: The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com I April 11, 2011
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Minn.-Duluth 3
Michgan 2
JAKE FROMM/Daily
The Michigan hockey team surrenders the game-winning goal to Kyle Schmidt of Minnesota-Duluth early in the first overtime period of Saturday's national championship game.
"It's the opportunity of a lifetime
..
gone in the blinko1an eye."eff
'M' drops OT heartbreaker
to Bulldogs in game for title
By CASANDRA PAGNI
Daily Sports Writer
ST. PAUL, Minn. - It was
-- a one shot members of the Min-
nesota-Duluth hockey team will
remember for the rest of their
lives.
And one the Wolverines
would give anything to have
back.
Just over three minutes into
overtime of the NCAA Cham-
pionship game, the Michigan
hockey team was on the losing
end of the battle. The Bulldogs
defeated the Wolverines, 3-2,
securing their program's first
JAKE FRoMM/Daily NCAA title and sending Michi-
The Michigan hockey team reacts to its overtime loss at the postgame press conference at the Xcel Energy Center in St. gan's seven seniors and the rest
Paul, Minn. on Saturday. of the team back to Ann Arbor
empty handed, all in a matter of
seconds.
"It's the opportunity of a
lifetime gone in the blink of an
eye," sophomore forward Jeff
Rohrkemper said.
While the outcome of game
came down to one shot by the
Bulldogs, the Wolverines had
more than 60 minutes in which
they could have controlled the
outcome. Minnesota-Duluth
out-shot Michigan all night,
but the resilient and defensive-
minded Wolverines continually
found ways to battle back.
Even when Michigan took
its ninth penalty of the game
- a boarding call to sophomore
forward Kevin Lynch with just
under 10 minutes remaining
in regulation - the Wolverine
penalty killers preserved, the
tie. The Bulldogs boast'thp oth
best power play in the nagj%,
but Michigan was able tqh1l_4
the Minnesota-Duluth min
advantage to 11 shots on nine,
opportunities and allowed them
to score on it once.
"You never want to kill nine
or 10 penalties in agame,"senior
forward Carl Hagelin said. "But
today we had to do it. And obvi-
ously some guys get more tired
than others. It's tough ... I think
we did a good job, only allowed
one goal and they had a really
good power play. So obviously
some of us got a bit tired by
playing too much PK."
See BULLDOGS, Page 3B
" Without elusive ring, Hunwick's Pateryn shines on national stage
legendary story falls short
T. PAUL, Minn. - They
called him "Tiny Jesus."
The curtains closed on
him just a moment too soon.
Shawn Hunwick gazed up at
the rafters and skated slowly
to the bench. The setting was
perfect - the outcome was all
wrong.
The moment he always
dreamed about was decimated,
ripped away by a one-timed
wrist shot from Kyle Schmidt.
The stage was set, and Hun-
wick knew what was at stake. A
Michigan loss and he was just
a good story. A win and he was
a legend.
Then came the dagger.
"I think everything was in
line for the
fairytale
story, and
unfortunate-
ly we came
up short,"
Hunwick1
said, head
bowed in the STEPHEN J.
locker room. NESBITT
It wasn't
just a fai-
rytale; it was Rudy leading his
team into overtime in the
national championship - on his
birthday.
With Hunwick ducking his
tiny frame under the crossbar
at Xcel Energy Center, Michi-
gan's savior was in charge.
Every chapter of the book was
written - except the grand
finale.
The 5-foot-7 wisp of goalten-
der passed up Adrian College
just to sit on the bench in front
of Red Berenson.
Four years later, that same
kid became Michigan's hero,
single-handedly propelling
See NESBITT, Page 3B
By MICHAEL FLOREK
Daily Sports Ediror
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Greg
Pateryn leaned on the wall next
to him in the locker room, look-
ing straight ahead.
The 6-foot-3 defenseman
spoke in a whisper, answering
every question about Michi-
gan's 3-2 loss in the NCAA
Championship game to Min-
nesota-Duluth methodically.
He remained composed, talk-
ing about the overtime loss - a
loss that sent silence through
the locker room. He spoke of his
team, a band of brothers who
didn't say a whole lot but always
See PATERYN, Page 3B
C
JAKE FROMM/Daily
Junior defenseman Greg Pateryn swept the puck away from the goal line in
Saturday's title game after it bounced over senior goalie Shawn Hunwick.
* HE'LL BE BACK
Though Lion Kim missed the cut at
The Masters this weekend, he proved he
belonged at Augusta, writes Kevin
£ Raftery. Page 4B
MAKING THEM PAY
Yet again, an opposing pitcher has
walked Dorian Shaw to get to Amanda
Chidester. And yet again, Chidester made
that pitcher pay. Page 4B
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