4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 9, 2006
HITTING AFTER THE WHISTLE
01
ICE HOCKEY
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Friday's Game
MICHIGAN 4 - ALASKA-FAIRBANKS 0
Saturday's Game
ALASKA-FAIRBANKS 4 - MICHIGAN 2
Chad Kolarik
Michigan
Kolarik tallied one goal and an assist in Friday
night's game against Alaska-Fairbanks. During the
Saturday's loss, the sophomore notched his seventh
goal of the season.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
"It wasn't too awkward, because
I'm always on the ice when he's get-
ting it from every other arena."
- Michigan freshman forward Andrew
Cogliano on what it was like to hear the entire crowd
boo fellow freshman Jack Johnson at the World Junior
Championships.
BY THE NUMBERS
Cosecutive power-play chances
that Michigan has not converted.
01 9 Since the Nebraska-Omaha
series, the Wolverines are 2-for-
30 with the advantage.
SATURDAY'S SCORING SUMMARY
Alaska-Fairbanks 4, Michigan 2
Alaska-Fairbanks .................................... 3 1 0 - 4
Michigan.....................0 1 1-2
FIRST PERIOD
1. UAF Jordan Emmerson 2 (Kelly Czuy, Tyler Eckford) 1:21. 2. UAF
Kyle Jones 8 (Jordain Emmerson, Nathan Fornataro) 2:12. 3. UAF
Curtis Fraser 8 (Kelly Czuy, Nathan Fornataro) 8:01. Penalties -
Chad Kolarik, MICH (roughing) 0:27; Curtis Fraser, UAF (roughing)
0:27; Brandon Kaleniecki, MICH (roughing) 0:27; Jordan Hendry,
UAF (roughing) 0:27; David Rohlfs, MICH (tripping) 1:01; Curtis
Fraser, UAF (holding) 3:31: Team, MICH (too many on ice) 6:05;
David Rohlfs, MICH (high sticking) 7:22.
SECOND PERIOD
4. UAF Adam Powell 2 (Kyle Greentree, Nathan Fornataro) 11:24. 5.
MICH Chad Kolarik 7 (Brandon Kaleniecki, Mark Mitera) 11:48. Pen-
alties - Braden Walls, UAF (boarding) 2:19; Adam Naglich, UAF (trip-
ping) 6:50; Jordan Hendry, UAF (high sticking) 8:18; Jason Bailey,
MICH (charging) 12:08; Lucas Burnett, UAF (hooking) 14:52; Jordan
Hendry, UAF (interference) 17:51; Andrew Cogliano, MICH (roughing)
19:56; Ryan Muspratt, UAF (roughing) 19:56; Ryan Muspratt, UAF
(slashing) 19:56.
THIRD PERIOD
6. MICH Tim Miller 3 (Mark Mitera, Travis Turnbull) 9:48. Penalties-
Andrew Cogliano, MICH (CTH elbowing) 3:41; Curtis Fraser, UAF (contact
with goalie) 4:43; Kevin Porter. MICH (tripping) 5:08; Jordan Hendry,
UAF (CTH high-stick) 6:11; Matt Hunwick, MICH (tripping) 12:15; Darcy
Campbell, UAF (tripping) 14:48; Jordan Hendry, UAF (holding the stick)
16:50: TJ Campbell, UAF (hooking) 18:06; Jack Johnson, MICH (board-
ing) 19:31.
Shots on goal: UAF 16-5-3-24; MICH 9-11-15-35. Power plays: UAF 2-of-7; MICH
0-of-11. Saves - UAF Chad Johnson (9-10-14) - 33; MICH Billy Sauer
(13-4-3) - 20. Referee: Barry Pochmara. Attendance: 6,750.
'M' STATS
Fairly Beaten
Fight night at
Yost breaks out
By H. Jose Bosch
Daily Sports Writer
The end of Friday night's game against the Nanooks looked
like a scene out of a Mike Tyson bout.
After the play was whistled dead with less than a minute
left in the game, players from both sides began to punch
and shove each other. It wasn't exactly clear who or what
started the incident.
Despite four different fights occurring at once, referee
Barry Pochmara assessed each player involved with only a
roughing penalty. In all, eight players were sent to the box
for a total of 18 penalty minutes. Includ-
ing two other players sent to the box for
penalties unrelated to the fight, the game T
ended with 10 players - five from each ,V
team - standing in the penalty box.
