The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com I March 3,2008
FRIDAY: MICHIGAN 5, FERRIS STATE 3
SATURDAY: FERRIS STATE 4, MICHIGAN 3 (OT)
TRIUPH
Michigan
shines at
Big Tens
Fourth-ranked Wolverines end
five-year Big Ten title drought,
aim for national championship
By RYAN A. PODGES
Daily Sports Writer
After the last race at Saturday night's Big Ten men's
swimming and diving championship at Canham Nata-
torium, Michigan coach Bob Bowman sat down and
took off his glasses, shoes and socks. His team had just
won Michigan's first conference title since 2003, and
that meant Bowman would soon be going for a swim,
too.
All the Wolverine swimmers and coaches jumped
into the diving well to celebrate Michigan's 33rd Big
Ten championship. Even the trophy was pulled into
the pool.
"We're all pretty ecstatic," junior Matt Patton said.
"We swam out of our minds tonight, and we deserve it,
because we worked our asses off."
Michigan started off the meet with a win winning
by the smallest possible margin and ended it ina run-
away. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of sophomore
Chris Brady and juniors Bobby Savulich, Curtis Dauw
and Jamie Martone touched first one-hundredth of a
second ahead of Indiana. Bowman called that relay
and with Michigan's pool record-setting win in the
400-yard medley relay "the best relays in Michigan
history."
After celebrating in the pool, Savulich said he was
most proud ofthe way his team started the meet strong
and maintained its focus until the end of last race.
No. 4 Michigan won 13 of 18 events and set either a
new pool or Big Ten meet record in 10 of those victo-
ries. During the three-day meet, the Wolverines fin-
ished 226 points ahead of second-place Indiana, while
See BIG TENS, Page 6B
Seniors Chad Kolarik (with trophy) and Kevin Porter (right) celebrate their CCHA regular season title with their teammates Friday at Yost Ice Arena.
Friday's win seals
CCHA title
By ANDY REID
Daily Sports Writer
BIG RAPIDS - After clinching its
first CCHA regular-season champi-
onship since 2005 Friday night, the
maize-clad Michigan hockey team
leapt off the bench and mobbed
goaltender Billy Sauer.
The next night, Ferris State
returned the favor.
The No.1 Wolverines won 5-3 Fri-
day to cement their place atop the
conference standings, but couldn't
finish off the sweep Saturday, fall-
ing 4-3 in overtime to the Bulldogs
at R.L. Ewigleben Ice Arena.
"A lot of people had us clinching
first place, and then the season was
over," Michigan coach Red Beren-
son said after Saturday's loss. "Well,
it's not over. That's just a part of it, so
wegye got to get past this game and
regroup."
Fighting neck-and-neck with
Miami (Ohio) for the conference
championship, Michigan needed to
take at least two points out of a pos-
sible four with Ferris State to clinch.
But the Bulldogs' scrappy defense
looked like it would give the Wolver-
ines trouble from the start.
Friday night, Michigan mus-
tered just six shots on goal in the
first period, while rifling more than
twenty shots off-target. The same
Ferris State defense that held offen-
sive powerhouse Miami to just one
goal in an upset win two weeks ago
seemed poised to stifle the Wolver-
ines in a similar fashion.
But Michigan (20-4-4 CCHA, 27-
5-4 overall) settled down offensively
in the second frame, focusing more on
crisp passing to sustain possessions
inside the Bulldog zone, which pro-
duced more scoringopportunities.
See BULLDOGS, Page 2B
Complacency is
team's biggestflaw
BIG RAPIDS - happened the next night at Ferris
ichigan had a storybook State didn't matter. The Wolverines
ending to its final regu- weren't playing to win. They had
lar-season game Friday. little to no motivation. Billy Sauer
Kevin Por- rested for the playoffs, and even
ter and Chad the press took the night off - the
Kolarik hoisted usual postgame rush around coach
the CCHA Red Berenson was reduced to one
championship media outlet.
trophy at cen- Saturday's game was no big deal,
ter ice after a rght?
