The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com February 2, 2009 Ejection of Harris ends Michigan's upset bid By JASON KOHLER Daily Sports Writer WEST LAFAYETTE - Purdue guard Chris Kramer lay motionless on the floor inside Mackey Arena, a pool of blood expanding under his head. Standing over him, Michigan sophomore forward Manny Harris looked around in shock, trying to figure out what had just happened. With the Michigan men's basketball team clinging to a two-point lead with 18:28 left in the second half, Harris received the ball on the left wing, squared up to the basket to clear space and sideswiped Kramer's nose with his elbow. "That's the hardest I've ever been hit," Kram- er, who played football in high school, said after Purdue's 67-49 victory. "That was as square as can be, right on the side of my nose.... I wouldn't go there and say that was definitely a dirty play. Anybody would be frustrated in a game like that, but it was just a basketball play." Kramer fell to the ground, and the official called an offensive foul on Harris. As the Pur- due faithful harassed Harris, erupting in boos and "throw him out" chants, the head official, Jim Burr, decided the hit was intentional and ejected Harris. "It wasn't intentional at all," Harris said in the locker room following the game. "I was just ripping through, and his face happened to be in the way. ... I feel like it was unfair but, at the. same time, things happen." When Harris left the floor, so too did Michi- gan's chances of victory. The Boilermakers dominated the final 18 minutes and cruised to a 67-49 victory. It was Michigan's fifth loss in six games. See BOILERMAKERS, Page 3B AREL BOND/Daily Junior acting captain Chris Summers, sophomore forward Aaron Palushaj and senior forward Travis Turnbull argued with the referees in the final minute of Saturday's 3-2 loss to Notre Dame. The call in question was an apparent goal by junior defenseman Steve Kampfer, which would have tied the score and likely sent the game into overtime. Inco)nsistency mars 'M' in split Ieers snap Notre Dame's 20-game unbeaten streak Friday By GJON JUNCAJ Daily Sports Writer SOUTH BEND - For the Michigan hockey team, last weekend's home-and- home series with top-ranked Notre Dame provided two nights of high- quality drama. The Wolverines snapped Notre Dame's 20-game unbeaten streak on Friday. Saturday featured a penalty shot goal, and another tally off a skate that arguably should not have counted. That was followed by a disallowed marker in the waning moments that arguably should have stood. Players and coaches from both teams admitted the series split MICHIGAN 2 was a "nerve- NOTREDAME 1 racking" experience. NOTRE DAME 3 After win- MICHIGAN 2 ning Friday's nailbiter at the Joyce Center, Michigan nearly completed an improbable comeback during Saturdays third period. Power- play goals by sophomore Aaron Palush- aj and freshman Robbie Czarnik cut Notre Dame's lead to one. Palushaj and Czarnik, both of whom scored their first goals of the semester, revived the deflated atmosphere at Yost Ice Arena after the Irish took an early 3-0 lead. The early deficits against the Irish has become an annoying habit the past two seasons. In last yea's Frozen Four semifinals, the Wolverines rallied from a three-goal deficit before los- ing in overtime. Earlier that season in January, Michigan fell behind Notre Dame by two goals before scoring three straight for a thrilling win at Yost. But this time, when Michigan's comeback bid reached its peak, a third party changed the game's outcome. With 31 seconds remaining in the game, senior forward Tim Miller fired a point-blank shot into Irish goaltender Jordan Pearce's pads. A scrum ensued, and the puck came loose from under- neath Pierce. Junior defenseman Steve Kampfer batted the puck into the net, only to have it waved off. "I think I just wanted to crash the net, and I was kind of just looking and hoping that the puck would hit me on the stick," Kampfer said. "But I looked down and it was right in front of me. I think I shot at the net three times." Referee Brian Aaron, who was posi- tioned near the blue line, blew the play dead because he apparently saw the net come off its moorings, even though a video replay.showedno evidence of movement. Fellow referee John Philo' was sta- tioned next to the post to the right of Pierce for the would-be tying goal, yet never blew his whistle. Despite his per- fect positioning on the play, Philo didn't See FIGHTING IRISH, Page 2B Play on the ice should decide outcome, not refs SOUTH BEND - hough it sat in sixth place in the conference just over a week ago, the Michigan hockey team still had a shot at defending its CCHA regular-season title. Despite playing poorly for the first two periods Saturday, the Wolverines still gave themselves a chance to beat No. 1 Notre Dame. Even against the