4B - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, October 16, 1995
4 To,
Tx .
Frosh make solid debut
Youngsters' presence felt on both offense and defense
..........
Michigan's Mike Legg scored
Saturday:
MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
at the 18:24 mark of the second period to give the Wolverines a 4-0 lead over Guelph
By Alan Goldenbach
Daily Sports Writer
Inexperienced, immature, intimi-
dated?
Huh?
Although they are only freshmen,
left wings Greg Crozier and Dale
Rominski, center Bobby Hayes, right
wing Sean Ritchlin and defenseman
Bubba Berenzweig played anything
but the way first-year, first-game skat-
ers typically do in Michigan's 8-0
whitewash of Guelph Saturday.
The quintet held its own both of-
fensively -accounting for more than
one-fourth of the Wolverines' points
- and defensively - laying out nu-
merous hits and breaking up the few
Gryphon rushes.
The only exception was the slug-
gish first period.
"Our line really didn't get any pro-
duction early," Ritchlin said. "But
then we started moving our feet and
playing the body a bit more."
Could it have been due to first-
game jitters?
"I was getting a little nervous ear-
lier in the day," Hayes said. "But I
basically knew what my style was and
what I had to do out there."
Crozier agreed that the first game
caused a few butterflies.
"It was more of a good nervous,"
Crozier said. "I wasn't used to play-
ing in front of so many fans, but it got
me pumped up."
Once they did settle in, the Wolver-
ine youngsters looked as much a part
of the team as the seasoned veterans.
Crozier popped home two goals and
added an assist. Hayes ripped the net
once in the third period and he and
Ritchlin assisted, on Blake Sloan's
goal at the 3:54 mark of the second.
"I felt more like a college hockey
player after the first half of the game
was over," Ritchlin said.
And although Berenzweig and
Rominski didn't find their way onto
the scoresheet, they each took the
body well with numerous hits and
stood up to the Gryphons' rough style
of play.
Their coach seemed pleased with
the effort.
"I think that tonight gave them some
good experience at this level and gave
them an idea of what they're up
against," Michigan coach Red
Berenson said.
The players were modest about their
first accomplishments in maize and
blue, though.
"I'm playing with two phenomenal
players in Mike Legg and Warren
Luhning," Crozier said. "I don't think
that anybody in college hockey could
ask for two better players to skate
with.
"(On my second goal), they just
slid it right over to me and I tapped it
right by their goalie. Anybody really
could have scored it."
The Wolverines' showed an ability
to stand up to Guelph's rougher style
of play. Guelph coach Marlin
Muylaert said that Canadian college
leagues emphasize more clutching and
grabbing, as opposed to the more
open-ice, strong-skating action ofthe
CCHA.
"It's tough to stand in there and just
take a beating," Crozier said. "You
have to always keep your feet moving
and be a really strong, tough player."
Others welcomed the change in
pace.
"I love to play the physical game,"
Ritchlin said. "It was definitely a step
up from the Blue-White game, but
that's the way I play my game and
that's what I thrive on."
Berenson also didn't waste time
getting the freshmen some time on
special teams. All of the newcomers
saw time on both the power play as
well as in short-handed situations.
"I felt comfortable on the penalty
kills," Hayes said. "I had been dding
a lot of it in my junior years. The
power plays at this level, though, are
a lot quicker and that will take some
getting used to."
Overall, the freshmen said they just
enjoyed taking in the Yost Ice Arena
experience.
"The atmosphere on the bench was
just incredible," Ritchlin said. "It was
just a great feeling to have the band
and everyone behind you. The team
felt like one big family."
"I'm just not used to playing in
front of so many people and espe-
cially a band," Crozier said. "But it
was a good first game to get us pre-
pared for the upcoming season."
Wolverines convert 1 of 8 power
plays in first weekend matchup
By John Leroi
Daily Sports Writer
After an 8-0 victory in the season
,opener, most people would say that
.everything is going great.
But for the Michigan hockey team,
not everything is.
In a game that the Wolverines were
supposed to dominate, their win was
-not surprising - it was expected. In
fact, an eight-goal shutout isn't as
much ofa shock as the fact that Michi-
gan converted only oreof eight power
play chances against Guelph.
