‘Forgotten’ senior seizes chance to bolster surging UMD

Rob Anderson has no illusions about regaining the No. 1 goaltending slot for Minnesota-Duluth. He knows freshman sensation Isaac Reichmuth has that pretty well wrapped up. But Anderson, a Bulldog senior who had more than paid his dues the past three years, also found it distasteful to trade his hopes for “All-WCHA goaltender” for qualifications of “forgotten man of the year.”
If one game could count as the comeback of the year, Anderson pulled it off, making 33 saves for a 2-1 victory over Denver that might have been UMDÂ’s biggest victory of the season, because it vaulted them from seventh place, past Denver and into a tie for fifth with St. Cloud State as the battle intensifies for a top-five finish and home ice in the playoffs.
Anderson did his best to help UMD rebuild from last place during his first three seasons, and he finished last season with a strong 9-11 record, including a 4-2 finish with a 2.45 goals-against mark in his last seven starts. And he didnÂ’t play poorly to start this season, but while he gave no reason to lose his position, Reichmuth took over the job with a flourish and Anderson has had to admit he, too, has become a fan.
“Isaac Reichmuth is the best goaltender I’ve ever seen play,” said Anderson. “He’s constantly been standing on his head, and for three months he never let in a bad goal. He’s a great kid, too, and I like him a lot. But no matter how well he’s playing, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to get in there now and then and show that I’m still part of the team.”
Reichmuth was playing for the Trail Smoke-Eaters in the British Columbia junior league the past two seasons, while Anderson was toiling to become the mainstay in the UMD nets while a new coaching staff under Scott Sandelin tried to redesign the Bulldog program.
Anderson, from Superior, had backed up Brant Nicklin as a freshman, then, when Sandelin took over as coach, Anderson had to prove himself all over again and alternated with freshman Adam Coole in the UMD nets. The pair split the goaltending duties last season, too, but the UMD coaches gave a scholarship to Reichmuth, and even though the Anderson-Coole duo played well down the stretch, CooleÂ’s scholarship was pulled and he transferred to St. Cloud State.
So when the season started, Anderson was the senior veteran and Reichmuth the freshman flash who was Trail’s most valuable player two years in a row, with over 90 percent saves and a goals-against average of 3.63 last season. Anderson opened the season with a 2-2 tie against Notre Dame, and Reichmuth played a 4-3 loss to the Irish the next night. Anderson played both games against Colorado College, a 4-4 tie and a 4-3 loss to the eventual league-leaders. Then the ‘Dogs went to Alaska-Anchorage, and Reichmuth needed only 15 saves to win 3-2, and Sandelin gave him the start the next night, too, and UMD tied the still-winless Seawolves 2-2.
Sandelin continued to go to Reichmuth, who rose to the top of the WCHA goalie statistics while starting 21 of 22 games, with Anderson starting only an exhibition game against Bemidji State on Dec. 2. Reichmuth started 12 straight games after that, although at Minnesota State-Mankato, Reichmuth gave up all the goals in 5-3 and 4-1 losses. Anderson relieved with five stop in the second game.
Anderson had waited patiently, but he had no animosity.
“I’ve never been through anything like that,” said Anderson. “I kind of wondered if I’d ever get a chance to play again. I had lost a game by a goal to the No. 1 team in the country (CC) and then I went through a frustrating time. I was showing up for practice every day and working hard, but not playing. There was really nothing I could do, or say, because it wasn’t about me, it was about the team. And he was playing well.”
When Denver came to Duluth last weekend, Reichmuth faced Adam Berkhoel, but instead of a goaltending duel, UMD outgunned the Pioneers 6-5. Sandelin decided to give Reichmuth a break, and started Anderson in the Saturday Denver game.
Anderson responded with eagerness, but he tried to temper it. “I was pumped up to play, but I didn’t want to be too high,” Anderson said. “It was fun to finally get back in there.”
UMD struck first, with rookie flash T.J. Caig pulling a corner faceoff to Jesse Unklesbay, who scored at 8:19 of the first period. Less than five minutes later, the Bulldogs gave the speedy Pioneers a 3-on-1 break, and Connor James raced up the left side and drilled a hard shot for a 1-1 tie. But that was it. Anderson dueled league-leading goalie Wade Dubielewicz the rest of the way, with a busy night, because Denver outshot UMD 34-21.
“Denver is really good,” said Anderson. “They never give you an easy shot, and everyone in their lineup goes 90-frickin’ miles an hour.”
But Anderson was quick and poised, and stopped everything. With only 3:27 remaining in the third period, Luke Stauffacher spun free and scored on Dubielewicz, and Anderson held firm through a wild, six-attacker finish to claim the 2-1 victory.
“Based on all that has happened, this was the biggest win for me ever,” said Anderson. “I have no idea if I’ll get the chance to play at Michigan Tech this weekend, or when I’ll get another start. Isaac is the most skilled and best goalie I’ve seen in the league, but I may have to give a little wave and say, ‘Hey, coach! I’m still here!”

