Page 6 - The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - November 6, 1989
o f
Rookies receive warm
welcome... finally

by Andrew Gottesman
Daily Hockey Writer
There was David Roberts, stand-
ing in the Michigan lockerroom after
Friday night's hockey game, holding
his Mott's Apple Juice container in
one hand and a hockey puck in the
other.
Actually, he looked a lot like an
excited 10 or 11-year-old on his way
home from an after-school street
hockey game in the playground. For
this was no ordinary puck he was
holding; it was the one he drove into
the Bowling Green net in the second
period for his first-ever collegiate
goal.
"My first goal's well overdue,"
the bright-eyed Roberts managed to
say through the smiles and congratu-
lations as reporters ventured towards
his corner of the lockerroom for the
first time. "It's the longest I've gone
without scoring. It was just
ridiculous."
"It is still a big jump to play at
this (collegiate) level," Michigan
coach Red Berenson said before the
season. "They (first-year players) are
still going through periods of
transition."
But Roberts, along with
Michigan center Mark Ouimet and
Bowling Green's center Brett
Harkins and goalie Angelo Liber-
tucci, found out this weekend that
the transition can be made, even if it
does take a few weeks.
Ouimet scored his first goal as a
Wolverine Thursday night on a pow-
er play only six minutes after Har-
kins dumped in a loose puck to get
his first as a Falcon. And the next
night while Ouimet was adding
another goal, Libertucci got his first
start in the crease, allowing four
goals and taking the loss as his first
decision.
"He (Libertucci) played really
solid in practice and he deserved to
play," Falcon coach Jerry York said
after Friday's game. "I thought he
played outstanding tonight and he'll
play a lot of hockey for us this
year."
Berenson added, "I was surprised
with his start, but sooner or later,
you've got to play your first game

and tonight was his. Sometimes it
takes the pressure off to start a kid
on the road."
While the pressure may have
been decreased, Libertucci still had
opening night jitters. "There were
times when I was a bit shaky. But
they (coaches and teammates) told
me I played well," he said. "It would
have been a lot better if we had won
the game."
But in the CCHA, where the
welcome mat for a newcomer may
consist of being sandwiched between
an unflinching board and an elbow
connected to a 200-pound man
skating at full speed, Libertucci cer-
tainly lived up to all that could be
expected of him. His first victory
can't be too far off.
Friday's matchup held special
significance for Ouimet and Roberts,
who were playing their first real
game in front of a home crowd. "It
was great," Ouimet said. "I've been
waiting for that for a long time."
"I was really excited," said
teammate and fellow first-year player
Patrick Neaton, who chimed in with
two assists Friday - one of them
on Roberts' goal. "From growing up
around here and with the band
playing, it was very exciting."
While Ouimet and Roberts may
have been wondering when they
would finally get over that first big
barrier, the team has known that it
needed them to do it soon. For hock-
ey, unlike football or basketball, is a
sport in which nearly everyone who
suits up, including rookies, are ex-
pected to play and contribute.
"When freshmen can contribute
before Christmas, that's great,"
senior co-captain Mike Moes said.
"When your freshmen can contrib-
ute, that's a good sign of a great
team. They're going to be a big part
of this team."
But for Ouimet, with his first
goal in hand, things have changed.
"We are a big part of this team," he
said.
Welcome to the CCHA.

