Seniors ready for last hurrah

They've been part of two national championship teams. They've captured three CCHA playoff titles, and won the Great Lakes Invitational on two occasions.

Meet the members of the Michigan hockey team's senior class. Finish your introductions quickly - the NCAA Tournament, beginning in the first round Friday against Denver, will be their final run in Michigan uniforms.

"I've always said you're as good as your senior class," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "I think this class has really stepped forward in the playoffs."

And while you'd be hard-pressed to find a coach who would badmouth his senior class, you get the feeling that Berenson is telling the truth.

It would have been easy for the seven seniors to slip into a feeling of self-satisfaction after last season. After all, they'd done the ultimate in collegiate hockey. They'd won the national championship - twice.

WARREN ZINN/Daily Bobby Hayes has won many championships during his Michigan career, but the senior would love to take home another one. The Wolverines will strive for another NCAA crown starting Friday.

But that wasn't how the seniors wanted to go out. And with three strong captains - Bubba Berenzweig, assistant Bobby Hayes and assistant Dale Rominski - at the helm, Michigan wasn't chalking up 1998-99 as a season of rebuilding at all.

Never mind that the Wolverines would be depending mainly on younger players.

Never mind that, instead of the seasoned Marty Turco, the defensemen would be protecting a goaltender with no collegiate experience.

They wouldn't just deal with the circumstances, they'd make the most of them.

"They've all played a role, and they've played it well," Berenson said.

These days, Michigan rarely has difficulty attracting top talent. Ever since Berenson proved his program's durability with breakout teams in the late '80s and early '90s, recruiting has become a much easier business for the Wolverines.

But the transition of raw talent into finished Michigan product is not an easy one. Freshmen and sophomores in the Michigan hockey program inevitably find a contributing role early in their careers. Obviously Berenson deserves much of the credit, but his success is partly due to the emergence of leadership-oriented captains.

Once mentored by their hockey elders, this season it became time for Berenzweig, Hayes and Rominski to take the reins. Most of their hard work is behind the scenes, tucked away from the public spotlight. But they're making a difference with this hockey program, and the younger players realize it.

"I haven't really thought about it (the seniors leaving)," Michigan center Mark Kosick said. "The seniors are obviously a huge part of our team. They want to go out with a bang, with a national championship."

Michigan fans must treasure this year's senior class, because their careers could end without notice.

One bounce, one mistake, or even just one great play by the opposition might make this weekend Michigan's last.

It would be a disappointment to the Wolverines if things ended that way, but for most programs, finishing with a loss is commonplace.

Only one team wins its final postseason game every year. Everyone else ends up a loser.

"It's something you don't reflect on until the end of the season," Rominski said. "What's really going to separate this class is our two national championships."

And the quality of leaders that follow their legacy.

03-24-99