Sertich plans to psyche Huskies to regain Tech glory years

There are two types of media folks covering the WCHA these days – the ones who don’t quite get Mike Sertich’s deadpan humor, and those who thank their laptops that Sertie is still coaching, because he is certain to enliven every post-game discussion with a few barbs, one-liners, or clever metaphors.

In this age when coaches are concerned about their jobs to the point of being nervous about letting the media have free access to their players, it is no wonder that they choose their words carefully. Most of them select their own comments carefully, reverting to the Coach’s Cliché Book to talk about working hard, getting outworked; getting breaks, or not getting breaks; or about the need for players to “step up to the next level.”

And then there’s Sertich. He spent 18 years as head coach at Minnesota-Duluth before he “got resigned.” Not even a year later, he was hired in midseason to take over at Michigan Tech, and he now is in his third season of trying to lift the Huskies up through the rugged WCHA to respectability, on their way to contention. It’s been a tough rebuilding process, but through it all, Sertich’s collection of zingers has continued to expand.

Two weeks ago, the Huskies had to go to Grand Forks, N.D., to face a North Dakota team that had just been thumped twice at Colorado College to fall from the nationÂ’s No. 1 rating in the spectacular new Engelstad Arena. Almost predictably, the Fighting Sioux spent a stiff week of practice under coach Dean Blais, and came out firing on all cylinders. The result was an 8-0 rout of Michigan Tech.

After the game, a reporter asked Sertich if, out of such a drubbing, he could find anything to take away. Sertich shrugged and said: “I don’t know…I’m going to take a walk around the building and see if I can find something to steal.”

Sertich then was asked if the goal barrage was something like an avalanche, and he proceeded to verbally wander through a deadpan explanation of what an avalanche really was. It went something like this: “You may not understand what an avalanche really is, but it can begin when a mass of snow gathers on an esker,” he said. “After it builds to a certain point, a tiny bit of snow might start to fall, and it may gather momentum enough to overcome inertia. And you know, a body in motion tends to stay in motion, and due to the angle it’s falling, it accumulates mass, and speed, and that’s what does the damage…”

Uhhh, coach? What was my question?

“You know,” said Sertich, “I’m at a technological university.”
If the reporters wander off in a quandary, Sertich uses his own humor and some interesting psychological ploys to keep his youthful Huskies from getting too dismayed when things donÂ’t go their way. Obviously, it can work, because 24 hours later, Tech stunned North Dakota 5-2 in the rematch.

Without putting too much emphasis on it, Sertich explained that he had gotten to know Don Simila, a clinical psychologist who works at Marquette General Hospital, and used to play hockey. “We exchanged some ideas,” said Sertich. “He’s very laid back, but he’s dynamic and he observes everything. We brought him in as a sports psychologist, and we have a group meeting once a week.”

ItÂ’s not that Sertich didnÂ’t feel up to the task of psyching his troops. Far from it. But he knew that things had changed in the overall aura of Michigan Tech hockey, from the glory days of John MacInnes, back when Sertich was a player at UMD.

