Michigan advances, LSSU downed in CCHA semis

It won't be an all-Michigan CCHA final after all.

Lake Superior State was blanked, 3-0, by the country's top team, Notre Dame, yesterday in the first semifinal at Joe Louis Arena while Michigan beat rival Michigan State, 5-2, in the second game.

Michigan and Notre Dame will play tonight at 7 p.m. for the championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan snapped a 0-4-3 winless streak against the Spartans at Joe Louis Arena. Until last night, the last Wolverine victory at the Joe came on March 1, 2003.

The Wolverines (26-12-1) jumped out to a 3-0 lead on two goals by Kevin Porter (pictured) and one by Chris Summers. T.J. Hensick assisted on both Porter tallies.

"I had thought about it for a long time and today I felt like it was payback," Porter said of redeeming himself against MSU. "We came out flying and those couple goals felt great."

Hensick and Chad Kolarik scored in the third period, answering goals from Jim McKenzie and Tim Kennedy.

"I think this was a typical Michigan-Michigan State game," UM head coach Red Berenson said. "From a coach's perspective, you just do not like to give up any goals against. But I thought our best players were our best players and for the most part, this was a good game for our team."

Billy Sauer stopped 18 shots for Michigan, including a first-period penalty shot by Justin Abdelkader.

"That's probably the most nervous I've ever been in a game like this," Abdelkader said. "I came down, faked the shot and I kind of saw the five-hole open up. I went for the five-hole and it just got a little bit too high, otherwise it would have been in. Give Sauer credit on that though, he made a great save."

Jeff Lerg made 16 saves for the Spartans (21-13-3), who play in the consolation game against LSSU at 3:30 p.m.

"This is disappointing, but our season isn't over," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "If we win (Saturday) then we'll be in the national tournament for sure, so it's a very big game for us."

In the Lakers' loss, Jeff Jakaitis turned aside 26 shots.

"(Saturday) will be our last day together with this team," said a visibly emotional Lake Superior State head coach Jim Roque. "They will show up. They owe it to this guy right here (Jakaitis) and the rest of the seniors."

Hensick among Hobey Baker finalists

The Hobey Baker Foundation announced on Thursday the top ten finalists for the 2007 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, honoring college hockey's top player.

Alphabetically, they are Drew Bagnall, St. Lawrence; David Brown, Notre Dame; John Curry, Boston University; Nathan Davis, Miami University; Ryan Duncan, North Dakota; Eric Ehn, Air Force; Bobby Goepfert, St. Cloud State; T.J. Hensick, Michigan; David Jones, Dartmouth; and Scott Parse, Nebraska-Omaha.

The ten finalists were selected by voting from all 59 Division I college hockey head coaches and by online fan balloting at hobeybaker.com.

Next, the 25-member Selection Committee and an additional round of fan balloting will determine this year's winner. Criteria for the award include strength of character on and off the ice, displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements.

The Hobey Hat Trick of three finalists will be announced on March 28 and the Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner will be announced April 6 from Scottrade Center in St. Louis, during the NCAA Frozen Four.

Jr. F Eric Ehn, Air Force (Dexter)
Ehn (pictured) , who is tied for the national lead in scoring with 24 goals and 38 assists for 62 points, is second nationally in assists and set the Atlantic Hockey Association record for single-season scoring, leading the league in points, goals and assists, and was an All-Academic pick as well.

Sr. F T.J. Hensick, Michigan (Howell)
Tied for the national scoring lead, Hensick led the CCHA in scoring for the second time in his career, posting 20 goals and a nation-leading 42 assists for 62 points in 38 games. A Player of the Year finalist in the CCHA, Hensick was named First-Team All-CCHA, becoming the first forward in league history to be all-league all four seasons. He's had four straight 40-point campaigns.

Sr. F Scott Parse, Nebraska-Omaha (Portage)
The only repeat Hobey Baker finalist from a year ago, when he led the CCHA in scoring, Parse piled up 52 points — fourth in the nation — to rank as UNO's all-time scoring leader. Having never missed a game in four seasons, Parse has been a First-Team All-CCHA pick three straight years as well as team MVP three straight years. He tallied 24 goals and 28 assists with eight power-play goals.

WMU’s Letestu takes CCHA Rookie of the Year

Western Michigan forward Mark Letestu was selected the CCHA Rookie of the Year last night at the annual CCHA Awards banquet at Detroit’s historic Fox Theatre.

