48 - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 20, 2006 0I HITTING AFTER THE WHISTLE ICE HOCKEY PLAYER OF THE WEEK Jeff Lerg Michigan State The Spartans freshman goaltender allowed just two goals in wins over Michigan on Friday night and Miami (OH) on Saturday night and was named MVP at the conclusion of the CCHA Tournament. The wins gave Michigan State its record 11th CCHA Championship. NOTABLE QUOTABLE "I think now's a time when it's up to everyone individually to find out how much they want to invest in this team. If you're not up for a game like Friday, then you shouldn't be playing college hockey." - Michigan captain Andrew Ebbett on this Friday's matchup with North Dakota. BY THE NUMBERS 6 Consecutive seasons in which Michigan has qualified for the NCAA Tournament. SATURDAY'S SCORING SUMMARY Northern Michigan 2, Michigan 3 Northern Michigan..............1 1 0 - 2 Michigan ................................................ 1 1 1 - 3 FIRST PERIOD 1. NMU Matt Ciancio 1 (Bobby Selden) 5:30. 2. MICH Matt Hunwick 10 (T. J. Hensick, Noah Ruden) 10:54. Penalties - Matt Hunwick, MICH (cross-checking) 2:24; Patrick Murphy, NMU (slashing) 8:41; Jason Bailey, MICH (slashing) 8:41; Nathan oystrick, NMU (cross- checking) 9:44; Jamie Milam, NMU (roughing ATW) 13:46; Travis Turnbull, MICH (roughing ATW) 13:46; Zach Tarkir, NMU (interfer- ence) 14:16. SECOND PERIOD 3. MICH T. J. Hensick 17 (Kevin Porter) 16:01. 4. NMU Darin Olver 15 (Pat Bateman, Mike Santorelli) 16:16. Penalties - Matt Ciancio, NMU (interference) 2:10; Jason Bailey, MICH (charging) 4:48; Mark Mitera, MICH (roughing ATW) 10:56; Pat Bateman, NMU (roughing ATW) 10:56; Jack Johnson, MICH (CTH roughing) 11:15. THIRD PERIOD 5. MICH Matt Hunwick 11 (Brandon Kaleniecki, Andrew Ebbett) 8:19. Penalties - Nathan Oystrick, NMU (slashing) 15:29; T.J. Hen- sick, MICH (cross-checking) 15:29. Shots on goal: NMU 7-11-13-31; MICH 18-12-12-42. Power plays: NMU 0-of-3; MICH 1-of-3. Saves - NMU Bill Zaniboni (17-11-11) - 39; MICH Noah Ruden (6-10-13) - 29. Referee: Steve Piotrowski. 'M' STATS Access granted: eIers move on Spartan beatdown brings line changes for Icers By Mark Giannotto Daily Sports Writer DETROIT - Michigan State put Michigan away on Friday night when Spartan forward Bryan Lerg finished off a 2-on-1 breakaway by chipping the puck past Wolverine goalie Noah Ruden. The goal gave Michigan State an insurmountable 3-1 lead, and it cemented a 4-1 win over Michigan. But it was the Wolverine forwards trailing the play who were the real story behind the game. In the week leading up to the regular-season series finale against Ferris State on Feb. 24 and 25, Michigan coach Red Berenson teamed up dynamic forwards T.J. Hensick, Andrew Cogliano and Kevin Porter on the same line. At the time, it looked as if the Wolverines had finally put together a solid sec- ond line to complement the top line of senior captain Andrew Ebbett, senior alternate captain Brandon Kaleniecki and soph- omore Chad Kolarik. But because Hensick, Cogliano and Porter are all offensive- oriented forwards, Berenson worried about their defensive cov- erage. Lerg's goal was a shining example of Berenson's concerns. Michigan freshman defenseman Jack Johnson was left hung out to dry as the Spartans skated in on the 2-on-1. To add to that, the offensive fireworks expected from the three were nonexistent. The Wolverines' lone goal on Friday came courtesy of an Ebbett one-timer. Another concern about pairing Hensick alongside Cogliano was the small stature of both players. Each weighs less than 190 pounds. The absence of a big player to clear space for either of them hindered their effectiveness. Also, Cogliano was forced to move from his natural position of center to wing. But in the 17 hours between Michigan's loss to the Spar- tans and its 3-2 victory over Northern Michigan on Saturday afternoon, Berenson made a slight change that paid huge divi- dends. Cogliano was moved back to the third line alongside fresh- men Travis Turnbull and Tim Miller, and junior David Rohlfs moved to the second line with Hensick and Porter. In the process, Cogliano switched back to the center position. This' returned the lines back to where they were before the Ferris