The Michigan Daily, Thursday, September 10, 1987- Page 7
Icers
poised
for upcoming
season
Team's chances center
around ten sophomores
By DARREN JASEY
Next year another former St.
Louis Blues coach could be
receiving praise for turning a
downtrodden hockey program
around.
Last season Detroit Red Wing
coach Jacques Demers brought his
NHL team some respect. Next
season Michigan coach Red
Berenson may do the same for his
college hockey team.
Michigan has not had a winning
hockey season since 1982 when it
went 18-15-5. Last year the
Wolverines were unable to surpass
the 14 win mark for the fifth
consecutive season, going 14-25-1
and finishing seventh in the Central
Collegiate Hockey Association.
DESPITE THE poor record,
last season was very important to
the development of Michigan
hockey under Berenson. The fourth
year coach used the season to
acclimate his ten prized recruits to
the college hockey atmosphere. And
most CCHA coaches agreed that it
was the most competitive Michigan
team in years.
"Last year was a year of
transition," Berenson said. "We
were optimistic coming off our best
recruiting season ever.
"Even though we went 4-14
early you could see that some of
our best players were our younger
players. I think our team came
together in the last few weeks more
than ever."
After the poor start the
Wolverines started to gel. They
went 10-7-1 before dropping two
games in their season finale to
conference frontrunner Bowling
Green and two more to national
runner up Michigan State in the
conference playoffs.
NEXT SEASON Michigan
loses CCHA scoring champion
Brad Jones to graduation and may
lose senior defenseman Jeff Norton
to the U.S. Olympic Team.
However, Berenson continues to
build.
The, addition of at least six
talented recruits to Michigan's ten
of a year ago could make the team a
future national championship
contender. But, Berenson has his
sights set on the upcoming season.
"Our players will be much
improved," said the Michigan
mentor, "and we won't-have to rely
on our freshmen as much as we did
last year."
The young Wolverines will get
leadership from senior Brad
McCaughey at forward and junior
Myles O'Connor and Norton on
defense.
Daily Photo by JOHN MUNSON
Michigan defenseman Myles O'Connor eludes a stick check by Michigan State's Mitch Messier during regular season action at Yost Ice Arena.
O'Connor scored over 40 points in his sophomore season.
Polished recruit to add to
M'
By PETE STEINERT
It is often said that a person's
name fits their character.
In the case of Don Stone, who
has committed to play next year at
Michigan, this adage proves true -
his name is not flashy, and neither
is he.
Wolverine head coach Red
Berenson described Stone as a "quiet
player" both on and off the ice
whose game performance often goes
unnoticed.
"He's the kind of player you
don't notice during the game,"
Berenson said. "Then you look at
the end of the game, and he's got
two or three goals. He's that kind
of player."
The 17-year-old center has made
a habit of making all the noise he
needs by scoring goals. "My
biggest strength is probably my
offensive skills - scoring,
passing," said Stone, who turned
down Central Collegiate schools
Lake Superior State and Miami of
Ohio to come to Michigan.
"I guess the essence of Stone's
success at this point is that he's got
a knack for scoring goals,"
Berenson said. "He's been able to
score a lot of goals in every game
he's played."
This season Stone scored 48
goals in 47 games with the Detroit
Falcons of the North American
Junior Hockey League.
Berenson hopes Stone will be
able to perform some of his puck
wizardry for him next season. With
the graduation of high-scoring
center Brad Jones, Berenson lacks a
bona fide goal scorer.
Stone will not approach Jones'
statistics in his first season, but he
should help ease the loss.
"I think he'll make a very good
college player," said Ken Knight,
his head coach with the Falcons.
"The one thing any college team
can always use is a goal scorer."
Stone said, "I don't know how
much I'll be playing, but when I
play, hopefully I'll be able to put
some of my offensive skills to
depth
work and help out scoring-wise."
If Stone has an Achilles' heel, it
is his size (5-11, 165 pounds).
However, current 5-8 Wolverines
centers, Todd Brost and Rob Brown,
have proven that college hockey
allows room for smaller players,
and Knight indicated that Stone
holds his own.
"For a guy who's on the slight
side, he doesn't back down," he
said.
Although he possesses Brost's
and Brown's size and toughness,
Stone's personality on the ice
differs.
"The kid is more of a quiet
worker," Berenson said. "He's not
as noticeable, but when the puck is
in the offensive zone, he knows
what to do with it."
Berenson adds five
This season's hockey team first-
year players will not have the
impact last year's 10 newcomers
had, but head coach Red Berenson
expects them to contribute. Here is
a look at Michigan's 1987 recruits
who have made commitments,
along with comments from
Berenson:
-Don Stone - 5-11, 165-pound
center, Utica.
-Mark Sorenson - 6-0, 180-
pound defenseman, Queensville,
Ontario: "He's a rushing
defenseman, but he can also play
defensive hockey better I think than
some freshman.
-Bill Jaffe - 6-1, 195-pound
right wing, Highland Park, Ill.: "I
think it will take him the better
part of the year to make the
adjustment to this level, but he's a
big, tough kid, and he works hard."
-Jim Ballantine - 5-11, 170-
pound center/right wing, Union
Lake: "He's a hard-working center
man. He's good with the puck."
-Kent Brothers - 6-1, 200-
pound right wing, Corner -Brook,
Newfoundland."
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Stone's ability to score goals is what attracted Berenson's attention. The
Utice native led Team Michigan with five goals at the USA Junior
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