Release

Wolverines Beat Colorado to Advance to MCLA Final

May 15, 2009

Notes

● Junior faceoff specialist David Reinhard (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) finished 16 of 23 and scooped up a team-high 7 groundballs to increase his team lead to 203. Freshman Edward Ernst (Washington, D.C./Sidwell Friends) won one of four attempts at the "X".

● Kearns and Yealy paced the team in goals with three a piece.

● A total of 11 Wolverines scored in the contest for the second game in a row.

● Michigan improves to 6-0 all-time vs. Colorado.

● The Wolverines put together their second best riding effort this year, holding the Buffalos to only a 33% success rate (8-24). In late March, the Maize and Blue held Central Michigan to 11-36 totals.

● Sophomore goaltender Mark Stone (Greenwood Village, Colo./Cherry Creek) started the game and played the first half recording three saves while allowing four goals. Fellow sophomore Andrew Fowler (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Hotchkiss, CT) played the second half, and stopped two shots while allowing three goals.

● With the win, the Wolverines increased their consecutive victories record, notching their 39^th straight win. The squad is also on a 21-game road winning streak spanning back to an 8-5 victory over UC-Santa Barbara on May 5 of 2006.

● The Wolverines are 2-0 all-time vs. Chapman, and defeated the Cougars earlier this season in Orange, California by a score of 13-10. In last season's Championship game, the Wolverines defeated Chapman by a score of 14-11, earning the program's first National Championship.

● Tonight's game was broadcast live on Fox College Sports as will the Finals tomorrow evening. Please check your local listings for the proper channel.

QUOTES

Head Coach John Paul

On his general impressions: "We knew coming in that some of the keys in this game were going to be the same keys we've had all year and that was controlling possession through groundballs, faceoffs, and the ride. We did a tremendous job with all three of those. I also really liked the way the offense executed tonight. It was the second game in a row we were firing on all cylinders. Defensively, besides a few breakdowns early on and a few issues when we subbed in late, we were dominate on defense as well. We wanted to shut down Blackburn and we held him to only one goal so all-in-all we did what we wanted to do tonight and we just need to do it one more time."

On the ride: "No matter how much you prepare for our ride, you're going to have to make some very tough plays to beat it. There were times they had some open guys on the clear but it was a tough pass or they had pressure on them. You have to execute tough plays perfectly pretty consistently to beat our ride when we're clicking. By this point in the season the ride starts becoming very effective. We just aren't as good with it early on. Over time it becomes a feel about where to be and how to play it. At this point it's second nature for these guys, and they're anticipating and not reacting."

On teams trying to shut down Yealy: "You've seen the teams we've played this week trying to shut down Yealy and that's fine with us. A lot of guys would be happy with three goals, and he was shut off most of the night. We have so many weapons you can't just focus on one or two guys. We got production from a lot of guys, including two defensive middies, and we should have had a couple from the defenseman. We're going to get you somehow and that's what we count on."

On the goaltending situation: "I think both guys played very well and we got a good look at both of them. We'll make a decision tonight and at this point I'm not really sure which direction we'll go in yet. I was very happy with both of them tonight though."

On the venue: "That building is great, the atmosphere was fun and the weather was perfect. We're just having a lot of fun playing together and being together and we're on a mission. We're just trying to finish the year the way we know we're capable of."

On the different feel going into the finals this year: "Last year we were crossing some pretty uncharted waters. Right now we have an understanding about how good we are and I think we had some questions going in last year. Chapman is an outstanding team and I think we were destined to meet again like this. It should be a terrific game tomorrow and it should be an excellent battle. That being said, we're very confident and coming in this year, we're not hoping to win it, we're expecting to."

On the keys tomorrow: "Once again it will just come down to possession. They put so much pressure on you, and they have so many guys that can score. If they're having more possessions than we are, we could be in trouble. I feel offensively we are just as talented as they are and this game will just come down to who has more possessions. We'll take some confidence from the win earlier this season and we know we can battle back if we have to."

Senior defenseman Zach Elyachar

On the little things: "That's what we're all about. The coaches stress it every day and we take pride in it. That's how we win. We keep the ball in their end of the field by dominating faceoffs and riding like we do. Eventually their defense gets tired and starts throwing slashes instead of getting into proper position and that's when we can start to roll."

On the game earlier this season vs. Chapman: "We're both different teams than we were back in late February. They have solid players all over the field and that's how they've gotten this far. We need to stick to the game-plan the coaches are working on for us right now. If we play the way we played in the second half against them I think we're confident we can get the win. That game was a tale of two halves and tomorrow it will just come down to possession. Whoever controls it should come out on top."

Sophomore attackman Trevor Yealy

On teams trying to shut him off: "I've been telling my defenders in the past couple of game that if they think they're going to shut me down the entire game it's going to go really poorly for them. It's amazing how balanced this team really is, and for some reason teams just don't want to accept that."

On taking pride in the ride: "I remember coming in as a freshman and having this staff just pound it in how important the ride is. It wasn't like that in high school and it was a completely different mind-set. Now you understand that if you're not willing to put that effort and energy in, you're just not going to see the field."

On the feel going into tomorrow: "I was nervous last year, and I think I'll be a little nervous tomorrow, but we've been there before, and had success, and that definitely gives you confidence. It's going to be tough to beat a team like that three times in a row, but if we play the way we did in the second half against them earlier this year, I think we'll have success."

Contact: Joe Hennessy - jjhennes@umich.edu - 734-276-8493