ALBANY, N.Y. The Michigan hockey team won twice as many games as it lost, beat the No.”s 1, 2 and 3 teams in the country, and made it to the NCAA Frozen Four in its 2000-2001 campaign.
And yet, the consensus is universal it was a down season for the Wolverines.
Granted, Michigan”s record and its advancement in the NCAA Tournament would cause most college hockey programs to trade a decade of marginal success for the Wolverines” level of accomplishment this season.
But Michigan hockey holds itself to higher standards. Like the third Godfather movie, this year was pretty good, but, when compared to the accolades of prior ensembles, it was a bit of a letdown.
“When you think about it, we ended up fifth or sixth in the country and seeded here fourth, and that was an off-year for a Michigan team,” coach Red Berenson said after the Wolverines lost 4-2 to Boston College in the Frozen Four semifinals.
After going unbeaten in their first eight games, the Wolverines garnered a No. 1 ranking going into their Oct. 27 matchup with Michigan State at Yost Ice Arena. In a game that tripped-up Michigan for the first time, and introduced this year”s Spartans to the rest of the country, the Wolverines were suffocated by Michigan State”s tenacious defense and goalie Ryan Miller en route to a 1-0 shutout loss.
It was the start of great things for Michigan State and its eventual Hobey Baker-winning goalie, but Michigan spent the rest of the season playing the part of the country”s favorite condiment. The Wolverines would fall three out of four more times to the Spartans and finish 10 points out of first place in the CCHA the largest deficit since finishing 18 points behind Michigan State in the 1989-90 season.
After weekend losses to Ferris State and Alaska-Fairbanks, Michigan got back on track, going unbeaten in seven straight games, including an impressive 4-1 win over then-No. 2 Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Then came the Great Lakes Invitational. Playing without the services of Mike Cammalleri, Andy Hilbert, Dave Huntzicker, Mike Komisarek and Jay Vancik, the Wolverines lost a jaw-dropping, opening-round decision to perennial doormat Michigan Tech, 7-3. Believe it or not, Michigan played better the next night, losing to eventual national champion Boston College by only three goals, 8-5.
Cammalleri, Hilbert and Komisarek were away in Moscow playing in the World Junior Championships, and their collective return injected a much-needed serum into a depleted team. The Wolverines dropped only one of their next eight games after their return.
On Jan. 27, Michigan came face-to-face with its own potential, beating No. 1 Michigan State, 4-3 in an intense, exhausting, overtime contest at Joe Louis Arena.
But in the typical fashion of this team, the Wolverines quickly fell down the chute, winning only three of their last nine games, crash-landing into the CCHA Tournament.
Michigan jumped back on the wave and rode another crest into the CCHA final, only to wipe out again against Michigan State, 2-0.
After a season of inconsistency, virtually nobody expected much out of the team in the NCAA Tournament. That said, it was perfectly logical for Michigan to fend off pesky Mercyhurst, then stone a Goliath of its own in downing St. Cloud, 4-3, to advance to the Frozen Four.
Michigan”s 4-2 loss to Boston College was, if nothing else, an appropriate tribute to the team”s season-long, schizophrenic playing style. The Wolverines played up to the Eagles in the game”s second and third periods, but could not erase a first period in which Michigan looked as though it was playing underwater. The first 20 minutes allowed Boston College a two-goal lead and an insurmountable leverage.