The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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"We were mad," Stone noted. "We used that as a great motivator my se‑ nior year, and not only for returning guys, but we had nine freshmen com‑ ing in, and the moment they stepped into the rink we made it crystal clear to them what was on the line." Under the leadership of Stone and sophomore defenseman David Har‑ lock, who served as captains, Michi‑ gan went 29-6-3 during the 1991 regular season, going 3-1 against Bowling Green, and advanced to the CCHA final against regularseason champ Lake Superior State. U‑M would fall 6-5 in overtime, but there was no doubt the program was headed to the NCAA Tournament. "To a degree there was relief, and there was satisfaction that we had gotten over the hump, but mostly there was a sense of redemption," Harlock said. Michigan knocked off Cornell in a best-of-three series 2-1, includ‑ ing a 9-3 deciding game. A week later, the Wolverines were swept by Boston University, but there was no way they'd come down off the high of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. "It seemed like every team Red coached was taking one step for‑ ward each season and then we took two steps, winning a first-round matchup, and really cemented this incredible legacy," Stone said. "We set the bar, and we put it on those guys returning to set it higher the next year, and the year after that and after that." A Championship For Every Wolverine En route to the 1996 national championship, center Brendan Morrison and his teammates dedicated their triumph to the U-M teams that laid the foundation for their success. Photo courtesy michigan athletic media relations Every year, when the team meets for the first time, it jots down goals for the season. Stone remembers the Wolverines' intent to make the NCAA Tournament, and in the years that followed, the ambitions grew — to winning the CCHA, to qualifying for the Frozen Four, and eventually, to capturing the program's first na‑ tional title since 1964. "By the time I was a senior [in 1996], we had been to Frozen Fours, we had won conference regular-sea‑ son and tournament championships, and that was the expectation, not a