The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
November 23, 2015 — 3B

An almost-

perfect 
weekend

B

OSTON — With 4:28 to 
go in the final period of 
Saturday’s game against 

No. 10 Boston University and 
the Michigan 
hockey team 
up, 3-1, junior 
forward Max 
Shuart found 
himself on a 
breakaway. 
After receiv-
ing a diving 
poke-check 
pass from 
freshman 
forward Kyle 
Connor, Shuart deked once 
before putting the puck past the 
Terrier goaltender.

Shuart’s goal allowed the 

Wolverines to finally breathe 
a sigh of relief, putting an 
exclamation point on an overall 
successful weekend.

“It was nice to get it going in 

the third and get the lead up a 
little bit,” said junior forward 
JT Compher.

The goal shouldn’t have been 

the first time the Wolverines 
breathed a sigh of relief, though. 
In fact, Shuart’s goal should 
have been the cherry on top 
of an undefeated weekend in 
Boston.

Michigan should have 

passed its first real test of the 
season with flying colors, twice 
beating a highly ranked Boston 
University side that hadn’t lost 
in three weeks.

That’s not what happened, 

though. Instead, the 
Wolverines’ second game was 
the only one in which they came 
away with a win.

Less than 24 hours prior 

to their 4-2 win Saturday, the 
Wolverines held a two-goal 
lead at the end of third period, 
similar to one they held in their 
game the next night.

But the difference was that 

the minute the Terriers got on 
the scoreboard with 9:16 left 
in the game, the once-quiet 
Agganis Arena woke up, and 
pandemonium ensued.

Boston University scored 

again to tie the game just 12 
seconds later and finished off 
the Wolverines with three 
minutes left in the game with 
a goal from defenseman Doyle 
Somerby.

“We saw we were up 2-0 

heading into the third, and we 
really wanted to lock down the 
(defensive zone), which took 
away from our aggressiveness,” 
said junior forward Tyler Motte 
after Friday’s loss. “Intensity 
from our end went down a little 
too low. Obviously, you have 
to defend the lead, but we also 
have to play our game, and 
that’s not something we did.”

If Michigan had kept its 

pedal on the gas for 10 more 
minutes, it could have walked 
out of Boston with two massive 
wins.

It’s like doing really well 

on an exam, but missing out 

on the big point questions and 
still getting a B+ even though 
you only missed one or two 
problems.

“We just played a very good 

hockey team,” said Boston 
University coach David Quinn 
after Saturday’s game. “They’re 
big, strong and fast. Their 
forwards keep you on your 
heels, and they were the better 
team over the weekend, without 
question.”

And most would agree with 

Quinn. The Wolverines were 
the better team for five-plus 
periods.

But the Pairwise Rankings 

don’t take into account losses 
that were almost wins. That’s 
not how it works.

No matter how many 

questions you get right on the 
test, if you only get 88 percent 
of the points on an exam, you 
usually get a B+. No ifs, ands or 
buts.

The computer will just see 

that the Michigan went on the 
road to Boston University and 
came away with both a win and 
a loss.

While the end result wasn’t 

ideal, by no means was it 
terrible either.

In fact, the series was 

quite a good showing by the 
Wolverines and one they 
should be proud of. Boston 
was the 10th-ranked team in 
the country and sports some 
of the best players around, 
including 2014-2015 First Team 
All-American defenseman 
Matt Grzelcyk, as well as 
forward Jordan Greenway and 
defenseman Charlie McAvoy, 
two highly touted freshmen 
who played on the United States 
Under-18 National Team a year 
ago.

“(Boston University’s) a good 

team,” said Michigan coach Red 
Berenson. “They’re going to win 
a lot of games, and they showed 
it on Friday. We didn’t let them 
play well tonight.”

After playing no ranked 

teams prior to the weekend 
series, the Terriers presented 
the Wolverines with Berenson’s 
first gauge of how his team 
matches up against college 
hockey’s elite. Also considering 
the fact that the Wolverines 
had never won in Agganis 
Arena, just getting one win was 
impressive.

“Anytime you win Boston, it’s 

a good win,” Berenson said.

But the reality is that the 

Wolverines played their best 
hockey of the season and had 
two wins well within their 
grasp, and 10 minutes of 
hockey separated them from 
just passing their first test to 
blowing it out of the water.

A B+ performance isn’t bad, 

but an A+ performance was 
definitely there for the taking.

Minh Doan can be reached 

at minhdoan@umich.edu and 

on Twitter @_minhdoan.

‘M’ earns split in Boston

Wolverines recover 

from meltdown 
Friday to win 
finale Saturday

By JASON RUBINSTEIN

Daily Sports Editor

BOSTON — Three weeks 

ago, the Michigan hockey team 
suffered its first loss of the 
season 
against 
Robert 
Morris. 
It was the Wolverines’ first 
afternoon 
game, 
and 
the 

Colonials shut out Michigan at 
home.

After the game, Michigan 

coach Red Berenson said one 
team always has more energy 
in an afternoon game, and that 
team always wins.

