4B - November 26, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
MINNESOTA
From page 1B
since the first weekend of the sea-
son.
Entering the game, Minnesota
(7-6-1) was 7-0-2 in the last five
years at the Showcase.
Last season, the Gophers gave
Michigan an 8-2 drubbing that
included three shorthanded goals
and five scores in the third period.
And at the Ice Breaker Invitational
in October, Minnesota handed
Michigan a 4-3 loss for its lone
defeat of the season.
But the Wolverines were ready
for payback Saturday.
"I just think we came out flying,
we came out ready," senior Chad
Kolarik said. "We shook their hands
at the end of the last game (in Octo-
ber) and they were all bloodied up,
and I think they were pretty intimi-
dated tonight. We came out and we
started banging again, and it was
huge."
With about two minutes left in
the first period, captain Kevin Por-
ter went in on a breakaway, but a
Minnesota player poked the puck
away before he could get off a shot.
Kolarik was right behind his line-
mate and drilled the loose puck in
for Michigan's first goal.
A Porter-to-Kolarik power-play
goal2:43 into the second period gave
Michigan a 2-0 lead and extended
the Wolverines' power-play scoring
streak to five games.
Michigan gained full control of
the game two-and-a-half minutes
later after its second shorthanded
goal of the weekend and third of
the season. Porter capitalized on
a failed clearance attempt by Min-
nesota goalie Jeff Frazee by dump-
ing the puck inthe net while Frazee
was still outcof the crease.
In all, Kolarik and captain Kevin
Porter combined for seven of the
game's 13 points.
Michigan and Minnesota were
evenly matched in both speed and
physicality, a change from the pre-
vious night against Wisconsin,
where the Wolverines outskated
the Badgers.
But Michigan coach Red Beren-
son said the difference against the
Gopherscameinbeing"opportunis-
tic" and taking advantage of breaks
- most obvious in the second peri-
od, when the Wolverines notched
three goals on just seven shots.
The nightbefore, it was Wiscon-
sin that took advantage of chance
opportunities. After Michigan's
first line put the Wolverines ahead
3-0 after two periods, Wisconsin
scored its first goal with fewer
than three minutes remaining. On
the next shift, the Badgers scored
again to narrow the Wolver-
ines' lead to one and temporarily
silenced the Yost crowd.
And after allowing two goals in
18 seconds to spoil an otherwise
stellar showing in the net, Sauer
had to refocus the next night for
a team that's consistently shaken
him. Besides shoulderingthe brunt
of the 8-2 loss last year, Sauer also
played in the 6-3 loss against Min-
nesota in the Showcase his fresh-
man year.
But the junior showed Saturday
that the last minutes of the previous
night's game were a fluke - and the
win helped drop his goals-against-
average to an even 2.00.
The Yost crowd gave Michigan
a standing ovation for the last 10
seconds of the game. The team cel-
ebrated around Sauer after the final
buzzer.
And with that, revenge was
taken.
"It's not that we don't like Min-
nesota," Berenson said. "We respect
Minnesota. But it's time. We've lost
six in a row to that team. This was
our time."
0
Senior Tyrel Todd and the Wolverines recorded more dual meet wins this weekend, one more than they had all last season.
'M'finds dual -meet success
ZACHARY MEISNER/Daily
Senior Chad Kolarik matched his season-high point total of three in Michigan's win
over Minnesota. Kolarik had never beaten the Gophers before Saturday night.
By MARK GIANNOTTO
Daily Sports Writer
Cigarette smokers cantake years
to quit. People who bite their nails
might never stop. And heading into
this past weekend's Journeyman/
Brute Northeast Collegiate Duals,
the No. 5 Michigan wrestling team
wanted to end its own nasty habit
- losing dual meets.
And the Wolverines accom-
plished their mission. They went
3-1 over the weekend, defeating
Bucknell 33-6, Bloomsburg 27-12
and Virginia25-10. Michigan's lone
loss came at the hands of unranked
Maryland, 18-16.
With the three dual-meet wins,
the teamhas already surpassed last
year's two wins.
But in the surprising loss to the
Terrapins,the pivotalmatch proved
to be in the 184-pound weight class.
Senior Tyrel Todd, ranked third in
the nation in his weight class, was
upset 4-1 by Maryland junior Josh
Haines. Haines capitalized on a
scramble in the third period to
score a two-point takedown and
take control of the contest.
Afterward, Michigan coach Joe
McFarland took responsibility for
his senior's upset loss. This past
weekend was Todd's first action
since being hospitalized with a
staph infection two weeks ago.
"He's still getting over that
infection," McFarland said. "I
wasn't planning on wrestling him
in that dual, and at the last minute,
I made the decision to put him in.
I'm going to take the blame on that
one. He just didn't have enough
juice in his body to perform like he
wanted."
But Todd was one of just a
few Wolverines who left disap-
pointed. A season ago, Michigan
struggled with its depth. Besides
veterans like seniors Josh Churel-
la, Eric Tannenbaum, Steve Luke
and Todd, the Wolverines lacked
quality in most weight classes.
