"If you had never seen a hockey game before," the voice boomed over the Providence Civic Center after Michigan's triple-overtime semifinal loss to Maine in the 1995 NCAA Hockey Championships, "this was a heck of an introduction."

And so it was. The game--the longest in NCAA tournament history--fell just 1:51 shy of topping college hockey's all-time list of lengthiest contests. The two goaltenders combined for 99 saves, holding the teams scoreless for a span of 45:37. Many in attendance called it the finest hockey game they had ever witnessed.

But the exceptional quality of the marathon matchup was little solace for a Wolverine squad that has ventured to three of the last quartet of final fours, only to be sent packing in the semifinals each time.

"We didn't score maybe when we should have against Maine," Wolverine coach Gordon A. (Red) Berenson '62 said. "But I feel really good about Michigan being one of the top programs in the country.

When Berenson, a former Wolverine and professional star, took over Michigan's hockey program in 1984, the team was a ship without a compass. Now, after 11 seasons behind the bench, Berenson has steered his team steadily closer to a national title, and this past season represented one of Michigan's finest chances to capture its first NCAA hockey crown since 1964.

Mike Knuble, the nation's collegiate scoring champ, scored two goals in the 4-3 conference final against Wisconsin on the Badgers' home ice to lead U-M into the final four in Rhode Island. There, they faced a rematch with the 1993 national champs, the Maine Black Bears, who beat Michigan in an overtime semifinal thriller en route to that title.

Michigan jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead. But Maine knotted the game at two in the second period, then went up by a goal late in the third. Knuble again came through in the clutch, tying the game at three goals apiece with 5:09 left in regulation, setting up the trio of overtimes.

Both teams had chances to end the game throughout the extra periods, but freshman Marty Turco and Maine's Blair Allison kept all rubber out of the nets. In the end, Maine center Dan Shermerhorn won a draw in the Michigan zone, gained control of the puck and slid it under a surprised Turco just 28 seconds into the third extra period.

Although he knows championships are rare (10 different teams have won the national title in the last 12 years), Berenson says it's only a matter of time until his club wins it all.

"I played 17 years in the National Hockey League and won one Stanley Cup--and I felt good about it," he says. Whether or not Michigan wins an NCAA crown with him behind the bench, Berenson knows how to train a team to always give its best shot. "It's like eating," he says. "Some days you eat better than others. But you never stop eating."