by Scott Heasley
THE POST
 
     ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Ohio hockey team beat the top-ranked Iowa State
Cyclones 2-1 Saturday for its third straight American Collegiate Hockey
League National Championship.
 
     "Every guy left everything he had on the ice," senior captain Dan
Morris said. "I couldn't imagine going out any other way than winning three
consecutive national championships."
 
     Coach Craig McCarthy took home his third Murdoch Cup in four years at
Ohio.
 
     "It's a sentimental thing," he said. "Dan Morris, Derek Partlo, John
Grasso and Steve Witt were here four years ago with myself. We're the only
five guys from this program that were in Ames, Iowa, four years ago when we
got our hearts broken in a 4-1 loss to North Dakota State. I think it's
extra special for those four guys."
 
     McCarthy compared his team's dedication to another endeavor that requires
commitment. "We stuck together through thick and thin," he said. "It sounds
kind of like a marriage, but the team kept plugging away. When we were
down, we added to our game instead of making it simpler."
 
     Ohio goalie and tournament MVP Brody Danner anchored the team. He
allowed only six goals in four games and one goal in the final two.
 
     "I needed to stay focused," he said. "I was working on it all year and
in the tournament - especially in the big games."
 
     Danner made several acrobatic saves and played near perfect in the
semifinal and the final. He had 59 saves in those two games and finished
the tournament with 90.
 
     Ohio's defense was the key in its 3-0 win against Arizona in the
semifinals Friday, but faltered in the second period of the title game.
Witt was attempting to clear the puck and made a dangerous pass to the
center of the ice. Iowa State's Brian Wierson intercepted the puck and
scored an unassisted goal.
 
     Down 1-0, Ohio seemed out of synch through most of the second period,
but the Bobcats tied the game when Morris scored a power-play goal with
1:08 remaining.
 
     "I shot the puck and it went off like eight guys and went into the
net," he said. "That calmed everybody down."
 
     Danner and the Ohio defense then clamped down on the Cyclones'
prolific offense, which was averaging six goals a game for the tournament.
With 8:06 left in the game, Ohio forward J.J. Bamberger scored the
game-winner on a breakaway goal.
 
     "I think the goalie should have come out and played it," Bamberger
said. "Bobbie Smith and Derek Partlo made a great play on the faceoff to
give me the breakaway."
 
     Partlo may not have scored the game-winning goal, but he contributed the
intangibles that teams need to win championships. He assisted on both of
the goals in the Iowa State game and also drew the penalty to give the
Bobcats the main advantage when Morris scored.
 
     "I wasn't scoring at my normal rate so I tried to do the other
things," Partlo said. "I've been in the limelight enough over the years
that I don't have to shine every time. Winning was a lot more important to
me."
 
     The Bobcats finish the year 29-8-3 with a No. 1 national ranking. In a
moment of candor and humor, McCarthy revealed his secret to success.
 
     "I fool them," he said. "I tell them something that isn't true and
then I try to convince them that it's true. If you can do that, you can
convince them of anything.
 
     "I've learned more from them than they've probably learned from me.
I've been a different coach for four straight years. I've gone bipolar from
one end to the other and it's been a great experience for me."
 
     McCarthy may have learned from his team over the years, but he also
knows a thing or two about hockey.
 
     Morris said three weeks ago, before the Central States Hockey League
tournament,McCarthy gave him an envelope with a note inside. The note said
Ohio would lose the league tournament because of the refereeing. The
Bobcats did lose 7-4 to Iowa State and a controversial call by the referees
played a big part.
 
     Then last week Morris received another note from his coach. This time
it said Ohio would meet Iowa State in the finals and that they would win.
The Bobcats then indulged their coach with their best performance of the
entire season.
 
     As the horn sounded and the players rushed onto the ice, 21 helmets,
42 gloves, and 21 sticks littered the A2 Ice Cube rink. They left
everything they had on the ice, taking home only what they needed - a third
straight national championship.
 
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