Weekly Release #16

This Week in Michigan Hockey

#7 Michigan (17-6-4, 11-4-2 CCHA)

U-M vs. Notre Dame (5-17-5, 3-11-4 CCHA)
Tuesday, Jan. 23, 7:05 p.m., Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Mich.

U-M vs. #1 Michigan State (20-1-4, 13-1-3 CCHA)
Saturday, Jan. 27, 7:35 p.m., Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Mich.

This Week
The seventh-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team (17-6-4, 11-4-2 CCHA) will face Notre Dame (5-16-4, 3-11-3 CCHA) on Tuesday (Jan. 23) at 7:05 p.m. at Yost Ice Arena and play No. 1-ranked Michigan State (20-1-4, 14-1-3 CCHA) on Saturday (Jan. 27) at 7:35 p.m. at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Both contests will be televised on Fox Sports Net (Channel 32 on MediaOne).

The Wolverines begin the week in sole possession of second place in the CCHA with 24 points (11-4-2), five points behind leader Michigan State (13-1-3, 29 points), while Notre Dame is tied for last place (3-11-4, 10 points). The Spartans host Lake Superior State Tuesday before the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup Saturday at "The Joe."

Catch the Game
In Person -- Select tickets remain for this Tuesday's game with Notre Dame. Contact the University of Michigan Athletic Ticket Office at 734-764-0247 for more information. For Saturday's contest contact Ticketmaster at 248-666-6555 or the Joe Louis Arena Ticket office at 313-396-7575 or visit www.collegehockeyatthejoe.com.

On Television -- The Tuesday and Saturday games are scheduled to be televised live on Fox Sports Net (Ch. 32 on MediaOne).

On the Radio -- All Michigan hockey games are broadcast on WTKA (1050 AM), which can also be heard on the Internet at MGoBlue.com. Al Randall covers play-by-play, while Jim Hunt provides color commentary. Home games are also on WCBN Student Radio (88.3 FM).

On the Web -- Tuesday's game (Jan. 23) against Notre Dame will feature Game Day Live for ice hockey on the Internet. Fans can log on to MGoBlue.com for all of the action. Live video, audio, notes and stats are available during the game.

Scouting the Fighting Irish
Tuesday night's affair with the Irish will be the first of two regular-season meetings this year with Notre Dame, with both games played at Yost Ice Arena. The Golden Domers and Bowling Green are currently occupying the cellar of the CCHA standings with 10 points on the season, and Notre Dame is coming off a loss and a tie to Ohio State (4-2, 2-2) this past weekend.

Series History vs. Notre Dame
Michigan and Notre Dame faced each other in the Wolverines' inaugural season in 1923, with ND taking the game 3-2 (Feb. 23, 1923). Michigan leads the all-time series with a 53-39-3 record. The early years of the series has a slight advantage towards the Irish, but in recent times U-M has won 32 of the last 36 meetings, boasting a 32-3-1 record during the stretch. The two rivals each won two games against each other during the 1922-23 and 1923-24 seasons and then took a 47-year hiatus, not playing again until Feb. 19, 1971, which was a 4-2 Notre Dame victory. Last season, the Wolverines swept two games against Notre Dame (5-3, 6-1) at the Joyce Athletic Center in South Bend, Ind.

Last 10 Meetings Between U-M and Notre Dame

			Shots		PPG-Opp		Pen-PIM
Date	Site	Result	UM	ND	UM	ND	UM	ND
1/31/98	H	5-0, W	44	32	2-5	2-6	7-14	6-12
3/7/98	A	1-0, W	19	35	0-4	0-7	11-25	8-16
3/13/98	H1	2-4, L	32	24	0-4	1-4	8-16	8-16
3/14/98	H1	2-1, W	35	34	1-4	0-4	7-14	7-14
3/15/98	H1	4-3, W	37	13	3-5	0-5	7-14	7-14
11/14/98	A	2-2, T*	22	36	2-4	1-5	9-37	6-12
11/21/98	H	1-0, W	26	16	0-6	0-5	9-18	9-21
1/30/99	A	2-3, L	20	24	0-8	1-6	9-18	11-22
10/7/99	A	5-3, W	27	21	1-7	1-7	7-14	7-14
10/8/99	A	6-1, W	37	15	2-9	0-6	8-16	11-22
H1 C CCHA First Round * - Overtime

