4B — March 23, 2015
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

reporters, Berenson walked 
straight to the team bus. He sat 
there as his team filed out of the 
locker room, heads down and 
optimism dashed. Berenson 
sat in the front of the bus as 
thoughts on another season 
of underachievement rushed 
through his head.

Hardly anyone takes losing as 

hard as Berenson does.

“You know what, I went 

through that three-year stretch 
where we didn’t make it,” said 
Minnesota coach Don Lucia. 
“You don’t even want to watch 
the NCAA Tournament because 
you’re bummed out, because 
you’re competitive, and Red is as 
competitive as anybody else.”

Berenson has said he would 

be the first to step down if he 
thought he couldn’t lead the 
Michigan hockey program to its 
full potential. The team means 
too much for him not to.

But his coaching ability hasn’t 

faded. The Wolverines needed 
their best weekend of hockey 
to have a chance at winning 
the Big Ten Tournament and, 
defensively, they got that.

In the final month of the 

season, Berenson pushed his 
team to buy into a defensive 
philosophy that was lacking 
beforehand. Following a 
disheartening loss to Ohio State 
on Feb. 20, Berenson called a 
team meeting.

The Wolverines’ defense 

was in flames, and Berenson’s 
message was simple — play better 
without the puck. It took time 
for the team to buy in, but it 
bought in this weekend, when it 
mattered most.

Berenson preaches defense, and 

he preaches work ethic. His team 
played through the philosophy 
of its legendary coach. The effort 
was there, the desperation was 
there and the defensive corps was 
consistently stout for the first time 
in a long time.

Winning and losing are 

separated by the smallest of 
margins. The dichotomy between 
how a person feels after winning 

and how a person feels after 
losing, however, is immense.

“Very few teams and 

individuals get to finish their 
season on a winning note,” said 
undergraduate assistant coach 
Mike Komisarek. “So, that’s 
where we want to be, and that’s 
where we want to get at.”

And Berenson will be a part of 

it. The 73-year old coach has one 
year remaining on his contract, 
and he has admitted he thinks 
about retirement a lot.

But this is not the summer 

that Berenson walks away from 
what he’s most passionate about. 
He loves coaching because he 
loves competition, but he loves 
coaching most when he gets to 
watch his young players grow as 
people and as hockey players.

“Our team really came up 

and our young guys came up,” 
Berenson said. “I mean, who 
would have thought (Cutler) 
Martin would be playing regular, 
the way he has, as an unknown 
coming in and so on. I could go 
through our lineup, and it wasn’t 
just the freshmen, it was the 
seniors as well.”

As a man of few words, 

Berenson likely won’t express 
how much this weekend stings, 
nor will he admit how long it 

might sting for. He’s used to being 
at the top of the hockey world. 
This is an uncomfortable and 
unfamiliar position for a coach of 
his stature.

He has won two national 

championships with Michigan, 
coached dozens of NHL players 
and created a program built on 
hard work and integrity.

After Saturday’s game, 

Berenson insisted the podium 
wasn’t his to take, though it 
has been his for the taking 
throughout his entire career.

“Look, I don’t want to take 

any more time,” he said. “This 
podium should be for the 
winners, OK? Thank you.”

He then sauntered out of the 

room as a coach whose season 
ended prematurely and as a 
legend who has been left empty-
handed. There wasn’t anything 
left to say anyway.

Berenson had his chance to 

speak at the loser’s podium, but 
he’s more comfortable in the 
winner’s circle. He’ll have to wait 
a year before he gets back, but 
there’s little chance Berenson 
won’t speak as a victor once more.

Jeremy Summitt can be reached 

at jssumm@umich.edu and on 

Twitter @jeremysummitt.

Hyman’s career 
ends painfully

By JASON RUBINSTEIN

Daily Sports Editor

DETROIT — Zach Hyman 

entered the press room after 
Saturday’s loss teary-eyed, but 
understandably so.

He knew his season was over. 

He knew his Michigan career 
was over. He knew his incredible 
year, one in which he tallied 
22 goals and notched over 50 
points, had ended sooner than he 
planned.

And he knew that his time 

playing next to freshman Dylan 
Larkin — the other half of the 
team’s dynamic duo — was done.

Michigan coach Red Berenson 

found solace, though, knowing 
that Hyman did everything he 
possibly could to extend the 
Wolverines’ season.

“You could see how he drove 

the net and he had a guy on his 
back,” Berenson said of Hyman’s 
goal on Saturday. “He just 
powered through the trap to the 
front of the net, and then beat the 
goalie. He singlehandedly tried 
to take the team on his back, and 
he’s been doing that all year.

