Former Icers Returning for Summer Hockey Showcase
From MGoBlue.com

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan ice hockey alumni will return to Ann Arbor on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 6-7, for the 2004 Summer Hockey Showcase and Golf Classic. Three games, featuring alumni of various ages, will take place Friday, Aug. 6, and the golf outing will be held the following day.

The 2004 Summer Hockey Showcase will feature three separate contests at Yost Ice Arena. Alumni between the ages of 35-50 will play at 4:30 p.m., while players over the age of 50 will skate at 5:30 p.m. The evening tops off with the recent graduates and players under 35, who will face off at 7 p.m.

Among some of the confirmed participants in the 2004 showcase are:

• Red Berenson -- Michigan's head coach for the past 20 seasons and a 17-year veteran of the National Hockey League. Has led U-M to NCAA Tournament appearances in 14 straight seasons.

• Jason Botterill -- Skated with the Wolverines from 1994-97 and ranks second on U-M's list for career penalty minutes with 483. Botterill has been a part of the Buffalo Sabres organization for the last two seasons and has played the bulk of his games for the Sabres affiiliate in Rochester, N.Y.

• Andy Hilbert -- A forward for U-M in 2000 and '01, Hilbert led the Wolverines in scoring in 2001 with 64 points in 41 games. Hilbert has skated with the Boston Bruins over the past three seasons while mostly playing with their affiliate in Providence. He scored his first career playoff goal during a five-game stint with the Bruins in the 2003-04 playoffs.

• Jeff Jillson -- Patrolled the blue line for the Maize and Blue from 1999-2001. Jillson played in a career-high 64 games in 2003-04 as he spent a large portion of the season with the Boston Bruins and then was traded to the Buffalo Sabres late in the year.

• Josh Langfeld -- Played at Michigan from 1998-2001 and scored game-winning goal in overtime of the 1998 national championship game. In his third season with the Ottawa Senators organization, Langfeld spent the second half of the 2003-04 season up with the Senators and set career highs in games played (38), goals (7) and assists (10).

• Mike Knuble -- Skated for Michigan from 1992-95 and is tied for seventh on the school's all-time career goals list with 103. After spending four productive years with the Boston Bruins, Knuble recently signed a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.

• Brendan Morrison -- Michigan's only Hobey Baker Award winner, earning the award in 1997. Morrison, who played at U-M from 1994-97, finished his fourth straight season without missing a game for the Vancouver Canucks and put up 22 goals and 38 assists for 60 points.

• Steve Shields -- U-M's netminder from 1991-94 and the second-winningest goaltender in college hockey history with 111 wins. A nine-year NHL veteran, Shields was the backup goalie for the Florida Panthers in 2003-04.

• Blake Sloan -- A forward at Michigan from 1994-97, Sloan was a part of the Wolverines' NCAA championship team in 1996. He won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1998-99, his first season in the NHL. Sloan played in 28 games for the Stars in 2003-04.

• Chris Tamer -- Michigan's career leader in penalty minutes, Tamer has had a 10-year career in the NHL. Tamer, who played at Michigan from 1990-93, has spent the last five seasons along the blue line for the Atlanta Thrashers.

• Marty Turco -- College hockey's winningest goaltender with 127 career victories from 1995-98, Turco became the Dallas Stars' No. 1 netminder in 2002-03. Turco appeared in his second straight NHL All-Star Game in 2003-04 and was voted the starting goalie for the Western Conference at the All-Star Game in Minneapolis.

• Mike Van Ryn -- A rearguard for Michigan in 1998 and '99, Van Ryn established himself as a full-time player with the Florida Panthers in 2003-04. Van Ryn more than doubled all of his career numbers in parts of the three previous seasons by playing in 79 games and notching a line of 13 goals and 24 assists for 37 points.

• Aaron Ward -- A defenseman at Michigan from 1991-93, Ward has played 10 seasons in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings and, most recently, with the Carolina Hurricanes. In 2003-04, his third season with the Hurricanes, Ward tallied eight points in 49 games.

Other former Wolverines who are expected to appear are Bubba Berenzweig (1996-99), David Roberts (1990-93), Jeff Norton (1985-87), Steven Halko (1993-96) and Bill Muckalt (1994-98).

Tickets for the 2004 Summer Hockey Showcase can be purchased at Yost Ice Arena immediately prior to the event. All proceeds will benefit the Michigan Hockey Scholarship Endowment Fund. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children between the ages of seven and 12. Children six and under will be admitted free. All ticketholders will be eligible for door prizes.

The golf outing will take place on Saturday, Aug. 7, at the University of Michigan Golf Course and will feature shotgun starts at 8:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.