Similarities to 1996 title abound

Coincidence? Hard to say ...

Two years ago, after the Michigan hockey team won its first national championship since 1964, former Wolverine Brendan Morrison said that the NCAA title wasn't just for the players on that season's team, but rather that the title was for all of the players in past seasons who had helped build the program - but who hadn't won a national championship.

This year, Bill Muckalt felt the same.

"This one is for all of the guys that wore the maize and blue," Muckalt said. "It's for all of those guys who have worked so hard putting Michigan on the map and making this program what it is."

MARGARET MYERS/Daily Michigan captain Matt Herr hoists the NCAA national championship trophy and sings 'Hail to the Victors' with Chris Fox and the rest of the Wolverines.

Perhaps it's appropriate that Muckalt and Morrison had such similar things to say after the victory - there was much else about Michigan's title run that seemed eerily similar to the Wolverines' championship run two years ago.

Michigan assistant coach Mel Pearson noticed the similarities between the two seasons, and after regulation play he wrote the words 'déjà vu' on the dry-erase board in the Michigan lockerroom.

And when Josh Langfeld scored in overtime to give the Wolverines a 3-2 victory, the parallels with 1996 were almost unavoidable.

For starters, consider the scores in the Wolverines' final three games in both seasons. In 1996, Michigan defeated Minnesota 4-3 in the final game in the West Regional. This season, Michigan defeated North Dakota 4-3 to earn a trip to the final four. In the semifinal game, Michigan defeated Boston University, 4-0, in 1996, and this year the Wolverines beat New Hampshire 4-0 in the semifinal.

Two years ago, Michigan defeated Colorado College 3-2 in overtime to win the title, and of course the Wolverines defeated Boston College 3-2 in overtime to win the title this year.

Even the final game was similar to the final game against Colorado College. Two years ago, the Wolverines entered the third period trailing, 2-1. Mike Legg scored a third period goal that year to send the game into overtime.

This time around, the Wolverines again found themselves trailing 2-1 heading into the final period, and Mark Kosick scored a third period goal to tie the game.

The hero in 1996 was, of course, No. 9 Brendan Morrison, who scored the game winner.

This season, the hero was No. 9 Mark Kosick, who scored Michigan's first two goals.

And one final coincidence - Kentucky won the national championship in basketball in both 1996 and 1998 - all of which Pearson pointed out.

Coincidence ...?

Stepping up: Through most of regulation time, under-used Michigan defenseman Scott Crawford was little more than a spectator with extremely good seats.

Michigan coach Red Berenson played only four defensemen for most of regulation: Bubba Berenzweig, Chris Fox, Dave Huntzicker and Mike Van Ryn.

But when Van Ryn suffered a concussion toward the end of regulation, Berenson had no choice but to put Crawford in the game.

And despite playing just a couple of shifts in each of the past three games, Crawford played a regular shift in overtime and played well.

"You've got to keep your head in the game no matter what," Crawford said. "You don't know what's going to happen. But you're playing in the national championship game, and if you're not up for that, there's something wrong with you."

"That's what it takes to be a champion," Berenzweig said. "That takes a lot of courage and a lot of strength just to keep himself in the game, and he did a great job."

"One up": With both the football and hockey teams winning national championships in the same year, it was natural that after the game reporters asked several questions about the two titles.

And while the players were certainly happy for their football counterparts, Muckalt and Matt Herr thought that the hockey team's title was a little more impressive.

"For the football guys, I'm just kidding, but we're one up on you right now," Muckalt said.

"We don't have to share it with Nebraska," Herr said.

What rule?: This season a new NCAA rule went into effect that prohibits teams from wearing light-colored jerseys if they are not the home team. Because Michigan was the lower seed in the tournament, the Wolverines were technically the road team Saturday, but they still wore their maize jerseys.

Before the game, Berenson went to NCAA Division I Hockey Chairman Bill Wilkinson and asked if the Wolverines could wear the maize-colored jerseys.

Wilkinson refused, so Berenson asked Boston College coach Jerry York if he would mind if the Wolverines wore the alternate jerseys.

York said he didn't mind, so Michigan was permitted to wear maize.

04-06-98