4B - November 27, 2006 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com CONTACT TO THE HEAD NOTABLE QUOTABLE "Obviously, they had the better team right from the get-go. We had a lot of guys play well, but that's how much better Minnesota was tonight than we were" - Michigan coach RED BERENSON 's opening remarks after an 8-2 thrashing of his team at the hands of No.1 Minnesota. PLAYER OF THE WEEK Jim O'Brien MINNESOTA On a team loaded with talented fresh- men who lit up Michigan goalie Billy Sauer, O'Brien managed to stand out. The rookie's three-point night Saturday included two goals, the first and second of his career. THE 'RED' LINE Ina system named for legendary coach Red Berenson, the Daily hockey writers rate the Wolverines on their perfor- mance in each of four areas. (Rated out of 4 pucks) OFFENSE Itmasn iceto see the comeback win against Wisconsin on Friday. But the offense failed to capitalize on crucial chances Saturday versus h Minnesota. Consistency is the key. Friday's Game Saturday's Game MICHIGAN 4 -WISCONSIN 3 MINNESOTA 8 - MICHIGAN 2 * Gopher holed No.1Minnesota piles it on Nate Sandals Ian Robinson James V. Dowd DEFENSE Even if it is the best team country, letting anyone fir shots your way is embarrz The back line left Sauer al with the Gophers far toor GOALTEN DING Over the past three week Sauer's played some of th hockey of his career - ex for Saturday night's horre dous five-goal third perio SPECIAL TEAMS The penalty kill didn't do r to fight off Minnesota Sat Instead, it was the Gophe Michigan with three short goals - two just 20 secor By JAMES V. DOWD Daily Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS - Having come in the back from two separate two-goal def- e 52 icits in Friday night's win, Michigan assing. was far from out of Saturday night's one contest against Minnesota while sit- much. ting in Mariucci Arena's visitors' locker room during the second inter- mission. The Wolverines trailed 3-1 and had seized their first semblance of momentum late in the middle frame. Alternate captain T.J. Hensick outs- s, kated Golden Gophers captain Mike e best Vannelli and glided to a breakaway cept marker with 6:54 remaining in the 'n- period. d. But what transpired during the final stanza of the Golden Gophers' 0 8-2 demolition was unprecedented in recent years of Michigan hockey. The Wolverines surrendered five goals, includingtwo short-handed, in much a matter of 20 seconds, and were left urday. with heads hanging low for the 600- rs killing mile trip home. -handed "We just flat-out got beat," sopho- nds apart. more defenseman Jack Johnson said. "They beat us in pretty much every aspect of the game. We played the best team in the country right now, and, obviously, we have a long way to go to get there." After Minnesota scored early in the third, Hensick's linemate, junior ci- Kevin Porter, helped keep Michigan's add ice hopes alive with a goal three minutes band later. But that was when the high- i Arena. lights ended for the Wolverines. The Golden Gophers scored just lty one minute later, and again 20 sec- onds after that. Both goals were the h result of opportunistic Minnesota the forwards being in the right place at - the right time and deadly mistakes by Michigan's defensemen. "Minnesota worked hard for every- thing that they got," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "But on our side of the ledger, we have to play better. We have to take care of the puck, and we have to play better defensively." Once the hosts had a four-goal lead, Michigan's play slid further downhill. Even when the Wolver- ines generated shots on Minnesota goaltender Kellen Briggs, the Golden Gophers seemed to anticipate Michi- gan's next move and forced turnovers at the blue line. The Michigan miscues resulted in odd-man rushes that forced Wolver- ines' goaltender Billy Sauer to make a career-high 44 saves on the same night that he gave up a career-high eight goals. A few flashes of brilliance by Hen- ( sick, Porter and Johnson in a last- ditch effort couldn't help Michigan find the back of the net, allowing the game to get out of hand. "We had a lot of guys play well," Berenson said. "That's how much bet- ter Minnesota was tonight than we were, and then the momentum just took over the game. The puck started to go in no matter what they did." Saturday's abysmal third period stood in stark contrast to