State weekend. "I wanted to give T.J. more of a big defensive forward on his side, and then get Cogliano back into the middle, because he's always been a centerman," Berenson said. "I think it gave him a little more room playing with a different line." The line change brought back the chemistry between Hen- sick and Porter. Prior to the switch, the two had been on a tear Sophomore Kevin Porter picked up an assist in Saturday's 3-2 win over Northern Michigan. together. But the connection appeared to stall with Cogliano as their linemate. On Saturday, Hensick and Porter teamed up for the Wolver- ines' second goal when Porter fed Hensick, who beat Northern Michigan goalie Bill Zaniboni to give Michigan a 2-1 lead. Seniors Ebbett and Kaleniecki iced the game when they assisted junior Matt Hunwick for the game-winning goal. It extended Ebbett's point streak to nine games. In those nine games, he has scored five goals and notched 14 assists. But he has been one of the few consistent performers for the Wolverines during that stretch. For the Wolverines to defeat a tough North Dakota team on its home ice in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, they will need production from more than just the top line. Although they are no longer on the same line, Hensick, Porter and Cogliano must share the scoring load with Ebbett, Kaleniecki and Kolarik for Michigan to make a run to the Fro- zen Four. Player GP G A Pts +/- PIM Sht 4. Hensick Ebbett Porter Kolarik Johnson Hunwick Cogliano Kaleniecki Turnbull Miller 40 40 38 40 37 40 38 35 40 40 17 14 17 11 10 11 12 35 28 21 26 22 18 16 52 42 38 37 32 29 28 +3 +16 +1 +12 +11 +16 -9 44 25 30 30 147 70 34 125 97 93 109 103 89 107 2006 NCAA TOURNAMENT First Round Regional Final Semifinal Championship Semifinal Regional Final First Round 1 Wisconsin 1 Minnesota I ___ -+ T ; ; i 17 9 4 11 9 11 28 18 15 +10 +2 +7 45 65 54 93 71 50 4 Bemidji State 2 Cornell Midwest Regional Green Bay, Wisc. March 26, 2006 5 p.m. West Regional Grand Forks, N.D. March 25, 2006 9 p.M. Rohlfs 39 2 10 12 +6 43 63 Naurato 31 7 3 10 -3 8 54 Mitera 38 0 10 10 +6 57 37 Dest 40 2 7 9 -1 37 34 Bailey 26 5 2 7 -1 55 25 Fardig 37 4 3 7 0 30 45 Swystun 35 2 2 4 -11 12 34 cook 39 1 2 3 0 37 22 Dunlap 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 Fragner 2 0 0 0 0 15 0 4 Holy Cross 2 North Dakota 3 Michigan * 3 Colorado College 2 Harvard National Semifinal Milwaukee, Wisc. April 6, 2006 3 or 8 p.m. National Semifinal Milwaukee, Wisc. April 6, 2006 3 or 8 p.m. National Championship Milwaukee, Wisc. April 8, 2006 7 p.m. 2 Miami (OH) i I. 3 Maine Montville ward 19 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 +2 -1 0 0 1 0 East Regional Albany March 26, 2006 2 p.m. Northeast Regional Worcester, Mass. March 25, 2006 6 p.m. 3 Boston College I 4 Nebraska-Omaha 4 New Hampshire 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) 1 Michigan State 1 Boston University *Michigan faces North Dakota at 9 p.m. ET Mark Giannotto OFFENSE The offense was awful in Friday's dud against the Spartans, and looked just okay in the third-place game against Northern Michigan. Michigan needs scoring from multiple lines to get past North Dakota. 00 DEFENSE Despite a late-game collapse against Michigan State, the defense played well this week- end. But the collapse came when it really counted. If the defense is to be successful in North Dakota, it will rely on help from the forwards. GOALTENDING Noah Ruden gave up four goals against Michigan State, but kept Michigan in the game throughout. He had another solid showing against the Wildcats Saturday. Ruden will have to be even better nowIA that it's NC.AA time. DOWD Continued from page 1B four goals and earn the victory. Prior to the game, many of the Michigan freshmen were nervous about the most significant games of their young collegiate careers. With the players com- ing out of the tunnel onto an NHL rink - a place where many of them aspire to play in just a few years down the road - it's understandable that the freshmen's nerves were on edge. But Michigan State also had nine freshmen, including Tim Crowder, who scored two goals on Friday, and Justin Abdelkader, who knocked one in during Saturday's champion- ship