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Friday, October 25 203 // FaceOff 3B
The Apology Season
There is a sign, a big sign
with two block 'M's on
either side hanging in the
locker room at Yost Ice Arena.
During the week, it reads: Win
the next game.
On game days,
senior captain
Mac Bennett
swaps it for a
new one: Win
this game.
After a vic-
tory over Bos-EERIN
ton College in LENNON
the home open-
er, the sign was
replaced with the letters "BC," if
only for a moment of celebration.
The poster found its home in
Yost prior to the 2013-14 season,
after Bennett sat down with
his team to outline goals for
the upcoming year. Apart from
dreams of a national champion-
ship, the consensus was simple:
win the next game.
"The funny thing about it is
that if you win the next game,
eventually there's no more games
to win," Bennett said.
That is the motto of'Team 57,'
however clich6 it may sound.
Bennett apologizes for refer-
ring to last year so often when
talking about this team's charac-
ter, promising not to bring it up
again once the season picks up.
STAFF PICKS
The Daily hockey
writers take their best
shot to predict what will
happen in the world
of college hockey
during Michigan's
2013-14 campaign.
Most of the Wolverines' upper- of 2012, when Michigan didn't
classman leadership sings the make the post-season.
tune of comparison: what was Call it a knee-jerk reaction. Call
last year will not be this. But, it an apology.
they clarify, recognizing that the "The reason is to kind of
nation's second-youngest roster remind us of what our thought
will take time, no doubt, to find process was last year," Bennett
its identity. said. "Michigan has this huge
Efforts to build team unity history, obviously, of being in the
- a quality lost upon last year's NCAA tournament and last year
Michigan until was a disap-
March 1st, pointment. This
when it faced a is to kind of get
win-out or miss "It's such a us back on track
the CCHA and .i lgin terms of if
NCAA tourna- privilege to we one game at
ments situation a time, eventu-
- have included put on that ally it's going to
everything from . , . work itself out
Saturday after- sweater. and hopefully
noon paintball we make the
and movies to tournament."
team dinners. The Wolver-
injured goaltender Steve Racine,
freshman Zach Nagevoort pro-
duced two solid games against
New Hampshire last weekend -
keeping the Wolverines out of the
loss column in overtime.
But Bennett knows the threat
of collapse is still very real. In
2012, Michigan was ranked No.
3 in preseason polls, projected
to make another NCAA title
run and to continue its 22-year
tournament-appearance streak.
The Wolverines had dazzling
freshmen last year, too. Jared
Rutledge, Jacob Trouba and Boo
Nieves, each of whom came to
Ann Arbor destined for greatness.
After a dominant exhibition-game
victory over Windsor at Yost, it
looked like Michigan would live
up to all of those expectations.
You know the rest.
Before the Wolverines' exhibi-
tion game against Waterloo (Ont.),
Bennett said that this team -
ranked No. 10 according to USA
Today - would surprise people
this season, knowing the expecta-
tions for this year had been low-
ered after last. For many schools,
a top-10 nod is not too shabby,
unless you're Michigan.
And so, with expectations and
disappointments in mind, every-
thing this year will be compared
the dismal lows and ultra highs
of last season. Every win will be
one more apology written into the
history books, every loss a sting-
ing reminder of what has yet to be
erased.
"We have the mentality of: just
focus on the here and now," said
sophomore forward Boo Nieves.
"Do what you can and play your
role."
The only Wolverine who
doesn't mention last season is
Michigan coach Red Berenson.
Without him, a post-seasonless
year is not the travesty that it was
this past March.
He built the status quo. Beren-
son doesn't need to apologize
and he doesn't want to hear 'I'm
sorry,' either.
He, like this Michigan hockey
team, wants one win at a time.
"We're playing for Michigan,
for that block 'M' and what its
represents," DeBlois said. "It's
kind of cliche but it's such a privi-
lege to put on that sweater."
So the Wolverines aren't apolo-
gizing to Berenson or the Chil-
dren of Yost, to former Wolverine
greats or even to themselves.
They are apologizing to the raf-
ters, to the banners of old and to
the ones they could have added.
- Lennon can be reached
at eelennon@umich.edu or
on Twitter @ee_.lennon
In 2013, off-ice activities and
meals aren't organic, but this
doesn't diminish their impor-
tance.
This is an entirely new team.
More than a quarter of the roster
is new to Michigan hockey. But
unlike those of Michigan's past,
this team was doesn't need a defi-
nition.
It was provided with one the
moment the lights in Yost were
shut off last season. Like the post-
er in the locker room, this identity
is a direct reaction to the failures
ines, who are currently ranked
fourth in the nation, are undefeat-
ed through four games, a feat they
couldn't claim this time last year.