Wolverines Career Stats vs. Notre Dame

	GP	G-A-P
Kosick	11	4-5-9
Langfeld	11	3-3-6
Matzka	11	3-3-6
Huntzicker	11	1-3-4
Koch	2	1-2-3
Jillson	5	0-3-3
Vancik	5	0-2-2
Gassoff	2	0-1-1
Trainor	5	0-1-1
Blackburn	4	0-0-0
Murray	3	0-0-0
O'Malley	1	0-0-0

U-M Series vs. Notre Dame

U-M record vs. ND:	53-39-3
Home record:	29-20-2
Away record:	18-18-1
Neutral record:	6-1-0
Overtime record:	3-5-3
U-M longest win streak:	18 games (Oct. 23, 1982 to Jan. 21, 1995)
U-M longest unbeaten streak:	same
U-M longest losing streak:	6 games (Feb. 25, 1972 to Jan. 6, 1973)
U-M longest non-winning streak:	same
U-M largest margin of victory:	13-2 (March 12, 1993), 13-2 (Oct. 30, 1993)
U-M largest margin of defeat:	7-2 (Feb. 25, 1972), 9-4 (Feb. 26, 1972), 8-3 (March 7, 1980)

2000-01 Statistical Comparison

Goals Per Game	CCHA (rank)	Overall (rank in CCHA)
U-M	4.00 (1)	4.04 (2)
ND	2.28 (11)	2.48 (11)
Goals Against
U-M	2.00 (2)	2.48 (2)
ND	3.00 (6)	3.52 (11)
Power Play Pct.
U-M	.239 -- 27/113 (1)	.216 -- 37/171 (3)
ND	.114 -- 12/105 (12)	.105 -- 157/172 (12)
Penalty-Kill Pct.
U-M	.885 -- 92/104 (2)	.847 -- 139/163 (4)
ND	.827 -- 71/98 (7)	.805 -- 124/154 (9)
Penalty Minutes Per Game
U-M	26.41 -- 169/452 (12)	22.89 -- 244/618 (11)
ND	21.72 -- 151/391 (9)	21.26 -- 233/574 (10)

Michigan Head Coach Red Berenson
In his 17th season as the head coach of the Wolverines, Red Berenson has a career record of 438-213-44, making him the 15th winningest coach in NCCA history. Berenson has been associated with 774 games with the Michigan hockey program (695 as a coach, 79 as a student-athlete). Under the Berenson regime, the Maize and Blue has collected two NCAA championships and a total of nine CCHA regular-season and tournament crowns. In the decade of the 1990s, Michigan was the most successful ice hockey program in the nation, with 314 victories, and was the only school to qualify for all 10 NCAA tournaments in the decade. Berenson's players strive in the classroom as well, maintaining a 92 percent graduation rate during his tenure at U-M.

Berenson vs. Notre Dame
Red Berenson has a career record of 30-3-1 (.897) against Notre Dame, which is Berenson's second-best win percentage among the CCHA teams. Berenson owns a 14-2-1 advantage over Notre Dame head coach Dave Poulin.

Notre Dame Coach Dave Poulin
Dave Poulin is in his sixth season as Notre Dame head coach and owns a 76-116-27 record for his career and at Notre Dame. Poulin has not enjoyed much success against the Maize and Blue, taking only two games in the 17 times he has faced Michigan (2-14-1). As a player, Poulin was a two-time captain for the Irish (1978-82) and spent 12 years in the NHL.

Scouting the Spartans
Top-ranked Michigan State's strategy for success is defense. The Green and White is first in the nation in scoring defense (1.16), scoring margin (+1.91) and winning percentage (.870), and feature the country's top goaltender in Ryan Miller, who leads the NCAA in save percentage (.955) and goals-against average (1.16). The Spartans have only dropped one game this season -- 2-1 at Nebraska-Omaha (Oct. 20, 2000) -- while winning 20 games and tying four times. MSU is coming off two shutout victories over Miami of Ohio (1-0, 5-0) this past weekend at Munn Arena in East Lansing, Mich.

Last Time Out with MSU
Michigan State took the first game this season against U-M with a 1-0 decision at Yost Ice Arena on Nov. 4, 2000. In the first meeting this season, Spartan Rustyn Dolyny scored with three minutes left in the first period on way to the 1-0 victory. Michigan outshot the Spartans 31-13 but was stonewalled by MSU goaltender Ryan Miller.