LINDROS
continued from page 1
of his size and his ability to go with
it, he could go in the NHL. He's a
player that comes along once every
10 years."
Free Press hockey writer Keith
Gave called Lindros "the impact
player of the 1990's" and
Philadelphia Flyer general manager
Bob Clarke told the Hockey News
that Lindros could be a "franchise
player in the NHL."
Lindros has been taking
accelerated courses and will graduate
high school on January 20. He could
then be eligible to join the Michigan
hockey team immediately. Since the
university's Winter Term will begin
January 11, it would cause some
conflict in any plans to attend Mich-
igan immediately after graduation.
"It's going to be tough, I don't
know what I'm going to do," Lin-
dros said. "I could always start next
year but it's going to be tough."
At present there is no indication
as to what path Lindros will take,
but it is clear that the decision is his
alone. "It's up to him, we can't
make that decision for him," said
Bonnie Lindros, Eric's mother.
Lindros is considered by many to
be the best 16-year old in the world
and the guaranteed first pick in the
1991 NHL draft. Since players have
to be 18 to be eligible for the draft,
Lindros has to wait a year-and-a-half.
This time difference is what has
caused the decision making process.
If Lindros chooses college he
would attend Michigan over many
other schools because the Lindros
family values education as important
as it does hockey. "Michigan is up
there with the top schools
academically and Eric knows that
education is part of the ballgame,
Bonnie Lindros said.
While Lindros hasn't made a
decision yet, Michigan coach Red
Berenson is very tentative about
talking of this recruit. "It's not an
issue right now because we don't
know what he's decided," Berenson
said. "If he comes they'll be,
something to talk about."
It is known though that
Michigan has been intense in its
pursuit of Lindros. Berenson or one
of the other Michigan coaches have
been to almost all of Lindros' games
and have talked extensively with him
and his family.
In his 12 games for Compuware
this season Lindros has scored 19
goals and 18 assists. During this
period the team is 11-0-1.

0
6
0

Denny Felsner goes airborne on a breakaway and is tripped up by Bowling Green's goalie. JOSE JUAREZ/Dally

ICE HOCKEY
continued from page 1
they told me I played well."
The Wolverine offense continued to put the
pressure on Libertucci with another 14 shots on goal
in the second period, which resulted in two goals.
First-year center David Roberts scored his first
collegiate goal at 6:57 of the period and one could see
by his actions after scoring how happy and excited he
was. Roberts skated around the net afterwards with an
energetic celebration.
"(My first goal) was well overdue," Roberts said.
"It's the longest I've gone without scoring and I was
getting ribbed." Roberts took a pass from Neaton after
Neaton rushed up the right side untouched and Roberts
pushed it into the net.
"I had the room and the coach always tells me to
skate with it when the defenseman gives you the
room," Neaton said. "I just went wide and David just
had to put it in."
Only 2:31 later, Mike Helber's power play tip-in
off an Alex Roberts slap shot pushed the lead to 3-0.
For the night the Michigan power play converted two
of its four opportunities.
The Falcons (4-4-0, 3-3-0) finally put a goal on the
board 1:44 after Helber's goal on Mark Potvin's power
play goal. Bowling Green continued with pressure at
times, but Michigan goalie Warren Sharples smothered
the other opportunities in turning away 24 of the 25
shots he faced.
First-year center Mark Ouimet knocked in his

second career goal and second of the series with 7:53
left in the game to cap the scoring off assists from
Stone and Kramer, who both collected their second
points on the evening.
"Michigan really played well tonight," York said.
"They limited the number of chances we had on
Sharples and they converted their chances."
HOCKEY ROUNDUP
STREAK STOPPED: Bowling Green center Nelson
Emerson had his 12 game point streak put to a halt. In
the previous 12 games, Emerson tallied seven goals and
20 assists. "I wasn't really thinking about it (the
streak)," Emerson said. "It's my job to get some goals
on the board and when I don't score it hurts the team."
MILESTONE: Falcon senior right winger Mark
Potvin notched his 100th career point with an assist in
Thursday's night game.
MOVING UP: Michigan goalie Warren Sharples
entered this series with 50 career wins, tying him for
third place on the all-time Wolverine list with Willard
Ikola (1952-54). He now holds third place by himself
with his victory Friday night.
FINALLY: Thursday night's Bowling Green victory
was their first at BG Ice Arena over Michigan since
February 21, 1987.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Thursday night's
game was shown live on PASS and Bowling Green
broke a six-game losing streak on PASS regualar
season broadcasts.



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