Last year, Michigan had one of the
best power plays in the nation. The
Wolverines knocked in nearly 30 per-
.;ent of their power-play opportuni-
dies last season - tops in the NCAA.
Butthe Wolverines' lack of scoring
on the power play Saturday night
didn't seem to be a concern of coach
Red Berenson's.
"Our power play is not going to be
a problem," Berenson said. "We just
,want special teams to be a plus every
,ame. Their goalies played well."
Michigan squandered two five-on-
three chaces before Jason Botterill
converted two minutes into the third
period.
Wolverine forwards also fanned on
a couple of additional scoring chances.
One thing Berenson tried to do was
get a lot of different players on power
play units. At least 12 Michigan play-
ers got the chance to skate on the
power play at least once-something
that probably won't happen later in
the season.
Hockey
Notebook
Part of the Wol-
verines' power-
play woes can be
attributed to the
fact that this was
the Wolverines'
first game. But the
penalty killing
units held the
Gryphons scoreless
on eight opportuni-
ties with only one shot on net.
START WITH A WIN: There are more
than a few reasons why Berenson
scheduled Guelph to start the 1995-
96 season.
The NCAA mandates that teams
play no more than 33 regular season
games. However, teams are allowed
to play one team which is not a mem-
ber of the NCAA.
This is the second straight year
Michigan started off the season fac-
ing a Canadian team. Last year, the
Wolverines hosted York (Ontario) and
matched this year's opening score, 8-
0.
"I wouldn't want to play a Cana-
dian team any other time of the year,"
Berenson said. "But this is the perfect
chance for us to get going.
In fact, Michigan is getting pretty
accustomed to starting the season with
a win. You'd have to look back to the
1986-87 season to find the last time
the Wolverines dropped a season-
opener.
Michigan is 10-1-1 in opening
games since Berenson became head
coach in 1984.
THIRD TIME'S A CHARM: There must
have been one heck of pep talk in
Michigan's lockerroom between the
second and third periods.
After missing a handful of scoring
chances in the first two stanzas, the
Wolverines exploded for three goals
in the first three minutes of the third
period.
Freshman left wing Greg Crozier
netted his second goal of the game a
minute and a half into the period. Less
than 30 seconds later, Botterill scored
his second and at the three-minute
mark, freshman center Bobby Hayes
tucked in a rebound to give Michigan
a 7-0 lead.
BETWEEN THE PIPES: Sophomore
goaltender Greg Malicke got his first.
chance to play in a Michigan uniform
Saturday.
Malicke, who transferred to Michi-
gan after one year at Clarkson, wasn't
severely tested, facing only three
Gryphon shots.
In seven games two years ago,
Malicke was a2-0-0 with a 5.44 goals
against average.
i
GUELPH
Continued from page LB
"We have to play with patience when
the puck's not going in the net," he said.
"(The Gryphons) played like a CCHA
team for the first halfof the game, but then
they ran out of gas ... Their goalie played
well, but we knew we could get to him."
The breakthrough came in ironic fash-
ion. After many excellent chances, it
was a lucky bounce that turned the tide.
Two minutes into the second period,
John Madden threw a puck in from the
point that deflected off the shaft of
Botterill's stick past Mullin, putting
Michigan up 1-0.
Botterill said he never saw it, but his
teammates didn't care.
"However it went in, it was the turn-
ing point for us," left wing Greg Cro-
zier said. "That goal got things going."
From then on, the game changed little
- except the Wolverines were able to
capitalize on their chances.
With all of the offensive play,
Michigan's defense had little to do.
Guelph didn't put together asingle qual-
ity scoring chance. The Wolverines'
goaltenders, Marty Turco and Gregg
Malicke, turned aside just six shots and
were never truly tested.
"We didn't give them anything,"
Berenson said. "We kept our intensity
and played very well on defense."
About the only thing the Wolverines
didn't do well, outside of scoring in the
first period, was finish on the power
play. They only converted one of eight,
giving the Gryphons a morsel of suc-
cess to savor on the ride home.
"Our penalty killing was outstand-
ing," Muylaert said. "We faced one of
the best power plays in the nation, and
we did a great job."
Not to be outdone, Michigan shut
down Guelph's power play. The Wol-
verines tried several combinations on
the penalty-killing unit, using players
who had never played there before in
some cases.