5-3 win against As unimportant as it may have
Ferris State. been, the game again showed that
And with the COURTNEY complacency is the Wolverines'
Yost Ice Arena RATKOWIAK vice. This time, in a 4-3 overtime
lights dimmed, loss, it was just another game
the two highest where the team was too loose in
scorers in the conference skated a the locker room and another let-
slow victory lap, celebrating both down when Michigan was focused
their Senior Night and the fact that on a bigger game.
this season's team defied every- The feeling's becoming a little
one's expectations. too familiar. Michigan's first con-
Fridaywas Michigan's last ference loss came to CCHA
regular-season game because what See RATKOWIAK, Page 4B
BY THE NUMBERS
3 Years since Michigan's Combined point total for seniors Kevin -
last regular-season Porter and Chad Kolarik, who finished 1-2
CCHA championship. in the CCHA in points. The duo still fin-
The last time the Wol- ished on top even after Kolarik was forced
verines won the confer- 9 7 to miss the last four games of the regular 2
ence title was in 2005. season after a hamstring injury on Feb. 2.
Number of assists for freshman
Aaron Palushaj, who finished
first in the CCHA. Palushaj and
freshman Max Pacioretty also
joined Porter and Kolarik in the
top 10 of the points standings.
Poor pitching crucial in loss at No. 1ASU
Freshman Manny Harris goes upfor a layup in the Wolverines'
loss to Penn State. Harris scored a career-high 29 points.
Tiring season
nearing end
Michigan falls victim to Penn
State in tough road loss
By DAN FELDMAN
Daily Sports Editor
STATE COLLEGE - At halftime of Saturday's game
at Penn State, Michigan men's basketball coach John
Beilein slowly walked to the locker room, his jacket
draped over his arm and his head hung.
He looked tired of dealing with the difficulties of his
first season leading the Wol- -_-
verines, who trailed the Nit- MICHIGAN 61
tany Lions by eight. PENN STATE 69
After the game, he talk-
ed about facing the challenge of every game, but he
seemed ready for this season tobe over. A 69-61 loss to
the Nittany Lions didn't end the season but provided it
some finishing touches.
Michigan's 11-game winning streak over the Nittany
Lions - done.
Any chance the Wolverines are streaking to the fin-
ish line - done.
And unless it beats No. 16 Purdue Sunday and wins
both the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments, Michigan's
(5-12, 9-20) chances of not setting a program record for
See NITTANY LIONS, Page 4B
Coach attributes
early-season losses
to rusty pitching
By H. JOSE BOSCH
Daily Sports Editor
SURPRISE, Ariz. - Following the
Michigan baseball team's 8-4 loss to
No.1 Arizona State Saturday, Michigan
coach Rich Maloney just chuckled and
smiled.
He said in all his years of coach-
ing, he's never experienced something
quite like this.
In seven games, the Michigan pitch-
ing staff has an abysmal 6.97 ERA.
That's a frightening figure, considering
No. 18 Michigan lost just one pitcher of
significance from last year's squad.
Last season's team ERA was 4.38.
"I don't want to critique them," fifth-
year senior Leif Mahler said. "They're
definitely doing a great job. But we
definitely need to throw strikes if we're
going to get these guys out, and we got
to go after these hitters."
Control has been the biggest issue for
the Wolverines, and it doomed them in
their tilt with the Sun Devils Saturday.
Michigan (4-3) held a one-run lead
heading into the bottom of the sev-
enth. Then redshirt junior Mike Pow-
ers - who had been pitching solidly
through six frames - walked the first
two batters.
Sophomore Mike Dufek relieved
Powers, and, following a sacrifice bunt
and an intentional walk, walked in the
game-tying run.
The next batter, Mike Newman, fol-
lowed up with a two-run single into
left field. After another walk, this time
from junior Adam Abraham, Arizona
State's Raoul Torres and Brett Wallace
each hit RBI singles to close up the Sun
Devils' scoring for the frame: five runs
off five walks (one intentional) and just
three base hits.
"It's not a mystery why they score
runs like that," Mahler said. "You can't
be giving up free bases like that. The
pitchers know that, and they're going
to make an adjustment."
Maloney was calm following the
game, saying his staff's 52 walks in 62
See SUN DEVILS, Page 2B
r 4