The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com I December13, 2010 B

[a] See a multimedia piece about this story on'Mh hg y on
Michigan crushes]
MSU in Big Chill

Hunwick steps up
In shutout victory

By MARK BURNS
Daily SportsEditor
Michigan hockey coach Red
Berenson calmly sat down at
Saturday's press conference fol-
lowing The Big Chill at the Big
House, and after gathering him-
self for a few seconds, he let out a
wry smile followed by four mea-
sly words to the media: "Pretty
good show, eh?"
If a convincing 5-0 win over
Michigan State in front of the
largest crowd ever to watch a
hockey game or a NCAA sporting
event, coupled with a pre-game
B2 stealth bomber fly over and
post-game fireworks, is any indi-

cation, then the answer is yes.
With a recorded attendance
of 113,411 at Michigan Stadium
on hand to watch the Wolverines
and Spartans - the teams that set
the precedent for outdoor hockey
games when they skated to a 3-3
tie in the Cold War back on Oct. 6,
2001 at Spartan Stadium - hock-
ey fans from across the country
and even around the world wit-
nessed a spectacle on Saturday
afternoon.
"I was hoping that people
would fill up the seats. I know it
was a late-arriving crowd, and
you wouldn't want a record-set-
ting crowd without the people
See BIG CHILL, Page 3B

By STEPHEN J. NESBITT
Daily Sports Writer
in the week of practice lead-
ing up to The Big Chill at the Big
House, there was one topic that
Michigan coach Red Berenson
continued to push aside: which
goaltender he would slate to start
in goal against Michigan State.
Berenson alternated the goal-
tenders during the first 18 games
of the season, but he made it clear
that both seniors, Shawn Hun-
wick and Bryan Hogan, had equal
opportunity to claim the starting
spot on Saturday in Michigan Sta-
dium.
After practice on Thursday,
Berenson finally answered that

Hogan would get the nod for the
12th-ranked Wolverines.
"Hunwick's not out of the loop
(for the starting job later this sea-
son), he's just not going to start
this game," Berenson said on
Thursday.
For Hunwick, the decision
was disappointing, but not unex-
pected, since Hogan held a 7-2-0
record compared to Hunwick's
2-3-4.
"I kind of saw the writing on
the wall," Hunwick said.
But when Michigan lined up for
the opening faceoff against the
Spartans, it wasn't Hogan in net, it
was Hunwick.
During the pre-game skate,
See HUNWICK, Page 38


Zips squeak by Wolverines in Cup'

EN R

i

Meram, Saad put'M'
in national spotlight

By MATT SLOVIN
Daily Sports Writer
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -
Despite being outscored 12-2 in
its last two
meetings MICHIGAN 1
with Akron, AKRON 2
no one
believed another blowout was in
the cards for the Michigan men's
soccer team in Friday's national
semifinal here on the campus of
UC Santa Barbara.
In fact, the team was mere
inches from snatching up a sec-
ond-half lead before eventually
falling to the third-seeded Zips,
2-1, in the College Cup.
After many attempts were
squandered by Akron's lightning-
fast defense, the Saad brothers
hooked up on a pass that found
Soony streaking toward goal.
"There weren't that many
options," Soony said after the
game. "I decided to try and sneak

it in. Sometimes it works, some-
times it doesn't."
After miraculously weav-
ing the ball through a sea of Zip
defenders, the shot ricocheted off
of the post and was harmlessly
cleared.
"It came off his foot ... and you
think it had a good chance to go,"
Michigan head coach Steve Burns
said. "It came off the inside of the
post. One less layer of paint and I
think that thing goes."
Soony's near miss would prove
to be the Wolverines' best chance
to stave off elimination and shock
the team that defeated them 7-1 in
mid-October.
The game started with a rare
early goal for the Wolverines -
senior forward Justin Meram's
strike from the top of the circle
marked the first time in the tour-
nament that the team scored a
first-half goal.
"It was a great way to start
See COLLEGE CUP, Page 3B

By MATT SLOVIN
DailySports Writer
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.
- Friday's NCAA Tournament
semifinal loss to Akron left two
Michigan men's soccer forwards
with a prime opportunity to
reflect on the climb that got them .
to that stage.
For senior Justin Meram, the
seconds that ticked off the Hard-
er Stadium scoreboard in Santa
Barbara, Calif. meant the end of
his career as a Wolverine.
But for his partner-in-crime,
freshman Soony Saad, the defeat
marked the beginning of a new
era for the program.
"Michigan is on the map now,"
Meram said. "We set the tone
this year. Now, teams will start to
have respect for us and not take

us so lightly."
The pair - which accounted
for 36 of the Wolverines' 53 goals
this season - formed a mutually
beneficial relationship as the sea-
son progressed.
However, by no means is Saad
Meram's own prodigy. Although
many bonds between seniors and
freshmen tend to assume that
role, this one was unique in that
both attackers profited.
"I've learned a lot from Saad,"
Meram said. "Hopefully, next
year (he) can lead this team to a
national title."
After playing an entire season
with Meram, Saad shared a simi-
lar sentiment regarding the duo's
time together, much of which
was spent dominating Big Ten
goalkeepers at the head of the
See MERAM AND SAAD, Page 3B


SMC: THE SCHEFTERS
p Daily Sports Editor Ryan Kartje makes his
picks for the first annual Schefter Awards,
honoring Michigan's finest athletes over the
past year. Page 2B

'M' RUNNIN' WILD
U Michigan exacted some revenge and beat
non-conference foe Utah on Friday. Darius
Morris had a double-double while Jon Horford
filled in off the bench. Page 4B

i