VBELL: AD7FFRENNeiF N GHTAND Haven't been to a night game? You don't know what you're missing. Page 2 The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com I October 22, 2007 MICHIGAN 27, 'NJ' can't finish off 'Cats, takes tie By COLT ROSENSWEIG Daily Sports Writer Heading into overtime against No. 9 Northwestern on Saturday, the Michigan men's soccer team wasn't apprehensive. It was raring to MICHIGAN 0 go. NORTHWESTERN 0 "I reminded them that everything they've done, all the work they've put in, all the sacrifices they've made, is for moments like this," Michigan coach Steve Burns said. "When you get in overtime, there's a lot of luck involved. As long as you're putting the work in, maybe it comes your way. The more you work, the more luck you have." Junior goalkeeper Patrick Sper- ry - who had his seventh shutout of the season on the line - was confident in the defense that had worked seamlessly with him all night. "I felt pretty clicked into the match, and I wasn't worried about giving up a goal," Sperry said. "I was excited because I thought we were going to get the win. I thought we were goingto find a goal." The Wolverines didn't find that elusive game-winning goal, but neither did the Wildcats. In a game where Michigan was outshot and outcornered, it still fought its way to a satisfactory result. Besides the lack of offense, the game marked a return to better times for the Wolverines (0-2-2 Big Ten, 9-4-2 overall) made especial- ly meaningful because of the tough Big Ten opponent. Sophomore forward Mauro Fuzetti returned to the pitch and played more than half the match. Fuzetti, along with fellow cata- lysts sophomore Peri Marosevic, junior Steve Bonnell and redshirt freshman Cam Cameron, created many of the Wolverines' scoring chances. And Michigan's discipline paid dividends for the second game in a row - only Wildcats received cau- tions on Saturday. The Wolverine defense overly compensated for its counterpart. The offense didn't record its first shot on goal until well into the second half. Sperry made six saves and at one point smothered the ball in a crowd of players like a foot- ball player pouncing on a fumble. Michigan also enjoyed a fair bit of luck, as a number of Northwestern (2-2-1, 9-2-2) shots went just wide of the goal. "This certainly was a game that See SOCCER, Page 3B BEN SIMON/Daly Junior wide receiver Mario Manningham had two touch- downs along with 109 yards to lead Michi- gan to a 27-17 win against Illinois. Openplaybook should be the norm, not the exception Henne shuns injury, keeps 'M' in Big Ten race By JACK HERMAN Daily Sports Editor CHAMPAIGN - Leading up to Satur- day's game, Michigan football discussion centered largely on whether or not run- ning back Mike Hart would return. The senior captain didn't. But another Wolverine did come back from injury, and, in doing so, saved the game. In a performance that left his coach- es grasping for superlatives to describe it, Michigan quarterback Chad Henne battled through an in-game injury to lead the Wolverines to 27-17 road victory over Illinois. With every other Big Ten team save Ohio State saddled with two losses, Michigan remains in control of its own destiny, and with its sixth straight win, continues to turnaround what once looked like a lost season. By fighting off Illinois' bid for a tie for second place, it appears as if Michigan (4-0 Big Ten, 6-2 overall) has officially turned the Big Ten Championship into a two-team race. Although, in typical fashion, Michigan coaches would not disclose the nature of Henne's shoulder injury, their response after the game - and the sling Henne wore when he exited - suggested it was fairly severe. Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr called Henne "courageous." Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord said it was one of the "guttiest" performances he'd seen in a long time. Runningbacks coach Fred Jackson - well, let's just say he left noth- See ILLINI, Page 4B CHAMPAIGN - ver the past season and a half, the oft- maligned Mike DeBord has taken his fair share of criticism since becoming Michigan's offensive coordinator - and rightfully so. Following the announcement of his promotion from SCOTT Michigan's spe- BELL cial teams coach, ---- DeBord's past fail- Too ures as Central Mich- Soon? igan's head coach led many to wonder if he was the right guy for the job. Late last season, his failure to go to the shotgun outside of two-minute-drill situ- ations kept the Wolverines from staying with such high-powered offenses as Ohio State and Southern Cal. And during his entire tenure as offen- sive coordinator (this is his second stint), his tendency to begin nearly every game with his now-patented zone left running play made fans roll their eyes in unison. So when Illinois brought a safety down in the exact spot everyone knew Carlos Brown would run on Michigan's first offensive play and the Wolverines still ran right at him, it looked like another wing in the DeBord Shaky Job Stability Center would have to open to house exhibit D- excessive predictabil- See BELT,, Page 4B Late goal silences crowd, caps win By MICHAEL EISENSTEIN Daily Sports Writer MARQUETTE - In a matter of moments, the Berry Events Center went from the loudest to the quiet- est place in Michigan's Upper Pen- ninsula. And there's a lot of untouched wilderness to compete against for that degree of silence. But, the MICHIGAN 4 person- N. MICHIGAN 3 person - - strong hush wasn't bad for the Wolverines. Silencing the crowd was the biggest cheer the Michigan hockey team (2-0 CCHA, 3-1 overall) could have hoped for in its 4-3 win at North- ern Michigan Saturday night. The Wolverines also won its conference opener the night before, 3-1, for the series sweep. But atthe end ofSaturday'sgame, the age-old saying was reversed - the storm came before the calm. With 40 seconds remaining, the decibel level of the crowd exploded. No. 6 Michigan led the Wildcats 3- 2 when Northern Michigan's Matt Siddall sent the puck flying off his stick from the top of the rightcircle. Redshirt freshman Phil Fox redi- rected the pass past goaltender Billy Sauer's stick forthe game-tyinggoal as the neon-vested students cheered uproariously behind him. At the time, Northern Michigan had a two-man advantage - the Wolverines were killing a five-min- ute Matt Rust checking-from- behind penalty (and ejection), and the Wildcats pulled goalie Derek Janzen. Senior Chad Kolarik let the fans celebrate - for 21 seconds. Northern Michigan was still on the power play when the puck came loose at the Wolverine blue line. Kolarik beat the Wildcat defender to the puck and sent the short- handed shot to the back of the net to the tune of a deafening silence for his fourth point on the weekend. "Our team was tired (from kill- ing penalties)," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "And you look to yourseniors, andPorter and Kolarik See WILDCATS, Page 6B Michigan solid on power play By COURTNEY RATKOWIAK Daily Sports Writer MARQUETTE - This streak is a rough one for Michigan. Freshman Matt Rust's five-minute checking from behind penalty with 2:02 left in the third period on Saturday marked the NOTEBOOK third straight time that the Wolver- ines have had to be shorthanded for the remainder of a game. Rust was called for holding with 2:01 left in last weekend's game against Minnesota, which left the Wolverines fighting a 6-on-4 while down by one goal. The late-game trend had been extended Friday with sophomore Brian Lebler's roughing penalty with 1:37 left. "You have to battle through," senior Chad Kolarik said. "We took a lot of stupid penalties tonight, and we got to get through that. We have a lot of freshmen, a lot of young guys." But when the Wolverines weren't taking penalties, they were capitalizing on them. Michigan went 4-for- 13 on the power play and notched its first power-play point of the season on a Kevin Porter goal in the sec- ond period of Friday's game. "Chad (Kolarik) tried stuffing it in and then slid it over - it was kind of bobbling a bit and I was just standing there, so that was a bit lucky," Porter said Friday. "We were struggling a bit before that. They See NOTEBOOK, Page 6B PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Dail Senior Chad Kolarik and the Michigan Wolverines swept Northern Michigan this weekend to taly two big CCHA victories in the opening weekend of conference play.