The Wolverine

April 2012

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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years where he had the best team but came up short," said Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin, who led the Bulldogs to a 3-2 win over U-M in last year's champion- ship game. "In 1997, Michigan was, by far, the best team and everyone knew it, but they lost in the Frozen Four. And that happened to them again in 2008. In 2000, Boston Col- lege was the favorite, but we [North Dakota] beat them in the finals. And last year North Dakota was the team to beat, but then Michigan beat them in the semis and we beat Michigan. "There is such a fine line between winning and losing, and what you have to hope is on that day, your team plays as well as it can play for 60 minutes because the competition is too good if your team doesn't." There is no guaranteed formula, but there are elements that Sandelin, former Michigan State head coach Rick Comley and Berenson, who have combined to win five national titles, agree on. appearances under Berenson, the Wolverines either won or played in the CCHA championship — they will meet Bowling Green in the semifinals March 16. It is difficult to just flip a switch once the NCAA Tournament commences, which is why Michigan has always emphasized performing at a high level in the conference tour- ney, and even in the weeks leading up to the postseason. This year, the Maize and Blue MOMENTUM ON THEIR SIDE In eight of U-M's 11 Frozen Four were 7-3-0 in their final 10 regular- season games before sweeping a CCHA best-of-three quarterfinal se- ries March 9-10. In previous Frozen Four campaigns, U-M has finished the final 10 games of the regular sea- son with a .500 or better record every year but in 2001 (4-5-1), and that year the Wolverines used a 3-0 run to the CCHA finals to catapult them into the NCAA Tournament. "Hypothetically, one tournament doesn't have anything to do with the other, but it's much easier to just con- tinue with your momentum," captain Luke Glendening said. "Last year we lost to Western Michigan in the first game of the semifinals, but the year before we had won the CCHA Tour- nament, and you just have so much momentum. 80 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2012 when you win the championship the team has confidence going into NCAAs. It's not about individual confidence but an entire team confi- dence, and that's when you can play your best. "Obviously, you have to reset if "It's a championship game, and on the first period or even the first few shifts." It can be done; Minnesota Duluth you don't win the conference tourna- ment. Last year we lost and we were able to come back and make it to the NCAA finals and almost won. But you're almost starting from scratch then, so you'd just prefer to win your league and take that into NCAAs." Eight of the past 12 national cham- pions won their conference tourna- ments, including Michigan State in 2007, Boston College in 2008 and 2010, and Boston University in 2009. "To win your conference tourna- ment you have to be playing your best hockey of the season, and it's easier to go into NCAAs playing your best than still trying to find your best," said former Wolverine Matt Herr, a sophomore and senior on the 1996 and 1998 title-winning teams. "There are exceptions. "If you lose in your conference was knocked out of the WCHA Tour- nament in the quarterfinal round last year. But Sandelin would prefer a more direct approach. "Our kids were resilient last sea- son, but the psyche of your players and of the collective team varies year to year, and every coach would likely tell you he'd much rather go into the NCAA Tournament on a roll then coming off a loss or a bad weekend because of the confidence it gives your team," he said. tournament, you can almost hit the reset button for NCAAs, which is what we did in 1998, but the chal- lenge is a little bit greater that first NCAA game because your confi- dence can go either way depending more campaign, Michigan forward Kevin Lynch may have had grand designs of what he would accomplish as a junior this season. The coaches had actually pegged Lynch a likely go-to player offensively, and the po- tential No. 1 line center. Six months into the season, however, Lynch is a third-line center with seven goals and five assists in 36 contests. Meanwhile, freshman forwards Flourishing at the end of his sopho- KNOWING THEIR ROLES Alex Guptill (16 goals) and Phil Di Giuseppe (11) rank among the Maize and Blue's most productive scorers, and are skaters U-M is counting on for offense this postseason. Throughout a season, roles change, and the team that best adapts to the evolution of those roles will excel. Lynch, for example, has elevated his game and could be critical to Michi- gan's future success. "He gets it," Berenson said. "He's worked through all the ups and downs, the frustrations. I think he's one of our best players. He works hard. He's physical, he kills penal- ties, blocks shots. Doing all the dirty work. And that's the kind of effort you need in the playoffs." Berenson will look to Michigan's Senior captain Luke Glendening leads the way for a U-M team that has accepted play- ing defined roles in an effort to win the CCHA and national championships. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND top two lines to generate the most offensive chances in the NCAA Tour- nament, and he will look to the third and fourth lines to chip in while playing solid two-way hockey. He is counting on his top two defensive pairings to dominate U-M's min- utes while he needs the Wolverines' fifth and sixth defenders to be reli- able blue liners capable of occupying some ice time. In other words, every single skater, dressed or scratched, has a job to do.

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