“I think our meetings have addressed what was wrong,” said Sertich. “We had developed an attitude where maybe even coming here there was an expectation of losing, it had permeated the program for a long time. We’re kind of isolated up here at Houghton, and it’s a tough school. We felt we had to redefine our culture. I think they’ve learned some things about the program, some values, and we empowered them to create their own standards.

“The meetings have been pretty much the players’ meetings, and it’s fun to watch their success grow.”

The victory at North Dakota was a shocker, but it gave the Huskies another step on their climb. Picked for last in the WCHA by the coaches in the preseason Grand Forks Herald poll, the Huskies had climbed to eighth, putting some distance between themselves and Wisconsin and Alaska-Anchorage with a 6-11-3 record. That is nowhere near where Sertich wants them to be, but it also represented the benefits of a six-week stretch of 6-5-1.

The Huskies went back home for their legendary Winter Carnival series, against Minnesota-Duluth, and the Bulldogs – on the rise to contention themselves – smacked the Huskies twice. “They came in here very well prepared and certainly took it to us,” said Sertich. “They’re pretty good. I was impressed.”

As for the record, Sertich said: “I don’t pay much attention to that. We’ve still got a way to go, but we’re at the point where we can make it miserable for somebody else.

“We only have two seniors in the lineup, Greg Amadio and Chris Durno, and four juniors, so we’re extremely young,” Sertich added. “Our scoring has been pretty well spread around. We don’t have a big scorer, but we have a line of Jon Pittis, Colin Murphy and Chris Connor. They’re fun to watch, and they’re pretty intimidating – Pittis is 5-5, Murphy 5-10 and Connor 5-6.

“Back on defense, Justin Brown is a junior, and Clay Wilson is a sophomore, and the rest are freshmen. All of them have had their moments in the sun…and in the doghouse.”

Wilson, a smooth puck-handling defenseman, has shown signs of true stardom. And another sophomore, goaltender Cam Ellsworth, has been the key figure in TechÂ’s rise, giving the Huskies consistent play that often tends toward spectacular.

With Tech somewhat secured in eighth place, thatÂ’s better than ninth or tenth, and it also puts the Huskies in position to cause some grief in the playoffs. Up above them, the race for everything from second through seventh is a scramble, with six teams separated by eight points, with six games remaining. Minnesota State-Mankato has a two-point edge in second place, but has played two more games than its pursuers. After Colorado CollegeÂ’s pace-setting 37 points, Mankato has 31, Minnesota 29, North Dakota 28, UMD 25 and both Denver and St. Cloud 23. So UMD, Denver and St. Cloud are all battling to claim the fifth and final home-ice position.

As for the Huskies, there is no reason to look ahead to a potential playoff rival. There is, however, considerable evidence that they will be “psyched up” to make things difficult for every team they might face. And while the present looks good for Tech, the future only looks better.

‘Accord’-ing to Honda, newest sedan should return to No. 1

Over the past few decades, the Honda Accord has risen from being a good Japanese imported sedan, to the top-selling car in the United States, and on to being built primarily at a U.S. plant in Marysville, Ohio, from which it became the leading U.S.-built EXPORTED sedan.

With each new generation of the car, it continues to improve, although the competition gets tougher each year as well. The seventh version of the Honda Accord has just been introduced for 2003, and test-drives indicate it very likely could reclaim the position of top-selling sedan in the U.S. Challengers keep increasing in number, improving in quality and coming from all directions, but the Honda Accord just keeps on cruising to its own high standards.

The Toyota Camry is AccordÂ’s biggest challenger, and the competition between the two has aided both of them, and consumers, by the ever-escalating achievement of their virtues. Two years ago, the Accord led in sales, but Camry, bolstered by the introduction of a new model in 2002 against the final year of AccordÂ’s sixth generation, leapfrogged back ahead of Accord to become No. 1 in U.S. sales with 434,983 models sold during the 2002 model year. Accord sold 399,213, compared to the third-place 325,493 Ford Tauruses.