Series History with Michigan State
Saturday's game at Joe Louis Arena with top-ranked Michigan State will mark the 229th meeting between the intrastate rivals and the second of four regular-season contests this season. The Wolverines hold a 118-102-8 advantage over the Spartans and U-M is 16-11-2 at neutral sites, including 14-10-2 at the Joe Louis Arena.

The Wolverines dominated the Spartans in the first 32 years of the series, with U-M owning a 37-1-1 mark in the stretch. The first game was a 6-3 Michigan victory on Jan. 24, 1925. Since then MSU has enjoyed a slight edge in the series. In the last 10 meetings, the Spartans have had the upper hand, winning five and tying twice while outscoring U-M by a mere 23-18.

Last 10 Meetings Between U-M and MSU

			Shots		PPG-Opp		Pen-PIM
Date	Site	Result	UM	MSU	UM	MSU	UM	MSU
2/21/98	2	1-4, L	22	19	0-3	2-3	3-9	3-6
11/20/98	H	2-1, W	22	17	1-6	1-6	14-28	14-28
12/27/98	1	1-3, L	25	26	0-4	1-5	12-24	10-20
1/29/99	A	3-3, T*	27	35	1-4	2-5	8-2	5-10
2/20/99	2	1-3, L	27	24	0-5	0-6	8-16	7-14
12/30/99	1	1-3, L	38	23	1-7	3-5	8-16	10-20
1/7/00	A	2-0, W	18	23	0-4	0-5	10-31	12-46
2/25/00	H	4-2, W	25	23	0-4	1-5	7-22	6-20
2/26/00	2	3-3, T*	27	29	1-4	1-5	7-14	6-12
11/4/00	H	0-1, L	31	13	1-6	0-4	9-18	7-14
* - Overtime

Wolverines Career Stats vs. Michigan State

	GP	G-A-P
Kosick	13	0-4-4
Cammalleri	5	3-0-3
Hilbert	4	2-1-3
Koch	10	2-1-3
Matzka	13	2-1-3
Huntzicker	13	1-2-3
Jillson	7	0-3-3
Langfeld	13	1-1-2
Shouneyia	5	0-2-2
Trainor	9	0-2-2
Swistak	5	1-0-1
Mink	5	0-1-1
Ortmeyer	5	0-1-1
Roemensky	3	0-1-1
Blackburn	8	0-0-0
Gassoff	7	0-0-0
Vancik	7	0-0-0
Murray	6	0-0-0
Fraser	4	0-0-0
Burnes	1	0-0-0
Komisarek	1	0-0-0
Scarpace	1	0-0-0

U-M Series vs. Michigan State

U-M record vs. MSU:	118-102-8
Home record:	61-38-1
Away record:	41-53-5
Neutral record:	16-11-2
Overtime record:	6-9-7
U-M longest win streak:	18 games (Jan. 14, 1929 to Jan. 9, 1954)
U-M longest unbeaten streak:	32 games (Jan. 14, 1929 to Feb. 23, 1957)
U-M longest losing streak:	8 games (Jan. 18, 1982 to Nov. 18, 1983)
U-M longest non-winning streak:	9 games (Dec. 30, 1981 to Nov. 18, 1983)
U-M largest margin of victory:	17-1 (March 9, 1950)
U-M largest margin of defeat:	12-1 (Jan. 27, 1984)

2000-01 Statistical Comparison

Goals Per Game	CCHA (rank)	Overall (rank in CCHA)
U-M	4.00 (1)	4.04 (2)
MSU	2.86 (6)	3.16 (5)
Goals Against
U-M	2.00 (2)	2.48 (2)
MSU	1.00 (1)	1.16 (1)
Power Play Pct.
U-M	.239 -- 27/113 (1)	.216 -- 37/171 (3)
MSU	.220 C 22/110 (3)	.227 -- 34/150 (1)
Penalty-Kill Pct.
U-M	.885 -- 92/104 (2)	.847 -- 139/163 (4)
MSU	.922 -- 78/84 (1)	.931 -- 108/116 (1)
Penalty Minutes Per Game
U-M	26.41 -- 169/452 (12)	22.89 -- 244/618 (11)
MSU	15.53 -- 120/264 (2)	14.56 -- 166/364 (1)

Last Week
Michigan came away with three points this past weekend with a 5-1 win over Western Michigan (Jan. 19) at Yost Ice Arena and a 4-4 tie over the Broncos (Jan. 20) in Kalamazoo, Mich. The teams were tied for second with 21 points in the CCHA before the weekend and the Wolverines ended up with sole possession of second place with 24 points, five points behind first-place Michigan State.