the Wol- verines' resilient Friday comeback against Wisconsin. Instead of col- lapsing under the pressure of a hos- tile crowd, Michigan took the lead during the final period with a pair of goals by David Rohlfs and Andrew Cogliano just 30 seconds apart. Paired with the two-goal deficit the Wolverinestovercame against Nebraska-Omaha on Nov. 10, come- -P POTO backs were the trend for Michigan Minnesotaforward Ryan Flynn decks Michigan defenseman Chris Summers. prior to Saturday's collapse. "I think we have a pretty resilient up our defense, we'll have a chance to "We don't really want to erase this team this season," said Michigan win." memory completely because we've captain Matt Hunwick after the vic- According to Johnson, whether got to learn from it," Johnson said. tory in Madison. "You've seen it in Saturday's game is the new trend or "We need to try and build on it. The past games - against Omaha we were an anomaly will undoubtedly deter- Gophers are a hell of a team, and down 2-0. I feel like we have the abil- mine the course of the Wolverines' we've got to try to become as good as ity to score goals, so if we can tighten season. them by the end of the year." IN THE STANDS College football is the sport normally asso. ated with marching bands. At Minnesota,a hockey to the list. Before home games, the marches around the concourse at Mariucc The Gophers add another degree of difficu to the responsibilities of cheerleaders. The cheerleaders in Minneapolis skate around ice rink getting the fans pumped up in addi tion to the standard practice of walking up and down the aisles riling up the crowd. BY THE NUMBERSt ThenumberofirstoundNHLdraftpicks Johnsons put a superstar touch on crucial matchup * that layed in Saturday night's game Michigan and Minnesota each have four, SATURDAY'S SCORING Minnesota 8, Michigan 2 Michigan............... 0 1 1 - 2 Minnesota .........................2 1 5 - 8 FIRST PERIOD 1. MINN Mike Carman 3 (Ryan Flynn, Mike Vannei) 11:12. 2. MINN Jim O'Brien 1 (David Fischer, Erik Johnson) 18:40. Penalties - Chris Summers, MICH (slashing) 4:26; Erik Johnson, MINN (tripping) 10:44. SECOND PERIOD 3. MINN Kyle Okposo 10 (Erik Johnsion) 4:04. 4. MICH T.J. Hensick 713:06 Penalties - Ben Gordon, MINN (unsportsmanlike conduct) 8:08; Chris Summers, MICH (hooking) 8:08; Jack Johnson, MICH (cross-checking) 11:43. THIRD PERIOD 5. MINN Jim O'Brien 2 (Evan Kaufmann, Mike Vannlli) 3:32. 6. MICH Kevin Porter 12 (T.J. Hensick, David Rohlfs)6:24.7. MINN Evan Kaufmann 3 (Erik Johnson, Jim O'Brien) 7:25. 8. MINN Blake wheeler 9 (Ben Gordon) 7:48 9. MINN Mike Carman 4 (Brian Schack) 15:41. 10. MINNTony Lucia 2 (Blake wheeler) 16:02. Penalties- Matt Hunwick, MICH (hooking)12:42; Erik Johnson, MINN (roughing) 14:53; Mark Mitera, MICH (holding)16:32; Jim O'Brien, MINN (cross-checking) 17:01; TravisTurnbull MICH (slashing) 19:57; Brian Lebler, MICH (unsportsmanlike conduct)19:57 Shots on goal: MICH 8-5-11-24; MINN 15-19-18-52 Power plays: MICH 0-for-3; MINN S-for-6. saves- M- 5H Blly Sauer (13-18-13) - 44; MINN Kelen Briggs (8 4-10) - 22. Referee: Jon Campion. Attendance: 10,118 ByIANROBINSON Daily Spurts Writer MINNEAPOLIS - Earlier in the year, Michigan forward Kevin Porter said he's supposed to get out of the way when defenseman Jack Johnson puts a slap shot on net in practice. The top pick in last summer's NHL Entry Draft, Minnesota defenseman Erik Johnson (no relation), learned why the Wolverines do that the hard way. In the beginning of third period Saturday, Erik Johnson got on the ground to block a Jack Johnson slap shot NOTEBOOK and took a puck to the leg. He stood up gingerly. The Johnsons comprise the two highest draft picks currently playing in the NCAA (Jack was selected third overall in 2005). The duo has a history together. Both were mem- bers of the United States National Team Development Program and played on the same defensive pairing at the 2006 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. FIRE AWAY: Sophomore goalie Billy Sauer faced 52 shots on Saturday night. It was the first time in 11 years that a team has put more than 50 shots on goal against Michigan andtied a Showcase record for most shots ina game. Despite the onslaught ofshotson Sauer, Michigan trailed by just two goals and was still in the game at the second intermission. But the final period spelled disaster for Sauer, who allowed five goals in the final frame. "Billy had a pretty good game going, but then the roof fell in," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. Sauer stopped just 15 of the 20 shots he faced in the third period. YOUNG GUNS: Maybe you need plenty of fresh- men to be the top-ranked team at the College Hockey Showcase. Last season, Michigan entered the College Hockey Showcase weekend as the No. 1 team - even though it had 11 freshmen on the roster. The Wolver- ines lost to No. 7 Minnesota 6-3 in the series-opening night. CCHA STANDINGS <8iSt "' < "F _.. . S'F F e8 "FY8 .... ,. ' c 8 F,.. FI , ; 3 'd . 