In the box, the Michigan players had
fun, laughing and pointing at the oppos-
ing team or just beating their sticks on the glass. Freshman
Jack Johnson pointed and tugged at the block 'M' on his
jersey, as if to make the point that he is a true Wolverine
who should never be messed with.
"We're not here to win a fight," said Berenson of the entire
ordeal. "Otherwise, we'd start a boxing team."
Lost in the commotion was goalie Billy Sauer. Just before
everything blew up, Sauer was seen skating away, an arguably
commendable move on his part. Considering he was less than
a minute away from his first shutout, staying calm and col-
lected was the best route to go. But what would've happened
if he had been pressed into action?
"I didn't want to jump in, but I guess if one of the other
guys got in trouble, I wouldn't have a choice," Sauer said with
a smile. "I guess I would (have fought)."
PUT ME IN COACH, I'M BANGED UP BUT READY TO PLAY: Alternate
captain Brandon Kaleniecki may not be one of the team's top
statistical players, but what he brings to the ice - especially
on a young team such as this one - can be more valuable
than a 30-point scorer.
In Berenson's words at the beginning of the season:
"Kaleniecki is a bulldog - he's a working, blue-collar
hockey player."
During Saturday's game, Kaleniecki played with the same
grit and determination that has been seen from him all season.
On a Michigan penalty kill, Kaleniecki put himself in
front of shots multiple times and, in one instance, dove in an
attempt to break up a pass. The Livonia native never backed
down from a hit, looking anything but tentative when chasing
pucks or trying to move bodies near the net. There was no
indication the sports hernia that he has been forced to play
through part of this season - and has played through before
JUSTIN BASS/Daily
Junior defenseman David Rohlfs got a mouthful during Friday night's fight. The Wolverines got the final laugh, winning 4-2.
- was hurting him. He was even able to notch an assist on
Michigan's first goal.
"I thought he played well," Berenson said. "I mean he
gave us a solid game up until the point where he just couldn't
go anymore."
According to Kaleniecki, near the end of the second period
an awkward hit "tweaked" his injury a bit and by the third
period, Pe was forced to stay on the bench.
"It's disappointing," Kaleniecki said. "I was just starting to
feel a little better out there. I tried to come out in the third and
skate a couple hard laps to see if I could go, but I just couldn't
do it. It was too awkward and painful."
THE PRODIGAL SONs: The Wolverines' spirits were lifted
Friday when four of their teammates walked into the locker
room. Johnson, freshmen Andrew Cogliano and Mark Mitera
and sophomore Kevin Porter had spent time away from the
team during break to participate in the IHHF World Junior
Hockey tournament in British Columbia.
Porter, Johnson and Mitera represented the United States,
and Cogliano skated for - and won a gold medal - with
team Canada.
The team welcomed them back from the two-week long
furlong.
"Everyone was really excited," said forward Chad Kolarik.
"Giving each other hugs - saying congratulations to
Cogliano and saying nice job to Porter, Mitera and Johnson.
It was happy-go-lucky before the game."
According to Berenson, the team is better with its
departed players back. He added that one could feel the
difference, saying that the defense "looked like a Divi-
sion I defense again."
The arrival and warm welcome did more than brighten the
demeanor of the team. It was a source of energy for the players
who made the long journey back to Ann Arbor.
"It was awesome," Porter said. "It gave me some adrena-
line for the game and gave me some energy to help me get
through that game and most of (Saturday's) game too."
In his first game back, Porter marked two assists to his cred-
it. Although Johnson, Cogliano and Mitera didn't record any
points, Johnson returned to form with six penalty minutes.
\W l
Player
Hensick
Johnson
Hunwick
Ebbett
Cogliano
Porter
Kolarik
Turnbul
Kaleniecki
GP
21
19
21
21
19
19
21
21
19
21
G A
10
5
7
6
8
10
7
4
5
3
20
16
14
13
11
8
9
7
5
7
Pts
30
21
21
19
19
18
16
11
10
10
+/- PIM
+3
+10
+8
+2
-2
0
-1
+3
+4
+8
16
91
30
19
20
26
26
39
31
20
Sht
67
48
47
52
66
44
42
32
53
27
Miller
Naurato
Bailey
Mitera
Rohlfs
Dest
Swystun
Fardig
cook
Dunlap
i { I { E i I
----t-
18
20
19
20
21
18
18
20
3
-r
6
5
0
0
1
2
0
0
3
2
6
4
3
1
0
0
9
7
6
4
4
2
2
0
0
i i i
-3
-1
+2
+4
-2
-9
0
-4
0
4
45
33
31
31
8
13
23
2
36
23
23
19
16
22
27
16
2
The road
The players who
participated in the
IHHF World Junior
Championships had
a tough travel itiner-
ary. Their journeys
spanned three time
zones, two hockey
games, and a sleep-
less night arriving
hours before Friday's
7:30 p.m. start.