Friday's game saw the Broncos get off to an early 1-0 lead but they were combatted by an offensive explosion by the Wolverines that equaled five unanswered goals on way to the 5-1 victory. Scoring goals for the Maize and Blue were Jeff Jillson (North Smithfield, R.I.), Andy Hilbert (Howell, Mich.) with two, Mark Mink (Livonia, Mich.) and Mike Roemensky (White Lake, Mich.). Josh Blackburn (Choctaw, Okla.) stopped 22 shots to improve his record to 16-6-3 on the season.

Saturday night's game was a more dramatic scenario for Wolverine fans. With nine minutes remaining in the game, Michigan was just about to concede the victory -- being down 4-1-- until sophomore Mike Cammalleri (Richmond Hill, Ontario) turned up the intensity and scored two consecutive third period goals, allowing Mark Kosick (Victoria, B.C.) to be the hero as his 50th career goal finished the 4-4 comeback tie with the Broncos.

Breakfast with the Coach
The Dekers Blue Line Club will host "Breakfast with the Coach" -- featuring U-M head coach Red Berenson and Northern Michigan head coach Rick Comley as guest speakers -- on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 9:30 a.m. at Weber's Inn (East/West Ballroom). Tickets are $12 and must be purchased in advance. For more information, call 734-572-5856.

Owning the Broncos
Michigan extended its unbeaten streak against WMU to 15 games (11-0-4) with the 5-1 victory and 4-4 tie this past weekend.

Extending
With two goals and one assist this past weekend against WMU, Andy Hilbert extended his scoring streak to 14 games (15-13-28) -- which is the longest of his career. Hilbert is third in the CCHA in scoring (19-25-44).

Iron Man Produces
Mark Mink extended his consecutive-games streak to 68 games (the longest among U-M's active roster), while adding a goal and assist last weekend against WMU. Mink has played in every game as a member of the Wolverines. U-M's all-time leader is Rob Brown (1986-90) with 164.

Jillson Jumps Up
Defenseman Jeff Jillson (N. Smithfield, R.I.) moved into 14th place on U-M's all-time defenseman career scoring list with 80 points, surpassing Greg Natale (1974-77) this past weekend with two goals and three assists against WMU. Jillson has 80 career points (21-59-80) in 101 games. Tim Manning (1978-81) leads the list with 142 points (27-115-142) in his career.

Kosick Turns 50
Mark Kosick (Victoria, B.C.) scored his 50th career goal in style with the game-tying goal that completed the U-M comeback from three down in the third period against WMU on Jan. 20. Kosick made his way back into the lineup on Jan. 19 against WMU after being scratched for three consecutive games. He has only missed eight times in 150 games as a Wolverine. Kosick is U-M's active career scoring leader with 130 points (50-80-130).

Unsung Hero
Defender Mike Roemensky, more known for his team-leading +19, scored his first goal of the season and second of his career on Jan. 19 against WMU.

Cammy Time
Mike Cammalleri had a huge weekend for the Wolverines, scoring two goals and assisting on three against WMU on Jan. 19-20. Cammalleri has pointed 12 of his last 13 games.

Hanging Around
Scott Matzka (Port Huron, Mich.) recorded his fifth multi-point game of the season with two assists on Jan. 20. Matzka also knows the importance of his goals because three of his five goals this season have been game-winning goals, which leads the team in that category.

Huntzicker Returns
Assistant captain Dave Huntzicker (Ann Arbor, Mich.) returned to the lineup against WMU (Jan. 19-20) for the first time since Nov. 17, 2000. Huntzicker had been sidelined for two months with a torn MCL.

Second Sitting
Jed Ortmeyer (Omaha, Neb.) received a game-misconduct for a checking from behind penalty against WMU on Jan. 20, marking the second time this season he had to leave a game due to an infraction. The first was a game-disqualification for fighting against Ferris State (Nov. 10, 2000).

