MSU unstoppable behind Ryan Miller, wins 2nd straight CCHA title

By Derek Berry
The University of Michigan’s Andy Hilbert raced down the left side from the opening face-off of the CCHA championship game, grabbed a loose puck and tried to drive a shot from the left circle past eventual tournament MVP Ryan Miller, sophomore goaltender for the Michigan State Spartans.

Miller stopped it and 19 shots later stopped everything else as MSU glided to its second straight CCHA playoff championship, defeating the Wolverines 2-0 in the CCHA title match at Joe Louis Arena.

It was a muscular defensive effort by the Spartans and their Hobey Baker-nominated netminder, who in most hockey worlds could be referred to as a human wall.

But, the promising goalie and cousin of three of MSU’s greatest contingent of Millers says the defense in front of him should not be discounted.

“The guys in front of me played outstanding,” said Miller, who became the first-ever two-time tournament MVP. “They really limited the shots and didn’t let them (U-M) stretch the ice out on us. They took away a lot of the back-door plays.”

Miller was outstanding in getting his second straight tournament championship shutout (last year the Spartans defeated Nebraska-Omaha in the final 6-0) but those green and white defenders (Andrew Hutchinson, Jon Insana, John-Michael Liles, Brad Fast, Joe Markusen and Kris Koski) had a hand in it too, tying up potential maize and blue offenders at every opportunity and forcing them into taking bad shots at times.

“That was Spartan hockey at its best tonight,” said head coach Ron Mason, who claimed the very first Mason Cup-a trophy named after the legendary coach.

You could sense it was the Spartans’ game to lose after they scored the first goal-exactly what Michigan was trying to prevent.

Midway through an evenly played first period, momentum shifted when MSU junior forward Joe Goodenow, streaking toward the net, knocked home an Adam Hall shot to make it 1-0.

“I got a great breakout pass (from Joe Markusen) and tried to drive it wide,” said Hall, a Kalamazoo native. “I cut the corner on the D, the rebound came out, Joe came crashing toward the net and it went in. I can’t say enough about Joe Goodenow. He moves the puck very well.”

Goal number two belonged to Hall and although it happened in the first period and made the score only 2-0, it broke Michigan’s back.

Hall turned an innocent-looking play into a big goal, with two other MSU forwards racing over the blue line with him, fired a shot that sailed right through U-M goaltender Josh Blackburn late in the first. You could almost sense it was over.

“They got the first goal, which was obviously what we were trying to do,” said U-M head coach Red Berenson. “They play a great defensive-style game. That (tonight) was a good MSU-style game.”

Berenson admitted his club was not 100 percent healthy and struggled on each of its four power plays.

“That lack of power play goals really hurt us,” said Berenson. “We couldn’t generate that goal and we got a little tired.”

U-M was not operating on all cylinders. Senior forward Mark Kosick was a healthy scratch, according to Berenson and senior forward Josh Langfeld reinjured his knee, which he hurt playing MSU at the Joe Louis Arena just a month before.

“We’re not 100 percent right now, but I like our team,” said Berenson. “I like the way we played. We hung in there.”

MSU meanwhile, buried the Wolverines, not necessarily by outscoring them, but, as defenseman Hutchinson says, by not letting them make key passes.

“It’s a shutout,” said Hutchinson. “It was nice to get this.”

Mason was pleased at the overall attack of his troops, who managed just four goals in the two-game sweep.

“We played a very, very good Michigan team,” said Mason. “Ryan made some nice saves and I think we played as well as we can defensively. We scored by committee and we had great balance.”

Maybe and then again maybe not. Sean Patchell provided the spark in the opener on Friday night against the Bowling Green Falcons in the Spartans’ 2-1 victory.

Trailing 1-0 to BGSU late in the first period, Patchell tipped in a power play goal to tie the game at one apiece and gave MSU some much-needed momentum in that first game. Patchell later found an empty net in a scramble in front of Bowling Green goaltender Tyler Masters in the second period to make it 2-1. MSU sealed the game with superb defense and tight checking.

“We played hard and let the offense come to us,” said Patchell.

Bowling Green challenged the Spartans, but came up a little short.

“We played our hearts out against the No. 1 team in the country,” said Bowling Green head coach Buddy Powers. “We saw why Ryan Miller is the best goalie in the country.”

In the second semifinal, Michigan and Nebraska-Omaha battled in a rematch that the Wolverines surely remembered. How could they forget the 7-4 drubbing at the hands of the Mavericks last year? That was enough motivation for Michigan.

“The score from last year’s tournament was up on our board, so yeah, there was definite motivation,” said U-M junior forward Craig Murray, who scored a key goal for the Wolverines to get them going-the first goal.

Following Murray’s goal, Michigan’s Mike Cammalleri scored a few minutes later to put U-M up 2-0. Late in the first period, freshman Joe Kautz, a virtual unknown until the CCHA playoffs, scored the eventual game-winner, handing U-M a 3-0 lead in what looked like it would be a blowout.