Sophomore Kevin
Porter, freshmen
Jack Johnson and
Mark Mitera:
Noon (WST):
Played in Bronze
Medal game
6:00 p.m. (WST):
Took bus from Van-
couver to Seattle
1:00 a.m. (WST):
Took flight from
Seattle to Minne-
apolis
6:30 a.m. (CST):
Took flight from
Minneapolis to
Detroit
10:00 a.m. (EST):
SPicked up from
Detroit airport
to Yost
4:00p.m. (EST):
Arrived at Yost Ice
Arena for game.
Freshman Andrew
Cogliano:
4:00 p.m. (WST):
Collected two
assists in gold
medal game for
Canada
7:00 p.m. (WST):
Celebrated winning
the gold medal in
the locker room.
9:00 p.m. (WST):
Went out with
friends, family and
teammates
5:00 a.m. (WST):
Took shuttle to
Vancouver
6:00 a.m. (WST):
Took flight from
Vancouver to
Seattle.
9:45 a.m. (WST):
Took flight from
Seattle to Detroit
4:30 p.m. (EST):
Picked up from
Detroit airport and
taken straight to
Yost Ice Arena.
Mirror images in season series
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)
The feeling of familiarity was almost eerie when Michigan
freshman Tim Miller slotted a shot past Alaska-Fairbanks
goaltender Chad Johnson in the waning moments of
Saturday night's loss to the Nanooks. Miller's goal brought
the score to 4-2, completing a mirror image of the season
series that began in Fairbanks last October.
With four key players returning to action less than 24
hours after arriving home from an emotional trip to the
World Junior Championships, the Wolverines were cer-
tainly not at full strength this weekend.
Heading into Friday night's game, I recalled the season-
series opener Oct. 29 in Fairbanks, where a travel-weary
Michigan team was out-hustled to every puck and sent back
to the hotel with a 4-2 loss. Needless to say, I was wary of JA
a repeat. But it wasn't to be. The Wolverines notched a 4-0 Z
shutout victory in Friday's game. Si
At that point, Michigan had taken two in a row from
the Nanooks, beginning with a 4-0 win Oct. 30 and the visions of
the conference-opening October loss faded fast.
The Wolverines are a much quicker team, and, after losing that first
game in Fairbanks, Michigan coach Red Berenson pushed his team
to take advantage of its speed. The speed paid dividends in the second
October matchup, when Michigan blanked Alaska-Fairbanks on the
30th, dominating much like the Wolverines did this past Friday.
But it took just eight minutes for the Nanooks to revive October's
frustration on Saturday. Before anyone knew what happened, Michi-
gan had surrendered three quick goals, and just one thought came to
mind: deja vu.
I thought back to that night in Fairbanks, when Michigan defenseman
Tim Cook was sitting in the press box after receiving a game disquali-
fication in the previous game. Watching the Nanooks win the 50-50
battles and force Michigan's special teams into making mistakes on
a wider ice surface, Cook looked exasperated, ready to prove that his
team should not be losing to Alaska-Fairbanks.
His frustration was universal among his teammates, and they came
back with a vengeance the next night.
NANOOKS
Continued from page 1B
M
Dc
ml
Mark Giannotto
OFFENSE
The offense looked solid on
Friday night, getting pro-
duction from almost every
line and scoring four goals.
But on Saturday night the
team fell into a 4-0 hole,
and couldn't counter the
Nanooks' big defenders.
DEFENSE
On Friday the defense
helped Sauer earn his first
shutout. But in the first 10
minutes of Saturday's loss,
the defense shut Sauer
out of a chance for vic-
tory before it shored up its
holes later in the game.
Because the Wolverines have experienced the disappointment o
traveling 3,000 miles for a Friday night loss, they must have knot
that the Nanooks would come out spitting fire on Satur-
day night. But Michigan had no answer, and the game
got out of hand quickly.
Just as Cook and the discontented Wolverines saw
and fixed their mistakes in Alaska, coach Tavis Mac-
Millan and the Nanooks did the same this weekend.