Honda also captured the fourth spot in U.S. car sales with the CivicÂ’s 316,055. All of these cars tend to grow slightly with each evolution, and the current Civic is about the same size as the Accord was 15 years ago, which means combining the traditional midsize Accord sales with the near-midsize Civic puts Honda clearly at the top.

Accord and Camry both have become legendary for not needing anything more than routine maintenance and virtually assuring buyers of 200,000 trouble-free miles. Accord has always enjoyed a slight edge on Camry from the subjective standpoint of being slightly more high-tech and sporty feeling. ThatÂ’s not important to many thousands of buyers, who are just looking for transportation, and the more appliance-like a car can be, the better. But if the new Accord maintains its slight edge in fun-to-drive, it must now look at the Volkswagen Passat, NissanÂ’s year-old Altima and the sensational just-released Mazda6 as raising the bar on sporty driving.

The Accord always has been obtainable as base DX, mid-range LX and top-of-the-line EX models, and the styling is the same on all, except for upgrade elements such as alloy wheels. The new Accord looks good from the front, and has improved aerodynamics from 0.33 to 0.30 coefficient of drag. From the rear, it is a bit more controversial, as it has a tall trunklid that may increase trunkspace, but looks large, and has high-beltline horizontal taillights that buyers will either like or dislike. It does reach all the way to the bumper, for low liftover height of grocery bags, golf clubs or luggage.

I recently had the chance to test-drive a pair of EX models, one with the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine and the other with the 3.0-liter V6. Both were impressive, with HondaÂ’s high-tech VTEC system of variable valve-timing, and both carried the new sedan to unprecedented heights. The 4-cylinder deserves inspection, because the vast majority of Accord buyers would be happy with its performance, even though the V6 almost has become a reflex option among buyers. Going to the V6 and a few other options can cause the sticker price to rise from $23,000 to over $26,000.

The 4-cylinder revs freely, with dual overhead camshafts driving the 16 valves. It adds 161 foot-pounds of torque to its 160 horsepower, and at only 3,120 pounds it runs swiftly and smoothly. I got 23 miles per gallon in mostly around-town driving, although EPA estimated highway mileage goes to 34 miles per gallon.

The V6 model had more features and increased weight by about 300 pounds. The engine itself also has four valves per cylinder, but only a single overhead cam on each bank. Its 240 horsepower are complemented by 212 foot-pounds of torque, so the increase in power is substantial. ItÂ’s just that in real-world driving, it is unlikely anyone this side of a drag-racer would notice the benefits. While some tests show the 4-cylinder can go 0-60 in 7.5 seconds, the V6 is a bit quicker, at 7.0, but thatÂ’s pretty negligible.

Most impressive to me was that I was able to get a legitimate 25.2 miles per gallon on a trip from Chicago to Duluth with the V6 – quite comparable to the 4. So the question comes down to whether it’s worth the extra few hundred dollars.

As EX models, both were similarly equipped, although the V6 model had seat-heaters, which are features IÂ’ve never had on cars IÂ’ve owned, but which are greatly appreciated when the temperature on the northern ridge of the Great Lakes plunges below zero.

Both cars have 4-wheel disc brakes and double-wishbone suspension at all four corners, with stabilizer bars front and rear, and both came equipped with HondaÂ’s slick 5-speed automatic transmission. Both also have a rear seat that folds down to increase stowage space. When the rear seat is up, it has a pass-through door to the trunk that becomes very useful when hauling things like skis or hockey sticks. A glass moonroof with slide and tilt, 16-inch wheels, an impressive audio system with 6-disc in-dash CD player and steering-wheel remote controls are other features.

The seats are comfortable and supportive, with lumbar support, and I liked the leather seats and steering wheel, and the various storage bins and cupholders are well designed. I even liked the fake woodgrain on the console and door panels.