“I told my team this morning 

that there would be one team 
that would come out hungrier 
than the other,” Berenson said 
after the Robert Morris loss 
on Oct. 31. “In these afternoon 
games, that’s how it works. We 
thought we’d be that team, but 
we weren’t.”

Saturday 
afternoon, 
the 

Wolverines were that team. 
No. 12 Michigan outshot No. 
10 Boston University, 38-21, en 
route to a 4-2 win.

“We knew we had to come out 

and start on time and play well 
at the beginning,” said junior 
forward 
JT 
Compher. 
“We 

had had a lot of, I wouldn’t say 
anger, but we wanted to send a 
message.”

Like it did a day earlier, 

Michigan (6-2-1) started the 
day’s scoring. Ninety seconds 
into Michigan’s first power-play 
opportunity, junior defenseman 
Michael Downing lined up a 
shot from the blue line that 
freshman 
forward 
Cooper 

Marody redirected past Boston 
University netminder Connor 

LaCouvee.

It didn’t take the Wolverines 

long to add to their early 
lead when freshman forward 
Brendan 
Warren, 
on 
a 

breakaway, backhanded one over 
LaCouvee’s 
left shoulder.

However, 

the feeling still 
wasn’t secure 
for 
Michigan 

hockey 
fans. 

Friday, 
the 

Wolverines 
jumped out to 
a 2-0 lead over 
the 
Terriers 

(6-4-2), 
but 

conceded 
three 
unanswered 

goals in the third period in their 
second loss of the year.

Saturday was a different story. 

With three minutes left in the 
first frame, Downing, on a power 
play once again, got his shot 
through from the blue line. This 
time, junior forward Alex Kile 
was there to collect the rebound 
that he ultimately backhanded 
over LaCouvee.

The second period was a 

stalemate for 19 minutes before 
Boston 
University 
forward 

Matt Lane took a long pass 
from forward Doyle Somerby 
and brought the puck in from 

the right slot 
before beating 
Racine via the 
five hole.

And 
when 

the 
second-

period buzzer 
rang a minute 
later, it was 
the same story 
as a day before: 
Michigan was 
up two goals, 

outshooting the Terriers by 
more than 10 while dominating 
the game.

More notably, during the 

final five minutes of the second 
period, the Wolverines looked 
like they were playing not to 
lose, rather than playing to win. 
Berenson said that was the sole 
reason for Friday’s collapse.

But 
Berenson 
stressed 

that 
message 
during 
the 

second 
intermission, 
and 

the Wolverines looked like a 
completely different team in the 
third period than they did a day 
before. Compher said the team 
was well aware of that during 
the second intermission.

“I didn’t have to say much,” 

Compher said. “We just knew we 
had to keep the gas pedal down 
and play to win and play our goal. 
It was a good period by us, and one 
of the best we played all year.”

With three minutes left in 

the game, junior forward Max 
Shuart received a pass from 
freshman forward Kyle Connor 
and beat LaCouvee for his first 
goal of the season.

And with Shuart’s goal, the 

Wolverines, despite letting up 
a final-second goal, cruised to 
their first afternoon win of the 
season and left a tough road 
series against Boston University 
with a win.

“To come out and play the way 

we did today leaves a good taste 
in our mouth,” Compher said.

Added Berenson: “Any time you 

win in Boston, it’s a good win.”

AMANDA ALLEN/Daily

Freshman forward Cooper Marody, pictured here against Niagara, opened the scoring in Michigan’s win Saturday.

“We knew we 
had to come 
out and start 

on time.”

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Michigan equals 
rank, takes sixth

Finn earns All-
America honors 

after running most 

of race barefoot

By LANEY BYLER

For the Daily

The Michigan women’s cross 

country team ended its season 
at the NCAA Championship 
on Saturday with a sixth-
place 
finish, 
matching 
its 

No. 6 national ranking. The 
result marked the Wolverines’ 
12th 
top-10 
finish 
at 
the 

championship meet, with 11 of 
them falling under the guidance 
of coach Mike McGuire.

The team went into the race 

striving for a podium finish, 
expecting to work hard and push 
for a spot in the top three.

Michigan junior Erin Finn, 

however, wasn’t expecting to lose 
her shoes.

Shortly after the 2K mark in 

the 6,000-meter race, Finn was 
clipped by a runner behind her, 
and as a result, lost both of her 
shoes and socks. Despite the 
setback, Finn continued to run 
barefoot.

“It speaks volumes about how 

tough she really is, because the 
easy way out would have been to 
walk off of the course,” McGuire 
said. “We were not running on a 
pristine golf course. Part of it was 
on a gravel road, part of it was 
traversing sidewalks. She wasn’t 
over at Grand Haven walking on 
the beach.”

Finn placed 19th with a final 

time of 20:10:2 and was awarded 
All-American honors for the 
second time in her career. Finn 
is the seventh Michigan runner 
to be awarded multiple All-
American honors.

Senior Shannon Osika was the 

next Michigan athlete to cross 
the finish line, placing 53rd with 
a time of 20:33.2. Osika, and 
fifth-year senior Anna Pasternak, 
who placed 120th with a time 

of 20:59.3, ended their cross 
country careers at the NCAA 
Championships.