Not so fast.

Nebraska-Omaha did not quit and forced Michigan against the wall, dominating the second period in what would become a tale of two games-Michigan dominating the first, UNO dominating the second and the third period played very even.

UNO peppered U-M goalie Josh Blackburn with shots and finally landed one behind him midway through the second period when freshman forward Scott Turner scored to make it 3-1. Five minutes later, UNO’s star defenseman Greg Zanon whistled a shot past Blackburn to make it 3-2 and suddenly it was anybody’s game.

“We had our work cutout for us after the lead we gave them in the first period,” said UNO head coach Mike Kemp. “They had the jump (in the first period) and we were tentative and cautious.”

The third period may have been the most thrilling period of hockey of the whole tournament as Michigan frantically tried to expand its lead, while the Mavericks tried to tie the game and possibly go ahead. They almost did.

Two big plays did not go UNO’s way. The first was a strange deflection of a UNO shot that somehow got behind Blackburn and was headed for the back of the U-M goal, but was knocked out by a Nebraska-Omaha player’s stick before it crossed the plain of the goal line. The officials reviewed it and made a very good, clear call. No goal.

The second was a complete mental lapse by the Wolverines. With less than 2:00 to play in regulation and U-M on a power play, Dave Noel-Bernier grabbed an absurdly loose puck, raced in on Blackburn, beat him, only to see the puck hit the crossbar and watch Blackburn swat it away. Noel-Bernier had Blackburn clearly beat, but it was not to be.

UNO’s players were clearly disappointed and frustrated over the game’s outcome.

“We were all over ‘em,” said Zanon. “We just didn’t get the bounce we needed.”

The Spartans, however, did get the bounces they needed and won their 10th-ever CCHA tournament title.

QUOTES AND QUIPS

High praise

MSU’s Mason on winning the regular season and playoff titles: “It’s difficult to win both,” he said. “We won’t stop celebrating this. This is one of the best Spartan hockey teams I’ve ever coached.”

Surprise, surprise

Miller and Mason on the early Andy Hilbert breakaway: “Were you surprised to see Hilbert?” a reporter asked MSU’s goalie, Miller. “Yeah, I was,” said Mason, cutting in. “I thought he was trying to go low glove, but he was trying to catch me going high glove,” said Miller.

Miller time

Miller on being named MVP for the second straight year: “It’s amazing to me. I always try to bring my best game to Joe Louis Arena.”

Been there, done that

MSU’s Adam Hall on the win over U-M: “We’ve been there before. We’ve been on both sides of this.”

Bowling Green’s run

BGSU head coach Buddy Powers on his team’s late season surge: “I couldn’t ask any more of the guys,” he said. “It was a tough stretch the last couple of weeks. We had so many close games that we just started getting breaks and getting goals.”

Master(s)ful

Powers on his star goalie, Tyler Masters: “He deserves a lot of the credit,” said Powers. “(Ryan) Miller gets a lot of accolades, but Masters is why we’ve played well.”

Not satisfied

Powers on how his team felt after the loss to MSU: “We’re not happy just being at the Joe,” he said. “It’s a disappointing atmosphere in that dressing room right now, because we felt we could win and we came here to win.”

UNO doesn’t quit

Nebraska-Omaha head coach Mike Kemp on the disappointing end for his team’s season: “It was a disappointing outcome,” he said. “I couldn’t be more proud of this club. They battled back, showed character and resiliency.”

A goal for the goalie?

MSU goalie Miller when asked if he was trying to score on an empty Bowling Green net with just seconds to go in the tournament opener: “Yeah,” said Miller, to loud laughter from the gathered media and relieved laughter from Mason and MSU players. “I should have just gently dumped it out and instead I iced it, forcing a face-off in our end and giving them a chance to tie it.”

The Mason Cup

Mason on being the first coach to win the trophy that carries his name: “Hey, a good team was gonna win the Mason Cup, no matter what,” he said. “Geez, I finally thought about it and I thought, we better win it. It’s got my name on it and darn, we ought to try and win the first one.”

CCHA records

The Spartans competed in their 13th CCHA title game (a record) and won their 10th (also a record). The only teams close to Michigan State in appearances in the final and number of wins are Lake Superior (12 CCHA title appearances) and Bowling Green (five tournament titles). The Lakers, however, hold the record for most consecutive tournament title appearances, with nine straight (from 1988-96). 

	CCHA ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
	FORWARD-Adam Hall, Michigan State
	FORWARD-Sean Patchell, Michigan State
	FORWARD-Joe Kautz, Michigan
	DEFENSE-Dave Huntzicker, Michigan
	DEFENSE-Andrew Hutchinson, Michigan State
	GOALTENDER-Ryan Miller, Michigan State
	MVP-Ryan Miller, Michigan State