The air-conditioning has an air-filtration system, and dual controls allow you to adjust the climate control setting for left or right. That, however, leads to my only complaint about ergonomics with the Accord. Honda always has been the king of ergonomics, that subjective talent of laying out the switches right where personal logic and instinct tells the driver they will be. In recent years, the Accord has had a large round knob just to the left of the audio system for turning the thing on and off, and cranking the volume up or down.

On the new car, the audio system is positioned above the heat-air system on the center dash, and there are three large round knobs laid out in a slight “V” shape. Close inspection will show you that the center knob is the one that is used for turning the audio system on or off and turning up the volume, while the left knob is for turning the left side temperature higher or lower, and the right knob takes care of the same chores for the right side occupant.

The trouble is, being in a slight “V” reinforces the instinct that the left knob must be to control volume. I lowered the window to talk to someone, but when I hastily tried to turn down the audio, I instead lowered the temperature setting to 55 degrees, while Mark Knopfler’s guitar kept on blasting away. At least once a day I mistakenly reached for the left knob to adjust volume. Now, THAT’S ergonomically correct. Thankfully, there also are steering-wheel remote controls.

(John Gilbert writes a weekly auto column. He can be reached by e-mail: jgilbert@duluth.com.)

Volvo’s cars offer stylish — and safe — alternatives

When Volvo captured the International Truck of the Year award at the Detroit auto show last month, it was because the Swedish automaker had successfully ventured into the sport-utility-vehicle segment to meet the demands of most SUVs while setting new standards of safety and ecological efficiency, while still being fun to drive.
That shouldnÂ’t have been so surprising, because Volvo has been making safe and substantial cars for 75 years. The style and fun have come later, but the new XC90 SUV shouldnÂ’t obscure the rest of VolvoÂ’s product line of sedans and station wagons. Its basic S40 sedan and V40 wagon start in the mid-$20,000 range and are safe and solid bargains. Moving upscale, I recently was able to spend a week test-driving a pearl-white S80 anniversary edition, which came shortly after I also had driven a V70 T5 station wagon, and its sedan twin, the S60.
The basic S40 has a turbocharged 1.9-liter 4-cylinder engine – for better fuel economy if less-potent performance. The S60 sedan ranges in price from $28,000 to the mid-$40,000 bracket, and the one I test-drove was not only loaded with options to total $36,635, it also came with all-wheel-drive. Volvo used to steadfastly build rear-wheel-drive cars and let Saab, its Swedish competitor, devote its engineering to front-wheel-drive. Over the last two decades, the obvious assets of front drive, particularly as they relate to driving in Swedish winters, and northern-tier, snowbelt driving in the U.S., led to a changeover to front-wheel-drive in Volvo car-building.
The S60 AWD sedan I drove had VolvoÂ’s 2.5-liter 5-cylinder engine, with dual-overhead-camshafts, turbocharged to deliver 300 horsepower. With a 5-speed automatic transmission that allows clutchless-manual shifting, and the all-wheel-drive unit that transfers power from a 67-percent front bias to wherever a wheel has better traction, the price was only $32,175. Adding the touring and premium packages, which include power leather seats, a moonroof, trip computer and a quality-air filtration system, boosted it to $36,635.
Ironically, I drove the S60 AWD before we had anything resembling snow cover or icy roads on the North Shore of the Great Lakes, and it was iciere when I got the V70 wagon, which was a front-wheel-drive version with a smaller, 2.3-liter inline 5-cylinder, turbocharged to put out 247 horsepower. The wagon adds the flexibility of a spacious rear cargo area, and is the lower, less-rugged twin of the Cross Country wagon. It also had the touring and premium packages, taking the price from $33,870 up to $36,500, and the value is increased by the fuel economy, which reached a high of 28.4 miles per gallon in highway driving, and a low of 22.7 mpg in mostly city driving, compared to EPA estimates ranging from 20-28.
The V70 wagon also had an excellent audio system, which has needless complexity for setting the frequencies until you get used to it, but also had incredible separation of the layers of sound on every CD.
Both the S60 and V70 have VolvoÂ’s fantastic seats, which not only are comfortable and firm, like fine pieces of Scandinavian furniture, but they have slightly convex headrests that cradle the back of your head. ItÂ’s especially pleasant for the front passenger, who might have more reason to relax.
The S80 was a quantum leap up the scale, particularly the test car, being the pearly 75th anniversary model. This baby was loaded, and the price sticker reflected it – shooting from $45,995 to just over $50,000 with the addition of the anniversary gear and the navigation system, plus an amazing surround-sound audio system upgrade. The audio was so good that I was impressed BEFORE I realized that I hadn’t hit the right combination to set the sound and the balance, and it still sounded good with the bass and trebel turned down to negative digits, and the fade switch biased toward the rear. Once I reset everything, the 200-watt amplifier made those eight speakers truly come alive.
The S80 had the 2.9-liter in-line 6-cylinder engine, also with dual-overhead cams and four valves per cylinder, with 197 horsepower – less than the optional twin-turbo engine’s 268 horses, but however many the test-car had, it was plenty. The front-wheel-drive sedan moved out well with moderate throttle, and it turned into a screamer if you ever put it to the floor to merge onto a freeway, for example. It has a 4-speed automatic, with the clutchless-manual capability. Volvo packaging is so tight that the larger 5-speed automatic doesn’t fit with the longer 6-cylinder engine.
Along with the stunning paint job, what sets the commemorative S80 apart is the 75th anniversary edition package. You already get the navigation system, with its pop-up screen that rises out of the center of the dashboard. The package adds two more 7-inch video screens mounted into the rear of the front headrests. In case youÂ’d like to keep rear occupants occupied on a long trip, you can program those screens to play DVDs, CDs, video games or a 68-channel color television, with separate remotes and headphones, so viewers can switch from DVD to video games, etc.
Heated front seats are somewhat common, but this car has heated rear seats, headlamp wiper and washer, electric rear sun curtain, thicker carpeting, an umbrella mounted under the trunk panel, and 17-inch “Thor” alloy wheels.
All of this, of course, is just frosting on the Volvo cake, which starts out with vault-like safety for the occupants, surrounded by front and side airbags and an inflatable side-impact curtain that drops down from the roofline on either side to prevent heads from striking doors or windows in side-impact collisions.
It is surprising, and impressive, to see Volvo branch out from its basically secure and conservative posture with new styling and now enough gadgetry to satisfy the most particular customer.

