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The Michigan Daily-Friday, October 26, 1979-Page 13
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1979-80
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Experience key for 'M' rebound
By BOB EMORY
The Michigan hockey team lost a lot
more than just 27 hockey games last
year. The Wolverines lost three of their
top scorers to injury, two of them for
large portions of the season and one
who won't play anymore.
First to go was Terry Cullen, who suf-
fered a severe neck injury in the third
game of the year against Minnesota-
Duluth. Dan Lerg strained his knee in
that series and didn't come back until
late December and freshman Murray
Eaves, the team's leading scorer, until
he went out for the year, injured his
knee in mid-January.
Earlier this fall, Cullen, on the advice
of his two doctors, decided to retire
from competitive hockey rather than
risk the possibility of permanent
damage.
ALL THREE WERE centers for what
amounted to the top three forward
lines. When any hockey team in any
league loses its top three centers, it also
loses its scoring punch. Michigan
averaged only 3.61 goals per game last
year.
During last year, the Wolverines also
lost any idea of which of their three
goalies should play in the-nets. Netmin-
ders Rudy Varvari, Bob Sutton and
Peter Mason were as inconsistent as
Michigan weather, having teamed up to
establish a 5.75 goals against average.
At times they looked impressive, like
when Sutton stopped 56 shots in Bowling
Green to beat the highly rated Falcons.
On other, occasions they resembled
human sieves, like when Minnesota
scored eight straight goals in nine
minutes during a 10-1 rout at Yost
Arena.
All of these losses meant coach Dan
Farrell had a lot of work to do to avoid
another 10th place finish in the WCHA
this season.
LERG AND EAVES are healthy so
the offense is better already. Farrell
recruited five forwards who can play
center or wing and he recruited Paul
Fricker, the top goaltender in the
and five assists in last weekend's sweep
of Bowling Green; Brad Tippett, an All-
Canadian junior player last year; Joe
Milburn and Billy Reid, teammates on
the Kenora Thistles last year; and Julio
VanBiesbruck, a member of the Junior
Wings in Detroit last year who also
swings a mean golf club.
"EVERY PART OF the game was an
"Ererv part of the game was
an area of concern for us this
Year. Can we be good defen-
sirely? (ani wce score goals and
can we get solid goalten ding?
These are the things re hare
to ilmprore on."
-Dan Farrell
much more mature and confident this
year," said Farrell. "We also employed
a graduate assistant to work solely with
our four goalies, something we haven't
done since 1976.
"Our freshman class is old. Most of
the guys we recruited are 20-year-olds
and this will make a difference."
Obviously, one of the key factors for
success this year is experience and
maturity. Last year's hockey team was
the youngest in Michigan history so the
returning players must show im-
provement -if the Wolverines are to
,climb out of the WCHA cellar.
THE FIVE NEW forwards all looked
promising in the season opening series
against Bowling Green. It will be up to
the veteran defensemen-Tim Man-
ning, John Blum, Mark Perry, Brian
Lundberg, Paul Brandrup, Dave
Richter and Dave Brennan-to give the
goaltenders more protection by
clearing the puck out of their zone more
effectively, a major weakness last
year.
It will be up to the returning forwar-
ds-Eaves, Lerg, John Olver, Roger
Bourne, Jeff Mars, Dennis May, Jeff
Tessier, Gordie Hampson and Doug
Todd-to hopefully stay free of injuries
and to develop familiarity with fellow
linemates and improve on their three-
and-a-half goals per game average of
last year.
"We're shooting for the top," said
Todd, a senior and captain of this year's
Wolverines. "We had a terrible year
last year and everyone knows we came
in last place. We've had the most com-
petitive practices since I've been here
and everybody's fired up.
"We've got some work to do."
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John Olver
Julio VanBiesbruck
Pacific Coast League last year.
Farrell also allowed a large number
of walk-ons to create the largest and
most competitive training camp in his
previous six years at Michigan. Up to 40
players have been skating in a two-
practice system through this fall. Only
20 can dress for each game.
The five new forwards who will see
the most action are Bruno Baseotto,
who opened his career with four goals
area of concern for us this year," said
Farrell. ".Can we be good defensively?
Can we score goals and can we get solid
goaltending? These are the things we
have to improve on."
He didn't recruit any defensemen, in-
stead relying on his very young
rearguard corps (three freshmen, three
sophomores and one junior last year) to
be much improved with a year's ex-
perience. ;"Qur defense appears to be
MI
w4
1978-79 FINAL STATISTICS
Returning Players in Capitals
1979-80 HOCKEY ROSTER
Jeff Mars
Overall (8-27-1)
WCHA (6-25-1)
NAME
M. Miller
M. EAVES_
T. MANNING'
D. LERG
J. OLVER
D. TODD
B. Wheeler
R. BOURNE
J. MARS
D. MAY
J. TESSIER
B. LUNDBERG
G. HAMPSON
J. BLUM
S. RICHMOND
M. Coffman
P. BRANDRUP
D. RICHTER
M. PERRY
D. BRENNAN
J. Wayman
T. Cullen
R. VARVARI
B. SUTTON
R. Pacholzuk
P. MASON
GP
36
23,
36>
23
34
35
33
34
35
34
32
34
36
35
34
23
24
25
33
16
16
4
20
15
8
6
TP
49
34
34
:31
28
24
20
19
18
16
13
13
12
12
7
5
3
3
3
3
2
2
1
1
0
0
GP
32
19
32
30
32
29
31
32
30
28
30
32
:32
30
21
22
23
31
12'