“It’s been a pleasure for me to 

coach him and watch him emerge 
as the player he’s become, and as 
a person and so on.”

Hyman was the centerpiece 

of this Michigan hockey team. 
When the team needed a goal, 
Hyman was there. When the team 
needed a talking-to for lackluster 
play, Hyman was there. But now, 
Hyman won’t be there anymore, 
at least while wearing a Michigan 
hockey sweater.

“I’m upset because my career 

is over here,” Hyman said before 
taking a big gulp of water. “I’m 
not upset because of the way we 
played.”

Still, the atmosphere in the 

locker room after the game was 
one each Michigan player will 
remember forever, and not for 
the 
right 
reason. 
Freshman 

defenseman Zach Werenski had 
never experienced such sorrow 
on his teammates’ faces.

“I can’t say I have,” said 

freshman 
defenseman 
Zach 

Werenski. “The locker room, it was 
devastating. It was very hitting in 
the locker room, seeing the seniors’ 
faces. It’s not what you want to do. 
It’s not what you see.”

And for Michigan, it was 

especially hard to see Hyman’s 
sorrow. 
Mike 
Komisarek, 

Michigan’s 
newest 
assistant 

coach who played two seasons for 
the Wolverines before a 11-year 
career in the NHL, expressed 
a similar sentiment, noting the 
future is bright for not only 
Hyman, but for Michigan.

More 
notably, 
Komisarek 

emphasized that a team can 
rebound 
from 
such 
a 
gut-

wrenching blow.

“Very 
few 
teams 
and 

individuals get to finish their 
season on a winning note,” he 
said. “I think you never forget 
the 
feeling 
coming 
off 
the 

ice, watching the other team 
celebrate, or hearing them from 
the locker room through the 
walls. It’s something you use for 
fuel and motivation.”

Werenski, who is arguably 

Michigan’s 
best 
defenseman, 

knows he will hear about this 
game for some time, adding to 
any motivation he already has for 
next season.

The 17-year-old has multiple 

friends that play for Minnesota. 
Defenseman Ryan Collins was 
one of them. He and Werenski 
played for Team USA together, 
most recently at the World Junior 
Championships in late December.

Werenski 
and 
Collins 

coincidentally exited the Joe 
Louis Arena at the same time 
through the same door. That 
meeting could’ve been tough for 
Werenski, knowing a close friend 
ended his impressive freshman 
campaign.

But Werenski and Collins 

hugged, and no hatred was 
spewed. Werenski knows he’ll 
have another chance to get the 
last laugh, even though it will 
take some time to crack a smile.

ICE HOCKEY
Michigan wins Big Ten title

Second-highest 
score in program 

history earns 
championship

By CINDY YU

Daily Sports Writer

At the Big Ten Championships, 

the No. 6 Michigan women’s 
gymnastics team embodied the 
quartz-themed leotards senior 
Sachi Sugiyama designed.

As the most recognized type 

of crystal, quartz symbolizes 
power, energy and clarity.

“The 
stone 
epitomizes 

teamwork 
and 
transforms 

negative energy into positive 
energy, and that we were going 
to be strong and have clarity,” 
Sugiyama said.

Indeed, 
the 
Wolverines 

lived up to their expectations, 
resembling the powerful stone.

Michigan (18-0 Big Ten, 21-2 

overall) dominated the Big Ten 
Championships with a season-
best team total of 197.825, the 
second-highest score in program 
history. Already the winningest 
program 
in 
the 
conference, 

this 
achievement 
Saturday 

inside Crisler Center marks the 
Wolverines’ 23rd Big Ten title.

“It’s just such a chilling 

experience,” 
said 
sophomore 

Nicole Artz. “We were brought 
to tears at the end.”

Artz 
won 
the 
all-around 

title with a career-best score 
of 39.650, and Sugiyama and 
freshman 
Brianna 
Brown 

matched 
their 
career-high 

scores of 39.550 to tie for fourth. 
Brown was named Big Ten 
Co-Freshman of the Year, and 
Plocki was named Big Ten Coach 
of the Year. And to top it off, 
Artz, Sugiyama, Brown, junior 
Briley Casanova and sophomore 
Talia Chiarelli were named to 
the All-Big Ten Championships 
team.

“This was by far the best meet 

in all four events that we’ve had 
so far this season,” Plocki said. 
“Hopefully, we’re just hitting our 
stride right now, and we can carry 
this into regionals and nationals.”

