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Icers take CCHA title over Lake State

DETROIT -- Grahame crackers have never been so sweet for Michigan.

And perhaps no goal has been greater for the Wolverines this season than the one scored Saturday night by Bobby Hayes -- the greatest Grahame cracker of all.

Hayes' fluttering wrist shot at 13:24 of the third period eluded Lake Superior goaltender John Grahame, giving Michigan the 4-3 lead it would ride to the CCHA playoff championship in front of 13,710 at Joe Louis Arena.

The Wolverines advanced to the final by mauling Michigan State, 6-2, in Friday's semifinals.

Hayes, normally a fourth-line checking center, stepped up to fill the void on the first line left by the loss of senior Kevin Hilton, who had to leave the game at 8:22 of the first period with a deep bruise in his right thigh.

"It's great any time you get a game-winner, but getting it in a big game like this one makes it look bigger," Hayes said.

The goal sure looked big to the Wolverines. It helped them earn their second CCHA playoff title in three years -- the second in their history -- and a second seed in the West region of the NCAA tournament.

It also helped them beat a Laker team they had defeated only once before in six straight CCHA playoff finals.

"There is a sort of rivalry between us," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "That comes with the challenge of playing a team you both fear and respect."

Grahame, who was named to the all-tournament team, was a Golden Grahame for much of the playoffs.

He blanked Bowling Green in the semifinals, 7-0, and, after giving up three goals to the Wolverines in the first period of the final, stoned Michigan. He didn't allow a goal during two flurries by the Wolverines in the second period and made several big stops while Lake Superior was short-handed for five minutes in the third.

But the efforts of Hayes and tournament MVP John Madden were enough to overcome his stellar play.

"(Grahame) played very, very well for us," Lake Superior coach Jeff Jackson said. "But Michigan's a strong team with a lot of firepower ... It was like a good boxing match. Both teams got good shots at each other."

Michigan's Warren Luhning struck the first blow. Madden's blue-line-to-blue-line feed sent Luhning in alone on Grahame at 10:43 of the first period on the power play. Luhning deked right and slid one under Grahame to score his 19th of the season.

The Lakers tied it up less than a minute later, as Lake Superior's Matt Alvey did his best Bobby Orr imitation. As he was falling to the ice, he flicked the puck over Michigan goaltender Marty Turco's left shoulder.

The Wolverines landed two more punches before the period ended. Madden broke away at 17:14 to score his 10th short-handed goal of the season -- tops in the nation -- and give Michigan a 2-1 lead. Jason Botterill's 32nd of the season came on a clean wrist shot that beat Grahame at 18:21, courtesy of a three-on-two break.

"There were too many turnovers in the neutral zone, and that resulted in too many odd-man rushes," said Jackson. "You can't do that in these games, and you can't do that against Michigan."

Lake Superior eventually tied the game at three. Sean Tallaire scored while the Lakers had a two-man advantage 53 seconds into the second, and Brian Felsner netted a short-handed goal at 4:26 of the third.

But Hayes' goal and solid play by Turco, who had been shaky early on, kept the Lakers from earning a second-straight CCHA playoff title.

"We'll take tonight and enjoy it," said Michigan captain Steven Halko as he cradled the championship trophy after the game. "We'll let it sink in for an hour or so, but we're on a mission. We've got another goal to accomplish."