game. The Spartans, even on a night when their play was far from its best, simply outclassed the seemingly uninspired Wolverines. And even though Michigan was pleased with its performance in the third period, the fact remains that it couldn't put the puck in the back of the net. Entering the NCAA West Regional in Grand Forks, N.D. this weekend, the Wolverines' freshmen have just one game of meaningful playoff experience. Saturday's third-place game had neither the atmosphere nor implications of a playoff game. As the Wolverines prepare to head to North Dakota, Beren- son's dike analogy begs two questions: Was that one game against the Spartans enough to plug that inexperience hole? And once that hole is plugged, which one will open next? If Michigan has any hopes of advancing to the Regional Final, or, hockey gods willing, the Frozen Four, it first must get through the host, North Dakota. If a half-empty Joe Louis Arena intimidated the Wolverines' freshmen with a 60-percent Michigan crowd, I can't imagine how nervous they will be when they skate out into the 11,000-plus seat Ralph Engelstad Arena, widely considered one of the toughest places to play in college hockey, to face off against the Fighting Sioux. Michigan's preparation can't simply rely on the expe- rienced seniors who.have carried the team both emo- tionally and physically this year. And even the juniors playing the games of their lives might not be enough. The Wolverines' chance for success comes down to those 11 freshmen and how well they can mentally pre- pare themselves for the toughest challenge they've seen. Beyond the pressing need for the freshman class to develop nerves of steel, Michigan must do its best to prevent new holes from opening and old holes from reforming. Captain Andrew Ebbett hit the nail on the head yesterday when he said this weekend isn't about motivational speeches or lip service. He said that success in the Tournament hinges on each player giving his best individual effort. In fact, Ebbett went as far as saying that if each player doesn't invest his best effort on Friday night, they shouldn't be playing college hockey. We've heard things like this from the team all year long, be it at Yost, in Fairbanks, Bowling Green or Omaha. When the going gets tough, the team promises to get going, but rarely (with the exception of Ebbett and alternate captain Brandon Kaleniecki) have the players lived up to these bold statements. Ebbett's statement seems like common sense, but after see- ing the efforts of some Michigan forwards last Friday, I hope they hear Ebbett loud and clear before this Friday night. There will be no room for nerves in Grand Forks. There will be little room for mistakes. And with North Dakota goaltender Jordan Parise and, most likely (barring a Holy Cross miracle), Minnesota netminder Jeff Frazee standing between the pipes on the road to the Frozen Four, there will be little room for error when shooting on net. Both Parise and Frazee stop more than 90 percent of the shots that come their way. If the Wolverines have any hope of earning their way to Milwaukee, the freshmen must develop nerves of steel, offensive forwards like T.J. Hensick and Andrew Cogliano must play the best defense they've ever played, defensemen Matt Hunwick and Jack Johnson must jump into the offense without getting caught out of position, and Noah Ruden must play the two best games of his short reign as a starter. It's a lot to ask for, especially from a team that has struggled to overcome obstacles almost every weekend this season. They're certainly talented enough. They're definitely physical- ly strong enough. They've done a good job plugging up most of the holes that have come along, even if they took weeks to do it. The only question that remains is whether they're mentally tough enough. - Dowd can be reached atjvdowd@umich.edu. about Ralph Engelstad Arena, the location of the d on ESPN2 Wolverines' regional. He mentioned the imported t exactly jubi- leather that lines every seat and the grand marble James V. Dowd CCHA CHAMPIONSHIPS Friday's results: CCHA Continued from page 11B the Wolverines from tying the game After the bracket was announce yesterday morning, the mood wasn' H. Jose Bosch