By Jim Rose
Daily Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE - In the end, there simply was not enough time.
As the scoreboard clock ticked down to zero and a desperate flurry in front of the Boston University goal produced nothing but a bunch of bruises, time expired on the Michigan hockey team's season.
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| Michigan hockey captain Brendan Morrison is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, which will be announced today. Each year coaches vote for their choice for the outstanding player in college hockey. |
It was the final collegiate game for Michigan's nine-man senior class, and the fourth time in six years that the Wolverines have lost in the semifinals.
With 56.8 seconds left in the game and goaltender Marty Turco on the Michigan bench for an extra attacker, senior Brendan Morrison scored for the Wolverines to cut the deficit to one.
But a frantic final minute, spent mostly in front of the Boston net, resulted in a mass of bodies on the ice and no more goals for the Wolverines.
And just like that, the season ended for Michigan.
"Obviously, it's a very tough game to lose," said Michigan coach Red Berenson, who is now 1-4 in the NCAA semifinals as a coach. "People often say the best team doesn't always win, but the team that plays the best wins. And that may have been the case tonight."
The Wolverines were unable to overcome a smothering Boston defense, which held Michigan to a season-low 20 shots on goal.
The Terriers controlled the play for most of the final 30 minutes, after taking the lead for good with less than four minutes remaining in the second period.
Tommi Degerman, one of three true freshmen that scored for Boston, scored what turned out to be the game-winner by slamming home a pass from teammate Chris Drury past a helpless Turco.
"It was a heckuva college hockey game to watch," Boston coach Jack Parker said. "It was fast, and from a technical point of view, I thought both teams played extremely well. It was just a great college hockey game."
It was for the Terriers, anyway.
Boston came out charging in the first period, laying on perhaps the most physical five minutes of play the Wolverines have seen all season. Michigan captain Brendan Morrison was decked to the ice on three separate occasions. Even 6-foot-4, 217-pound Jason Botterill - the Wolverines' enforcer - was knocked to the ground on one play.
But Michigan fought through the physical play and struck first, when Mike Legg threaded a pass to Warren Luhning just outside Boston's zone. Luhning fended off a defender with one arm, carried the puck in with the other, and squeezed off a shot that beat Boston goaltender Michel Larocque through the five-hole.
The defensive-oriented period came to a close with both teams only managing six shots apiece, and Michigan clinging to a 1-0 lead.
The Terriers started the second period by killing the second half of a five-minute major penalty that got Boston center Billy Pierce ejected. After Luhning narrowly missed his second goal of the night by hitting the right post, the Wolverines managed just one shot during the five minutes.
Parker called his team's penalty killing the difference in the game.
The Terriers evened the score with 7:59 left in the second when Greg Quebec slid the puck past Michigan goaltender Marty Turco from between the circles.
After another Michigan power play came up empty, Boston took the lead for good with 6:30 to play before the second intermission. Boston's Chris Heron deflected teammate Shawn Blake's shot from the left point past a screened Turco to make the score 2-1.
Moments later, Matt Herr broke free for a shorthanded breakaway but had the puck knocked away from behind. The next trip down the ice, Degerman delivered the back-breaker, putting Boston ahead, 3-1.
MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
Brendan Morrison, captain of the Michigan hockey team, pauses in disbelief after losing 3-2 to Boston University in the NCAA semifinals. Next to him, Boston University's Chris Kelleher celebrates his team's victory.