After finishing second in the nation in the regular season in points-per-game for rookies with a 1.24 average over 34 games, Letestu (pictured) also ranked first in the CCHA in shorthanded goals with five, fourth in the league with 21 goals and seventh in scoring at 42 points.

The seventh-annual Mike and Marian Illitch Humanitarian award was presented to Michigan senior defenseman Tim Cook. Involved in several Ann Arbor-area programs including the Big Brother program and From the Heart Council for Mott Children’s Hospital visits, Cook has been a regular at the hospital the last four years and has taken the lead on getting the Wolverines more involved each year. The Illitch Humanitarian is given to the league’s top citizen based on his contributions off the ice, as well as on, to his team, his program, his school and his community.

Michigan Wolverine teammates won both defenseman awards with senior Matt Hunwick earning the Best Defensive Defenseman Award and sophomore Jack Johnson receiving the Best Offensive Defenseman Award. Hunwick was a force on the defensive side of the nation’s top offensive team and finished tied for fourth in the CCHA in plus/minus with a +18. Johnson finished the regular season tied for first in the nation in points-per-game for a defenseman averaging one point-per-game. Johnson was named Defenseman of the Week three times while Hunwick picked up the same honor once this season.

Other awards:
Player of the Year - Notre Dame goalie David Brown
Coach of the Year - Notre Dame's Jeff Jackson
Terry Flanagan Memorial Award - Ohio State forward Tom Fritsche
Best Defensive Forward - Miami's Nathan Davis
Scholar-Athlete of the Year - Nebraska-Omaha's Michael Eickman

Michigan Tech ousted by Wisconsin

Michigan Tech came into the WCHA Final Five for the first time in 11 years, and went out in the play-in game against Wisconsin, 4-0, last night in Minneapolis. It took the Badgers less than two minutes to get the game-winner as they scored early and did not look back.

Wisconsin added two goals in the second period and a fourth in the final frame. The Huskies seemed to be feeling the three games in three days they played the weekend before and could not muster much of an offensive attack as the Badger netminder, Brian Elliott, saved all 26 shots he faced. Elliott's 16th career shutout is a WCHA record.

Michael-Lee Teslak made 27 stops for MTU (18-17-5).

The season for the Huskies was the best in a decade and they set or tied many records and look to have helped the program turn the corner back to the days of contention.

The Huskies will most likely be done for the season, but they still have an very slim chance of making the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid.

Warriors get commitment from Roman

Alpena IceDiggers defenseman Eric Roman has committed to Wayne State for the 2007-2008 season.

“I am extremely happy for Eric and his family,” Alpena head coach Kenny Miller said. “He is getting a chance to play at the D-I level in the Detroit area.”

Roman is in his second season with Alpena after spending his high school career at Orchard Lake St. Mary's where he won a state title in 2005.

“Eric stepped in last year and played a big role with our hockey club and he has improved everyday since he got here,” added Miller. “His hard work has paid off for him.”

The 20-year-old West Bloomfield native has played in 55 games this year and has seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points. Roman is also third on the IceDiggers with 103 penalty minutes.

Lakers off to semifinals for first time since '96

Lake Superior State held Miami to just two goals last weekend and the Lakers upset the RedHawks on the road in two straight games to advance to the CCHA semifinals this Friday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Both games were 2-1 Laker wins and LSSU goalie Jeff Jakaitis was stellar. The senior stopped 37 shots Friday and 44 on Saturday.

Friday, Jeffrey Rainville (pictured) and Derek A. Smith scored top open the third period, with Smith's being the game-winner at 9:57 of the period. Trent Campbell assisted on both goals.

Then Saturday, Rainville continued his postseason surge by potting both goals, including the dramatic game-winner at 16:16 of the third period.

Lake Superior State will take on No. 1 seed Notre Dame at 4:30 p.m. Friday. The Lakers (21-17-3), the No. 4 seed, are making their first appearance in the CCHA semifinals since 1996. LSSU and Notre Dame (29-6-3) will be meeting in the playoffs for the first time.

GVSU falls goal short of ACHA Final Four

Fort Collins, Co. - The Grand Valley State Lakers returned from a bittersweet nationals, where they found themselves proving to be competitive with any team in the nation, yet missing the semifinal game by a solitary goal.

GVSU found themselves in Pool C with fellow GMHL opponent, #1 in the SE Miami University, #2 in the West Colorado State University, and #3 in the Northeast Siena College. The Lakers opened their pool play against Miami University of Ohio on Wednesday.

