4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - February 20, 2006 HITTING AFTER THE WHISTLE ICE HOCKEY PLAYER OF THE WEEK TJ. Hensick Michigan The junior forward scored a goal on Saturday night and had two assists on Friday. His leader- ship played a key role in Michigan's three-goal comeback on Friday. NOTABLE QUOTABLE "We took a step forwards in the first two periods. Then we took a step back in the third period. And then, like coach said, we took a step side- ways." - Michigan sophomore Chad Kolarik on the team's Saturday-night performance. BY THE NUMBERS 6The age difference between Michigan freshman Tim Miller and Nebraska-Omaha captain Mike Leffley. The two fought during Saturday's game. SATURDAY'S SCORING SUMMARY Friday's Game Saturday's Game MICHIGAN 4 - NEBRASKA-OMAHA 4 01 MICHIGAN 3 - NEBRASKA-OMAHA 4 Taken to School Michigan 4, Nebraska-Omaha 4 Michigan ...... ..... .....................2 2 0 0 - Nebraska-Omaha................1 2 1 0 - 4 4 FIRST PERIOD 1. MICH Chad Kolarik 11 (Andrew Ebbett, Tim Cook) 5:43. 2. MICH Andrew Ebbett 11 (Chad Kolarik) 14:44. 3. UNO Brandon Scero 8 (Juha Uotila, Mick Lawrence) 17:37. Penalties - Travis Turnbull, MICH (contact to the head) 6:50; Juha Uotila, UNO (contact to the head) 6:50; Kaleb Betta, UNO (contact to the head high-stick) 10:46; Mark Mitera, MICH (interference) 11:16; Jack Johnson, MICH (holding) 16:10. SECOND PERIOD 4. UNO Bill Thomas 24 (Scott Parse, Dan Knapp) 3:50. 5. MICH T. J. Hensick 14 (Jack Johnson, David Rohlfs) 5:11. 6. MICH Travis Turn- bull 6 (Chad Kolarik, David Rohlfs) 9:36. 7. UNO Alex Nikiforuk 11 (Dan Charleston) 13:30. Penalties - T. J. Hensick, MICH (10-minute misconduct) 5:11; Travis Turnbull, MICH (contact to the head) 7:20; Mick Lawrence, UNO (contact with the goalie) 7:20; Jack Johnson, MICH (contact to the head) 10:43; Matt Hunwick, MICH (obstruction- tripping) 11:38; Tim Miller, MICH (hit after whistle) 18:26; Tim Miller, MICH (hit after whistle) 18:26; Mike Lefley, UNO (hit after whistle) 18:26; Mike Lefley, UNO (hit after whistle) 18:26; Tim Miller, MICH (game misconduct) 18:26. THIRD PERIOD 8. UNO Phil Angell 3 (Bryan Marshall, Scott Parse) 17:58. Penal- ties- Brandon Kaleniecki, MICH (holding) 2:24; Dan Knapp, UNO (checking from behind) 6:49; Dan Charleston, UNO (holding) 18:37. Shots on goal: MICH 11:8:6:3:28; UNO 12:11:8:1:32. Power plays: MICH 0-of-3; UNO 2-of-4. Saves - MICH Noah Ruden (11-9-7-1) - 28; UINO Jerad Kaufmann (9-6-6-3) - 24. Referee: Mark Wilkins. Attendance: 8,152. 'M' STATS Mavericks By Daniel Levy Daily Sports Writer OMAHA - This weekend's bat- tle between No. 8 Michigan and No. 13 Nebraska-Omaha featured a battle between two electric power plays. With Hobey Baker Award candidates Scott Parse and Bill Thomas, it was no sur- prise that the Mavericks would be dan- gerous on the man-advantage. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, the other power play to show up was the Nebraska-Omaha -pep band. Nicknamed "The Power Play", the special-teams play of the Mavericks gave the band many reasons to rock and left the Wolverines fighting an uphill battle. Trailing 2-0 late in the first period on Saturday night, Nebraska-Omaha used the man-advantage to get back into the game. Maverick forward Brandon Scero took a pass just outside the crease and beat Michigan goalie Noah Ruden short- side to cut the Wolverine lead in half. The goal gave the Mavericks momentum heading into the first intermission, and Nebraska-Omaha tied the game just min- utes into the second period. Michigan built another two-goal lead in the second period, and Nebraska- Omaha again looked to its power play to get back in striking range. Down two men, Michigan scrambled all over the ice to kill off the first penalty. But with just seconds left in the second penalty, Mav- erick forward Alex Nikiforuk - who scored the game-winning goal on Friday night - wrapped around the net and slid the puck under Ruden's pads. The score left the Wolverines with a precarious one-goal lead. "The mood was great after we killed the 5-on-3," sophomore Chad Kolarik said. "But you have to stay even-keeled. Just look what happened to us. They scored in the last 15 or 20 seconds later on 5-on-4. It was just devastating." Michigan's inability to take advantage of its own power play chances hurt more than the two goals it gave up to Nebraska- Omaha's special teams unit. Last week in practice, Michigan coach Red Berenson said he wasn't concerned about overall numbers. All that mattered to him was whether or not his team could convert in DAILY POWER RANKINGS win power struggle against ICers PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily Nebraska-Omaha captured three out of a possible four points over the weekend due in large part to its advantage on the power play. crucial situations. As fate would have it, the Wolverines got that chance on