The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, March S, 2007 - 3B
ICERS
From page 1B
Though multiple players received
minor penalties, Buckeye Zach Pelle-
tier was the lone player awarded a game
disqualification. The Wolverines left
the rink without engaging in customary
post-game handshakes.
"A couple guys started shoving
(Kevin Porter)," sophomore Brandon
Naurato said. "Their bench was already
off to celebrate, so we just tried to get
everyone out of there so we have every-
one for the playoffs."
For a game with 11 total goals, it
was surprising the first didn't come for
nearly 14 minutes. Predictably, how-
ever, was the Michigan duo concoct-
ing the offense: senior T.J. Hensick and
junior Kevin Porter.
Off a lengthy Hensick pass, Porter
received the puck at the Ohio State
blue line. Skating in alone on Ohio State
goalie Joseph Palmer, Porter wristed
the puck into the net on the blocker
side.
BADGERS
From page 1B
play in the second stanza. Looking like
a whole new team, Michigan stormed
back with the help of sophomores
Carly Benson and Stephany Skrba.
Each poured in four points, cutting the
deficit to just five. Benson and Skrba
finished with 11 and 10 points, respec-
tively.
"I think the second half is where we
started to come together and be more
aggressive offensively," Benson said.
"We regrouped (in the second half),
BUCKEYES
From page 1B
After Michigan stopped the Buckeyes
on the ensuing possession, Harris drew
a foul and went to the line for a one-
and-one situation. The 86-percent free-
throw shooter came up short on his first
attempt, leaving the Wolverines down
two.
"I think I'm a great free-throw shoot-
er, and to go up there and miss those with
the opportunity to tie the game, that's
going to be tough (to get over)," Harris
said. "That's pretty much all that's going
through my mind."
Needing a stop and a score in the final
minute, Michigan failed to corral the
rebound off a Mike Conley Jr. miss, and
the Wolverines were forced to foul. But-
ler calmly sank a pair of free throws with
10 seconds left to ice the game, as disap-
pointed fans headed for the exits.
"We lost a game that we had in our
hands," Harris said. "We should have
Hensick's assist was his 42nd point
in conference play this season and was
the crown on his second CCHA scoring
title.
Michigan (18-9-1 CCHA, 23-12-1
overall) controlledthe early pace, regis-
tering the first 10 shots of the game. The
Wolverines' dominance was so com-
plete that Ohio State (12-12-4, 15-16-5)
didn't put a shot on Michigan goalie
Billy Sauer until late in the first period.
Unfortunately for Sauer, Ohio State's
first attempt lit the lamp. Beaudoin
grabbed the puck in a seemingly inno-
cent scramble in front of the crease and
stuffed it past Sauer to tie the game.
Sauer gave up nine goals on the
weekend.
"It was a coach's nightmare," said
Michigan coach Red Berenson of the
Wolverines' defensive collapse. "It was
a goalie's nightmare - too many goals
against."
Naurato factored in each of Michi-
gan's next two goals, assisting on Tra-
vis Turnbull's tally and then deflecting
Mark Mitera's point shot past Palmer
during a 5-on-3 power play.
but I think somewhere we just left it
go."
But like in so many other games this
year, Michigan comeback efforts fell
short. The Wolverines expended so
much energy pulling the game within
five that they had nothing left down
the stretch.
The Badgers (7-9, 19-12) took advan-
tage of their tired opponents, scorching
Michigan for 53 points after halftime.
Wisconsin eventually pulled ahead 30
before resting players for their second
round game.
Burnett is now 1-4 in Big Ten Tour-
nament games.
won."
The magnitude of the game was evi-
dent from the outset. Harris sank a shot
from downtown for three of his game-
high 19 points, and Michigan (8-8 Big
Ten, 20-11 overall) jumped out to a quick
lead with its four seniors starting togeth-
er for the first time since a Feb. 13 loss at
Michigan State.
But it wasn't until early in the second
half that everyone got a taste of just how
badly Michigan coach Tommy Amaker
wanted this game.
First, Michigan drew what appeared
to be Greg Oden's third foul, but the offi-
cial assigned the foul to Ohio State's Ivan
Harris instead. On the next possession,
Dion Harris drove right at the Buckeyes'
7-foot freshman phenom and drew con-
tact without a call. Following that, Sims
attacked the basket. Again, there was
contact but no whistle.
That was all Amaker needed to see.
Feeling his team wasn't getting its fair
shake in the lane, the normally reserved
and collected Amaker immediately
From that point on, the goals came
at a frenetic pace, with four in the first
half of the second period and six total
during the frame.
Michigan had a 4-2 lead with just
over two minutes to go until the sec-
ond intermission, but Ohio State scored
twice in twenty seconds, setting up the
wild final stanza.
Despite the loss, Michigan backed
into second-place of the CCHA stand-
ings because of Miami (Ohio)'s 4-1 loss
at Northern Michigan.
But the Wolverines found little sol-
ace in the RedHawks' gift.
"I heard Miami lost, so we still got
second place," Naurato said after the
game. "But we wanted to win. We
wanted to get some momentum going
into the playoffs. We've got to start over
again in practice."
The Wolverines took three days off
before returning .to the ice this past
Wednesday.
Michigan's next opponent will be
Northern Michigan, which secured its
first-round playoff victory by beating
Ohio State 3-2 last night.
"It's been a challenging year," Bur-
nett said. "We've come close so many
times. You want your kids to have a
payoff for their effort on the court. We
all know that winning makes life eas-
ier. I continue to give this team credit'
because they've continued to come out
and fight."
But, following a year without a sin-
gle Big Ten win with three this season,
is the season a success?
