2B — March 14, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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Forward Boo Nieves is one of three seniors who, in his final season, has helped lead Michigan to the NCAA Tournament.
SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN
Michigan’s seniors who
broke two streaks
J
acob Trouba turned pro
after one season, Andrew
Copp after three. Jared
Rutledge
played in 10
games before
returning to
the United
States Hockey
League after
one season.
Daniel Milne
played in just
seven before
moving back
to Canada
mid-season.
Boo Nieves stayed. Justin
Selman stayed. Steve Racine
stayed.
Of the seven players who
entered the Michigan hockey
program as the recruiting class
of 2012, just those three lasted
until the end. They suffered
disappointment, paid their
dues and battled when it wasn’t
always easy. They were praised,
then humbled, then praised
again.
They began their careers on
a team that ended the streak no
one wanted to end, and they’ll
go out ending the dubious streak
that followed.
And on Saturday, they savored
the reward they earned, a
victory lap around Yost Ice
Arena after their final home
game. None of the other four
— Rutledge, Milne, Trouba or
Copp — experienced it.
“It’s too bad, because this
is what they’re missing,” said
Michigan coach Red Berenson
after the Wolverines trounced
Penn State,
6-1, on Senior
Night to lock
up an NCAA
Tournament
bid once and
for all.
Only Nieves,
Selman
and Racine
watched as
tributes to
their careers
played on the video screen
at Yost Ice Arena. Only they
hugged their teammates and
coaches, one by one, before
skating off the ice. Only
they will enjoy what comes
next — a long-awaited NCAA
Tournament berth.
Only they really know what
that means.
When they changed,
stretched and came to their
postgame press conference,
a reporter asked them what
Saturday’s win against Penn
State meant going forward.
“We’re back in the
tournament now, right?” Selman
asked. “Locked in?”
Yes, Selman was assured.
For the first time in the
seniors’ careers, Michigan has
clinched an NCAA Tournament
berth. One projection, from
College Hockey News, gave
the Wolverines a 99-percent
chance entering Friday and a
99.9-percent chance going into
Saturday.
When you’ve made the NCAA
Tournament 22 years straight,
maybe you can just round up.
When you’ve missed it three
straight, as these seniors have,
that assumption is a little harder
to make.
But Michigan secured the
postseason berth the same
way it has all season — with
a resounding, indisputable
demolition.
Nieves, Selman and Racine
suffered as the first-year Penn
State program ended their
NCAA Tournament hopes two
years ago. This season, they
enjoyed retribution as they
dominated the Nittany Lions
in four meetings, including 7-1
and 6-1 blowouts at Yost Ice
Arena on Friday and Saturday,
respectively.
Each senior stuck around
long enough to find redemption.
Selman scored just 13 points
combined in his first two
seasons. He raised his career-
high season total to 29 with two
goals and an assist Friday and
two more assists Saturday.
Berenson said Friday that the
team would avoid making the
whole week about the seniors
playing their last home game.
Not even the seniors themselves
did. It didn’t strike Selman until
after the game, when the public-
address announcer called his
name to honor his career.
“You hear about what’s gone
on in the four years and what
you’ve been a part of,” Selman
said. “It’s just so much bigger
than yourself.”
Selman’s linemate, Nieves,
suffered similar growing pains
earlier in his career. Berenson
admitted Saturday he expected
too much
out of Nieves
early in the
forward’s
career. But
Nieves has
improved
constantly,
and he had
the all-around
performances
to prove it this
weekend.
He finished with three goals,
played on the penalty kill for
a short-handed goal Friday
and won 12 out of 15 faceoffs
Saturday. He tied his career high
with 29 points in a season, and
if all goes well, he’ll have plenty
of chances to add to it in the
coming weeks.
“Some seniors can’t get out of
their own way on Senior Night —
they try so hard. But Boo Nieves
could,” Berenson said. “He got
out of everybody’s way, and he
was one of the best players in
the game from start to finish.”
And then there’s Racine, who
burst onto the stage in 2013
when he led the Wolverines to
the CCHA title game, where
they almost prevented the
22-year streak from breaking in
the first place. Michigan entered
the conference tournament
needing to win it all as the No.
7 seed, and it very nearly did.
It swept Northern Michigan in
the first round, upset Western
Michigan in the second and
stunned No. 1 seed Miami (Ohio)
in the semifinals before falling
to Notre Dame in the title game,
all with Racine between the
pipes.
But Racine has struggled to
keep hold of the spotlight since.
His goals-against average rose
to 2.91 the year after, then 2.94
the year after that. He began to
split time with newcomer Zach
Nagelvoort, who eventually
became an NHL Draft pick and
appeared at times ready to take
over the starting job. But Racine
won out in the end, now taking
the team back to the NCAA
Tournament.
Saturday, Racine turned in his
second strong performance in as
many nights, and with 11:51 to go
in the game and Michigan ahead
6-1, Berenson pulled him so that
he could get a standing ovation
from the crowd one last time.
But the fans weren’t done.
Almost all of them stayed to see
the senior class honored, right
until the very end — just like the
seniors themselves did.
“It’s like our fans are
all parents of our players,”
Berenson said. “They care
about the players. They care
about the seniors. They care
about the team. I just think it’s
a great tribute to our fans, how
respectful they are and how
aware they are of what’s going
on.”
Before Michigan honored its
three seniors individually, the
PA announcer ran through their
overall accomplishments from
the past four years. Admittedly,
they weren’t eye-popping. The
Wolverines went 22-8-1 against
Michigan State and Ohio State,
with a few disappointing losses
to underperforming rivals.
They never made the NCAA
Tournament, and they never
won a conference tournament —
each time falling one win short
of securing an NCAA bid.
But their three seniors stayed,
and now they have more to play
for after they leave Yost for the
final time.
Well, not exactly the final
time, as Berenson pointed out.
“We’re going to be practicing
here,” he said. “It’s not like we’re
going away.”
By now, it’s clear going away
just isn’t in their nature.
Lourim can be reached
at jlourim@umich.edu and
on Twitter @jakelourim.
JAKE
LOURIM
“We’re going to be
practicing here.
It’s not like we’re
going away.”
BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan Seniors
16-5-3
Senior goaltender Steve Racine’s record
between the pipes in leading the
Wolverines to an NCAA Tournament bid
29
Points this season for senior forward
Justin Selman, a career best
108
Career points for senior forward Boo
Nieves, including 29 this year
80
Career wins for the seniors heading into
this week’s Big Ten Tournament