0 W o 0 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