4
Page 10-Friday, January 30, 1981--The Michigan Daily
He's Bourne to be a team player
By MARTHA CRALL
In many ways, Roger Bourne typifies
this year's Michigan hockey team.
He's a starting center on the number
one line, but he is not counted on to
score the big goal. No one player is.
He's not a star. No one player is. But
he's a smart, team hockey player who
takes whatever is given him. And he's
proud. That's what 1980-81 Michigan
hockey is about.
BOURNE BEGAN his hockey career
in the third grade, joining his first
prganized hockey team, and following
in the footsteps of his older brother. The
St. Catherines, Ont. native has gone to
school in Ann Arbor, though, all his life
except for third grade, when he was in
London, Ontario.
His high school years at Ann Arbor
Pioneer were filled with hockey - four
years of it. Former Michigan coach,
Dan Farrell asked" Bourne to play here,
and the decision wasn't too difficult.
After starting in only one game his
freshman season, Bourne saw regular
action in his sophomore and junior
years, scoring 38 points. But the senior
is enjoying his best season as a
Wolverine, sitting in fifth place on the
team scoring list with 12 goals and eight
assists for 20 points.
HE REALIZES, however, that this
year's team is not a picture of offensive
prowess. "There are no superstars on
the team. There's not that one guy we
rely on, like we did Murray Eaves last
year, Bourne said. Wolverines "definitely need to win
"All 20 players work hard, though," games the rest of the way (six of the
he continued. "Nothing comes easy. final 10 games are at home). I want us
Every line has to do the job." to have a good showing in the playoffs.
He, like most of his teammates, I'd like to go out a winner."
'(We definitely need to win games the rest of the
way. I want us to have a good showing in the
playoffs. I'd like togo out a winner.'
-Roger Bourne
quicker with his feet and stick."
BUT GIORDANO IS quick to add that
Bourne "is not as scrappy as I would
like him to be. He'd be a better player
if he were scrappier."
Bourne omits the topic
aggressiveness in his own assessment,
saying, "I'm not overly fast, but I think
I'm a good puckhandler. That's
probably my biggest strength."
But Bourne prefers to concentrate
more on the team effort than individual
performance and achievement.
"WE HAVE TO grind it out every
day, all of us. With us it's just four lines,
not individual standouts."
It is just that attitude that fits Roger
'Bourne perfectly into this year's
Michigan hockey mold and makes him
the valuable one-in-20 player he is.
however, was surprised and upset
about being picked-to finish dead last in
the WCHA prior to the season. But he
thinks the team has turned it into
something positive. "It (the tenth place
prediction) definitely gave us more in-
centive," he said.
Along with the job interim coach John
Giordano has done, says Bourne, that
particular incentive has gotten the
team 'to where it now stands - sixth
place in the WCHA.
"WE WOULDN'T be here without
(Giordano)," said Bourne of his coach.
"He came in under very adverse cir-
cumstances, and has done a great job."
He added, however, that the
WCHA
Standings
The versatile Bourne can fill all three
forward spots, but both he and Gior-
dano agree he is best suited to play cen-
ter. Says Giordano: "He's smart.
That's his biggest attribute. And he's
got good offensive skills. He's becoming
'M' FACES C.C.:
Big series for Icers
.4
SENIOR CENTER ROGER llourne is one of Michigan's "team players," with
12 goals and eight assists for 20 points on the season, good for fifth place on
the team scoring list. He is on track in the Wolverines'no-star offense, where
one team goal is for each forward to score ten goals. Sports Information Photo
-I
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North Dakota .....
Minnesota ..........
Denver...........
Wisconsin ..........
Michigan Tech .....
MICHIGAN........
Minnesota-Duluth ..
Colorado College ...
Notre Dame ........
Michigan State .....
WCHA Overall
WL T W L T
11 5 2 18 6 2
12 6 0 20 7 0
11 6 1 18 8 1
17 7 0 17 9 0
10 8 0 15 10 1
8 10 0 14 12 0
8 10 0 13 13 1
8 10 0 11 11 0
5 12 1 9 15 2
4 14 0 9 16 1
By TOM SHAHEEN
As the Michigan icers head into a
weekend series against Colorado
College, the Wolverines find them-
selves in a sixth-place tie with their op-
ponents and Minnesota-Duluth.
But much more importantly, they are
caught in somewhat of a must-win
situation. A pair of losses to the Tigers
could cloud Michigan's hopes of making
the WCHA playoffs in March.
If ninth-place Notre Dame sweeps
Duluth on the road-and the Irish have
performed much better away from
home than in South Bend-they would
move to within one point of the
Wolverines in the league standings.
And under WCIIA guidelines, only the
top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.
In other words, things could get very
sticky for John Giordano's team if the
hosts come out on the winning end of
both contests in Colorado Springs.
The Tigers are led by junior winger
Bruce Aikens, who ranks second in the
WCHA scoring race behind Neal Broten
of Minnesota. Aikens also leads the
league in short-handed goals with
three. And Colorado College is only four
away from the WCHA season record of
13 set by Denver three years ago.
Other offensive standouts include
Doug Lidster, a 6-1, 195-pound defen-
seman, whose explosive power from the
blue line adds an important dimension
to the Tiger offense. Lidster, only a
sophomore, was drafted by Vancouver
of the National Hockey League. Center
Ron Reichart is also having a produc-
tive year-he has already equalled his
point output of last year with 15 goals
and five assists.
in added feature of this
series-which amounts to family
bragging rights-is that three Ham-
psons will be on the ice. Michigan's
Gordie will do battle against brothers
Scott and Greg in a reunion on ice.
Colorado College has rebounded off a
disappointing early-season performan-
ce to become a contestant for playoff
honors. Following a sweep of first-place
Minnesota Jan. 9-10, the Tigers earned
splits with Duluth and league co-leader
North Dakota. Their schedule gets
easier toward the end of the season
when they hook up with Notre Dame
and .cellar-dweller Michigan State the
final two weekends.
Michigan will host the Fighting Irish
next weekend; then travel to Duluth for
its final road series of the season. The
Wolverines close out their schedule at
home with series against Denver and
Michigan Tech.
-oiW' THE FRIARS
for a
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with THE GRUNIONS with THE AM
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8:00 p.m. 10:00
$3.00 $5
BASSADORS
Band Music
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p.m.
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