Hey Joe

Four teams remain in hunt for CCHA title at Joe Louis

Don't worry. No need to panic. It's just playoff hockey.

That's the sentiment that most of the Michigan hockey team shared in justifying this past weekend's nail-biting three-game debacle against Notre Dame in the first round of the playoffs.

The fifth-ranked Wolverines (22-7-1 CCHA, 30-10-1 overall) squeaked away with two one-goal victories to stay alive in the CCHA playoffs.

"The games have been close," Michigan senior captain Matt Herr said. "But that's playoff hockey."

MARGARET MYERS/Daily The Michigan hockey team will be one of four teams vying for a CCHA playoff title this weekend at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The Wolverines face Ohio State in the semifinal game tonight. The winner plays in the championship game tomorrow and will face the winner of the Northern Michigan-Michigan State game.

If playoff hockey means near-defeats and emotional distress for Michigan fans, then be advised: This weekend should be just as dangerous for the faint of heart.

The second-seeded Wolverines square off against No. 3 Ohio State (19-10-1, 24-11-2) tonight at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit at 8:30. The winner will play in the championship bout tomorrow at the Joe at 7:30

Michigan State, who won the regular season CCHA title, looks like the favorite in the other semifinal game against Northern Michigan.

"Playoff hockey is different than hockey in October or November," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "There's more intensity, more at stake, more pressure on every play, on every pass, and every shot, and every penalty and so on."

The Buckeyes find themselves in a situation resembling that of the Fighting Irish last week. Both teams were swept by the Wolverines during the regular season. The Buckeyes, however, have been the hottest team in the country with a .912 winning percentage since Jan. 9.

That's a surprise, considering in the preseason coaches picked Ohio State to finish eighth. The Buckeyes finished third in the conference.

"They'll be a different team than we faced earlier," Berenson said. "They're playing with a lot of confidence. They're a hot team right now."

While Ohio State may be the hot team right now, it's hard to judge the status of the Wolverines. The Wolverines struggled offensively against Notre Dame, falling behind early in each game.

"You can't coach offense," Berenson said. "You can coach defense, you can preach defense - but offense has to flow. You never know where you're going to get it from."

And with many teams keying on Bill Muckalt, Michigan's primary offensive threat, other players have had to try their hand at scoring.

"Muckalt may not lead our team in scoring in the playoffs," Berenson said. "It could be Andrew Merrick or Josh Langfeld or Mark Kosick."

An interesting plot that could develop - should all the seeds hold - will be a fifth Michigan-Michigan State confrontation this season. Although the Spartans swept the season series between the two teams, the Wolverines most likely would like another go at it.

"A lot of our guys - 10 freshmen - have not played at Joe Louis in the final four," Herr said. "We have half of the team who've been there and won it. We lost the league this year by one point.

"We get another shot here in the playoffs."

03-20-98