nation's best scor- ing defense (just 1.59 goals per game allowed), No. 8 Michigan still nearly overcame a three-goal deficit in the third period. All of that makes Saturday's 3-2 loss completely agonizing because it came down to poor refereeing - plain and simple. And it's not difficult to decipher what Michigan. coach Red Beren- son thought about its effect on the game. "I'm not here to ; discuss the officiat- ing, but this was a big series, and obviously you want MICHAE1 top officials here," EISENST Berenson said. EISENST__ The referees in question: Brian Aaron and John Philo. Before this season, Aaron had a questionable reputation in many peo- ple's books. "(Referee Brian Aaron) needs a big red nose and floppy feet," Northern Michigan play-by-play announcer Dave Danis commented during a November loss to Michigan State in 2005. Philo is a first-year referee and was promoted to the position in the offsea- son when the CCHA switched from a one-referee to a two-referee system. The game could have easily been a 3-1 Michigan win if it weren't for two blatantly botched calls that stood out in a contest filled with questionable ones. The first was Notre Dame's goal midway through the opening period. Freshman Irish forward Billy Maday redirected a puck with his left skate, and pushed the puck past sophomore goalie Bryan Hogan's right leg. The play was illegal - and there's really no room for debate. "A goal shall not be allowed if the puck has been kicked or directed into the goal off an attacking player's skate," the NCAA rule reads. The problem: was that none of the officials saw the obvious play, and when it went to video review, the kick took place outside of the frame of the camera hanging over the net. And that's the only angle that Aaron was allowed to look at, due to.CCHA rules, See EISENSTEIN, Page 2B SAID ALSALAH/Daily Purdue guard Chris Kramer was elbowed in the nose by sophomore forward Manny Harris during Michi- gan's 67-49 loss Saturday. Harris was charged with a flagrant foul and ejected from the game for the hit. Blue ties Wildcats, beats Hoosiers in physical meet By MICHAEL FLOREK Daily Sports Writer The battered Big Ten sign at the scorers' table was a constant reminder. The physicality of this weekend's conference meets started after Michigan fifth-year senior Tyrel Todd threw Northwestern's John Schoen into the table Saturday. And the dented sign foreshadowed Michigan's grueling meet against Indiana the next day. The 18th-ranked Wolverines salvaged a 17-17 tie against North- western in a hard-hitting contest Saturday before taking out Indiana 20-18 on Sunday afternoon. The Wolverines were down by six points or more heading into the last five individual matches in both meets. Redshirt sophomore Eddie Phil- lips (Heavyweight) pulled off a 3-2 win in double overtime in the final match to tie Northwestern. "We wrestled more confident and with more intensity than IShave seen all year," Michigan coach Joe McFarland said. "It's a good time to get into the Big Ten season." Down six points against Indiana, redshirt sophomore Aaron Hynes (157 pounds) sparked the comeback with a victory over 12th-ranked Kurt Kinsler. Recovering from a shoulder injury, it was Hynes' first- ever win over a ranked opponent, but he almost gave it away. After going up 5-0 halfway through the match, he gave up con- secutive takedowns and the con- test was eventually tied 6-6 when time expired in the final period. But because of his one-minute rid- ing-time advantage, he earned the extra point and victory. "I used to have that problem where I would let the momentum of the (meet) carry into mine," Hynes said. "But then I was just like, 'Hey it has nothing to do with' me, I'm just gonna go out there and wrestle."' After losing to Northwestern senior Jake Herbert on Friday, the No. 1 wrestler in the country at his weight, redshirt sophomore Antho- ny Biondo (184 pounds) broke out of his four-match losing streak and beat Indiana redshirt sophomore Nick Avery 10-0. During the match, Avery gave the crowd a reason to be upset. He repeatedly backed up and failed to make moves, and the fans at Cliff Keen Arena chanted "staaaaaalling, staaaaaalling" for much of the match. The win gave Michigan a lead it would never relinquish. "I could've cut him and went back up on my feet," Biondo said. "It wouldn't have really made a differ- ence, I would have just taken him down a bunch of times. I wanted to See HOOSIERS, Page 3B WLI MOELLER/Daily Sophomore Aaron Hynes upset the 12th-ranked wrestler in his weight class and helped Michigan to a 20-18 win over Indiana. FANS KNOW BEST BUCKEYES BLASTED 0 Why Nate Sandals thinks the Michigan 'UCheck www~michigandaiy.com for cover- Athletic Department should let the Yost fans age of the men's swimming team's win over monitor their own behavior. Page 2B. Ohio State and other events from this weekend.