U The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com I March 24,2008 2008 CCHA PLAYOFFS FINAL FOUR MICHIGAN 6, NORTHERN MICHIGAN 4. 9-MICHIGAN 2, MIAMI (OHIO) 1 - Mvs. ns o the 1h The Michigan hockey team celebrates its first CC HA tournament championship since 2005. C m ~.O-KLEONr ANOTHER FOR THE RAFTERS GRITTY MILLER WINS MVP NEXT UP: NIAGAR 'M' prepares for Niagara A AT REGIONALS The team, the team,...4 DETROIT - T he team. It was Bo Schembechler's philosophy, but this year's Michigan hockey team embodies that mentality better than any maize and blue squad - in any sport - in recent memory. The Wolverines have already accomplished four of the five goals they set out for themselves at the beginning of the NATE season: SANDALS College Hockey Show- case champions. Great Lakes Invitational champions. CCHA regular-season champions. CCHA playoff champions. This year's Michigan team has been suc- cessful because it's just that: a team. The Wolverines have accomplished their goals by playing as a unit and sticking together. "It's been one of those teams that when they've made up their mind thatthey're going to do something, they've been able to do it," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "I've had a lot of teams come up with the same goals, but they're lucky to accomplish any of them or many of them. But this team has found away to do it." They've proven they can win high-scor- ing games, like the 6-4 win against Northern Michigan in Friday night's semifinal. They've proven they can win in a low- See SANDALS, Page 4B ByANDY REID Daily Sports Writer When raucous cheering could be heard through the walls of the locker room yester- day morning, it was clear that the Michigan hockey team's weekend couldn't have gone much better. On Saturday night, the Wolverines hoisted the Mason Cup, given to the winner of the CCHA playoffs, for the first time since 2005 after shutting down the nation's top-ranked offense, Miami (Ohio). Just over 12 hours later, the players gath- ered in their locker room to await their NCAA Tournament fate and watch ESPN2's tournament selection show. Within the first five minutes of the broadcast, Michigan was announced as the No.1 overall seed, resulting in the wild cheering from the team. The Wolverines drew 16th-seeded Niagara (22-10-4), the automatic bid from the College Hockey America conference, inthe four-team East Regional. Clarkson (21-12-4), an at-large team from the Eastern College Athletic Conference, and St. Cloud State (19-15-5), a Western College Hockey Association team that swept tour- nament-bound Wisconsin in its conference tournament, are their two other teams in the regional. The first-round matchup with the Purple Eagles comes as a pleasant surprise for Mich- igan after the Wolverines drew tournament- tested North Dakota in the first game the past two seasons. "We're where we wanted to be," senior See REGIONALS, Page 6B ALBANY: YOUR MOM WANTS YOU TO GO Don't miss outon your chance to purchase tickets for this weekend The Michigan Athletics Ticket Office will have tickets for the East Regional available today only from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All-session tickets are $82, and there is a four-ticket limit per person. Purchases can be made in person at the ticket office or over the phone by calling (734)764-0247. Tickets are also availableothrough the Times Union Center (800-30-EVENT) or through TicketMaster (www. ticketmaster.com). Tickets can be picked up at the Times Union Center in Albany. MORE INSIDE Junior Tim Miller shines, PAGE 3B Brunemann swims to national title Junior's title concludes perfect season in the mile By RUTH LINCOLN Daily Sports Writer COLUMBUS - A 66-length race couldn't have been any closer. After the first 500 yards of the 1,650-yard freestyle, Michi- gan junior Emily Brunemann led North Carolina's Whitney Sprague by two-hundredths of a second. After jumping off the blocks, Brunemann held a narrow lead and looked deter- mined to cap off an undefeated season in the mile and earn her first national title at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Cham- pionships. Swimmingstroke-for-stroke, the two top milers in the coun- try gave the crowded McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion a horserace. Sprague edged Brunemann after the 500-yard mark, but with a tight flip turn at 800 yards, Brunemann took a lead she never relinquished. Brunemann touched the wall (15:53:69) more than four seconds ahead of Sprague to claim her first-career national title. She is the first Wolverine ever to win a distance national title and the first since 1995. "It's what I've worked for all year, and it's been my main goal,"Brunemann said."It came down to gut, and it's always good to have someone there to race and especially Whitney because I've raced against her so many times. She's such a great competitor." After pumpingher fist in cel- ebration and smiling from ear to ear,Brunemannreached over the lane divider to congratulate Sprague. The two embraced as Brunemann gave Sprague a tap on her Tar Heel-blue swim cap. "She is everything that you want in a national champion," Michigan coach Jim Rich- ardson said. "Incredible work ethic, and she brings her best See NCAAS, Page 4B Junior Emily Brunemann won the 1,650-yard freestyle at this weekend's NCAA Championships. I