Page 4-The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - March 18, 1991

PLAYERS CHEERED BY MOST LOYAL FANS
Local parents support their troops
by Jeni Durst
Daily Hockey Writer

HOCKEY NOTEBOOK

If you go to enough Michigan
hockey gamesttheir faces are fa-
miliar. They are always there
early, and stand out among the
small kids waiting for autographs
after the game. They are those that
make it to every game, home or
away. Those that maybe have a lit-
tle extra invested in Michigan
hockey - because their sons are
out on the ice.
When Michigan opened its
hockey season this year, little
more than 2,000 people came Yost
Ice Arena to support the home
team. But as the team improved
this season, so did fan involve-
ment. Yet even if Michigan hadn't
broken numerous records and made
it to the NCAA tournament, there
would still be the dedicated par-
ents.
Many mothers and fathers
flocked to town to watch their kids
compete for the first NCAA
Championship for Michigan in 15
years, but there are a few who tra-
verse to every game.
The names Tamer, Neaton,
Kramer, Felsner, and Stone top the
list of faithful Michigan supporters.
Two are the parents of Michigan
defenders, Chris Tamer and
Patrick Neaton, the others sport
wingers on the squad, senior Don
and frosh Mike Stone, Ted
Kramer, and Denny Felsner. Each
takes advantage of the proximity
of their homes in Dearborn
Heights, Redford, Findlay, Ohio,
Mount Clemens, and Utica, re-
spectively, to travel to Ann Arbor
and support their sons.
But the support doesn't end
with home matchups, each can
also be found in Big Rapids, Sault
Ste. Marie, and even Boston.
Anywhere one finds the team, one
finds them.
"I've always followed my
kids," Joe Tamer said. "It's just a
ICERS
Continued from page 1
The two squads traded goals yet
'again, finishing the period tied at
three apiece. Cornell's Vanderville
spored the first of his two goals on
a short-handed breakaway. A few
minutes later, with only 1:12 re-
maining, Michigan rookie de-
fenseman Aaron Ward created the
tie.
But Michigan's last minute
goal didn't seem to give the
Wolverines the momentum swing
going into the third period that
Cornell received from its score at
the end of the first. The Big Red
outshot the Wolverines 13 to two
in the final term and took Michi-
gan into overtime.
After Stewart had put the
Wolverines up, 4-3, Michigan's
first power play goal in eighteen
attempts, Cornell's barrage of third
period shots hit the mark. As the
large contingent of Michigan fans
counted down Cornell's fate, Van-
derville drove through the flurry of
bodies and sticks surrounding the
Michigan goal and poked the puck
through Shields' legs with only two
seconds left in the game.
"The tying goal in the last two
seconds is a tough pill to swallow
and of couse that gave them the
life they needed," Berenson said.

"I thought we played well in the
latter part of the third period and
they didn't have much of an at-
tack. But they got the puck in our
zone and we didn't get it out. It
was a strange goal. It wasn't a
pretty goal, but it was an important
goal."
The Big Red's dominance con-
tinued into the sudden-death over-
time session and Michigan was
unable to even clear its zone. After
only :21 had gone by, Andison put
the final punctuation on the game.
The pressure of elimination
forced the Wolverines into action
on Saturday. An improved defen-
sive effort shutout Cornell in the
ZOCH
Continued from page 1
Lakers throughout regulation and
overtime. After 67 minutes, they
lost, 6-5.
Michigan proved once again
that they could play with the best
of them. But they hadn't proven
that they were the best.

M'

loses Ballantine '