13
2
17
13
6,
6
TP
45
28
26
23
18
18
16
13
11
13
11
12
6
3
2
2
0
0
Dave Richter
No. Name
1 RUDY VARVARI..................
Dearborn Heights
2 BILLY REID .....................
Dryden. Ont. ~
3 BRIAN LUNDBERG............
Lake Cowichan, B.C.
4 TIM MANNING....................
Dearborn Heights
5 DAVE RICHTER ..................
~ St. Boniface, Man.
6 DAVE BRANNAN .................
Weston, Ont.
7 JOE MILBURN ...................
Snow Lake, Man.
8 JEFF MARS...... ............
Duiluith, MN.
9 JULI0uVANBIESBRUCK..........
Detroit
10 BRUNO BASETTO.................
Calgary, Alb.
11 DAN LERG (A) ...................
Southfield
14 BRAD TIPPETT ..................
Prince Albert, Sask.
15 DOUG TODI)D (C) ..................
Stouffville, Ont.
16 JOHN OLVER .....................
North Burnaby, B.C.
17 MURRAY EAVES.................
Windsor, Ont.
18 DENNIS MAY .....................
Calgary, Alb.
19 GORDIE IIAMPSON .............
Edina, MN
20 ROGER BOURNE .................
Ann Arbor
21 STEVE RICHMOND...............
Chicago, IL
22 TERRY MANNING ...............
Dearborn Heights
24 JOhN BLUM ......................
Warren, MI
25 PAUL BRANRUP..................
Rochester, Minn.
26 TED SPEERS.....................
Ann Arbor
27 JEFF TESSIER ...............
Windsor, Ont.
28 MARK PERRY ....................
Ann Arbor
29 PAUL FRICKER..................
Vancouver, B.C.
30 BOB SUTTON ............f.....
Oakville, Out.
35 PETER MASON .................
Amherst, NY.
Pos.
G
RW
D
D
D
D
Hgt.
5-10
5-8
5-11
5-11
6-5
Wgt.
185
180
190)
180
210
185
170
195
16:1
170
165
170
195
LXW
1W
LW
5-9
6-0
5-9
C
GOALTENDING STATISTICS
P. Mason (1-5
R. Varvari (6-13)
B. Sutton (1-9-1)
G
6
20
15
Ted Speers
Per
18
56
40
GA
27
104
75
AVG.
4.85
5.56
6.07
G
5
17
1:3
GA
27
89
70
AVG.
4.85
5.60
6.39
79-80 SCHEDULE
Oct. 19 at Bowling Green
Oct.20 BOWLING GREEN
Oct. 26-27 MINNESOTA-DULUTH
Nov. 2-3 MINNESOTA
Nov. 9-10 at Notre Dame
Nov. 16-17 at Wisconsin
Nov. 30 MICHIGAN STATE
Dec. 1 at Michigan State
Dec. 7-8 DARTMOUTH
Dec. 28-29 Great Lakes Tourney
(at Detroit-MSU, MTU & WIS)
Jan. 4 BOSTON COLLEGE
Jan. 5 PRINCETON
Jan. 11-12 COLORADO COLLEGE
Jan. 18-19 WISCONSIN
Jan. 25-26 at Minnesota
Feb. 1-2 at Denver
Feb. 8-9 MICHIGAN TECH
Feb. 15-16 NOTRE DAME
Feb. 22-23at North Dakota
Feb. 29 at Michigan State
Feb. 30 MICHIGAN STATE
ALL HOME GAMES AT YOST ARENA
STARTING TIME-7:30 pm
C
LW
RW
RW
C
RW
LW
C
D/LW
C
D
D
RW
LW
D
G
G
G
5-9
5-9
6-1
6-1
5-10
5-10
6-3
5-11
6-0
5-9
6-2
6-0
5-11
5-11
5-10
6-0
5-10
6-0
Paul Brandrup
- 180
185
170
210
190
195
165
200
180
170
165
195
170
165
165
Nor
Minn
Minn
Wisc
Notr
Den
Mic
Colo
Mic
MIC
FINAL 78-79'
WCHA Statistics
W L T1
th Dakota 22 10 0
nesota 20 11 1
n.-Duluth 18 10 4
consin 19 11 2
reDame 17 14 1
ver 14 16 2
higan Tech 13 16 3
rado College 11 19 2
higan State 12 20 0
HIGAN 6 25 1
Pts.
44
41
38
38
35
30
29
24
24
13
Dennis May
Mark Perry
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