STATE OF URGENCY

SportsMonday

For the seniors, happy ending 

on breakable thread

By ZACH SHAW

Daily Sports Writer

It was everything, everything that the 
seniors wanted.

It was meant to be, supposed to be, but 
they lost it.

As the puck sailed into Michigan’s 
zone one final time, the screaming 

crowd stood in stunned silence. 

It was almost destiny, but with 

one 
final 
Michigan 
State 

dump, it suddenly wasn’t.

On a day when the 

Wolverines had a chance 
to sweep their rival, win 

their first Big Ten title and send their seniors off 
with a bang in front of a sold-out crowd, Michigan 
came up short time and again, missing opportuni-
ty after opportunity to send the puck past Spartan 
goaltender Jake Hildebrand, who made 37 saves.

“It’s disappointing,” said Michigan coach Red 

Berenson. “We had an opportunity to do some-
thing that was special, and it didn’t happen. I like 
the way our team played. I don’t know how many 
grade-A scoring chances we had in the game, give 
their goalie credit, give their team credit, but the 
puck wasn’t going in.”

For over two decades, the Wolverines and the 

NCAA Tournament were the perfect pair, side-
by-side through 

Michigan’s Big Ten title hopes 

spoiled by Michigan State

By JEREMY SUMMITT

Daily Sports Editor

The Michigan hockey team was looking for a 
storybook ending to cap off its regular season, but 
the book never got published.

There was one final game — Saturday’s contest 

at Yost Ice Arena, on Senior Day and against its 
in-state rival, a game that seemed as if it could 
handle all the components of a storybook 
ending. The 19th-ranked Wolverines needed 

just one victory to capture the Big Ten regular-

season championship, but Michigan State wouldn’t 
let them etch the final words into their coveted story.

“We had the opportunity to do something special 

and it didn’t happen,” said Michigan coach Red 
Berenson.

Michigan lost 2-1 against the team it hates losing 

to most. The Spartans threw a pair of villains into 
the Wolverines’ fairytale, and their names are Matt 
DeBlouw and Jake Hildebrand.

Twenty-nine seconds into the third period, 

DeBlouw scored the eventual game-winning 

goal. He was sprung on a breakaway 

thanks to a Wolverine turnover in the 
neutral zone and was able to slip a shot 

B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | March 16, 2015

See MICHIGAN, Page 2B

See SENIORS, Page 2B

JAMES COLLER/Daily

