8A -- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Muckalt comments on 15th anniversary of '96 NCAA title 0 By MARK BURNS of the Wolverines' success that Powers: "It was one of those Daily Sports Editor year as he paired up with a for- plays that almost happened in mer Hobey Baker winner and slow motion. Former Michigan hockey current Calgary Flames forward That puck lied there for a cou- standout Bill Muckalt sat with Brendan Morrison, and Jason ple seconds before Brendan had his players, as their eyes were Botterill, the current Pittsburgh jumped off the wall. I think you glued to ESPNU in their sleeper Penguins assistant general man- prematurely started to celebrate bus. ager. as he was ready to put the puck Muckalt - now the head coach The trio combined for 88 goals in. You saw the wide-open net, of the inaugural New Mexico and 99 assists during the season. and Brendan. You figured this Mustangs in the North American With the national title contest was over." Hockey League - was on his way deadlocked at two in the first The victory against the Tigers home with his team Friday night overtime period in Cincinnati, in 1996 was the one victory that following the Mustangs' sweep Ohio, Muckalt corralled the puck had eluded the program for 32 of Corpus Christi. at the left face-off dot and threw seasons. And with the luxury of having a wrist shot on net, trying to go The year before, the Wolver- a satellite connection, his players five-hole once more on Colorado ines lost a- heartbreaking 4-3 unexpectedly caught a highlight College goaltender Ryan Fox. game to Maine in the NCAA glimpse of what Muckalt called semifinals - the third time in one of the two best moments in four years Michigan had lost in his entire hockey career: Michi- the semifinals. gan winning the 1996 NCAA "M ichigan was It had climbed the mountain National Title in dramatic fash- year after year, so to speak, only ion. really back to have its feet swiped out from Today marks the 15th anni- , under it before reaching the versary of the program claiming on the map in peak. its eighth championship, with On March 30, 1996, the Wol- Muckalt being fortunate enough college hockey" verines were finally No. 1. to win not only one, but two "Red turned the program national titles (the other com- around, and we were finally ing in 1998) during his four-year knocking on the door of winning career. But unlike earlier in the game a national title," Muckalt said. "It really got the monkey off when Muckalt scored, he was "To win a national title and to be our back," Michigan coach Red denied this time as Fox laid down the best that particular year was Berenson said Monday. "We his stick to negate any chance of a pretty special thing." couldn't seem to win. 1996 got Muckalt grabbing the game-win- And while the line of Muckalt- that behind us. It was so good for ning tally. However, as the puck Morrison-Botterill played such a our program because it had been rebounded off Fox and lay a few key component in the '96 cham- a long time since a team won feet to the left of him, Morrison pionship run, Muckalt realized a national championship even was all alone as he deposited the the importance of having a deep though we had good teams. That puck into a wide-open net. supporting cast. was huge. That was not only for "Michigan was really back on From then-sophomore net- that team but for all the former the map in college hockey," Mor- minder Marty Turco to defen- players." rison said last week. semen like Mark Sakala and Muckalt was an integral part Added assistant coach Billy forwards like John Madden and FILE PHOTO/Daily Bill Muckalt (pictured here after winning the NCAA Championship in 1996) got the assist on the game-winning goal in the National Championship game that year. Mike Legg, the Michigan hockey team was concerned about only one thing - winning. "I think the biggest thing was camaraderie on that team," Muckalt said. "We really believed, we were there together and nobody cared who got the credit as long as we won. Obvi- ously, to win that for everybody and to win that for Red was spe- cial. I remember hugging him after the game, and how proud he was of us, and how proud we were to win it for him." WANT MORE DAILY SPORTS COVERAGE? 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