If this weekend was any indi-
cation, though, the future looks
bright. Seven Michigan wrestlers
finished the dual-meet tournament
with at least two wins. Churella,
Tannenbaum and Luke all finished
the weekend with unblemished 4-
0 records.
But two newcomers unexpect-
edly excelled for the Wolverines.
Freshman Kellen Russell went
undefeated inthe 141-pound weight
class and appears to be making
a seamless transition to college
wrestling.
Teammates said Russell's
experience in his high school
program helped him develop into
an impact performer quickly.
Blair Academy, in New Jersey, is
known as a prep school wrestling
juggernaut.
"He's had a lot of success in
high school, so I think it's helped
with the transition confidence
wise," Churella said. "He's very
confident as a true freshman
because he knows he wouldn't be
wrestling as a true freshman if he
wasn't good."
Russell may be a fresh face, but
another impressive performer over
the weekend has already been at
Michigan for four years.
A season ago, fifth-year senior
Jeff Marsh struggled to a lacklus-
ter 10-11 record. But this weekend,
Marsh compiled a 3-1 record in the
157-pound weight class. His only
defeat came at the hands of No.
15 Matt Mosley of Bloomsburg on
what McFarland called a "tough,
fleeing-the-matcall."
Marsh and the rest of the reju-
venated Wolverines will look to
capitalize on their quick start
this Friday when they head to Las
Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invita-
tional, where they finished sec-
ond last season.
SENIORS
From page 1B
on the ice. You can't just talk about
it, and (Porter and Kolarik) did
that tonight, both of them. They
put everything on the line, and we
got some breaks, but I thought they
were terrific. They were the differ-
ence."
Saturday night against the Gold-
en Gophers, the duo recorded one
of the most special performances in
Michigan hockey history.
Facing off against a Minnesota
team that had beaten Michigan six
straight times, Porter and Kolarik
sliced through the usually stout
Minnesota defense all night to the
tune of two goals a piece and seven
total points. The seniors accounted
for more than 50 percent of the
Wolverines' point total.
The two seniors tallied Michi-
gan's first four goals, three of which
were assisted by the other, and put
Michigan far enough ahead to snap
the Gophers' streak.
"I think with two seniors on the
line, I've said all along that, we've
got to be the line that comes out
every night and sets the tempo and
has a good game every night," Por-
ter said. "Those other lines might
not score every night, but they're
working hard and doing the little
things, and if they're not scoring,
then our line has to, so I think we
did a good job of that"
Michigan benefited this week-
end from more than just Porter and
Kolarik's goals, too.
BELMONT
From page 1B
pounced upon poor Bruin shoot-
ing and took command of the game
with a 19-0 first-half run, giving
them a 38-14 halftime lead.
Michigan continued to step on
the gas after the break, sustaining
its first-half intensity and expand-
ing the lead to 39 at one point.
Perhaps the most telling statis-
tical difference between the two
games was Michigan's shooting
percentage. The Wolverines shot
nearly 50 percent from the court
yesterday but were just 35 percent
from the field on Friday.
Borseth tried to explain the dif-
ference between the two games fol-
lowing yesterday's win.
"The level of competition was the
biggest difference," Borseth said.
"Iowa State is a Big 12 team with a
lot of talent."
That talent hurt the Wolverines
Friday. Iowa State's Allison Lacey
dominated Michigan by herself
with 35 points, 27 of which came
from behind the arc.
"She was really good overall,"
Michigan center Krista Phillips
When the Wolverines were on
the penalty kill, the potent pair saw
more ice time this weekend than in
games prior. The duo's speed and
skating ability put it in prime posi-
tion to block shot after shot in five-
on-four situations.
Both also created turnovers that
led to shorthanded goals.
"Even if we're on the penalty
kill, I see them out there, and it's a
great feeling just to know we have
those leaders out there," goalie
Billy Sauer said. "They can make a
difference all the time."
With 12 freshmen on the roster,
Porter and Kolarik were expected
to become the main sources of
leadership for the Wolverines.
The duo has risen to the
challenge so far, realizing the
importance of having two experi-
ence-driven seniors showing the
way for the new talent.
"(We're) not only seniors, but
he's the captain, and I'm one of
the assistants," Kolarik said. "So
it's huge, leading by example and
vocally too, getting these guys
going and getting these guys
ready. If we're leading by example,
they've got to follow."
Although praise is raining
down upon the two seniors - Por-
ter skated off the ice to "Hobey
Baker!" chants - no one is giving
more credit to the Wolverines'
successes to Porter and Kolarik
than Berenson.
"Let's face it. If you ask me who
sang, who led the song tonight, I'll
tell you it was our two seniors,"
Berenson said.
said. "She was really hot from the
three-point line. We tried to ice
her, but we weren't able to stop
her."
Phillips played well off the bench
for the Wolverines, leading Michi-
gan with 21 points in 27 minutes.
