B The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com I January 26,2009
FIVE- FOR-FIVE
4N
Friday Saturday
MICHIGAN 6, MICHIGAN
KRISTA BO'
Sophomore Matt Rust scored the first goal of Saturdays 5-3 win just 36 seconds into the opening period. Michigan added two more scores in the frame to complete the team's second three-goal period of the weekend against the Spartans
Kampfer didn't deserve hit
A bout a half hour after Satur- He played in the Great Lakes tnvi- especially for him.
day's hockey game, Karyn tational on Dec. 27-28, and he's been And it's certainly not a coinci-
Kampfer was visibly upset one of the mainstays on the defense dence that Michigan State forward
in the lobby of Yost Ice Arena. corps since. Corey Tropp's stick happened to
Moments earlier, her son, Michi- Well, until - slash his neck while Kampfer was
gan junior defenseman Steve Saturday. already down on the ice, possibly
Kampfer, was wheeled out of the Tensions already unconscious.
arena on a gurney, held motionless run high in any "People don't realize in the
by a neck brace. He was released rivalry game, blink of an eye, your whole life can
from the hospital yesterday. but that's no change," said Kampfer last month,
That image of Kampfer in a neck excuse for reflecting about the first injury. "I
brace brings back all-too-recent cheap shots had that thought process for a week:
memories. A well-publicized off-ice - especially NICOLE 'Am I going to be OK? Am I going to
assault on Oct. 12 left him hospital- against a vul- be able to play hockey again?"'
ized and put him in a neck brace nerable target. AUERBACH NowKampferwill haveto answer
until Nov. 19. The Spartans those questions - and more.
A speedy rehabilitation process probably knew Besides worrying about doctors
put Kampfer back on the ice in about Kampfer's previous injuries. and the chances of getting back
early December. Teammates said They knew to go after his head and
his return gave the team a boost. neck, weak spots for anyone but See AUERBACH, Page 3B
'M' sweeps MSU again
By MICHAEL EISENSTEIN
Daily Sports Editor
Bring on the top team in the
country: Notre Dame.
After extending its six-game
winning streak against Michigan
State with a sweep this weekend,
the No. 8 Michigan hockey team
is ready for perhaps its tough-
est test this season. The Fighting
Irish haven't lost in 20 games and
knocked the Wolverines out of last
year's Frozen Four. And fortu-
nately. for the Wolverines, junior
defenseman Steve Kampfer - who
left Yost Ice Arena on a gurney
Saturday - may even return for
the critical matchup, he told the
Detroit Free Press Sunday.
But there was no need for the
Wolverines to put on their game
faces after winning Saturday
night.
Acting captain Chris Summers
opened his press conference in
a joking manner, offering to ask
the media questions instead of the
other way around, and seemed
relieved that the burden of the
weekend series against the last-
place Spartans was over.
Michigan State came in try-
ing to avoid losing five games in a
season to the Wolverines for the
first time ever and attempting to
partially derail Michigan's post-
season hopes.
The Wolverines had to rebound
from last weekend's home shutout
loss to 11th-place Bowling Green
and inch up into the top-four slots
of the CCHA standings. They did
that with 6-1 and 5-3 wins over the
Spartans.
"To me, you can't beat those
guys enough, can't score enough
goals on them," Summers said.
The Wolverines (12-6 CCHA,
18-8 overall) are now in a three-
way tie for fourth in the confer-
ence, just four points behind
second-place Miami (Ohio).
"We're looking at the standings
and we're looking at five teams
ahead of us and you've got to win
these games," Michigan coach Red
Berenson said. "It doesn't matter if
See SPARTANS, Page 2B
With less than a minute to play, Michigan
Stateforward Andrew Conboy punched
Michigan defenseman Steve Kampfer
from behind, knocking him to the ice.
As Kampfer lay motionless on the ice, Spar-
tan forward Corey Tropp skated toward the
boards and, with his stick, slashed Kampfer
in the head and neck region.
Senior volverine torwara I ir vinier was
closest to the play and first to retaliate
after Tropp's slashing. A small scuffle
ensued among the other skaters.
Iropp received a major penary for slasi-h
ing, two10-minute misconducts and a
double-game disctuaification. Conboy
drew a double minor for roughing.
"Coaches don't send someone on the ice
to do something, no matter what fans
think," Michigan State coach Rick
Comley said after the game.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Improved shooting fuels
first win in four games
FOOTBALL
Greg Robinson talks to media
Nine players score
in Beilein's 500th
NCAA victory
By RUTH LINCOLN
Daily Sports Editor
When his team finally hit a string
of 3-pointers after its recent cold
shooting slump, Michigan men's
basketball coach John Beilein felt
thankful - and a little liberated.
"This is like being freed from
bondage, are you kidding me?"
Beilein
said with NORTHWESTERN 59
a laugh MICHIGAN 68]
after the --- -----
Wolver-
ines' 68-59 win over Northwestern
on Saturday at Crisler Arena.
"After shooting below 26 percent
from behind the arc in their previ-
ous three losses, the Wolverines
needed a bit of comic relief.
Michigan responded and went
22-of-52 from the field, including a
5-of-12 3-point performance in the
second half.
And for a team that relies heavily
on shots behind the are, any bit of
help was gladly appreciated.
"You can't go down four straight
in the Big Ten and expect to win,"
said redshirt freshman guard Laval
See WILDCATS, Page 4B
By ANDY REID on the court, Robinson held his
Daily Sports Editor first official press conference since
coning to Ann Arbor.
Saturday night, there was a new After being fired as Syracuse's
addition to the usual procession of head coach with two games left
Michigan football coaches, players last season, Robinson consid-
and recruits who occupy the first ered his coaching options. He
few rows of Crisler Arena during decided to stick with the college
Michigan basketball home games. game instead of going back to the
Greg Robinson, who was hired National Football League, where
last week as the Wolverines' new he picked up two Super Bowl rings
defensive coordinator, took an with the Denver Broncos.
aisle seat three rows from the "I could have seen mtyself
court and took the time to chat going back to pro football," Rob-
with the football players sur- inson said. "And that would have
rounding him. been fine. But I said there was
About fifteen minutes before something in college that still
the Michigan faced Northwestern really excited me. I like college
football."
While he was entertaining
offers from several places, Robin-
son placed just one call to put his
name in for consideration for a job
- to Michigan coach Rich Rodri-
guez.
During the Big East coaches'
conference in the summer of
2005, Robinson's first year with
the Orange, Robinson said he and
Rodriguez developed something
of a friendship or at least, as
friendly as two opposing coaches
can be - while both were in the
conference.
"I developed a comfort level
See ROBINSON, Page 4B
SANDALS'S TAKE ICE DANCING STARS
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A WATER POLO GAME? DIDN'T THINK THIS WEEKEND, TWO TEAMS OF ICE DANCERS TRAVELED FROM
SO. IN HIS SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN, NATE SANDALS TELLS YOU ANN ARBOR TO CLEVELAND FOR THE U.S. FIGURE SKATING
WHY MICHIGAN WATER POLO IS WORTH YOUR WHILE. CHAMPIONSHIPS. THEY CAME AWAY WITH THE TOP TWO SPOTS.