Battle of Ortmeyers roars into Yost tomorrow night

By Jon Schwartz (mbk)

Daily Sports Writer

The home of Jack and Judy Ortmeyer in Omaha, Neb. is approximately 700 miles from Yost Ice Arena. So on the surface, Michigan's hockey rink would seem like an odd place to hold the Ortmeyer family reunion.

Jed Ortmeyer is a sophomore forward for the Wolverines, his brother Jake a junior defenseman for Miami.

And when the RedHawks invade Yost this weekend, the entire Ortmeyer family will be ready to see the brothers go to battle.

"It means a little more," Jed, the younger Ortmeyer, said of the matchup. "You just want to go out and do your best to win the game, but it means a little more because he's out there."

The Ortmeyers that fly in for the game will see another chapter in the already long history of the brothers' hockey lives.

The two have the ultimate scouting report on each other. Besides learning the game together, they both played juniors for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL and their careers almost progressed alongside each other to Miami.

"They offered me to go there to be a freshman with him but I didn't think I was ready yet," Jed said. "I wanted to wait a year and they told me that they wouldn't have a scholarship so they were pretty much out of the question."

The older brother was a little bit disappointed but realized that Jed was making a choice that was best for his career.

"Coming out of Omaha, he was the best player I'd played with," Jake said. "He's quick and he plays both sides well."

After tomorrow night's game, the family plans to go out for dinner. There will be chatting about school, home and family life. It will be an ordinary meeting between a family that doesn't get together very often.

What there won't be mention of is what went on during the game and what is going to happen on Saturday night. Because some of the things the brothers will be doing to each other are not exactly conducive to healthy family life.

"I wouldn't mind dropping him a few times," Jake said. "I'm not going to go out and cheap shot him or kill him, but if I have a chance to, I'm going to hit him. Mom and dad might not like it but they're not out there playing."

Mike Cammalleri, the center on Jed's line, is excited for the extra spring that the matchup will give his winger.

"I think it intensifies our line and it will electrify us a little bit and get us going a little more," Cammalleri said.

"The great thing about the relationship they have is they're really good friends off the ice but on the ice they can battle like no one else. I'm extremely excited. It'll be a good weekend of hockey. "

This weekend will be the first time that Jed and Jake's brothers and sisters get to see them play against each other. So for the two soldiers going into hockey's civil war, there is some added pressure.

"Playing against Jed is always fun," Jake said, "but I can't let my younger brother beat me. I've got to keep that in the back of my mind all game."

In the end, though, this weekend is just another series in the long, grueling CCHA season. When all is said and done, the most important thing for both brothers is still making sure that his team comes home with two wins.

With that in mind, Michigan coach Red Berenson is confident that this matchup is good for helping the Wolverines accomplish the task at hand.

"Last year, (Jed) had a great weekend (against Miami)," Berenson said. "When you play against your brother, there's always something more at stake, a bit of a personal challenge and a family challenge as well."

BRENDAN O'DONELL/Daily

Jed Ortmeyer (26) will face his brother Jake as Michigan plays host to Miami this weekend.