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