Seniors lose finale, but exit champs
The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - March 25, 1991 - Page 5
HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
by Matt Rennie
Daily Hockey Writer
BOSTON - They were the first
f this year's team members to come
Michigan.
And when it was all over, they
were the last to leave.
They arrived as an unheralded
recruiting class, and they left as the
leaders of a national power.
After Saturday's 8-1 loss to the
Terriers of Boston University, the
three of them, along with Denny
Felsner, stayed in the lockerroom
euntil well after everyone else had
left.
While Felsner still has a
decision to confront over the next
few weeks about whether he will
continue his Michigan career, their
futures are already decided. They
will never don the Maize and Blue
jersey again.
The "they" are Kent Brothers,
-Mark Sorenson, and Don Stone.
Along with Jim Ballantine, who
was sidelined this weekend with a
ruptured kidney, they comprise the
four seniors on the 1990-91 edition
of the Michigan hockey team.
The last-game experience was an
emotional one for each of the three
seniors in Boston. Each of them had
to face something he never had to
before - life without hockey.
* Don Stone granted a few tearful
words after leaving the ice, but all
three seniors were too choked up to
talk after leaving the lockerroom
for the last time.
"It's a rough way to end a
career," the Wolverine co-captain
said. "But when we came here, we
were still a mediocre team. I
wouldn't have thought I'd be
laying in a game like this."
Asked what he took away from
four years in the Michigan hockey
program, Stone replied, "A lot of
ICERS
Continued form page 1
drew first blood for BU on a power-
play goal 7:04 into the game.
"Our start was surprising,"
Cahoon said. "We were concerned
about how we'd react (to the
layoff). We thought if we could get
through the first period, we'd be all
right."
The Terriers did more than that
as David Sacco expanded the BU lead
five minutes later on a breakaway
goal. Sacco skated down the left side
of the ice, cut across the mouth of
goal, and then tucked the puck
neatly behind the sprawling
OGordon.
Just 1:39 later, Keith Tkachuk
put away a crossing pass from
Shawn McEachern to give the
Terriers a commanding 3-0 lead.
"That third goal really hurt us,"
Berenson said. "We went down to
their end with a good opportunity,
three-on-two, and then they come
back and score on the same shift."
The Wolverines came out of the
lockerroom with fire in their eyes,
but they were unable to capitalize
on several good scoring
opportunities in the second period.
With Michigan on the power
play midway through the period,
sophomore right wing David
Roberts got through two Terrier
defensemen and faked out goalie
Scott Cashman. Roberts had an
apparent open net, but he lost
control of the puck and couldn't put
it away.
Berenson and many Wolverines
agreed that had Roberts scored on
the play, it may have been a turning
point in the game.
"If we could have scored in the
second period, it would have
changed the game totally,"
defenseman Mark Sorenson said.
"The more the game went on and the
more saves (Cashman) made, the
more confidence they got."
The Wolverines' offensive woes
had a lot to do with the person
standing between the pipes for BU.
"Cashman was the difference
tonight," Wolverine forward Mike
Helber said. "The first goal is
always. the toughest to get, and it
took us a while."
Michigan didn't get on the
scoreboard until Don Stone scored
with 2:44 left, just 25 seconds after
Berenson pulled Gordon from the
Michigan goal.
However, the Terriers iced the
game with 39 seconds left, as Tom
Dion scored into an empty net to
give BU the final margin, 4-1.
What hurt the Wolverines all
& evening was the failure to convert
Inept Blue power play
destroys offense, hopes
by John Niyo and Matt Rennie
Daily Hockey Writers
BOSTON - While no aspect of the Michigan game was up to par, the
biggest disappointment of the series was probably the failure of the
Wolverine power play.
The Maize and Blue scored just once during their 16 man-advantages on
the weekend. The ineffectiveness could be partially attributed to the
Terriers' forechecking.
"Their penalty killing was outstanding," Michigan coach Red Berenson
said. "They really kept us off-balance. Our offense was not a factor in the
weekend, and you have to give them credit for that."
HOUSE OF HORRORS: It is unlikely that Michigan goaltender Steve
Shields will include Boston in his future vacation plans. The rookie failed to
make it through the entire game at Brown Arena for the second time this
season.
Shields was pulled five minutes into the second period after surrendering
his fourth goal of the contest. He made seven saves.
Earlier this season, Shields was yanked after the Terriers jumped out to a
5-1 lead in the first period. In that game, the Wolverines came back to win,
8-6.
AVOIDING THE SHUTOUT: Friday night, Michigan was within 2:44 of
being shutout for the first time in 111 games.
Scott Cashman held the Wolverines at bay until Wolverine co-captain
Don Stone broke the drought after a scramble in front of the net. Cashman
made 20 saves in the game.
"I think when a team has a shutout going, it certainly is to their
advantage," Berenson said. "It makes you work that much harder, because
you want to keep it going."
Three times this season, the Wolverine icers have been held to only one
goal. Each time, Michigan was playing away from Yost Ice Arena in
Boston. Aside from the two this weekend, the Maize and Blue also dropped
a 5-1 contest to Boston College at the beginning of December.
FRUITY FELLOW: Dashing among the sportswriters and radio
announcers in the press box, both Friday and Saturday, was a very unique
individual. Boston University Sports Information Director Ed Carpenter was
not a hard man to find.
Well-known for his obnoxious and colorful neckties, Carpenter set new
standards for tackiness this weekend. Friday's was a more standard
clashing, flowery tie, but Saturday's was a homemade tie made from
laminated baseball cards of such diamond greats as Mike Heath and Jody
Reed. Indeed, a true card.