Satur- day night. With 1:23 remaining in the third period, Nebraska-Omaha freshman Dan Charleston was whistled for holding, leaving the Wolverines with a power play and a chance to win the game. Instead of executing to score a clutch goal, Michi- gan had a difficult time just getting the puck in the Maverick zone. The Wolver- ines gave up a shorthanded chance - a better scoring opportunity than anything they mustered. "If you're going to win on the road, your team has to make its chances count," Berenson said. "We had our chances and didn't get it." Michigan still had 25 seconds of power play time in overtime, but nothing came of it. The Wolverines' inability to convert was a fitting end to a weekend in which they went 0-for-7 with the man- advantage. Michigan has now failed to score on its last 20 power plays. "We're not sure if we know what (work- ing) hard enough is," captain Andrew Ebbett said. "We have to find out what that is." The late power play came in a score- and-win situation, but Michigan's other squandered chances proved just as costly. The Wolverines enjoyed a man-advantage midway through the third period, when they still led 4-3. Under less pressure and knowing that a goal could virtually end the game, Michigan had trouble setting up inside Nebraska-Omaha's zone, and the Mavericks killed off the penalty with ease. The game ended in a 4-4 tie - a dis- appointing result for the Wolverines who held two separate two-goal leads - but Michigan might consider itself lucky. The Wolverines were outscored 2-0 on special teams in a hostile road environ- ment against a quality opponent. "It makes it much tougher (to beat a good team on the road)," Kolarik said. "You have to outscore them by two goals on even strength (just to tie)." Player GP G A Pts +/- PIM Sht Hensick 34 14 32 46 +6 34 106 Ebbett 34 11 23 34 +12 23 88 Porter 32 16 17 33 +1 30 79 Kolarik 34 11 20 31 +9 28 95 Johnson 31 8 21 29 +9 137 83 Cogliano 32 11 14 25 -7 32 96 Hunwick 34 9 16 25 +18 58 77 Kaleniecki 29 13 9 22 +8 38 76 Turnbull 34 6 9 15 +1 63 55 Miller 34 4 10 14 +8 54 39 Rohlfs 33 2 9 11 +8 39 49 Naurato 29 7 3 10 -2 8 53 Mitera 32 0 9 9 +8 47 35 Bailey 22 5 2 7 -1 45 23 Dest 34 2 6 8 -1 37 28 Fardig 31 4 3 7 +2 30 43 Swystun 29 2 2 4 -10 10 29 cook 33 1 2 3 -1 33 18 Dunlap Fragner Montville Ward 3 2 13 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +1 -1 2 15 0 0 2 0 1 0 1. Minnesota (21-6-5) A sweep over No. 7 Denver keeps the Gophers atop the power rankings. This team has the most talent in the country and in recent weeks they have started to show it. 2. Michigan State (19-10-7) Just an appearance in the power rankings seemed impossible a few months ago. But an 11-2-2 run, including last weekend's sweep over No. 2 Miami, has the Spartans inching towards the top. 3. Miami (21-7-4) Considering they already clinched the CCHA title, this weekend's sweep shouldn't cause too much of a scare. A soft schedule that might leave them unprepared for the post-season should. 4. Wisconsin (21-7-3) Taking three points at Michigan Tech this weekend was a good sign for a team about to receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. 5. Boston University (19-9-2) The Terriers split a home-and-home with No. 17 New Hampshire this weekend and are a projected No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament. THE 'RED' LINE In a system named for legendary coach Red Beren- son, the Daily hockey writers grade the Wolverines on their performance ih each of four areas. (Graded out of 4 pucks) Juniors lead OMAHA- fter Michigan earned just one point in two late-season, "must-win" games, there isn't a whole lot more that cap- tain Andrew Ebbett and his senior classmates can do for this team. Week in and week out, the Wolverines seem to come away from the weekend disappointed. A split with Alaska-Fair- banks, another with Bowling Green, a loss and two ties against Michigan State, finally a sweep of Western Michigan (over a pair of Tuesday night home-and-home games), two more splits with Ohio State and Lake Supe- rior State and this weekend's loss and tie against Nebraska-Omaha have left the players shaking their heads, talking about working harder and promising better results the next weekend. Ebbett and senior alternate captain Brandon Kaleniecki have done their best, digging down deep on the ice, resulting in Kaleniecki's scrappy goals and Ebbett's unforgettable forechecking on the penalty kill. And off the ice, they've arranged JAMES team meetings, usually players-only, trying to inspire change. DOW After Saturday night's game, Ebbett was visibly JarnesOn frustrated, as was coach Red Berenson, sopho- more Chad Kolarik and everyone else I came across. Once again, the power play failed to convert, most notably in the final minute and a half of regulation and first 30-some seconds of overtime. Kolarik talked about how the team wasn't