But despite Phillips's pres-
ence down low, the Cyclones out-
rebounded the Wolverines 37-27.
Iowa State exploded to an early
22-1 lead, which spelt doom for the
Wolverines. It was Phillips off the
bench, whose basket started a 14-3
run Michigan that offered the Wol-
verines a glimmer of hope.
But the Cyclones shut the door
on the comeback attempt and took
a 17-point advantage at halftime for
Michigan's first loss of the season.
Following the Wolverines' poor
performance against Iowa State,
Borseth was concerned how a
Michigan team that has struggled
over the years would play against
Belmont.
"I had a lot of anxiety before
the game," Borseth said. "Coming
off the loss, I didn't know how we
would respond."
Michigan's commanding win
yesterday will likely put those
thoughts to rest up, for now.
M' can't topple top-
ranked Penn State
6
By CHARLES CLINTON
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan volleyball team's
two matches over the weekend
had the same final score, but the
results were polar opposites of
each other.
Saturday night (a 3-1 loss), the
first two games were dominated
by Penn State. The visitors jumped
out to a big lead early in the open-
ing game, and then the Nittany
Lions fought off a Wolverine
comeback after being up 29-17 to
win 30-21. Michigan sophomore
Veronica Rood energized the team
with nine kills in the first game
and 10 in the second, but it was a
futile effort.
In the second game, Penn State
jumped out to a 6-1 lead, but Mich-
igan would make it close by nar-
rowing it to 14-12. It was all Penn
State after that, though. The Nit-
tany Lions picked up the pace and
beat the Wolverines with their
quickness, eventually winning 30-
22.
"The first two gameswere really
tentative," Michigan coach Mark
Rosen said. "We didn't play nearly
as aggressive against them, and
they were really hard to defend in
those games."
The tables quickly turned in
the third game Michigan gave life
back to Cliff Keen Arena by jump-
ing out to its first lead of the night.
But Penn State refused to go away.
There were 11 ties and two lead
changes before the Nittany Lions
BOSCH
From page 1B
clearly lacked last season
Midway through the first half
against Butler Wednesday, the
Wolverines trailed by 14 and
looked overmatched. Yet Michi-
gan battled back and pulled with-
in three points just five minutes
into the second frame.
took a slim 26-25 lead. But back-
to-back errors caused them to lose
their lead back to the hosts. Penn
State tried to ice Michigan with a
timeout, but the Wolverines held
on for a 32-30 win.
"We played a lot better in the
third game than we, did in the
first two," senior Lyndsay Miller
said. "The way we came back in
the third game will hopefully be a
boost for us going into the NCAA
tournament."
Both teams held leads early on
in the fourth game, with the Nit-
tany Lions' strong play up front
(four straight blocks) helping them
build a 17-12 lead. Penn State went
on to win the game 30-21 to close
out the match.
Friday night, Michigan (10-10
Big Ten, 22-10 overall) took on
Ohio State for the first time since
the Wolverines beat them 3-0 in
October. Led by senior Katie Bru-
zdzinski's seven kills and senior
Stesha Selsky's eight digs in the
first game, Michigan took a 4-3
lead and never looked back, win-
ning the opening game 30-17.
Michigan stumbled just enough
in the second game to lose 30-26.
The Buckeyes (7-13, 13-16) came
back from an early 13-7 deficit,
eventually took the lead at 23-22
and never relinquished it.
But the Wolverines went on fire
to take the next two games. They
demolished the Buckeyes in the
third frame 30-16, taking advan-
tage of 15 errors by Ohio State and
five aces of their own. Game four
Sure, the Wolverines' youth
eventually cost them the game. A
more experienced team doesn't
allow seven consecutive 3-point-
ers. But the effort was there, and
unlike their more-experienced
teammates from a season ago,
Michigan didn't lay down the rest
of the game.
The same can be said about Sat-
urday's loss to Western Kentucky.
The Hilltoppers led by 13 four
minutes into the second half, the
JENNIFER KRON/Daily
Sophomore Veronica Rood helped Michigan post a Friday night win over rival
Ohio State. The Wolverines finished fifth in the Big Ten.
was drawn out with 10 ties and five igan volleyball," said Michigan
lead changes with Michigan tak- coach Mark Rosen. "We let Ohio
ing a 28-23 advantage late in the State climb back in it in game two,
game to get the win 30-26. but we really closed the door on
"We went out and played Mich- them in games three and four."
biggest lead of the night. Behind
Sims and Harris, the Wolverines
pulled within two points with
43 seconds left before eventually
falling.
The end result may have been
the same, but the effort is com-
pletely different. Last year's team
was lethargic and played like they
were content with mediocrity.
While the Wolverines will be
overmatched duringmost of their
games the rest of the season, this
young team is playingwith energy
and a determination to eventually
be great.
It would be a bit too optimistic
to believe Michigan was just a few.
missed shots away from winning
the tournament. The competition
was too strong.
But this was the-best 1-2 stretch
Michigan has had ma long time.
- Bosch can be reached
at hectobos@umich.edu.
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