Rejuvenated team snaps Munn curse By Uma Subramanian Daily Sports Writer EAST LANSING - Michigan hadn't won at Munn Ice Arena in five years. Sparty and company had also just knocked off the Wolverines eight days earlier at Joe Louis Arena in the GLI Championship game. You could almost see the swagger in the Michigan State players' steps as they took the ice for Friday's matchup with the Wolverines. But by the time it was all over, the Spartans were hanging their heads and swinging their fists. Not even the fans seated in Munn's brand new luxury boxes - which are ridiculous in and of themselves - could do anything about it. Those fans combined with the absence of students who weren't in school yet, may have factored into the Spartans' downfall. After all Munn was about as loud as the Law Library during exams. But Michigan earned its 2-0 shutout on its own in a hard fought, closely contested battle that thrust the Wolverines into a first-place CCHA tie with the Spartans. The win represents more than two points though. It strongly suggests that an arduous turnaround is complete and Michigan will be a force to contend with when March rolls around. On Friday night, the Wolverines projected an aura of energy and completeness. They have finally arrived. It was the first truly complete game that the Wolverines played all season. Anyone who suffered through the tumultuous first 21 games knows that this win over the most hated yet most respected opponent is by far Michigan's biggest victory of the season. The game lived up to the hype. The intensity never lapsed and neither team gave the other an edge. But Michigan had an unshakable determination. It started at the top and filtered through the ranks. Goalie Josh Blackburn, who saw his first game action since an October injury, exuded perfection. Not to take anything away from L.J. Scarpace and Kevin O'Malley who did fantastic jobs upon being thrust into the starting goalie's role, but it was Blackburn who sparked the fire on Friday that ended when junior Scott Matzka and freshman Andy Hilbert who scored on the nation's No. 1 goalie, Ryan Miller. "I was anxious to give Blackburn a shot," Michigan coach Red Berenson said after the win. "He was our MVP last year as a freshman. He's a top-notch goalkeeper. "I can't tell you how pleased I am. He could have bombed and I was ready for that. I'm pleased for him because he's worked his tail off to get back." Blackburn's teammates couldn't say enough about him, either. They all understood what it must have taken for him to return and stop all 23 Michigan State shots. "Blackburn was unreal," Matzka said. "It was like he didn't even miss a game. We gave him some support, but he's an incredible goalie." Blackburn and the defense got it done on Michigan's end of the ice. Offensively a crew of veterans dominated the game. All season long Berenson has toyed with lines to find winning combinations that would finally click. Sometime in early December, he found one. Quietly and unassumingly, juniors Josh Langfeld, Mark Kosick and Matzka have become one of the team's top lines; they have scored 46 points this season. Kosick tops the charts with 13 goals and Matzka and Langfeld also rank among Michigan's top six point scorers. The story does not lie in the points though - it lies in the chemistry which exists among the three. "Kosick has been the firing pin on that line and Matzka has been doing a lot of things for this team," Berenson said. "The line is an experienced line and they're getting the chances." If you were to dissect famous hockey trios through history, you'd find that more than anything else, the players have loved playing together. That's what has made them tick. "We're all good friends and we know each other pretty well," Matzka said. "I like playing with Kosick and Langer. We're working well together. It was a huge win for us." The veterans have come on strong, but there also comes a point in every season when the freshmen are no longer freshmen. For Michigan, when the calendar turned over, so too did the labels for the six first-year players. "The freshmen have had an opportunity to play important roles on the team," Berenson said. "They're gaining confidence. I'm getting confidence in them." The Wolverines are finally firing on all cylinders - everyone is healthy and the team is riding a wave of confidence. Things have come full circle for Michigan, although it is definitely a different Michigan team - wiser and perhaps more skilled. They know it, the fans know it, and on Friday night Michigan State knew it too. Originally on page 4B in the 1-10-2000 issue of the Daily.