The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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our opportunities," Glendening said. "We have a lot of big games left, and can determine our own fate, but we can't get caught looking too far into the future. We have to take it game by game." The Wolverines would like to avoid the stress of 2010 when they began the CCHA playoffs knowing that without a victory in the final, and the automatic berth, they would be home for the NCAA Tournament. The landscape can change so sub- stantially over the next two months, but to be on solid footing Michigan probably needs to win nine or 10 games and cannot be swept by the better teams it faces. "We don't want to be in the same position," Brown said. "If we have to, we know we can come out of the playoffs because we've done it be- fore, and history can repeat itself. If it comes to it, it comes to it, but our goal is to take care of business before then by playing our best hockey." "If we get to the point where we have our backs up against the wall," Lynch added, "I'll be disappointed because we know what's at stake right now, and we know we have to turn our season around right now." ❏ Seasons In Which The Streak Was In Jeopardy Though Michigan has qualified for 21 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, it hasn't always been a guarantee the Wolverines would be selected. Just two years ago, in fact, U-M staged a desperate run through the CCHA Tournament to earn an automatic berth. Here then is a look at the seasons in which the streak almost died. 1999: Just one year removed from winning a national title — its second in three years — Michigan found itself on a precipitous slope entering the CCHA postseason. The Wolverines had started the season 17-5-2. However, in late Janu- ary they would begin a five-week stretch without a win, going 0-4-2. The Maize and Blue needed to advance to at least the conference final to earn an NCAA berth, but wouldn't even leave it up to chance, winning the tourna- ment with a dominating 5-1 victory over Northern Michigan in the CCHA final. 2001: Michigan's 16 conference wins in 2001 represented the program's fewest since winning 16 in 1989, while its nine losses were also a decade worst. U-M had a nice start, going 6-0-2 in its first eight, but finished the regular season 16-11-3 — including a 3-5-1 February that left everyone in Ann Arbor biting their nails. The Wolverines advanced to the CCHA championship game, though, and liked their chances, even after losing 2-0 to No. 1 Michigan State. The Maize and Blue qualified and won the West Regional before falling 4-2 to Boston College in a Frozen Four semifinal played in Albany, N.Y. 2006: The Wolverines had won conference titles in 2004 and 2005, but they began 2006 having to replace 10 key seniors while leading scorer Jeff Tambellini and starting goalie Al Montoya both decided to forego a final season of eligibility. There were still good pieces left behind, but U-M struggled to replace Mon- toya, using both senior Noah Ruden and freshman Billy Sauer. With defense and goaltending a question mark, Michigan went just 13-10-5 in conference play, placing third or worse (third) for the first time since 1990 (fourth). The Maize and Blue went 3-4-2 in February and had to have a win in the conference tournament consolation game to make the NCAA Tournament, which they managed to do. 2010: With a veteran David Wohlberg and U-M staged a desper- ate run through the CCHA Tournament to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA field in 2010. PHOTO BY ERIC BRONSON/BRONSONPHOTO.COM team up front, at de- fense and in net, Mich- igan expected to roll through the season — U-M was preseason No. 3 — but instead, the Wolverines stag- gered out of the gate, going 5-7-0 in their first 12. They played better in December and January, posting a 10-5-1 record, but a late-season swoon (4-5-0 in February) left Michigan unranked and in seventh place in the CCHA. The Maize and Blue had only one way into NCAA Tournament — by winning the con- ference tourney. They did, sweeping Lake Superior and Michi- gan State in three- game series, then upset No. 2 Miami (Ohio) and No. 12 Northern Michigan in the semifinals and final, respectively, to claim the league championship. — Michael Spath JANUARY 2012 THE WOLVERINE 51