By the numbers, Kosick proves he's worthy of wearing No. 9

BOSTON - Numbers mean a lot in sports. Scores? Couldn't have them without numbers. Game clocks? Need numbers to keep time, too. Stats? Couldn't have those without numbers, either.

But for all the important roles numbers play in sports, jersey numbers stand out as meaning something even more - something a little more special or intangible. Players often try to carry the same numbers with them throughout their athletic careers. Their numbers become a part of them, something they identify with - something they write down each time they sign their names for an autograph.

In the Michigan hockey tradition, out of all the numbers players have ever worn, the number nine is a little bit different. The number nine has a history of greatness among the Wolverines. Michigan coach Red Berenson wore it when he earned All-American honors twice for the Wolverines back in the 1960s.

Brendan Morrison wore it when he won the Hobey Baker Award last year as a Michigan senior.

Photos by WARREN ZINN/Daily Freshman Mark Kosick tied the game in the third period with his second goal of the evening by chipping the puck past Boston College goaltender Scott Clemmensen. Kosick was named to the all-Tournament team for his weekend efforts.

This year, it's been up to freshman Mark Kosick to represent the outstanding tradition of the number nine in Michigan hockey. And, as his two-goal performance in Saturday night's NCAA championship game proved, Kosick has held up his end of the bargain quite well. And, like the number nines of the past, Kosick was classy in his success, speaking of his teammates before himself.

"Unreal," said Kosick after the game. "There are so many emotions. The seniors on this team - they're such role models; they've been to four final fours. I can't say enough about our seniors, and I'm so happy for them and the whole group."

Berenson didn't want the number nine when he began his career as a Wolverine, but a little incentive from a Detroit Red Wings great quickly changed his mind.

"When I got to Michigan, I always wore number seven, and they said, 'Oh no, you've got to wear number nine,'" Berenson said. "I said, 'Why?' 'Well, because of Gordie Howe.' So I wore number nine, and it became a pretty important number." Now that the number nine is established as a mark of Michigan legends, Berenson said that Kosick is on his way to having a stellar career as a bearer of the special jersey.

"We gave (number nine) to Brendan Morrison, and now we passed it on to Mark Kosick," Berenson said. "He's a young kid with big shoes to fill. Not that we haven't put pressure on him, but you like to see a kid grow and develop, and I hope he does well with that number. I'm sure he will - he has already."

Kosick, unlike many of Michigan's other freshmen, came to the program straight out of high school. The Victoria, British Columbia, native has much of the same experience as the other rookies - his senior year, he played on a Canadian junior team - but Kosick is small at 5-foot-11 and a generous listing of 187 pounds, and he looks like he could easily still be in high school.

But if any of the teams Michigan faced in the final four didn't take Kosick seriously because of his youthful appearance, they quickly regretted the mistake. Kosick was named to the all-Tournament team after an impressive showing in Boston. The center scored two tying goals for Michigan against Boston College. The two goals came on rebounds and were the Wolverines' only goals during regulation.

Kosick's tournament performance should've come as no surprise. Kosick finished the season second in scoring for the Wolverines with 46 points on 14 goals and 32 assists. Despite the impressive stats, Kosick's mature level of play does come as a surprise, sometimes - at least to Berenson.

"I wasn't relaxed before the game," Berenson said. "And we were talking, 'How many of our kids don't want to be here?' And we went through our lineup, and it was hard to find a kid that we really felt we weren't sure about.

"One of the kids we talked about was Kosick. Because he's so young, and you see him here - he looks like our stick boy - yet he gets on the ice and plays like a pro."

But Michigan forward Krikor Arman, an important part of the team despite not playing in the final game, was far from shocked by Kosick's performance. In fact, Arman foresaw the freshman's monumental role in the championship game.

"I predicted this," Arman shouted after the victory. "I said he'd have the biggest game of his career."

Kosick may be young, but his play has improved to the point where he skates like a veteran. Michigan's Bobby 'Maize' Hayes said Kosick has proven himself all year long, and Saturday's performance was just one example of what Kosick has meant to the team.

He's a "young kid, (and he) came a long way for us this year - he's been incredible for us," Hayes said. "I'm so proud of that kid. He came up big for us, and that's exactly what we needed."

With all the pressure heaped on him, Kosick could easily have failed to distinguish himself and the number nine. Instead, the freshman tried to look past all the comparisons and play his own style of game - a style that scored two goals for Michigan in the most important game of the year.

"It'll always be a great honor to wear the number nine at such a great school such as the University of Michigan," Kosick said. "Such great players like coach Berenson and Brendan Morrison wore the number. I came in here at the beginning of the season. I just wanted to go out there and play my game, and hopefully play my best and help the team out.

"I didn't want to try to match or be Brendan Morrison or coach Berenson, I just wanted to go out and play my own game."

04-06-98