Three-Star Award
Perani's Hockey World is the title sponsor of the CCHA's Three Stars of the Game selected at each conference game throughout the year. The promotion, which will carry the name "Perani Cup Three Stars," will be carried on throughout the second half of this season at all 12 CCHA venues. Three points will be given to first star, two for second and one for third. The player who accumulates the most points is the team Perani Cup winner. Michigan's current leaders are: 1. Andy Hilbert (9 points), 2. Josh Blackburn (7 points), 3. Mike Cammalleri (3 points), 4. Jed Ortmeyer, Craig Murray (Penticton, B.C.) and Scott Matzka (2 points), 7. Geoff Koch, Mark Kosick and Jeff Jillson (1 point).

In the Box
Senior defenseman Bob Gassoff (St. Louis, Mo.) has received penalties in 12 of 16 games this season, including four in the two games against WMU. Gassoff leads the team in PIM per game with 2.85.

Being Outshot Isn't So Bad
The Maize and Blue has been outshot twice this season and came out with the victory in both occasions -- at Ohio State (29-25, Jan. 13) and at Minnesota (34-26, Nov. 25).

Between the Pipes
Goaltender Josh Blackburn went seven periods of shutout hockey, starting in the first period against LSSU on Jan. 5. Blackburn's 141:42 minutes of scoreless play was stopped in the second period against OSU (Jan. 12) at the 1:42 mark.

Hilbert Goal Equals Win
Andy Hilbert has scored a goal in 14 of 24 games this season and U-M is 11-2-1 when he scores.

Top Wolverine
On Jan. 13 against Ohio State, Josh Langfeld (Coon Rapids, Minn.) scored his 58th career goal, which leads all current Wolverines on the all-time goal list.

Six Pack
Six Players -- Scott Matzka, Josh Langfeld, Mike Roemensky, Mark Mink, John Shouneyia (Bloomfield, Mich.) and Josh Blackburn -- have played in every game this season.

Special Teams
John Shouneyia is the only Michigan player this season with multiple power-play goals in a single game. He scored two of Michigan's three power-play goals against Alaska Fairbanks (Nov. 17).

More Than Just a Coach
Head coach Red Berenson was one of the subjects of author John Bardoni's book "Personal Leadership ... Taking Control of Your Work Life." Berenson had 10 pages (133-143) dedicated to his approach to coaching, leadership and insights. Among the subjects covered are beginning with a sound image, setting expectations, preparations and inspiring confidence.

CCHA Standings (Through 1/21/01)

 |----CONFERENCE----| |----OVERALL----| W- L- T Pts GF GA W- L- T GF GA 1. Michigan State 13- 1- 3 29 48 17 20- 1- 4 73 29 2. MICHIGAN 11- 4- 2 24 68 34 17- 5- 4 109 59 3. Western Mich. 9- 4- 4 22 63 49 16- 5- 4 105 76 4. Nebraska-Omaha 10- 7- 1 21 56 57 15-10- 1 76 72 5. Ohio State 9- 7- 2 20 56 50 12-10- 2 84 68 6. Miami (Ohio) 8- 7- 1 17 47 44 11-11- 2 66 73 Northern Mich. 6- 7- 5 17 49 52 10- 8- 6 78 66 8. Alaska-Fairbanks 5- 8- 5 15 46 61 7-10- 5 62 69 9. Ferris State 5-10- 3 13 41 61 9-13- 4 65 81 10. Lake Superior 6-13- 0 12 37 64 10-16- 0 60 86 11. Bowling Green 3- 9- 4 10 43 48 8-12- 4 69 67 Notre Dame 3-11- 4 10 41 54 5-17- 5 67 95

Wolverines Drop to Ninth in the USCHO Poll
Michigan switched places with Western Michigan in the latest U.S. College Hockey Online Poll (Jan. 22), with the Wolverines moving up two spots to seventh and the Broncos falling to ninth.

U.S. College Hockey Online Poll (1/22/01)

 Team (1st-Place Votes) Record Pts Last 1. Michigan State (40) 20-1-4 600 1 2. Boston College 17-6-1 541 2 3. North Dakota 16-5-5 511 3 4. St. Cloud 19-4-1 470 4 5. Colorado College 17-5-1 441 6 6. New Hampshire 16-5-5 389 5 7. MICHIGAN 17-6-4 363 9 8. Minnesota 16-7-2 320 8 9. Western Michigan 16-5-4 309 7 10. Maine 10-7-6 194 11 11. Providence 13-7-3 167 10 12. Denver 12-10-3 121 12 13. Wisconsin 14-11-1 107 14 14. Cornell 8-5-4 92 15 15. Clarkson 10-6-3 63 NR

Contact: Jason Binge (734) 763-4423