Michigan hockey sweeps No. 2 Ohio State, backed by Hunwick’s brilliant goaltending (CBS Interactive U-WIRE)
January 16, 2012
CLEVELAND — At times during Sunday’s game, it looked like Shawn Hunwick forgot he was playing in an outdoor hockey game.
Besides the giant ice luge in the background and the below-freezing temperatures, the fifth-year senior goaltender looked right at home between the posts.
Hunwick had 31 saves in the Frozen Diamond Faceoff, as the Michigan hockey team completed its weekend sweep of Ohio State, 4-1. The Buckeyes’ lone goal was off a deflection, and was one of several open looks on the night — Hunwick was at his best.
His performance on Sunday came after a gem of a game on Friday, where he saved a career-high 46 shots in a 4-0 victory over Ohio State. So over the span of two games, Hunwick allowed only one goal on 77 shots.
“He gives our team a lot of confidence, and he is playing rock solid right now,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “To come out of the weekend with only one (goal) against — you have to be playing well to do that against a team like Ohio.”
Even though he entered the game from the Cleveland Indians dugout and not from the locker room of the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Hunwick didn’t miss a beat from Friday’s game.
“I thought (Hunwick) played very well on Friday night, and I thought he carried that again tonight,” said Ohio State coach Mark Osiecki. “When he did have a couple opportunities, he was there and he was rock solid. You know that in him. He’s a proven goaltender.”
It also helped that Hunwick played most of the game while he was ahead, after junior forward Chris Brown took a rebound off a shot from sophomore defenseman Kevin Clare, spun 180 degrees to his left, and slid the puck past Buckeye netminder Cal Heeter.
Brown had a hand in the Wolverines’ next goal, too, assisting on freshman forward Alex Guptill’s team-leading 12th goal of the year. Michigan stayed in control for most of the first period, with the puck spending most of its time in Ohio State’s zone.
The Wolverines’ only costly penalty of the night came at the end of the first period, but even then, they were two seconds away from killing it unscathed. Hunwick was caught out of position after a rebound — really the only time he was in the wrong spot — and Buckeye forward Chris Crane whittled the advantage down to one just 50 seconds into the second period.
But after sophomore forward Derek DeBlois and senior captain David Wohlberg scored back-to-back in a 28-second stretch later on in the period, the momentum, and the game, gave way to Michigan.
In that second period, it showed that Michigan had some outdoor experience. This was the third outdoor game for Michigan’s juniors and seniors, including the Camp Randall Classic in Wisconsin in 2010 and The Big Chill at the Big House last December.
Ohio State got flustered, but the Wolverines kept their cool and put the game away.
It wasn’t just Hunwick that gave the Ohio State offense fits, though. Michigan’s defense suffocated the Buckeyes as soon as they crossed the red line, basically eliminating shots near the crease. Hunwick’s goaltending was superb, but the defense also did its job.
“The biggest thing is that everyone is taking pride in their job in the defensive zone,” said senior defenseman Greg Pateryn. “Everyone is rolling right now and doing what they are supposed to, and you cant ask for much more — one goal against over a weekend is pretty good.”
Osiecki added: “Lets give credit where credit is due — Michigan is really good. Their defensemen do a tremendous job, and having (sophomore defenseman) Jon Merrill back in the lineup is … in my opinion, he is the best defenseman in the country.”
Last time Hunwick played in an outdoor game — the Big Chill — he didn’t know he was going to play until after warm-ups, when then-starting goalie Bryan Hogan went down with a groin injury.
This time around, Hunwick knew he was going to be playing since day one, and it showed the whole weekend. The spectacle of the Frozen Diamond Faceoff didn’t seem to faze him at all, even as fireworks flew through the 27-degree night sky.
One goal on 77 shots — just another day at the office for Michigan’s backbone, leading his team to its ninth-straight game without a loss.
Michigan cools Ohio State in outdoor hockey game
January 16, 2012
CLEVELAND (AP)—There was the usual tailgating and taunting.
And when Ohio State’s tuba player bowed to dot the “i” and the crowdroared, it felt and looked like a football Saturday in Columbus or Ann Arbor.
Except it was January and the band member was standing directly on the blueline—outdoors—on a spot normally occupied by a second baseman.
Ohio State and Michigan took their heated rivalry to the ice Sunday, playingthe first outdoor college hockey game in Ohio before 25,864 fans who downed hotchocolate and other beverages to combat plunging temperatures at ProgressiveField, seasonal home of the Cleveland Indians.