They have escaped two road-
game overtimes and survived two
ranked teams - including then-
No. 4 Boston College. Michigan's
10 freshmen have contributed
tremendously to early-season suc-
cesses. Two freshmen - Tyler
Motte and Evan Allen - netted
the game winning goals in two
of Michigan's three wins this
season. Meanwhile in place of
COPP
From Page 5B
back: not strong enough to
be a lineman, not quite tall
enough to be a wide receiver,
but a powerful arm, shifti-
ness and decisiveness.
"I personally think he's
the best quarterback I've
ever seen,' said Skyline head
coach Lee Arthur, an 18-year
veteran coach with time
in Saginaw and Ann Arbor
,.,.~Huron. "I've seen some great
quarterbacks, and I don't
care what name you pull up."
Andrew rarely lined up
under center, almost always
in shotgun, where he was as
much of a threat to run as
'he is to pass. His throwing
motion is a bit unorthodox,
though, resembling current
Nebraska quarterback Taylor
Martinez's baseball motion.
Andrew would wind his arm
back like a pitcher would a
fastball, shifting momentum
back and then thrusting him-
self forward.
But if anything, Andrew
was effective. He escaped
pressure, with a quick lateral
juke when his line fell apart
or moved the play to the right
to force a receiver open when
the play had broken apart.
"He's one of the smartest
guys on the football field,"
Arthur said. "He knew where
he was going with the ball -
he could read defenses."
Andrew runs right as
the pocket collapses, three
defenders chasing him, then
four then six. Five yards back,
Andrew stutters and the
tackler has made his move
too soon, grabbing Andrew's
shoulders as a last hope to
bring him down.
At the moment when
he appears to fall, Andrew
ducks the tackle and sprints
forward looking downfield.
Now there are four defenders
closing in from every direc-
tion. Before he's hit, Andrew
slides with his left leg for-
ward then heaves the ball to
an open receiver eight yards
down the field.
A 10-yard loss turns into
a 25-yard gain, and a drive
down the field that looked
threatened had a new life.
The lineman places his
hands up and walks up with
his head staring down at the
field. That defender knew
there were so few quarter-
backs that would have opted
to make that play, because
there are so few athletes like
Andrew Copp.
Second chances are hard
to come by. But Andrew
Copp's came just five months
after he turned down his
dream.
An ankle injury hadcut his
junior season of football short
by a couple of weeks, and
took him out of any sort of
physical activity for Novem-
ber. Andrew's love of hockey
never stopped, but now there
were fewer options to con-
tinue playing.
There was the United
States Hockey League,
but that would mean a
full-fledged commitment.
Andrew still wasn't going to
leave his team, not when they
needed him in his senior year.
But in December, just
before his holiday break,
Andrew received a visit from
Ryan Rezmierski, the head of
hockey personnel of the U.S.
NTDP.
"What have you got going
this weekend?" Rezmierski
said.
"I've got a couple of Michi-
gan Major games," Andrew
replied.
"Well, not anymore," Rez-
miersk responded. "We need
a guy and you're our guy."
There was a spot for him,.
if only just for one weekend,
when injuries and camps
left the U.S. NTDP with only
eight forwards.
Here Andrew sat again,
with the same opportunity to
live out his dream. This time
there was little hesitation.
Andrew travelled to Fargo
to play for his first game of
the weekend against the
Fargo Force of the USHL. His
team lost, 7-1. Andrew had
the only goal.
He was moved to the top
line, where he played well
enough against skaters more
than six years his age.
His performance on short
notice was enough to keep
him on the team for good,
even with football, for the
next year and a half.
Back at Yost, Andrew's
eyes begin to close a bit and
a smile lights up his suddenly
red face. After sitting on the
edge of his seat for 15 min-
utes, Andrew finally relaxes,
talking about a dream ful-
filled.
"I was ecstatic."
Andrew Copp never had a
'reg Jeremy
Garno Summitt
Erin Aejandro
Lennon Zdfliga
Big Ten First Place Michigan Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota
BigTen Second Place Minnesota Michigan Michigan.Mihigan
Big Ten Third Place Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin
Big Ten Coach of the Year Guy Gadowsky, Penn State Red Berenson, Michigan Mike Eaves, Wisconsin Berenson
BiTen Tournamnent champon ,Minnesota Michigan Wisconsin Minnesota
GIChampion Western Michigan Western Michigan Western Michigan Michigan
Michgan's Season Ends Here NCAA Tournament 2nd round NCAA Tournament 2nd round Frozen Four NCAATournameit 3rd round
Michigan MVP Steve Racine Racine Andrew Copp Copp
Michigan Top Scorer Andrew.Copp Alex Guptill Copp Copp
Top Michigan Freshman Tyler Motte JT Compher Motte Compher
Frozen Fouri Miami.(lio) North Dakota Yale Miami (Ohio)
Frozen Four 2 North Dakota Notre Dame Miami (Ohio) Boston University
Frozen Four 3 Yale Miami (Ohio) Michigan Wisconnin
Frozen Four 4 Notre Dame Minnesota Minnesota Notre Dame
National Champion Miami (Ohio) North Dakota Miami (Ohio) Boston University