in weekend victory
by Jeni Durst
Daily Hockey Writer
The end of his Michigan career came a little sooner than expected
for Wolverine senior Jim Ballantine. The center was hospitalized after
suffering a lacerated kidney in Friday night's game with Cornell. Bal-
lantine should remain in the hospital for the next five days to a week.
Ballantine is the mainstay of Michigan's penalty-killing unit, and his
absence in Saturday's matchup hurt the Wolverines. The Big Red tallied
three of their four goals on the power play.
Team members, however, are trying to rally around the misfortune
instead of letting it bring them down.
"Jim was sort of an inspiration," rookie Aaron Ward said. "We had a
bit of a pep talk after the end of (Friday's) game by Kent Brothers; he
got us going. Plus, with Jimmy in the hospital right now, it sort of gives
us the idea we should be doing something for the old guy."
BACK TO BACK: Michigan's loss to Cornell Friday night was the
Wolverines first consecutive loss of the season. Michigan lost it's
previous matchup to Lake Superior in the CCHA Playoff Finals. The
previous back-to-back losses were suffered versus Bowling Green in a
Jan. 12-13 series last year. The Wolverines had gone 59 games without
suffering consecutive defeats.
POST-SEASON SCORING: Leftwinger Mike Helber takes the lead in
post-season scoring with three goals and 11 assists. The junior has
tallied fourteen points in his last six games. He had a goal on Friday and
three assists on both Saturday and Sunday against Cornell.
Defenseman Aaron Ward has scored five goals in his last six games,
with four coming in Michigan's last four post-season matchups. The@
frosh was one of three Wolverines named to the CCHA All-Rookie team
and has a total of eight goals and 11 assists on the season.
CROWD UPDATE: The Michigan crowd, which gained campus-wide
renown this season for its "See-ya" cheer, again displayed its sharp wit.
Friday night, the Wolverine fans noticed the Cornell crowd bowing to
Big Red goalie Jim Crozier every time he made an important save. The
Michigan fans responded Saturday evening by sarcastically bowing to
Crozier every time he let in a goal.
FIRSTS: Sunday's victory was the first time Michigan has won the
third game of a best-of-three series. The Wolverines lost the third game0
of the CCHA Playoff first round to Western Michigan, 10-1 in 1987-88.
In 1988-89, Michigan dropped the third game of first-round action with
Bowling Green in overtime, 3-2.
POWER PLAY: The Wolverine power play unit was riding at nine
percent in conversion since the beginning of the playoffs, scoring on just
two of 21 opportunities. Michigan's percentage on the man-advantage
skyrocketed during Sunday's game to 50 percent, converting on three of
six opportunities.

Michigan's Cam Stewart skates by Cornell defender Bruce Frauley during Saturday night's Michigan victory.

part of my life."
The parents have to deal with
the pressure of the long season just
as much as their kids, but don't
have ways to alleviate it.
"It's tougher on the parents than
it is on the kids," Tamer added.
"They can at least play. We have
to do all our coaching and playing
from the stands."

But as much pressure as there
is on them, it is also the parents
jobs to encourage their kids and
keep them on their toes. They con-
tribute a lot to the players' mental
attitudes and, therefore, to the
success of the teams.
"I try to give encouraging words
and coach a little and give (Chris)

some pointers without undermin-
ing the coaching which is not al-
ways easy," tamer said. "But I try
to give as much encouragement as
I can."
There is no question that you'll
see these parents in Boston, and
now you and everybody will know
their names.

0

first period. Yet Michigan was also
unable to produce any offense, and
the two entered the first intermis-
sion scoreless.
During the center session, the
Wolverine offense caught fire.
Spurred on by two near short-
handed goals by Denny Felsner
and co-captain Don Stone, Stewart
put Michigan on the board with a
deflection of defenseman Doug
Evans' shot. Less than a minute
later, Neaton backhanded the puck
past Crozier's left side.
Another two minutes led to an-
other Michigan goal as defense-

man Chris Tamer sent the puck
flying into the net from the middle
of the right-side circle. In less than
four minutes, the Wolverines had
gone up 3-0.
"We were getting some
breaks," Ward said. "We started
picking up on that and getting our
shots on net and it sort of picked
everyone up and then when Denny
got his shot we all started rolling."
But the absence of Wolverine
senior Jim Ballentine, who was
hospitalized for a lacerated kidney
after Friday's game, allowed Cor-
nell to unleash its power play. Der-

raugh tallied two man-advantaged
goals in less than a minute and the
Michigan lead was cut to one.
"We've been pretty good in
penalty killing, but we lost our
best penalty killer, Jim Ballentine,
last night," Berenson said. "That
really hurt us tonight and their
power play took advantage of it.
Jim was sort of an inspiration. We
had a bit of a pep talk after the
end of (Friday's) game by Kent
Brothers, he got us going. Plus
with Jimmy in the hospital right
now, it sort of gives us the idea we
should be doing something for the
old guy."

Defenseman Joe Vanini of Cornell pokechecks Wolverine rightwinger
Dan Stiver in Michigan's 5-4 overtime defeat Friday night.


once again a threat in college
hockey.
Friday night was a nightmare
for the Wolverines.
As the crowd counted down the
final seconds of a Michigan 4-3
lead, Boston seemed ten feet
away. But Cornell's Kent Man-
derville put a halt to Michigan's
wild ride.

son's time-tested, slow improve-
ment process. But Michigan didn't
lose.
On Saturday, the Wolverines
came out with intensity. They
fought tenaciously throughout,
even when Cornell was on the
power play. But Cornell didn't
budge. Michigan earned Saturday's
victory, squeaking out a 6-4 vic-

tion.
The Wolverines scored seven
consecutive goals to put the team
up, 7-1. The game was a done deal
before the third period reached the
halfway point, and the Michigan
fans even ran out of chants before
the two-minute mark.
No one left Yost Ice Arena last
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