Derek DeBlois and David Wohlberg scored 28 seconds apart in the secondperiod to lead the No. 15 Wolverines to a 4-1 win over the No. 2 Buckeyes, whowere the “home” team despite being a two-hour drive from campus and wereoutplayed for three periods by their nemesis from the north.
However, the outcome was secondary to the event, which was deemed a hugesuccess.
“A great spectacle,” said Michigan coach Red Berensen, who has led theWolverines to 21 straight NCAA appearances. “It was a special event.”
Especially for Michigan, which beat Ohio State 4-0 on Friday in Columbus.
While the hockey programs don’t share the same blood feud the schools havehad in football since the early 1900s, there were still plenty of punishing hitsand after-the-whistle roughness to serve as reminders that no matter the sport,Michigan and Ohio State don’t like each other.
Ohio State’s mascot, Brutus, had to dodge several snow balls aimed at hislarge head in the third period.
The ballpark was blanketed with several inches of fresh snow, which arrivedjust in time on Friday to finally allow the Indians to finish their second“Snow Days” promotion with some actual white stuff on the ground. Like almosteverywhere, Cleveland has had an unseasonably warm winter to this point, but theweekend’s frigid weather provided the perfect backdrop for hockey—or sled-dogracing.
There were football overtones as well.
Archie Griffin, the two-time Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State, droppedthe ceremonial puck. Both schools sent their bands and fans alternated chants of“Let’s Go Blue!” with “Let’s Go Bucks!”
On a rink built over the infield, there was also one baseball-esque momentwhen the puck sailed over the glass and Indians’ dugout into the stands, sendingfans scrambling for the souvenir puck like they were going after a foul ball.
Michigan was playing in its fourth outdoor game. Ohio State was in just itssecond and the large stage may have caused some early jitters.
“We need to be on a stage like this for our program to grow,” said OhioState coach Mark Osiecki, whose young team wasn’t expected to be this strong.
Several hours before the start, fans fired up small grills around thedowntown ballpark, which is usually unoccupied from October until April’s seasonopener. The sight of smoke drifting into the chilly air was warming to Indianspresident Mark Shapiro, who knew the “Frozen Diamond Faceoff” would attract acrowd.
Shapiro was confident the unique event, which concluded the team’s second“Snow Days” promotion—a tubing hill and ice skating track inside theballpark—would bring fans of both programs to Cleveland. He was also surelocal hockey enthusiasts would be interested. Shapiro joked that he monitoredticket sales “every three or four hours” since the game was announced inAugust.
“I don’t think we felt like there was much risk,” said Shapiro, whoacknowledged the “Snow Days” promotion lost money for the second year in arow. “We were going to get a lot of people here, just what level of a lot?”
There are no current plans for a second outdoor game. Shapiro said theIndians will evaluate the success of this year’s game before deciding whether toschedule one for next year or beyond.
“We have not limited ourselves in anything we’re looking at or anything wemight do,” he said. “What’s most important is that we do this well, that weexecute and we operate in a way that for everyone that comes, we can’t guaranteethey’ll be warm, but we want to guarantee they create special memories and havea special time.”
Ohio State sophomore Chris Crane hopes the Indians decide to do it again.
He wants another shot at the Wolverines in Cleveland.
“Absolutely,” he said. “It’s every hockey player’s dream to play in agame like this. It was a blast, but we want a chance at redemption.”
Ohio State and Michigan face off outdoors
January 15, 2012
CLEVELAND (AP)—Michigan and Ohio State have dropped the puck above abaseball diamond.
With the rivals’ fans sitting side-by-side in Progressive Field, home of theCleveland Indians, the Wolverines and Buckeyes are playing the first outdoorcollege hockey game in Ohio. A crowd of 30,000 is expected for the FrozenDiamond Faceoff, a unique event Indians president Mark Shapiro says could happenagain.
Once it’s over, Shapiro said the Indians will evaluate the event and decidewhether to hold it again next year.
Shapiro arrived at the downtown ballpark more than five hours before thestart and was greeted by hundreds of fans tailgating like it was a Saturdayduring college football season.
Ohio State, which came in ranked No. 2, is trying to avenge a 4-0 loss tothe Wolverines on Friday in Columbus.
Ohio State and Michigan set for outdoor hockey
January 14, 2012
CLEVELAND (AP)—Michigan and Ohio State are set to take their heatedrivalry outside into the snow, wind and ice.
With helmets similar to the ones they wear in football, the Wolverines andBuckeyes will meet Sunday in Ohio’s first outdoor college hockey game, whichwill take place on a rink built over the Cleveland Indians’ dirt and grassinfield. A crowd of 30,000 is expected at Progressive Field for the uniqueevent, which will wrap up the baseball team’s second annual Snow Days.