Michigan captain Don Stone harrasses a Boston player during the Wolverines' weekend tournament ousting.
great memories. These were the four
best years of my life."
Over the course of those four
years, the quartet of seniors played
an integral role in the revitaliztion
of the Michigan hockey program.
Stone arrived in Ann Arbor as an
unheralded recruit from Utica,
Mich., but he quickly made his
presence felt with 18 goals and 39
points his first season. While Stone
possesses neither dazzling moves
nor blinding speed, he used his blue-
collar work ethic to scratch and
claw his way to 83 career goals,
good for 11th place in Wolverine
history.
Sorenson was Michigan's lone
senior defenseman this season, after
spending some time at left wing
earlier in his career. His 13 points
this season were a career best, as he
demonstrated steady improvement
on both ends of the ice as the season
went on.
Ballantine and Brothers should
be mentioned together, since the
two are close friends off the ice.
Before his injury against Cornell,
Ballantine centered Michigan's
fourth line, which Brothers joined
late in the season.
While Brothers was recruited as
a right wing out of Corner Brook,
Newfounland, he was relegated
earlier this season to part-time duty
on defense, a position at which he
was never completely comfortable.
When injuries left an opening at
forward, Brothers made the most of
the opportunity, joining his friend
and fellow senior on the fourth line.
The line was noted for its defensive,
tight-checking style, especially val-
uable killing penalties.
And despite the final loss, the
four seniors came through the
Wolverine program as champions.
Final Four set for St. Paul
Wolverine defenseman Aaron Ward (#5) scuffles for the puck with two
Boston forwards, who helped BU abruptly end Michigan's season.
ENDING
Continued from page 1
back from adversity like champions
all year long.
Like back in November, when
Michigan made the trip north to
face Lake Superior State, the even-
tual league champs, for the first
time. The Wolverines were embar-
rassed the first night, 10-5. But they
rebounded, clawing their way to
win a 4-3 overtime thriller the next
night and establishing themselves as
a force to be reckoned with in the
CCHA.
Just two weeks later the team
ventured east and played one of its
most memorable games of the sea-
son. Down 6-1 after the first period
in this same Walter Brown Arena,
the Wolverines stormed back behind
David Roberts' hat trick to walk
0 , .r-
weekend.
After Friday's 4-1 loss - where
the potent Michigan attack had been
effectively shut down (and nearly
shut out) - one could sense a little
anxiety coming from the Michigan
lockerroom. But not fear.
Just two weekends ago in the
NCAA first-round series, the team
had faced a somewhat similar situa-
tion after dropping Game One to
Cornell in Yost. But they had re-
sponded - just as they had done in
November. This Michigan team
hadn't lost two games in the same
weekend all year. Why start now?
No one has that answer. Not Red
Berenson. And unfortunately, not
the three seniors - Kent Brothers,
Mark Sorenson, and Don Stone -
who stepped off the ice for the last
time Saturday. They've seen the pro-
gram through the tough years, just
Friday: Northern Michigan 5,
Alaska-Anchorage 3;
Saturday: Northern Michigan
8, Alaska Anchorage 3;
Northern swept their series 2-0,
beating the Seawolves (22-17-4) to
reach the Final Four of the NCAA
tournament for the third, time.
Junior center Dallas Drake
scored three goals and managed two
assists to help push NMU toward
victory Friday night at Marquette's
Lakeview arena.
The win set a new school record
for the Wildcats, bringing them to a
35 win, five loss, five tie finale.
NMU has not been beat at home in
their last 32 games.
Although NMU coach Rick
Comley had to be happy about the
victory, he was not entirely pleased
with the team's performance.
"We scored plenty of goals, but
maybe we weren't real hungry,"
Comley said. "It's as bad a defensive
effort as we've had all year. We quit
playing in our own end," Comley
added, looking at senior goalie Bill
Pye's 19 stops compared with
Seawolves goalie Paul Krake's 41.
against Maine at St. Paul, Minn.
Geoff Simpson scored Saturday
evening's winning goal.
The Wildcats got second-period
goals from Ed Ward and Scott
Beattie before Simpson ended the
run with his goal at 4:09 of the
third period.
The Wildcat's previous Final
Four appearances came in 1980 and
1981. They lost in the semifinals
each year.
Friday: Clarkson 7, Lake
Superior State 3;
Saturday: Lake Superior State
6, Clarkson 2;
Sunday: Clarkson 4, Lake
Superior 3;
In the third and deciding contest,
Clarkson shocked No. 1 Lake
Superior State, 4-3.
Lake Superior State coach Jeff
Jackson didn't think Lakers hockey
fans respected Clarkson going into
the NCAA quarterfinals, but the
ECAC champion Golden Knights
earned some with a 7-3 victory
Friday in the first game of the best-
of-three series.
CIrkomvn t7R-7-71 came hack
the second period that tied the game
1-1.
Goals from sophomore Doug
Weight and junior Paul Constantin
helped put the Lakers ahead 3-1 at
6:51.
However, beginning the
Clarkson coach Mark Morris'
replacement of Chris Rogles with
first year student Jason Currie in
the net, things quickly turned
around fpr the Golden Knights.
Starting a power-play goal by
sophomore Scott Thomas at 16:39 in
the second period, and yet another
goal by senior Mike Casselman at
6:43 of3the third, things were soon
tied up 3-3 for the Knights.
Trombley was in good form
again Saturday night, bringing in one
of only two goals Clarkson was to
score.
Lake Superior (36-4-4) began
balancing out the two game series
with a goal by Sandy Moge at 2:58
of the first period.
In the second period, Mark
Astley and Weight scored, each on a
power play. Clarkson then changed
ani; tis tie r nininss Currie