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`M'--Laker rivalry heats up

Saturday night at the Lake Superior State and Michigan CCHA tournament championship game, a Lakers' fan held up a poster featuring a Michigan hockey player hanging from Lake State's anchor with a rope around its neck.

The fan was undoubtedly hoping that the Lakers would sink the Wolverines en route to the tournament crown, and she wasn't exactly praying. Lake State has dumped Michigan the last four out of five times at some point in the conference tournament.

A fifth crown was not to be this year as the Wolverines skated around Joe Louis Arena with the championship trophy after prevailing, 4-3, in a game that went down to the wire.

"I thought it could have potentially been another Lake State--Michigan overtime game," Lakers' coach Jeff Jackson said. "There is so much rivalry between two great opponents."

Rivalry seems to be the operative word. There is little doubt that the rivalry between Lake State and the Wolverines is as strong, if not stronger, than the instate rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State.

And Lake State has been truly spectacular in postseason play, compiling a 24-2 record in its last 26 CCHA playoff games. The only two losses were to Michigan.

The Lakers and the Wolverines are relatively close in regular season head-to-head competition, but somehow things always take an interesting turn in the CCHA tournament. The Lakers have virtually dominated Michigan in the tournament ever since the start of the 1990's. The Lakers have been an albatross, or more accurately, a heavy anchor, around the Michigan hockey program's neck. The Lakers usually determine whether the Wolverines swim or sink in the tourney.

And excluding Saturday's game, the Wolverines have sunk more often than they have swam.

"If you look at games in league play since Jeff Jackson and I have been coaching, I think it's about a one-game differential between the two teams," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "They`ve had an edge in this tournament and I think we have an edge in league play."

In regular season play, Berenson is 15-25-3 against the Lakers since becoming head coach in 1985-1986 while Jackson is 7-12-1 since taking over the helm of Lake State in 1990-1991. Berenson gets the edge in the category, with a .384 winning percentage compared to Jackson's .375.

The Lakers have dominated the Wolverines and the CCHA tournament for the majority of the decade. Before Saturday, their only lost occurred during the 1993-1994 season in the championship game against Michigan. That victory handed Michigan its first CCHA tournament crown. But Lake State turned around and eliminated the Wolverines from the first round of the NCAA tournament a week later.

The Lakers knocked Michigan out of the CCHA tournament in the championship game in 1991 and 1992 and in the semifinal round in 1993 and 1995. Lake State went on to win the crown each of those four years.

"We seem to end up playing Lake Superior for the CCHA title or the championship," Michigan left wing John Madden said following the win. "We meet them in big games so the rivalry is definitely there."

What has been the key to the Lakers success against Michigan in the postseason tournament? Berenson believes it has something to do with Lake State's style of play.

"They're a good checking team and a good team defensively," Berenson said. "We are traditionally as strong team offensively but now we are developing our own defensive style."

Maybe Michigan's new defensive style is beginning to shine through, loosening the grip of the albatross. Michigan's victory this weekend gave it the last two-out-of-three championships with wins over the Lakers. The two championships make it difficult for the current Michigan quad to relate to the Lakers' mystique. In fact, may of the players feel it is virtually nonexistent and overhyped.

"Since I have been here, we have won the last two-of-three," Michigan junior defenseman Blake Sloan said. "But some people feel that they are our nemesis."

This time around, the Wolverines felt they had more to prove against the Lakers. Michigan's league action this season did not prove as successful in years past. The Wolverines went 1-2 against Lake State, including two losses in Sault Ste. Marie, Feb. 23-24. Michigan lost 5-4 in overtime in game one and 7-3 in game two.

"There was a definite revenge factor here," Sloan said.