0 0 'M' STATS GP G IAIPts LEFT: Michigan defenseman Jack Johnson was one of eight NHL first round draft picks in Saturday night's game. RIGHT: Michigan forward Brandon Naurato was on crutches after Saturday night's 8-2 loss to No.1 Minnesota. Fast-forward a year. nia native was hit in leg when he dropped to the ice to The Wolverines entered Mariucci Arena on Satur- block a shot from the point. He crawled on the ice back day night as the No. 7 team, facing off against a top- to the Michigan bench and didn't return. ranked Gopher squad that features nine freshmen. Sophomore defenseman Mark Mitera played with Seven of the Gopher rookies have been drafted, and a cast on his right wrist. one of them, Jim O'Brien, is not eligible for the NHL NOTES: Michigan's win 4-3 win at Wisconsin on Draft until next year. Four Minnesota freshmen Friday night was the 1,400th win in program history recorded six Gopher goals, including O'Brien's first in its 85th season as a varsity sport. ... The six-goal two of his career. margin from Saturday night's game ties the College INJURY UPDATE: Sophomore forward Brandon Hockey Showcase record for largest margin of vic- Naurato, a third-line left-winger, was on crutches tory. Michigan beat Minnesota 6-0 in the 1993 event after Saturday's game. In the second period, the Livo- at Auburn Hills. AROUND THE CCHA GOPHERS Apparently, the players under- From page 1B stood Berenson's message. Mich- Player +/- I PIM ISht a G I { I--;- Hesick Porter Kolarik Rohlfs Cogliano Johnson Lebler Naurato Mitera Miller Hunwick cook nest Ward Kampfer Turnbu I Fardig Summers Baley 15 15 15 15 15 14 15 14 15 15 15 11 15 9 12 15 15 15 15 T 7 12 11 9 7 6 4 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 T 21 15 8 10 0 7 2 2 6 3 5 4 3 3 1 1 2 0 T 28 27 19 19 17 13 6 6 6 6 5 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 0 T +9 +11 +8 +13 +3 +13 -1 0 +3 +6 +s +2 +2 +3 +1 -3 +3 +4 -6 T 14 12 6 10 31 20 4 18 29 18 2 12 0 6 22 1- 34 22 T 31 54 61 37 28 43 23 34 22 22 25 4 7 6 9 28 17 13 12 Team 1, Miami Michigan 3. Alaska Notre Dame 5. Ohio State 6. Michigan State Northern Michigan Western Michigan 9. Lake Superior Nebraska-Omaha 11. Ferris State 12. Bowling Green CCHA 7-3-0 7-2-0 4-1-3 5-2-1 4-4-2 4-4-1 4-3-1 4-6-1 3-4-1 3-6-1 2-6-1 1-7-0 Overall 11-5-0 11-4-0 6-2-4 10-3-1 4-7-3 6-6-1 7-6-2 5-6-1 8-5-1 4-7-4 4-8-1 3-10-1 Pts 14 14 11 11 10 9 9 9 7 7 - 2 Friday's results: Michigan 4, WIScONSIN 3 MINNESOTA 5, Michigan State 4 CoLGATE 4, Ohio State 2 Miami 4, ST. LAWRENCE 3 CLARKSoN 5, Bowling Greeno ALASKA 2, Lake Superior 2 Notre Dame 4, Nebraska-Omaha 2 Saturday's results: MINNESOTA8,Michigan 2 WIScONSIN 2, Michigan State 0 RENSSELAER 5, Ohio State 5 CLRKvSON 5, Miami 2 ST. LAWRENcE 4, Bowling Green 0 NEBRASKA OMAHA 3, Notre Dame 2 ALASKA3, Lake Superior 1 *Home teams in caps _ igan got a quick goal from Miller in the second shift of the second But the sophomore gave up a period and a power-play goal on a career-worst five goals in the Hensick one-timer to right of the third period. After the game, goalie's skate. Sauer declined to comment. Wisconsin went ahead a few Michigan also trailed 2-0 after minutes later with a power-play one period on Friday night at the goalthatgave the Badgers thelead Kohl Center in Madison against heading into the final stanza. But Wisconsin (3-6-1 WCHA, 5-9-1 two Michigan third-period goals overall). But in that game, the - one by senior David Rohlfs Wolverines overcame the deficit off a backhand pass across the and won 4-3 for their first Show- crease from Hensick with 11:35 case win in three years. remaining and the game-winner "Coach ripped into us (after by Cogliano to the goalie's stick the first period)," Hensick said. side 30 seconds later - sealed the "It was kind of embarrassing." victory.