“Shannon has been a mainstay 

in the lineup for the four years 
she’s been here,” McGuire said. 
“Anna is someone who has 
progressed and ran in her first 
Championship last year and 
really had an outstanding fifth 
year this year. They’ve impacted 
us 
race-wise, 
and 
they’ve 

impacted us with their presence 
as being good teammates. I’ve 
just got good thoughts on what 
both of them have contributed to 
the program.”

Gina 
Sereno, 
a 
redshirt 

sophomore, placed third among 
Wolverine finishers at 90th place 
with a time of 20:47.2. Redshirt 
sophomore 
Jaimie 
Phelan 

followed closely behind, crossing 
the finish line just 2.8 seconds 
after Sereno but placing 100th.

Sophie 
Linn 
and 
Jamie 

Morrissey, 
also 
redshirt 

sophomores, made their NCAA 
Championship 
debuts 
on 

Saturday, 
placing 
145th 
and 

180th, respectively.

“Sophie is a much better runner 

than she was last year,” McGuire 
said. “Jaime is a little more of a 
middle-distance 
specialist, 
so 

she’s still adapting to racing a 6K, 
but they got their feet wet, so we 
expect an improvement on what 
they can do.”

The NCAA Championships 

capped a strong season. The 
Wolverines were the runners-up 
at the Big Ten Championships 
and brought home a Great Lakes 
Regional title, to go along with 
the sixth-place finish at the 
NCAA Championships.

“The team has depth,” Finn 

said. “We have a lot of girls who 
can be in the top five, or the top 
10, and that really shows, because 
you can’t count on everyone 
having their best day every time. 
But when you have a lot of girls 
who are really good, you don’t 
have to have your best day every 
time, and you can still perform 
well because you know that 
someone has your back.”

Wolverines claim 
ninth-place finish

After winning 

Big Ten, regional, 

Michigan falls 
short of podium

By BILLY STAMPFL

Daily Sports Writer

Following a ninth-place finish 

at the NCAA Championships on 
Saturday, the Michigan men’s 
cross country team felt an eerie 
combination of gratification and 
disappointment. Despite ending 
the season as a top-10 team, the 
Wolverines had even higher 
expectations after winning both 
the Big Ten Championship and 
the Great Lakes Regional.

“As a whole, I think we’re 

content,” junior co-captain Ben 
Flanagan said. “But we’re also 
definitely all still hungry for 
more.”

Flanagan finished 83rd overall 

at the NCAA Championships to 
go along with senior Mason Ferlic 
(67th) 
and 

senior 
Tony 

Smoragiewicz 
(72nd) 
in 

forming 
Michigan’s top 
three runners.

Ferlic, 

who won the 
regional 
title 

last weekend, 
started 
strong before 
uncharacteristically falling back 
with just 2,000 meters to go.

“(Ferlic) had a goal of trying to 

be in the top 10 at nationals,” said 
coach Kevin Sullivan. “For 90 
percent of the race he executed 
really well, but I think it was an 
unusually fast day up front.”

Despite noting that the team 

had slightly higher expectations 
in comparison to its actual 
performance, Sullivan remained 
positive and commended the 
Wolverines’ efforts.

“We hit every goal that we set 

out to this season,” Sullivan said. 

“This team has really come a long 
way in the last two years.”

Sullivan has found immediate 

success in just his second year 
as head coach after a decorated 
career as a student-athlete at 
Michigan. In six years, he won 
Big Ten Athlete of the Year four 
times and was also a four-time 
All-American.

Sullivan’s experience as a cross 

country runner has certainly 
aided his success as a coach.

“It’s hard to truly explain how 

much guys like (Sullivan) can 
help out,” Flanagan said. “He’s 
been to all of these meets, and 
he’s been in our shoes so many 
times. We have confidence in 
every word he says, because 
we know he’s speaking from 
personal experience.”

Despite his players’ praise, 

Sullivan refuses to take credit for 
the program’s achievements over 
the past two years.

“This 
season 
was 
about 

these guys continuing to build 
confidence,” Sullivan said. “It’s 
really more about what they’ve 

done 
than 

what I’ve done 
as a coach.”

Moving 

forward, 
the 

team will look 
to replace top 
runners such 
as Ferlic and 
Smoragiewicz, 
whose 
combination 
of talent and 

strong leadership contributed to 
the team’s success.

“We have some gaps to fill 

next year,” Sullivan said. “I’ll 
be expecting that some of our 
younger guys and the guys 
coming in next fall will be able to 
fill those roles.”

With next year on the horizon 

and a ninth-place finish now 
in the past, the mood may well 
shift from slight frustration to 
anticipation of what’s to come. 
Still, Sullivan made one thing 
clear: “Overall, we have nothing 
to be disappointed about.”

“We’re also 
definitely all 
still hungry 
for more.”

MINH
DOAN

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Red Berenson’s team salvaged a split in Boston but gave away a late lead Friday.

MICHIGAN
BOSTON U. 

4
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