On the Olympic-size rink in Fairbanks, Michigan
had used superior speed to its advantage. But on the
smaller ice in Ann Arbor, the Nanooks came back,
using their size to plug holes that the speedy Wolverines
[ES V. had exploited one night earlier. .
After that early outburst, Michigan managed to out-
OWD score Alaska-Fairbanks 2-1, but somehow I knew that
esOn_ the Nanooks would hold on. It felt like a game I had
seen before, some sort of hybrid of the two games I wit-
nessed in Fairbanks. It was half Friday, where the Nanooks studied
film and were adequately prepared for a superior opponent, and half
Saturday, when the Wolverines were sparked by the frustration of los-
ing a game they could have won.
The Yost Ice Arena crowd jumped back into the game once Miller
rocketed that shot past Johnson but, in the end, it didn't matter. Alas-
ka-Fairbanks had come to play, and the Wolverines weren't ready to
play with them. In a scene eerily similar to when Nanooks' fans left
the Carlson Center on the second night of that October series, all the
Michigan players and fans could do was walk out onto State Street,
shake their heads and wait for next week.
The mirror images in this series didn't tell me much about the rest
Michigan's season, but it tells me that the Nanooks might be traveling
to the state of Michigan one more time - for the CCHA Final Four.
In just his second year at the helm, MacMillan was matched up against
a proven and distinguished coach in Berenson, and it came out in a
wash. Who knows how far he can take the Alaska-Fairbanks by the
time March rolls around.
"I woke up (Friday) morning, and I thought it was going to be a
good day' Sauer said. "It definitely turned out to be."
Four minutes into the first period, Michigan freshman Danny
Fardig was credited with a goal when an Alaska-Fairbanks player
inadvertently tipped the puck into his own net.
Michigan padded its lead in the second period with some nice
passing. Junior Kevin Porter sent the puck down the ice. Alternate-
captain T.J.. Hensick beat the Alaska-Fairbanks defenseman to the
puck and quickly passed it across the ice to Michigan forward
Jason Bailey, who one-timed the puck over goalie Wylie Rogers's
shoulder for a 2-0 Michigan lead.
That was more than enough for the Wolverines. With Sauer play-
ing well in net and the team turning in a solid defensive performance,
the Nanooks didn't have much of a chance to come back.
"Our team played a lot of defense," Sauer said. "I really didn't
have to make too many big saves."
But Michigan kent attackin. Midwav throueh the second neri-
AROUND THE CCHA
Friday's results:
MICHIGAN 4, Alaska-Fairbanks 0
LAKE SUPERIOR 6, Western Michigan 1
Bowling Green 3, OHIO STATE 2
Notre Dame 4, NEBRASKA-OMAHA 1
Northern Michigan 2, MIAMI 1
MICHIGAN STATE 3, Wayne State 1
Saturday's results:
Alaska-Fairbanks 4, MICHIGAN 2
LAKE SUPERIOR 4. Western Michigan 0
BOWLING GREEN 2, Ohio State 0
Notre Dame 2, NEBRASKA-OMAHA 2 (OT)
MIAMI 6, Northern Michigan 3
MICHIGAN STATE 5. Wayne State 1
*Home teams in caps
CCHA STANDINGS
James V. Dowd
GOALTENDING
I
On his 18th birthday, Sauer
did an excellent job with
a shutout, but he gave up
four goals the following
night. In his defense, he
was left out to dry on a
couple of goals, but he still
lnnaria ahi+ -cholk
The deflection set up Wolverine forward Chad Kolarik for a break
away. Kolarik streaked down the ice and flipped a shot by Nanooks
goaltender Chad Johnson to cut the lead back down to three.
Michigan tried to step up the pressure in the third period. Skating
6-on-5 due to a delayed Alaska-Fairbanks penalty, Michigan forward
Travis Turnbull fired a shot on net. The deflection came to Wolverines
defenseman Mark Mitera, who skated around the net while looking
for someone to pass to. Eventually he found freshman Tim Miller open
in the right slot. Miller launched a perfect shot through traffic into the
top right corner of the net to bring the Wolverines within two.
P's Michigan continued to control the play in the third period, but the
23 Wolverines couldn't find a way to trim the Nanooks' lead.
1 R "We had a Pod third neriod " PhhE t sid "But with a team
Team
CCHA
Overall
7 i i
H. Jose Bosch
1. Miami
7 i1 ..Ci11-lY-it+S+te
11-2-1
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