we'll get to
see them in the playoffs and get a chance to
take care of that. If we have a good enough
year, maybe I wont remember this."
Referee Stephen McInchak reviewed the

James V. Dowd

Team

CCHA

Overall

Pts

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