The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/279958
proaching the entire time you're on the ice with an intensity to give your all," senior forward and alternate captain Derek DeBlois said. In the first half of the year, DeBlois, Bennett and Copp were lauded for their ability to lead a young, inex- perienced roster to success, but now that the Maize and Blue are a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament, they've come under fire. "That's a responsibility you take on when you wear a letter," DeBlois said, noting he, Bennett and Copp have a final chance to lead. "We're still in the hunt, and must take ad- vantage of it." MAKING A CONVINCING ARGUMENT While Michigan is far from a guar- antee to make the NCAA postseason, it is also not, at the moment, on the outside looking in; U-M jumped four spots in the Pairwise Rankings after the win over Minnesota and should be safe with a victory over the Nit- tany Lions. A loss would almost cer- tainly end Michigan's season. The Maize and Blue could leave nothing to chance by winning three games in St. Paul, including an im- portant matchup with Wisconsin March 21 (if U-M advances out of its battle with Penn State) and then likely Minnesota in the finals. The Gophers and Badgers sit first and fifth in the Pairwise Rankings, and wins would boost the Wolverines' résumé a great deal. By the morning of Selection Sun- day (March 23), Michigan should know if it's starting a new streak or if its absence will drudge on for an- other year. Either way, the Maize and Blue's own play will have decided their fate. "We're still in a pretty good spot considering the second half we've had," DeBlois added. "We've had a lot of up and downs in this second half and haven't been able to close out our weekends with two wins, but it's pretty exciting to know we can control our own destiny, and it comes down to us and what we do." ❑ Senior forward and alternate captain Derek DeBlois said U-M's postseason fate will depend upon the Wolverines' ability to bear down on every shift and maintain their intensity on the ice. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL