From "Never Before" To "Once Again"

They skated with thirty pounds of equipment on their bodies, and the weight of high expectations on their shoulders. A weight those who don't understand the importance of tradition will never bear.

They played four games in two weekends, facing teams among the top 10 in those all-important KRACH power rankings. Yet no opponent could rival the pressure they placed upon themselves not to be The Team.

The University of Michigan won a most improbable CCHA Tournament championship Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena with a run as inspiring as its motive. Each of coach Red Berensen's last 19 Wolverine teams had earned berths in the NCAA playoffs without the need for a post-season conference tournament championship. No school in NCAA hockey history--not even Ron Mason's Michigan State Spartans--had ever amassed such sustained success. And this year's team was determined not to be the one everyone would remember: The Team that ended The Streak.

The all began in March of 1991. The first Iraq War was in full swing, and it would be another three years before anyone knew what a world wide web was. Current Michigan defenseman and Columbus Blue Jacket draft pick Kevin Lynch, who scored twice in the Wolverines' 5-2 semifinal shocker over #2 Miami, was an eight-month-old embryo inside his mother's belly at the time. To lend further perspective, Red's 1991 squad started the string with a win over Cornell before being swept out of the NCAAs by Boston University. Leading the Terrier attack? A senior forward by the name of Tony Amonte.

Nineteen years later, the Wolverines entered the CCHA Tournament in seventh place, a second-division regular-season finish in the 12-team conference, with a 14-13-1 record, 19-17-1 overall. Losers of four of their last six, the maize and blue had also dropped six straight on the road. To call the season mediocre would have been flattering.

But that was the "before" photo, as Michigan proceeded to go Charles Atlas on the rest of the conference. After sweeping Lake Superior State in their play-in series--play-in series!--all this seven seed did was take down second-place Michigan State (twice, in their own arena), run top-seeded and #2-ranked Miami out of the Joe, and weather a well-balanced and equally well-coached Northern Michigan team for the 2-1 clincher.

If that alone weren't a Shawn-White-worthy turnaround, they pulled it off without their captain and starting goaltender, neither of which were in uniform for the final four games. Senior defenseman Chris Summers, future property of the Phoenix Coyotes, suffered an unspecified lower body injury in the opening round series against the Lakers, and hasn't played since. And starting netminder Bryan Hogan injured himself in the final series of the regular season against Notre Dame while defending a 2-on-1 Irish rush. He skated at Joe Louis Arena this past weekend, but is still less than 100% and listed as back-up to fellow junior Shawn Hunwick [pictured here rehydrating].

Making just his seventh career start since the injury to Hogan, Hunwick sucked the hope out of every sliver of Huskie momentum, allowing a single goal on 19 shots. In six CCHA playoff games Hunwick surrendered a mere nine goals. Exactly three per weekend. And won the CCHA Tournament's Most Valuable Player award without a second thought from the voters.

So now the Wolverines begin NCAA tourney run number twenty, this time enjoying the rare benefit of selection committee generosity. Michigam travels to Fort Wayne, Indiana, as the Midwest Regional's third seed, and will face 2009 Frozen Four semifinalist Bimidji State Saturday at 7:30pm. A win will score them a potential re-match with the Miami Redhawks, thirsting for revenge not just from this year's CCHA semis, but also from last season's crushing overtime loss in the National Championship game. The Redhawks had Boston University dead to rites by a 3-1 count with less than a minute to play before the Terriers tied the game, scoring twice after pulling their goalie and winning it in the extra period.

No team seeded higher than fourth had ever won the CCHA Tournament championship before the #7 Wolverines. But enough with the "never before". It's time for Coach Berenson to lead his white-hot maize-and-blue skaters back into the more familiar world of "once again". Hail!