Game One: #1 Miami University of Ohio - GVSU started the game slow against Miami and found themselves down 1-0 after one period. The second period belonged to the Lakers, as they fought back and scored two goals, one from Nick Biondo and the other from Nate Morang. Up 2-1 entering the third, GV fell asleep for the first five minutes of the period and allowed three Miami goals, falling behind 4-2. True to recent form, GVSU fought back and tied the game up with two goals in the last five minutes of play off of shots from Nick Boyle and Andrew Dykstra. The OT period was back and forth, with both the Miami goaltender and GVSU goalie Chris Moore making big stops to keep the game tied. Moore faced 37 shots in the game, while the Miami goaltender saw 41 Laker opportunities. Final Score: GVSU 4, Miami 4 (OT)

Game Two: #2 Colorado State University - Grand Valley faced the host team in game two and fell behind quickly off a goal from CSU forward Dane Cella. The Lakers received a gift from CSU as Boyle gained credit for a CSU own goal as the goaltender shot it off his own defensemen and watched as it bounced into the open net. With the game tied 1-1, CSU took advantage of three quick Laker mistakes in the second and jumped ahead 4-1 on two breakaway goals. After a GV goaltender change, Jake Erway was able to keep the Lakers hopes alive with a goal off a bounce off the end boards. In the beginning of the third, GV found itself a victim of unlucky bounces as well, as a strange bounce off the zamboni door went right to a CSU forward's stick who slammed it in to the open net. 20 seconds later, CSU centered the puck and a Laker defensemen attempted to clear the puck but accidentally shot it into his own net. Down 6-2, GV started to play offensively and closed the gap to 6-5 off goals from Beller, Adam Zobl, and Tom Anderson. The Lakers ran out of time in the end, and found themselves victim of a 6-5 loss. Grant Lyon made 6 saves on the game, while Moore made 23 saves on 25 shots. The Lakers put 28 shots on the CSU netminder. Final Score: GVSU 5, CSU - 6

Game Three: #3 Siena College - GV entered game three eliminated from semifinal play, but still with the chance to play spoiler against Siena, who needed a win to make it to Saturday. Beller added his second of the weekend early in the game to make it 1-0, while Moore made a few strong saves in the first to keep Siena off the board. Siena got a quick 5-3 powerplay goal in the second, but Morang answered right back on a double deflection off a Greg Kehr shot that was also deflected by Biondo. In the third both goaltenders made big saves to keep the game as it was and GVSU emerged victorious by the score of 2-1. Moore made 46 saves on the night, while the Siena goaltender kept 40 GVSU chances out of the net. Final Score: GVSU 2, Siena 1

All Star Game and Skills Competition: 5 players total were selected for the events of Saturday; Nick Boyle and Andrew Dykstra for the Skills Competition and Nate Morang, Andrew Beller, and Chris Moore for the All-Star game. Boyle and Dykstra both put up impressive attempts in the competition, while Morang and Moore led the West All-Stars with 3 points and 1 GA, respectively.

News and Notes: Beller led the team with 5 points in the tournament, Dykstra was second with 4...Moore finished with a 2.74 GAA and 93.6 SV% in the tournament....Congrats to the Michigan State Spartans for winning the national championship with a 5-4 OT win over Davenport University. It is the second national championship for MSU in the past 3 years...The past four national championships have been won by Michigan teams.

Huskies win series with CC, off to WCHA Final Five

Michigan Tech scored only three goals on the weekend, but were able to beat Colorado College in a best-of-three series behind the pads of Micheal-Lee Teslak.

Teslak (pictured) recorded his record-tying fourth shutout of the year in the third game of the series, which advanced the Huskies to the WCHA Final Five for the first time since 1996.

Friday, MTU took the lead in the series when they beat CC in overtime, 2-1, as Jimmy Kerr tapped a rebound past the CC netminder 39 seconds into the extra frame. Peter Rouleau scored Tech's first goal in the second stanza. Teslak also made 27 saves to secure the win.

Saturday saw the Tigers come back and get a 2-0 win with a dominant performance. MTU was outplayed from the drop of the first puck to the end. Teslak played solid in net, but was unable to stop the shots. He made 20 saves.

Sunday night, the Huskies regained their confidence and scored the only goal of the game in the first period. It was Ryan Bunger who was credited with the goal as he tapped home a rebound. From there on out it was Teslak who stole the show, making a handful of unbelievable saves. He ended the night 18 saves.