They’re rivals in football, but Michigan and Ohio State can also skate. TheWolverines, who have won nine NCAA titles, beat the second-ranked Buckeyes 4-0on Friday in Columbus.
When Ohio State practiced at the ballpark last week, strong wind made itdifficult for the players to skate in one direction but pushed them toward thegoal when they went the opposite way.
Scherr tabbed to head new hockey conference
January 5, 2012
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP)—Though his travel schedule figures to be muchless glamorous, Jim Scherr should be able to go to work each day without havingto watch his back.
The former leader of the U.S. Olympic Committee was introduced ascommissioner of the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference on Wednesday, ajob sure to be filled with its share of threats and challenges, though almostcertainly not so many from within his own office.
“One of the nice things about this position is that everyone’s on the samepage about where they want to take the conference,” Scherr said. “From thatperspective, it’s a nice feeling.”
Scherr was guiding the USOC through a period of success after years ofturmoil when he was unexpectedly pushed out in 2009—a move engineered by theboard of directors, one of whom, Stephanie Streeter, ended up getting his job.The CEO position has since been filled by Scott Blackmun and things have calmeddown at the USOC. But at the time of Scherr’s departure, critics said it was aninside job that sullied the reputation of the USOC, which had tried numerousreform attempts over the years.
Scherr started his own marketing company, which had some success, but he’llstep down as CEO there to concentrate on the hockey job.
Not that the new position doesn’t have its own share of potential traps.
In moves that mirrored the seismic shifts in college football, but on asmaller level, college hockey has been realigning. Last year, the Big Tendecided to start a hockey conference and poached Minnesota and Wisconsin out ofthe 60-year-old WCHA. That left teams such as Colorado College and Denver—small schools that support large hockey programs—scrambling as they decidedwhether to salvage the WCHA, find a new home in an existing conference or createsomething completely new.
Their choice: the new NCHC, which also includes Miami (Ohio),Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State and WesternMichigan. The conference begins play in the 2013-14 season.
The 50-year-old Scherr conceded everyone in the new conference must payattention to the changing landscape in college sports.
“Given the fact that nobody knows where the world of collegiate sports willgo three to five years from now, you always have to be cognizant of the factthat there could be potential additions or realignment,” he said. “I thinkwe’re pretty satisfied with where we are today.”
Of course, if there’s any intrigue or maneuvering to be done—well, Scherris well-versed in that. A former Olympic wrestler, who served as executivedirector of USA Wrestling before coming to the USOC, he has spent most of hisadult life in Olympic circles. As leader of the USOC, he had to deal with theintricate politics of the international Olympic movement, to say nothing of themachinations in his own office.
“He’s been in real important sports positions for 20 years where you’ve gotto herd cats, got to organize volunteers, got to get people to follow in thedirection you want them to go,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USAHockey who serves on the USOC board. “He’s done that, especially in the last 10years, at the national and international level. He comes with a hell of aRolodex, a hell of a network of friends.”
Former Notre Dame hockey coach Smith dies at 81
January 4, 2012
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP)—Former Notre Dame hockey coach Charles “Lefty”Smith, who started the school’s hockey program in 1968, has died. He was 81.
The university said he died Tuesday of natural causes at his home in SouthBend, Ind.
Smith compiled a 307-320-30 record in 19 seasons from 1968-1987, includingrunner-up finishes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in 1973and 1977. He was selected the WCHA Coach of the Year in 1973 and coached sixAll-Americans during his career.
After coaching, Smith became the facilities manager at the school’s LoftusSports Center and remained in that role until he retired last month. He had beenthe athletic department’s longest-tenured employee at the time of hisretirement. A new hockey rink was named for him last fall.
AP source: Ex-USOC chief to lead hockey conference
January 3, 2012
DENVER (AP)—A person familiar with the negotiations says former U.S.Olympic Committee CEO Jim Scherr will be the first commissioner of the NationalCollegiate Hockey Conference.
The person confirmed the deal, first reported by the Colorado SpringsGazette, to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because anannouncement has yet to be made.
The NCHC will introduce its new commissioner Wednesday. The eight-teamconference starts play in 2013 and will include WCHA teams Colorado College,Denver, North Dakota, Minnesota-Duluth and St. Cloud State.
Scherr worked as CEO of the USOC beginning in 2003 but was unexpectedlyousted in 2009. A former Olympic wrestler, he also served as executive directorof USA Wrestling from 1990-2000.