It was suffocating, nonetheless. The
Wolverines held Guelph to one shot in
eight power play chances and the
Gryphons had trouble organizing rushes.
"(Penalty killing) has got to be a
strong part of our team this season,"
Berenson said. "We used a lot ofpeople
tonight. It was a good opportunity to get
some guys experience."
And to get some guys some goals.
Only 1:51 after Botterill broke the
ice with his score, the Wolverines
chalked up another. Defenseman Blake
Sloan flew down the right side and
snapped a shot under the crossbar be-
fore Mullin had a chance to react.
Crozier, playing his first game for
Michigan, scored his first collegiate
goal later in the second, tipping in Steve
Halko's shot from the point at 17:36.
Mike Legg came right back for the
Wolverines, backhanding a rebound
through traffic at 18:24 to put the Wol-
verines up, 4-0, at the end of two.
The third period was much like the
second. Crozier put in his second of the
night at 1:26, punching in a rebound.
Botterill came next, one-timing aslick
pass from Madden past Gowan for his
second of the game at 2:03.
"I didn't have to move very much (on
eithergoal)," Botterill said. "Bothpasses
just hit my stick. It made it easy."
Freshman Bobby Hayes quickly fol-
The Gryphons didn't
offer the Wolverines
much fight -
Michigan outshot
Guelph, 49-6.
MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
lowed Botterill, adding the first score of
his career, and Michigan's third goal in
three minutes, with a pretty play at the
three-minute mark. Halko's shot from the
point drifted through the slot to Hayes'
stick, and he lifted the puck over a diving
Mullin's head to put Michigan up by
seven.
Senior center Kevin Hilton closed out
the scoring at 10:32 when Sloan's pass
traversed the crease right to his tape.
Hilton's easy one-timer finished off
Guelph, 8-0.
"We just weren't prepared to handle
Michigan," Muylaert said. "Our guys
have a lot of pride. We didn't want to
come out here and get embarrassed;..
Last night we played a middle-of-the-
pack team (in Notre Dame), but tonight
we played the cream of the crop."
MICHIGAN 8, GUELPH 0
Guelph 0 0 0 0
Michigan 0 4 4 - 8
First Period - Penalties - Anderson, G (hooking),
1:01; Anderson, G (roughing), 4:17, Muckalt, UMw,;
(charging), 4:17; Ford, G (holding) 6 17 Luhning, UM
(hooking), 15:20; Davis, G(interference), 19:42; Carter,
G (high sticking), 19:54; Clancy, G (roughing), 19:54;
Luhning, UM (high sticking), 19:54.
Second Period-1, UM, Botterill 1(Madden, Muckalt);
2:03. 2, UM, Sloan 1 (Ritchlin, Hayes), 3:54. 3, UM,
Crozier 1(Halko, Legg), 17:36.4, UM, Legg 1(Luhning,
Crozier), 18:24. Penalties - Muckalt, UM (roughing),
5:02; Davis, G (hooking), 7:22; Carter, G (slashing),
8:40; Botteriill UM (hooking), 12:39.
Third Period - 5, UM, Crozier 2 (Legg, Luhning), 1:36.
6, UM, Botterill 2 (Madden, Hilton), 2:03 (pp). 7, UM,
Hayes 1 (Halko), 3:00.8, UM, Hilton 1 (Sloan. Schock),
10:32 (4-on-4). Penalties - Pender, G (holding), 1:54;
Schock, UM (holding), 4:07; Davis, G (hooking), 6:02;
Ritchlin, UM (cross-checking), 8:37; Haelzle, G
(roughing), 8:37; Luhning, UM (charging), 12:56; Schock,
UM (roughing), 14:58; Sloan, UM (roughing). 14:58; -
Thorpe, G (roughing), 14:58; Botterill, UM (boarding),
17:29; Arnold, UM (elbowing), 19:55.
Shots on goal - UM 12-20-17-49. G 1-2-3.6.
Power plays - UM 1lot 8; G 0 of 8.
Coalie saves - UM, Turco 1-2-xx-3, Malicke xx-xx-
3-3. G, Mullin 12-14-9-35, Gowan xx-2-4--6
Referee - Roger Graft.
inesmen - Larry Lulich, Paul Tunison.
At: Yost Ice Arena. A: 5,746.
_____________a -
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