working hard enough on the ice. After talking with a handful of players, I asked junior alternate captain T.J. Hensick what the Wolverines could do differently to improve in the final two games of the regular season and the playoffs. "We're sick of these meetings, especially the players-only ones," Hensick said. "It's time that we start talking on the ice." Hensick hit the nail on the head there. There isn't a severe lack of effort or sense of urgency - the team certainly knows its situ- ation. But it's time to take it to the next level, and that transition starts with Hensick. Ebbett and Kaleniecki have been great all year long. They say bY example the right things, they do the right things. But there's only so much those two can do. With full knowledge that the seniors will be gone at the end of the year, it's time for Hensick and junior alter- nate captain Matt Hunwick to step into larger leadership roles. Hensick answered that call on Friday when he spearheaded a three-goal comeback to tie the game before a defensive lapse allowed the winning goal nine seconds later. On top of his two assists, Hensick was noticeably taking charge on the ice. At each faceoff, he went player-to-player, directing them to specific spots and explaining what was going to happen once - yes, once - he won the draw. And it seemed like he won every faceoff in the final 15 minutes of that game. Hunwick also came to play in those final minutes on Friday night, knocking in two goals after making cal- culated runs to the back side of the net so that he could redirect Hensick's passes into the net. They played well all weekend, but it was in the late. stages of Friday's game that the pair of juniors showed v. why they were chosen as two of Ebbett's alternate cap- tains. As next weekend's series draws closer, both must remember the great example they set for their team- ... mates when they kick it into top gear. This top gear isn't trying or working hard - Hen- sick and Hunwick do that night in and night out. It's something beyond that. The pair is at its best when they become possessed by the desire to win. At times, Hensick has looked utterly unstoppable and Hun- wick, at his best, looks unbeatable. This combination can only mean a chance to win for the Wolverines. Michigan wants to secure a first-round bye and home ice for the second round of the CCHA playoffs next weekend. There is one way to assure this - a sweep. After Friday night's loss, Hen- sick made it clear he was sick of splitting every weekend. When the puck drops on Friday night in Big Rapids, let's hope he remembers just how upset he was and takes his game to the level it was at in the closing minutes of last Friday's game - a level that only he can take it to. -James Dowd can be reached atjvdowd@umich.edu e Mark Giannotto OFFENSE The offense looked good at certain points in each game, but was never domi- nant. The third and fourth lines haven't contributed lately and need to step up if this team wants to make a run in the postseason. DEFENSE Once again, mistakes cost the defense. But the defensemen played a key role in the offense, espe- cially on Friday night. If it wants to be successful, the defense needs to cut down on the odd-man rushes. AROUND THE CCHA Tuesday's results: MIAMI 6, Ohio State 3 Friday's results: NEBRASKA-OMAHA 4, Michigan 3 MICHIGAN STATE 3, Miami 2 Northern Michigan 4, LAKE SUPERIOR STATE 3 (OT) Ferris State 3, OHIO STATE 3 (OT) Notre Dame 7, BOWLING GREEN 4 Western Michigan 1, ALASKA-FAIRBANKS 1 (OT) Saturday's results: Michigan 4, NEBRASKA-OMAHA 4 (OT) MICHIGAN STATE 3, Miami 1 NORTHERN MICHIGAN 5, Lake Superior State 1 OHIO STATE 3, Ferris State 2 Notre Dame 1, BOWLING GREEN 1 (OT) ALASKA- FAIRBANKS 5, Western Michigan 3 *Home teams in caps CCHA STANDINGS James V. Dowd GOALTENDING I Noah Ruden looked shaky for the first time all season, and coach Berenson wasn't afraid to say so. But the senior rebounded from early mistakes to make big saves late in each game, prevent- ing a sweep.- MAVERICKS Continued from page 1B inside the blue line and beat Ruden for the game-tying goal. Even after the Mavericks' fourth tally, the Wolverines had a golden opportunity to "We're not making it easy on ourselves right now," senior captain Andrew Ebbett said. "We've got to get home ice. That's our number-one goal right now." In contrast to the disheartening finish, it looked like the Wolverines were set to get back on track when Saturday's contest began. "We're not getting the breaks, and we left them opportunities to come back in the game," Ebbett said. "We had our chances to bury them, and we left them in." Friday night, the Wolverines erased a 3-0 third-period deficit, only to see its effort go for naught when the Mavericks responded with a goal of their own just six seconds after H. Jose Bosch Team CCHA Overall Pts mus- 0. i i i 1. Miami 18-6-2 21-7-41 38 I