Michigan Tech (18-16-5, 11-12-5) will meet Wisconsin in the Thursday night game at the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis.

WSU eliminated by UAH in Des Moines

Warriors defensemen Dan Iliakis and Taylor Donohoe watch as the
game-winner slips past goalie Will Hooper (photo courtesy Doug Eagan).

Wayne State's seven-game unbeaten streak and playoff run came to an abrupt end in Des Moines on Friday night with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers in the College Hockey America quarterfinals.

The Warriors led the game at one point, 3-0, before heading into the extra frame.

After suffering a slashing penalty, UAH co-captain Grant Selinger scored at 8:39 to send the Warriors home.

WSU ended the year with an overall record of 12-22-2 and 8-10-2 in the CHA.

For a full game report, please read Matt Mackinder’s recap at USCHO.com.

Spartans top UNO, advance to CCHA semis

Michigan State has a chance to repeat as CCHA champs at Joe Louis Arena this weekend after completing a two-game sweep of Nebraska-Omaha last night at Munn Ice Arena.

The Spartans took a 4-1 win on Saturday, getting a goal and an assist from Tim Crowder, Chris Mueller and Jim McKenzie (pictured) in the victory to make their 17th consecutive appearance in the CCHA's showcase weekend and 25th in 26 years.

"I thought we played really well in the first period, probably as good as we have played in a month," Spartans head coach Rick Comley said. "We got a little sloppy there in the second. We lost it a bit and took some penalties, but we got it back with a solid, sound third period. We wanted to play well to get to Detroit - this team has had to work so hard to do that. To win these two games kind of validates us going down to Detroit. We didn't have a single guy that made the top three in any awards or any all-star teams, yet we are one of the top four teams."

Tim Kennedy also scored for MSU (21-12-3) and Jeff Lerg turned aside 20 shots in goal.

The Spartans will play Michigan Friday night with a CCHA finals berth on the line.

"It didn't matter who we played," said Comley. "At first, we thought we were going to play Notre Dame, who is an incredible team with maybe the Hobey Baker winner in goal, but it's not them since Lake Superior played such a great series. We are going down there to win a tournament, so you are going to play two really good teams regardless."

Friday night, McKenzie scored in the 19th minute of the third period and MSU escaped with a 4-2 win.

Bryan Lerg, Jay Sprague and Nick Sucharski scored the other goals and Lerg made 23 saves.

Photo (2006 CCHA finals) by Matt Mackinder

Michigan ousts Northern Michigan

Hobey Baker award candidate T.J. Hensick tallied his second-career hat trick and added an assist Saturday as No. 11 Michigan swept its CCHA quarterfinal series against Northern Michigan, defeating the Wildcats, 8-3, at Yost Ice Arena.

With the triumph, Michigan advances to the semifinal round of the conference tournament. The Wolverines will face rival Michigan State this Friday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Andrew Cogliano notched two goals and two assists for U-M last night and goalie Billy Sauer made 14 saves before Mike Mayhew played the final 5:27 and stopped both shots he faced.

"He is a special player," Michigan head coach Red Berenson said of Hensick. "Your best players have to be your best players, but he's on a mission. He's making the most of his senior year. There was talk last summer that he might not come back, but I think he came back for the right reasons. He knew he had to be a better player. He wanted to graduate with his classmates and he wanted to be a student-athlete and do it right. I think he's doing that."

Hensick (pictured) said UM has all the momentum right now and will need that to battle MSU.

"I think it's pretty important right now," said Hensick. "We got two in a row and I don't think we've done that in a while. It gives us consistency and confidence heading into the game. It looks like we're going to be playing Michigan State and it's going to be pretty emotional. This weekend's games were emotional, so that should help us heading into that game on Friday night."

Jack Johnson, Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik each had a goal and two assists for the Wolverines (25-12-1).

Captain Pat Bateman, Mike Santorelli and Ray Kaunisto scored for NMU while Bill Zaniboni and Brian Stewart combined for 19 saves. Santorelli's goal was his 30th of the season.

Tim Hartung contributed a pair of assists in the loss for the Wildcats (15-24-2).

Friday night, Michigan took a 4-1 win behind Sauer's 21-save performance.

Hensick rang up two assists and four different skaters - captain Matt Hunwick, Chris Summers, David Rohlfs and Cogliano - scored for the Wolverines.

Nick Sirota scored the lone goal for NMU and Stewart finished with 34 saves.