(John Gilbert writes a weekly auto column. He can be reached by e-mail at jgilbert@duluth.com.)

OSU women’s coach Barto regroups after UMD series

Ohio StateÂ’s womenÂ’s hockey team held on stubbornly before falling 5-2 at Minnesota-Duluth, but the dam burst the next night, when the Buckeyes were the victims of an 11-2 drubbing by the Bulldog powerhouse.

If it felt good to return home Sunday to Columbus, coach Jackie Barto and her Buckeyes didnÂ’t have much time to regroup. Four days later, they would be heading for Minneapolis, and the second half of the WCHA-WomenÂ’s grind against Minnesota. Both UMD and Minnesota have been ranked among the nationÂ’s top three all season, a position the rest of the leagueÂ’s teams continue to strive to achieve.

While UMD and Minnesota are dueling for the WCHA and possible NCAA laurels, Barto and the Buckeyes have set more modest objectives, with the league in its fourth season since bursting upon the scene. Minnesota was the only one of seven teams that had a Division I varsity womenÂ’s hockey program when the WomenÂ’s WCHA was formed. UMD beat Minnesota for the first title, then Minnesota won the second and third, with UMD advancing the past two seasons to win the first two WomenÂ’s NCAA national championships.

“No question, Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth have set the bar pretty high for our whole league,” said Barto. “The others want to continue to improve, and I definitely think there is good progress. Minnesota and UMD have a lot of very talented players out there, but the younger players on other teams are getting exposure to the game. With the resources available to all of us, obviously growth was going to happen. And it’s happened quickly.

“Our objective is to work hard and keep the games close against teams like Minnesota and Duluth. We want to qualify for the WCHA tournament and give it our best shot.”