"Any coach that doesn't win the
national championship is going to say,
'I wish we would've come out and done
better,' " Burnett said. "Certainly you
want to come out and win the games."
jumped in the official's face and drew
an uncharacteristic technical foul, as he
angrily ripped off his jacket.
"Any time you see your coach fired up
like that, you know he's in it with you,"
Petway said. "I think we were already
playing hard, but I think we looked up
and saw him battling forus as far as the
officiating so we said we're gonna battle
some more for him."
Michigan responded to Amaker's pas-
sion with a 14-6 run for a 51-44 lead with
nine minutes remaining.
Ohio State (I5-1, 27-3) countered
thanks to six of Oden's team-high 16
points, and tied the game at 55. Michigan
came right back with a JerretSmith triple
and three-point play from Sims to regain
control, 61-55, with four minutes left in
frontof the raucous Crisler faithful.
But the fans' faith quickly turned to
despair. Ohio State clawed back once
more and this time the Wolverines were
out of answers.
Instead, Michigan was once again left
to wonder "What if?"
'1 angry in win
By COLT ROSENSWEIG
Daily Sports Writer
PALO ALTO, Calif. - The scoreboard report-
ed a victory for the No. 1 Michigan men's gym-
nastics team on Friday night, but the Wolverines'
faces didn't.
Despite facing a No. 5 Stanford team depleted
by injuries and the loss of junior co-captain and
national-team member David Sender, Michigan
almost let the 212.35-208.1 win slip through its
fingers.
"It's one of those hollow victories," Michigan
coach Kurt Golder said. "Just because we didn't
perform well. We made quite a few mistakes....
Maybe we've got to change a few routines, maybe
we've got to take some guys out of the lineup, I
don't know, but we can't continue to keep making
mistakes like we are."
At the start, everything seemed to be going
Michigan's way. The late-arriving Stanford
crowd meant that for a short while, Michigan
supporters made up the majority. And after last
weekend's ugly showing on pommel horse, the
Wolverines led off the meet with five clean rou-
tines of six.
Michigan took the lead with a typically strong
floor showing - none of the five gymnasts scored
lower than a 9.0. Sophomore Jamie Thompson
posted a career-high 9.45. Fellow sophomore
Kent Caldwell, amid his teammates' chants of
"Quad-well!" stuck his signature skill on his way
to a meet-topping 9.65 mark.
But on the rings, Michigan's fourth event,
things began to go wrong.
The Wolverines' nagging problem of failing to
hold strength skills resurfaced in front of tough
road judges. Even seemingly-solid routines
received scores far below normal. Golder was so
displeased with one judge that after the meet, he
informed Stanford head coach Thom Glielmi that
COLVIN
From page lB
they're going to see each night - a strong squad
with a prolific offense or a wobbly group with a
porous defense?
But these guys can set themselves apart.
They've matured and are better than last year
- they're even better than they've showed this
year.
Every hockey fan knows the cliche that
pegs the playoffs as "a whole new season," and
though that's not exactly true, it is a chance.
It's a chance for a team stocked with NHL
draft picks, many of those in the first round, to
play up to its potential.
It's a chance to prove that Michigan still
belongs in the upper echelon of college hockey.
It's a chance to erase "overrated" cheers from
opponents' crowds and make everyone believe
that the Wolverines get high rankings because
of their present play, not the history of the pro-
gram.
Michigan would notcompete at Stanford again if
the same judge worked the meet.
And sophomore Ralph Rosso, current Michi-
gan rings record-holder, had the night off. Sud-
denly the meet was tight.
Michigan's struggles continued on high bar, as
only senior co-captain Andrew Elkind, who won
the event (9.25), and senior Aaron Rakes (9.1)
made it through their routines with no major
form breaks.
For the final event of the night, most of the
pressure was on Stanford. With just four gym-
nasts competing on high bar, every Cardinal
score would count. Ahead by more than a point,
the meetrwas Michigan's to lose.
To the credit of the parallel bars squad, when
Stanfordbuckled, the Wolverines held fast.After
junior Paul Woodward led off the event with a
9.0, freshman Mel Santander executed a flowing,
graceful set culminatingin a stucklanding(9.35).
After two missed routines, Elkind came through
with a routine worthy of the No. 1 parallel bars
man in the nation, scoring an event-winning 9.7.
"I was really proud of our p-bar team,"
Caldwell said. "We weren't having a really good
meet, obviously, and just the way they came back
and fought, did these beautiful routines, was
really good. You just want that to carry through
to every event and not (just) when it comes to
crunch time."
Michiganwill have amuch-neededhomemeet
next Saturday against Illinois. After a month on
the road, returning to familiar Cliff Keen Arena
will be a welcome change.
"We have the most meets, hardest schedule,
and hardest road schedule (of any team in the
country)," Elkind said. "Illinois, they're having a
little bit of a down year, so we can easily at home
get a nice big crowd, see all that blue again, hear
the Go Blue (cheers) and The Victors, and that
will getour spirits and confidence up again."
It's a chance to bury the letdown that was the
2005-2006 season once and for all.
That would be nice, but will it happen?
With this team, nobody knows.
No matter how many people in Ann Arbor
wish it, no matter how many times Berenson
works with them, the 19 guys who take the ice
during the game hold the power.
And just when you think they get it (see the
seven- and six-game win streaks this season),
they crawl back into the hole of inconsistency.
They know how to fix it. They've told the
media from the beginning that they know what
to do (tighten up on team defense, confident
goaltending, less turnovers, etc.).
So let's see if their words can play out on the
ice, starting now in the CCHATournament and
then the NCAA Tournament.
No more "one-and-done," no underachieving,
no more mental laziness.
The time to stand apart is now.
- Colvin can be reached at
ambermco@umichedu.
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