Kosick continues offensive brilliance with two goal night By Geoff Gagnon Daily Sports Writer DETROIT - As Michigan's Mark Kosick addressed the media after leading the Wolverines past Lake Superior State to open the Great Lakes Invitational, a necklace danced around the junior's neck. Fading out of sight only to bounce back with stunning brilliance, the gold chain moved as Kosick spoke - it seemed reminiscent of the forward himself. After fading into a quiet slump earlier this year, Kosick left no doubt at the GLI that, like the necklace, he has bounced into the light. Kosick is indeed shining. In collecting the game-winning overtime goal against the Lakers, Kosick merely continued the offensive outburst that he started five games earlier. After sitting out a game against Wisconsin in late November, the Canadian has been posting stellar numbers. Leading the team in scoring the previous five games by netting six goals and three assists, Kosick carried a five game scoring streak into the tournament's championship final. This on the heels of being named CCHA offensive player of the week just prior to the break. But Kosick, who needs just 12 more to join the top-50 all-time career assist leaders at Michigan, gives all the credit to his linemates, Josh Langfeld and Scott Matzka, who together have helped boost the Michigan offense in the late going. "I can't say just how much I like playing with those two guys," Kosick said. "It makes the whole game easier. It seems like we're always talking and we're always happy on the bench. We know we can score, we've been there before and we just enjoy playing with each other." In the team's final series before the holiday break - against Nebraska-Omaha, the trio combined for 11 points including a four goal, five assist night in the second game of that series. Against Lake Superior in the GLI, the line picked up right where it had left off scoring five points on a pair of goals by Kosick Goalie showcase: In a game already loaded with goaltending storylines, on December 30, Josh Blackburn created one more as he took the bench for the Wolverines against Michigan State. Blackburn, who had not played since foot surgery sidelined him in October, was never slated to play in the GLI game, said Michigan coach Red Berenson, who simply wanted to help the sophomore readjust to the speed of the game after such a long layoff. "I wanted Blackburn to get in sync with the team on the ice level," Berenson said. "I wanted him to feel the intensity at the bench level and he's able to see things better. Certainly he's been out of action for a long time and I can't tell you when he'll be back, but sooner or later he'll be thrown into a game and I thought it was important for him to get in sync with the team." Boasting four of the top 10 goaltenders in the nation, Michigan's date with Michigan State featured an impressive roster of netminders including the top three goalies in the CCHA. In net for Michigan, L.J. Scarpace managed to stop 42 of 49 shots on the weekend while Kevin O'Malley, who has averaged 2.65 goals against for ninth in the nation, looked on. For Michigan State coach Ron Mason, the starting goaltender decisions were even more difficult as the Spartans sat freshman Ryan Miller and his nation-leading 1.20 goals-against average in favor of All-American Joe Blackburn who keyed the Spartan win. "Blackburn obviously was a huge, huge factor in the game tonight," Berenson said of the all-tournament team selection who managed the honor despite only playing in one game of the two-game invitational. Round two: With half a season in the books, Michigan spent the holiday break getting a good sense of what it will take to contend with CCHA leader Michigan State. And the Wolverines won't have much time to reflect on what they've learned before facing the Spartans again. Michigan will look to wrap up a rather prolonged two-game series against Michigan State as the Wolverines travel to Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing later this week. And despite being handed a 3-1 loss in their Dec. 30 meeting, Berenson is thrilled with the chance to face the fourth-ranked Spartans. "This obviously isn't the last time we'll see Michigan State," Berenson said. "So if this was a measuring stick, I really look forward to seeing them again." After Michigan outshot the Spartans 20-6 in the third period of the GLI final, Berenson said he was pleased with his team's play - especially considering the Wolverines played with an adjusted lineup during the holiday tournament. "I feel good about playing them again," Berenson said. "We feel good about the type of hockey we're going to be able to play. These are championship games and for the most part I liked the way we played tonight." So did Michigan freshman Mike Cammalleri who said he's anxious for Friday's contest but not unhappy with the way Michigan performed in December. "We're proud of the way we played," Cammalleri said. "We played with a lot of heart and a lot of energy. We played for Michigan and if you look at fate you should win every game when you play like that. We'll get these guys soon." Despite the efforts of Michigan's Mike Comrie, Michigan State Captain Shawn Horcoff tallied two assists in the GLI final to lead his Spartans past Michigan. In helping his team grab their third-straight GLI title, Horcoff also skated away with tournament MVP honors. SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily Originally on page 6B in the 1-5-2000 issue of the Daily.