Sections

`M' icers to take on BU in tonight's semifinal

CINCINNATI -- The NCAA semifinals are nothing new for the Michigan hockey team.

Four of the past five years, the Wolverines have made it this far. And in each of those appearances, they have left earlier than they would have liked.

So, when Michigan (31-7-2) faces off against Boston University (30-6-3) at 8 o'clock tonight at Riverfront Coliseum (ESPN2), it will be trying to accomplish something it hasn't done since 1977 -- advance to the NCAA title game.

For the past four seasons, the Wolverines have strived to be the best in the country, but have fallen short each time. So now Michigan is eager to prove it belongs with the college hockey elite.

"We have something to prove," Michigan coach Red Berenson said after yesterday's practice at the Coliseum. "A year ago (Boston University) had something to prove and now we do."

Last season, the Terriers walked into the NCAA tournament embarrassed by the 9-1 shellacking they suffered at the hands of Lake Superior in the 1994 championship game. They walked away with the national title.

Now, Berenson finds his team in a similar situation. The Wolverines weren't blown out of last year's semifinal game -- a 5-4 triple-overtime loss to Maine -- but that doesn't mean they haven't felt the pressure to get to the final game.

"It'll be a challenge," Berenson said. "But we're a little more experienced and a little more confident than a year ago."

Boston University finds itself in quite a different position than last season. The Terriers are the defending national champions, a title that carries with it quite a different stature than they've experienced in past tournament experiences.

However, BU now has the chance to repeat as champion, something that hasn't been done since Jack Kelly coached the Terriers to consecutive titles in 1971 and 1972.

And while most teams wouldn't need any more incentive to win, BU coach Jack Parker is also welcoming the return of Travis Roy, the freshman who was paralyzed in an on-ice collision during the first game of the season.

Roy will watch from the stands, confined to a wheelchair, a sight that drove many teammates to tears at last weekends' NCAA East Regionals.

"There's no question that last year's catalyst, all year long, was to avenge the loss the year before," Parker said. "We don't have that anymore.

"This year we have a chance to be the first team to repeat in a long time, but the situation with Travis has put this whole thing in perspective; we'd like to beat Michigan and advance, but if we don't we don't."

Parker's hopes rely on a high-flying offense led by Hobey Baker finalists Jay Pandolfo and Chris Drury. The pair have scored 67 points apiece, while Pandolfo, the Hockey East Player of the Year, leads the nation in goals.

But Berenson has even more to worry about in forwards Bob Lachance, Shawn Bates and Mike Grier, who have combined for another 150 points. All told, the Terriers posses the nation's most prolific offense, averaging more than six goals a game.

If Boston University, the No. 1 seed in the East, has an Achilles' heel, it is defense. The Terriers are solid, but they graduated their top three defensemen from a year ago and needed to move Chris O'Sullivan back to the blue line to solidify their defense for the NCAA tournament.

Boston's line chart looks a lot like Michigan's, with at least six players scoring more than 45 points. But what scares Parker most about the Wolverines, however, isn't their balanced offense that scored more than 5 1/2 goals per game, but instead, Michigan's top-ranked defense.

"Nobody knows how good they are on defense only because they're so good on offense," Parker said. "They skate well, they bang well, they can jump in offensively. They really present a lot of problems for us.

"Our biggest concern is how we can get good chances on their goalie."