Barto established herself as a force in womenÂ’s hockey coaching during five years at Providence, where she had been a star athlete. Her first team, in 1994-95, was 18-9-4 and won the ECAC championship. The next year the Friars lost to New Hampshire in the title game, but only after five overtimes. When the WCHA started in 1999-2000, Barto joined the new frontier and moved to Columbus, where her teams showed steady improvement through her first three years, going 8-26-3 with all-rookies, then 18-16-3 as WCHA runner-up, and last year fashioned an 18-15-4 mark.

This year has been more of a struggle, as OSU takes an 8-16-2 record (5-9-2 in the WCHA) to Minnesota.

“I feel that our program can compete with anybody, we just need some confidence,” said Barto. “The trouble is, teams like Minnesota and UMD don’t allow your confidence to grow, and confidence is such a fragile element.”

Both hope and that fragile element of confidence were the keys to Ohio State’s first game in Duluth, which was played in Pioneer Hall, adjacent to the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center main arena, because a “monster truck” show was roaring its way through the big hall both nights. Barto is not likely to soon forget the monster that struck her team suddenly, late in the first game.

The Buckeyes came in 5-7-2 in WCHA games, while UMD was 14-1-1. With both senior April Stojak and freshman Natalie Lamme playing well in goal recently, Barto decided to start Lamme in the first game, because she is from Minnesota’s Iron Range, and her Hibbing roots might help her take hold of the situation. Meanwhile, sophomore Jeni Creary, from Shell Lake, Saskatchewan, came in with 14 goals through OSU’s first 24 games – more than any other two Buckeye skaters combined.

Things were going along according to plan. When Krista McArthurÂ’s power-play goal put UMD up 1-0 during a 15-3 shot barrage in the first period, Creary got lucky and scored late in the opening period when UMD goaltender Patricia Sautter skated to the sideboards but misfired on a clearing attempt, leaving Creary with an empty net from 40 feet for her 15th goal and a 1-1 tie.

The mighty Bulldogs, who finished the weekend 16-1-1 atop the WCHA and 22-2-2 overall to defend their No. 2 national rank, stormed ahead when Hanne Sikio scored shorthanded, Jenny Hempel finished a 3-on-2 rush, and Nora Tallus connected on a power play. But Jana Harrigan knocked in a Jeanne Chapple feed with 5 seconds left in the second period, and despite being outshot 21-3 in the period and 36-6 for two periods, the Buckeyes trailed only 4-2 at the second intermission.

It stayed 4-2 for 12 minutes, which was to Ohio State’s benefit. One more goal – nice set-up, fluke or whatever – and the Buckeyes would be right on the cusp of a major upset bid.

Instead, everything came undone. After making her 40th save, Lamme, who was clearly the star of the game, was down when a teammate blasted UMDÂ’s McArthur down on top of her. The two exchanged words as they got up, and, while still debating, Lamme spit at McArthur. It was an outrageous act, Lamme would agree afterward, a terrible reaction to the pressure and frustration of the moment, and she seemed contrite. But she was gone, nonetheless, as referee Brad Shepherd gave her a game misconduct at 12:24 of the third period. In a moment, she had gone from star of the game to social outcast.

It was still 4-2, and Stojak came in cold and played well. But exactly two minutes later, Creary checked UMDÂ’s Joanne Eustace from behind, headlong into the corner boards. Shepherd had no choice but to hit her with a 5-minute major and game disqualification for checking from behind.

In the closing minutes, Hempel deflected in one more goal for the 5-2 finish, which still wasnÂ’t bad, considering UMDÂ’s 54-15 edge in shots. That left a moment of truth for Barto and the Buckeyes. They had suffered from a steady stream of penalties, and a perceived lack of discipline might have been worse than the outcome. And for the second game, the Buckeyes would be without Creary, who would have to sit out for the disqualification.