Beginning 
with 
a 
bye, 

Michigan 
listened 
to 
Bo 

Schembechler’s 
“The 
Team, 

The Team, The Team” speech 
during the first rotation. As the 
team emerged from the tunnel 
to march to its first event of the 
evening, the gymnasts walked 
out to a standing ovation from 
the fans.

Fired up, the Wolverines set 

the tone on the floor exercise, 
delivering the top floor rotation 
of the day.

Sugiyama 
and 
Chiarelli 

led the team with their 9.925 
performances, tying Minnesota 
gymnast Lindsay Mable for first 
place on the event. Sugiyama 
matched her career best for the 
fourth consecutive week, while 
Chiarelli rebounded from an 
uncharacteristically low 9.675 
routine the previous meet.

“This 
was 
kind 
of 

redemption,” Chiarelli said. “To 
be able to do a good floor routine 
in front of a big crowd is really 
fun and exciting.”

Artz 
was 
also 
a 
major 

contributor to the floor lineup, 
earning a score of 9.900 to share a 
fourth-place finish with Nebraska 
gymnast Hollie Blanske.

After the completion of one 

event, Michigan narrowly led 
No. 16 Illinois, 49.450-49.400.

“Our goal was to come out of 

the gate really strong, and I think 
we did that on floor,” Plocki said.

Moving 
to 
vault, 
the 

Wolverines 
gained 
upward 

momentum, as all six gymnasts 
in the lineup scored at least 
9.850. It was evident that their 
focus on sticking in practice this 
week translated to competition.

“I think this was our best 

vaulting of the season,” Plocki 
said.

As she did on floor, Chiarelli 

led the team on vault. Her 
powerful Yurchenko full with 
just a small hop back on the 
landing earned a 9.900, enough 
to tie her career best from the 
first meet of the season.

At the halfway point, Michigan 

and Illinois were neck and neck, 
with the Wolverines carrying a 
slim 98.850-98.825 lead.

After another bye, Michigan 

had its best rotation of the season 
on bars, scoring 49.525. Artz tied 
her career best of 9.950 to win 
a share of the Big Ten title with 
Nebraska’s Jennie Laeng.

When Artz stuck her double 

layout 
dismount, 
cheering 

erupted from all around Crisler. 
She even earned a second round 
of applause when a judge flashed 
a perfect 10.

Brown, ranked in the top five 

in the nation on bars, earned a 
9.925 to tie for third.

Leading by just 0.275 points 

going into the final rotation, 
Casanova set the standard in the 
leadoff position on beam. In her 
wobble-free routine, she tied her 
season-best score of 9.900 and 
finished second on the event, 
even despite illness.

“Briley was sick as a dog,” 

Plocki said. “But she was a 
superstar.”

Brown was also able to match 

Casanova’s score for a spot on 
the podium.

The highlight of the night 

came from Artz, who tied 
another career best and scored 
her second 9.950 point total to 
win the event outright. When 
she stuck her one-and-a-half 
twisting dismount, both her 
teammates and the fans held up 
10 fingers to show approval.

At the conclusion of the meet, 

Michigan had widened its gap 
over Illinois to 0.575.

“I was just incredibly proud 

of all of these young ladies to 
handle that pressure the way 
they did, and to not just hit beam 
but rock beam,” Plocki said. “All 
season long, I’ve known these 
are tough competitors, but this is 
a different level.

“This is the level that’s going 

to take us into the national 
championship and get on the 
podium.”

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Freshman Brianna Brown matched a career-high score of 39.550 to tie for fourth in the all-around competition.

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Red Berenson’s season ended without an NCAA Tournament berth again.

off a Band-Aid, the puck bounced 
right out of the empty net, but 
the damage had been done. 
With 34 seconds left in the Big 
Ten championship game, the 
Wolverines (12-8 Big Ten, 22-15 
overall) got the dagger they have 
grown all too familiar with. 
Minnesota netted its fourth goal 
of the night en route to a 4-2 win.

“From our perspective, it was a 

great college hockey game,” said 
Michigan coach Red Berenson. “I 
was proud of our team. I thought 
they played hard and that they 
played well, just not well enough.”

When the Wolverines cruised 

through the Big Ten Tournament, 
outscoring 
Wisconsin 
and 

Michigan State, 9-1, en route to 
the final, it seemed that Michigan 
would play well enough, and 
a triumphant return to the 
postseason was simply destiny.

The team had stumbled to 

its worst start since 1986, but 
rebounded in incredible fashion. 
Led by breakout senior forward 
Zach Hyman and his linemate, 
freshman upstart Dylan Larkin, 
the 
Wolverines 
became 
the 

nation’s 
top 
offense, 
posting 

blowout scores while masking 
an inexperienced and developing 
defense in the process.

