The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, February 21, 2012 - 7 Its time for M' hockey to dance Pitching shows early signs of improvement After the Michigan hockey team's win on Saturday ight, members of the media waited in the Yost Ice Arena conference room to inter- view the captains. It was a senior-night win. Everyone wanted to know about the emotions swirling around the locker room following the team's last regular season game at Yost. After a couple of minutes of waiting, Michigan coach Red Berenson LIZ emerged and VUKELICH informed reporters that they might have to wait a bit lon- ger before talking to Luke Glen- dening and Greg Pateryn. "The team's doing a dance," he said. "Some sort of 'Swedish Shuffle."' Everyone in the room laughed, and the coach cracked a smile. Eventually, the captains came out and the interrogation began. What's the significance of the dance? Is anyone allowed to see? Does Red partake? The usually stoic Glendening chuckled as he answered the questions. He said it's a ritual that follows every sweep. No filming or photogra- phy of the dance has ever been allowed. And, alas, Red doesn't even try to break it down with his team. The mysterious dance is saved for only the most special occasions - it's a privilege, not a right. And Saturday night cer- tainly was special. Considering that A.J. Treais' overtime goal kept Michigan in the running as a serious CCHA title contender, Saturday seemed to mark the end of anything negative that's been dogging the team. Questions and doubts have followed the Wolverines since ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily Senior defenseman Greg Pateryn has been a rock on the blue line. last April. When the eight-man class of 2011 took off their sweat- ers for the last time, everyone wanted to know how Michigan would make up for the lost depth. Berenson wasn't concerned. Back in September, he assured the restless minds that the' offense would take care of itself, though it may take a little time for a lead scorer to emerge. Berenson is in his 27th season at the helm - he knows what he's talking about. And after this weekend, Treais and Alex Guptill left little doubt in anyone's mind about which skaters are sitting in the driver's seat of the forward corps. It's not just that they're tied for the team lead in goals -15 each, for those keeping track at home - but that they've proven themselves the most consistent players week after week. Some of the Wolverines who were hot at the beginning of the year haven't appeared on the box score in months. Others pride themselves on scoring clutch goals but are quiet the rest of the time. Not Treais and Guptill - they've earned the right to dance with the rest of the team. They've eased one burden. But what aboutthe other questions that remained? Of course, Jon Merrill's three-month suspen- sion jumps to mind first. Once again, speculators wondered how the defensive corps would fare without one of the country's top defenseman. And would Merrill even come back? Berenson down- played Merrill's singular impor- tance for the three months he was absent and stayed firm in his belief that others would step up. Pateryn answered the call in true captain fashion. You just have to look at him during a shift to see how he takes control of games. Seeing him slam his 216- pound frame into opponents is painful to watch, and he doesn't stop doing that until he's back on the bench. So Pateryn proved the ideal defenseman in Merrill's absence. And now that Merrill is back? Well, he has still set the standard pretty high - every team needs a workhorse like Pateryn to pick up the slack when the forward line falters. It's hard not to look at Merrill's 10 points and wonder how well the team would've fared if had he never left the lineup. There was a bit of a learning curve, but the defensive corps made it through somehow. That certainly seems worthy of a Swedish Shuffle. And then there's the last ques- tion that no one wants to address: that seven-game winless streak. Back in November, no one wanted to bring up the possibility that if things didn't turn around, this team would be the first in 21 years not to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Unlike questions surrounding the offense and defense, this one had no obvious solution. Maybe the team wasn't trying hard enough, maybe there wasn't any-chemistry or maybe the hockey gods just weren't will- ing it. The losses ended almost as suddenly as they had started - it only took a December trip to Alaska to get the Wolverines going again. Michigan certainly wasn't dancing in the locker room dur- ing the month-that-shall-not- be-named. But the Wolverines did this weekend. The Michigan team on Saturday was unrecog- nizable from the same squad that took the ice a month ago. Did the Wolverines play a perfect game? Far from it. But the only thing that matters is that the team can put a name to its problems now. Turnovers. Penalty minutes. Special teams. The season isn't over yet - there's still one series against Bowling Green left. But no matter how next weekend turns out, Michigan will be a No. 1 seed in the CCHA Tournament at best, and a No. 5 at worst. The team's beaten all the foes that stand in their way at least once this season. And by that point, they won't have to answer to any- one's questions but their own. So, for now, let the Wolverines keep dancing. - Vukelich can be reached at elizavuk Oumich.edu. By STEVEN BRAID Daily Sports Writer A new season, a new pitching staff. The Michigan baseball team looked like a much different squad this past weekend than it did last year, and the pitching staff was a big reason why. Following a season-opening 9-8 defeat to Pittsburgh on Fri- day, the hurlers responded by allowing just two earned runs over the next 1$ innings. Behind spectacular efforts from redshirt junior left-hander Bobby Bros- nahan and junior right-hander Ben Ballantine, the Wolverines (2-1 overall) defeated Seton Hall, 2-1, and West Virginia, 14-3. "Bobby and Ben kept us in the game and allowed the offense to get going," said sophomore right fielder Michael O'Neill. "We were able to scratch a couple of runs across (the plate) and get those two guys a couple of wins. "Bobby's performance on Sat- urday was really nice. Ike had a down year last year, but he was able to bounce back and pick up his first win of the season against a quality Seton Hall team. I think the pitching in general - it really helped our weekend." Last season, the pitching staff struggled mightily. To go along with its last-place finish in the Big Ten in 2011, Michigan also finished last in the conference with a 5.09 earned run average. Brosnahan went 1-9 with a 7.82 ERA while also allowing oppos- ing hitters to bat .351 against him. Ballantine had a better sea- son, but it wasn't great by any means - he finished with a 3-1 record and a 4.91 ERA. Both players pitched poorly in starts in last year's Big Ten-Big East Challenge, a three-game stretch in which the Wolverines allowed 35 runs. Though it was only one game for each starter, Brosna- han and Ballantine looked much improved. Against the Pirates on Saturday, Brosnahan allowed only one run and gave up just four hits, retiring four batters while walking only one. On Sun- day, Ballentine allowed three hits and one earned run in seven innings of work. "Bobby took care of his busi- ness yesterday, getting ahead of hitters," Ballantine said. "I just wanted to repeat that perfor- mance, because I just wanted to give our team a chance to win just like (Brosnahan) did." Even against the Panthers on Friday, the pitching staff looked solid. Though he struggled all game - allowing four runs in five innings - senior right-hand- er Brandon Sinnery gave the Wolverines a chance to win the game. Senior catcher Coley Crank and Sinnery both noted in the preseason that the pitching staff looks a lot more confident this season. Sinnery credits first-year assistant pitching coach Steve Merriman with helping the staff improve, especially the under- classmen. Merriman, who is in his third stint as an assistant with the Wolverines, has spent six seasons as the pitching coach in the New York Mets and Arizo- na Diamondbacks organizations. "I think it's too early to be talking about any facet of the game, but I think (Merriman) has done a wonderful job with our pitching staff," said Michi- gan coach Rich Maloney. "I think guys have responded real well to him and I think he brings a wealth of experience. We cer- tainly saw some of the fruits of that labor this weekend, so I'm impressed." Blue makes final push By MICHAEL LAURILA Daily Sports Writer Since day one of the Michi- gan women's basketball season, the Wolverines have instilled the message of taking it one day at a * time. That mindset is important in keeping a team from getting too far ahead of itself. But with just two games remaining in Michi- gan's season, it will be hard not to. The Wolverines play No. 22 Pur- due on Thursday at Crisler Center and then travel to Iowa City to play the Hawkeyes on Sunday. In the past month, Michigan has gone 3-4. The only upside of the Wolverines sub-par February record is their impressive road win against then-No. 13 Nebraska. But even after the struggles, Michigan is coming off a domi- nant win over Indiana on Sunday. That should boost the Wolverines' confidence, something that will be important in the next couple of weeks. "There are two games left," said Michigan coach Kevin Borseth. "Who knows? Right now, there's so much jockeying(that's) going to go on it'll blow your mind. It's like winning the lottery. If you could pick out who was going to beat who and be absolutely correct in every game that's going to happen between now and then, my bet is you'd probably be wrong." Though Penn State and Ohio State have taken command of the conference, the competition for the three other bye bids for the first round of the conference tour- nament is a five-horse race, Michi- gan included. That's why the final regular-season games will be cru- cial. Last year, the Wolverines split their final two games of the sea- son, ending with a No. 3 seed and a bye in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. They were defeated by bottom-dwelling Illi- nois in the second round, though - a main reason they missed out on the NCAA Tournament. Just like last season's loss to Illinois, upsets have been a com- mon theme during conference play this year. No team is ever safe, especially on the road, and Bors- PAULtSHERMAN/D Michigan coach Kevin Borseth and the Wolverines are enduring a 3-4 month. eth understands this. "I just think a lot of upsets in the conference have happened during the course of the year," Borseth said. "A lot of teams (late in the season) are determined to better themselves in the (Big Ten) Tournament, get in the national tournament or just better their season." Michigan has been on both ends of the upset-train this sea- son. It defeated then-No. 8 Ohio State at home on Jan. 7, but the team also lost to second-to-last- place Wisconsin in Madison on Jan. 30. Junior center Rachel Sheffer knows that the Wolverines need to use their momentum from their last victory to "keep push- ing forward." If Michigan is to avoid another late-season collapse like the one they suffered last year, Sheffer and senior Courtney Boylan will need to continue their impressive play. Beyond the obvious impor- tance of winning at least one of the remaining two games, the Wolverines also come into the final stretch with 19 wins. Michi- gan hasn't reached the 20-win mark since Borseth arrived in Ann Arbor in 2007. "We need one more (win) to get 20 and that was a big goal for us starting the year, to just get 20 wins and keep moving forward," Sheffer said. Sheffer, Boylan, senior Carmen Reynolds and junior Jenny Ryan are the leading upperclassmen for Michigan. They have carried the team in times of trouble this sea- son, but when they've struggled, the Wolverines have struggled. Though Borseth calls Michigan an equal-opportunity offense, if those four players aren't produc- ing, the Wolverines tend to falter. Whether they're playing the ranked Boilermakers at home or traveling to Iowa, both games will seriously test Michigan. But a win in either game will make a strong statement to the NCAA Selection Committee. That committee holds the Wolverines' postseason fate in its hands, and though the team set a 20-win season as a goal, Michi- gan's ultimate goal is to make its first NCAA Tournament in 12 years. With a win against either Purdue or the Hawkeyes, the Wol- verines could kill two birds with one stone and achieve both goals. "It'll be good, too, to get anoth- er signature win (this week), hopefully for the NCAA (Tour- nament) and heading into the Big Ten Tournament," Boylan said. "But like Rachel said, getting to 20 wins was a goal of ours when the season started." t r .