Barto chose to not dress Lamme for the second game, getting special permission from the league to go with only one goalie. But even without their top scorer, the Buckeyes responded to BartoÂ’s demand and simply tried to play the powerful Bulldogs heads-up. The result was the 11-2 rout, as Caroline Ouellette scored three goals and Sikio, McArthur and Tricia Guest scored two each, with the irrepressible Jenny Potter adding six assists. Sikio reached the 200-point plateau with her game-opening goal, and she had her two goals and an assist while UMD took a 4-0 lead in the opening session.

While UMD was outshooting the overmatched Buckeyes 33-5 in the first two periods and 51-18 for the game, Jenny Hempel and Guest scored the sixth and seventh UMD goals in a school-record 9-second burst, with Eustace setting up both goals. On top of that, UMD was without Maria Rooth – who reached 200 points two weeks earlier – and Erika Holst, both of whom were skating for Sweden’s National team in a four-game upset victory over Finland, which included UMD defenseman Satu Kiipeli, and Ohio State star Emma Laaksonen.

The Buckeyes obviously depend on CrearyÂ’s offense and LaaksonenÂ’s skills on defense, and Barto points to freshman Jana Harrigan, and sophomores Jennifer Desson and Meaghan Mulvaney to improve the teamÂ’s scoring ability. Laaksonen has proven that more than just UMD can attract top student-athletes from Sweden and Finland.

“The players have to be the right fit for us, though, they have to be players whose highest goal is to graduate from Ohio State,” said Barto. “Scholarships are available, and the talent pool is growing, so the opportunities are definitely there.”

With the trip to Minnesota looming, Barto will leave Lamme at home with an indefinite suspension. “We hold our athletes to the highest standards,” said Barto. “Natalie is disappointed it happened, and she will work hard to get back into the lineup, but it was definitely an act that was unbecoming of an athlete in our program. We all need to be held accountable. The game is all about respect – respect for the game, your team and your opponent.”

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• About the Author

  John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
  
  For those who want to keep up with John Gilbert's view of sports, mainly hockey with a Minnesota slant, click on the following:
  
  Click here for sports
  
  

• Exhaust Notes:

  PADDLING
  More and more cars are offering steering-wheel paddles to allow drivers manual control over automatic or CVT transmissions. A good idea might be to standardize them. Most allow upshifting by pulling on the right-side paddle and downshifting with the left. But a recent road-test of the new Porsche Panamera, the paddles for the slick PDK direct-sequential gearbox were counter-intuitive -- both the right or left thumb paddles could upshift or downshift, but pushing on either one would upshift, and pulling back on either paddle downshifted. I enjoy using paddles, but I spent the full week trying not to downshift when I wanted to upshift. A little simple standardization would alleviate the problem.
  
  

  SPEAKING OF PADDLES
  The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution has the best paddle system, and Infiniti has made the best mainstream copy of that system for the new Q50, and other sporty models. And why not? It's simply the best. In both, the paddles are long, slender magnesium strips, affixed to the steering column rather than the steering wheel. Pull on the right paddle and upshift, pull on the left and downshift. The beauty is that while needing to upshift in a tight curve might cause a driver to lose the steering wheel paddle for an instant, but having the paddles long, and fixed, means no matter how hard the steering wheel is cranked, reaching anywhere on the right puts the upshift paddle on your fingertips.
  
  

  TIRES MAKE CONTACT
  Even in snow-country, a few stubborn old-school drivers want to stick with rear-wheel drive, but the vast majority realize the clear superiority of front-wheel drive. Going to all-wheel drive, naturally, is the all-out best. But the majority of drivers facing icy roadways complain about traction for going, stopping and steering with all configurations. They overlook the simple but total influence of having the right tires can make. There are several companies that make good all-season or snow tires, but there are precious few that are exceptional. The Bridgestone Blizzak continues to be the best=known and most popular, but in places like Duluth, MN., where scaling 10-12 blocks of 20-30 degree hills is a daily challenge, my favorite is the Nokian WR. Made without compromising tread compound, the Nokians maintain their flexibility no matter how cold it gets, so they stick, even on icy streets, and can turn a skittish car into a winter-beater.