But with its back to the wall 

at Joe Louis Arena, it looked like 
things would click for Michigan, it 
really did. Against Wisconsin and 
Michigan State, the Wolverines 
came out swinging, outshooting 
and outscoring both teams by 
comical margins.

Saturday, 
it 
became 
clear 

it wouldn’t be as easy. The 
experienced and deep Minnesota 
team 
dominated 
possession, 

outshooting the Wolverines, 20-7, 
in the first period and testing the 
defense like never before this 
season.

But Racine and the defense 

were 
there 
for 
every 
shot, 

quieting the doubters, and, more 
importantly, setting the tone 
for the game when the offense 
couldn’t.

Things changed quite quickly 

in the second, however. After 

earning a power play, Minnesota’s 
Travis Boyd parked by the right 
post. After about a minute, the 
puck found him, and the senior 
buried it to give the Gophers an 
early lead.

But as he has countless times 

throughout the season, Hyman 
responded by putting the team on 
his shoulders. Skating from the 
boards deep in Minnesota’s zone 
less than 90 seconds later during 
a power play, the Big Ten scoring 
champion threaded across the 
ice, 
skirting 
through 
three 

Gopher defenders before firing a 
highlight-reel 
shot so baffling 
that netminder 
Adam Wilcox 
had to sit in 
disbelief while 
Hyman 
woke 

up 
fans 
and 

teammates 
alike 
in 

celebration.

“He just powered through the 

trap to the front of the net and 
then beat the goalie like he single-
handedly tried to take the team 
on his back,” Berenson said. “He’s 
been doing that all year, and it’s 
been a pleasure for me to coach 
him and watch him emerge as the 
player he’s become.”

As the only members of the 

Michigan 
hockey 
team 
who 

have ever played in the NCAA 
Tournament, Hyman and his 
fellow seniors knew what was 
at stake Saturday, and wouldn’t 
imagine anything less than the 
biggest effort of their careers.

“It’s definitely the biggest game 

of my career here, one game to 
win a championship, it couldn’t 
be better than this,” Hyman said 
Friday. “If you win a Big Ten 
Championship, you have a chance 
at a national championship, it 
doesn’t get bigger than that.”

They refused to go down easily. 

Two and a half minutes later, 
sophomore forward Alex Kile 
found twine as the final leg in a 
tic-tac-toe goal. Though Wilcox 
followed the development of the 
play, the 2014 Big Ten Player of the 
Year was unable to track the work 
of the sharpshooting sophomore.

With a 2-1 lead and a largely 

favorable crowd in the stands 

above it, Michigan looked to be 
clicking in all areas of the game. 
Even Racine — who took turns 
with sophomore netminder Zach 
Nagelvoort 
at 
thriving, 
then 

struggling all season — continued 
to look as good as ever, making 
a highlight-reel save on a 2-on-1 
Minnesota breakaway, one of 30 
saves on the night.

Minnesota found more luck 

just past the halfway point of the 
second period however, when 
forward Kyle Rau, fresh out of 
a visit to the penalty box, broke 
through 
Racine 
on 
another 

dazzling one-
timer, 
giving 

Minnesota 
a 

new sense of 
purpose.

Eventually, 

one 
of 

Michigan’s 
less-than-
desirable 
staples 
— 

a defensive miscue — led to 
the team’s demise. With two 
defensemen preoccupied on a hit 
during a Minnesota power play 
early in the third period, Gopher 
forward 
Justin 
Kloos 
found 

himself open, or open enough, to 
score the go-ahead goal.

“We 
had 
our 
chances,” 

Berenson said. “We needed to 
capitalize on one of those chances 
to get the go-ahead goal, and we 
couldn’t get it, and sure enough, 
they did.”

A flurry of attacks by the 

feared 
and 
revered 
offense 

came at Wilcox, but to no avail. 
Eventually Racine was pulled, 
but it didn’t take long for the 
puck to travel the length of 
the ice, extending Michigan’s 
tournament drought, cutting the 
Wolverines’ season short and 
robbing Hyman of destiny in the 
process.

“We showed up,” said junior 

forward Andrew Copp. “We had 
the right attitude and mentality. 
Thursday and Friday were pretty 
good days for us, and we were 
pretty confident going into today 
just to keep the momentum 
rolling. The bounces just didn’t go 
our way. We didn’t play our best, 
but we felt like we played good 
enough to win.”

MICHIGAN
From Page 1B

“It’s definitely 

the biggest game 

of my career.”

SUMMITT
From Page 1B

