14 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 9, 1996
Berenzweig back after bad practices
Coach's talk, improved intensity has sophomore blueliner playing better
By James Goldstein
Daily Sports Writer
The conversation between Michigan hockey
coach Red Berenson and Bubba Berenzweig must
have helped.
Berenson pulled Berenzweig aside during prac-
tice Monday to voice his opinion of the sophomore's
play of late.
Berenson didn't like what he was seeing. And
Berenzweig felt the same about himself, especially
after last Saturday's Blue-White game.
"After the Blue-White, my feet felt dead."
Berenzweig said. "I wasn't moving them at all. I
wasn't making the right plays."
But Berenzweig made plenty of good plays yes-
terday in Michigan's 8-2 win over Waterloo, a
Canadian team.
The sophomore defenseman not only showed
improved intensity in the game, putting strong body
checks on most Warriors in his view, but he also
scored.
For Berenzweig, who only netted four goals in 42
games in his freshman season, scoring is not his
forte. But on this night versus a porous Waterloo
defense, Berenzweig picked his moment.
Already up 4-1 in the early stages of the second
period, Michigan went on a power play after
Waterloo was penalized for holding. The Wolverines
worked the puck up the ice into the Warriors' zone.
Michigan gained control of the puck and set up its
power play with freshman left wing Andrew
Merrick and sophomore right wing Justin Clark
passing between each other to look for the right
shot.
Merrick passed it out one more time to the point
.and Berenzweig one-timed the puck into the upper
half of the Waterloo net.
"I play mostly a defensive game," Berenzweig
said. "And then coach tells me every once in a while
to go up into the play if I can. He gave me a shot on
the power play today, and the puck just went into the
net. I got a little lucky on that one."
Berenzweig not only contributed to the
Wolverines offense, but more importantly, he was a
force on the ice. Whenever the Warriors played a lit-
tle fisticuffs, Berenzweig was either in the middle of
it or backing up a fellow teammate. His body checks
gave the crowd at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube much to
cheer about.
After speaking to Berenzweig in practice and
watching him play in the Blue-White game,
Berenson was pleased with yesterday's perfor-
mance.
"(Berenzweig) has not looked good in the early
going in practice," Berenson said. "He knows that.
We talked about it and he's trying to address that.
That was a better game for him tonight then on
Saturday."
The sophomore defenseman not only felt good
about his performance, but his legs felt better in
Monday's practice.
"(Monday) in practice, I thought I had a good
day," Berenzweig said. "My feet were moving. I felt
real comfortable. Before, I was a little too relaxed.
Today, I was a little more upbeat and ready to get
things done."
Berenzweig is just one of six defensemcn that
Berenson is looking to for improvement. With
Steven Halko, the rock of last year's defensive unit,
and Mark Sakala lost to graduation, the defensive
unit has had to regroup and find out what roles each
blueliner will be assuming this year.
In the beginning of the season, Berenson will
decide on a game-by-game basis which defensemen
will play and which will sit. With two new freshman
blueliners added to the team, the defense is over
loaded. Starting with Saturday's game against Lake
Superior, the coach will work the defensemen wheel
"With our defensemen, we're going to have to
decide who we don't take to Lake Superior,"
Berenson said "We sat out two defensemen tonight.
We'll have to sit out two more next week, it could be
two different ones. We'll be rotating our defensemen
for now."
Berenzweig feels it will be take a little time before
the defensive unit is accustomed to playing together.
"I think our defense right now is a little weak,
Berenzweig said. "Coach pointed it out to us. I think
we could have a strong defense if we keep on working
hard and get to know each other a little better."
SARA.STILLMAN/Daily
Michigan defenseman Bubba Berenzweig, who played much better than he prac-
ticed this week, ties up Waterloo defender Sean Oliver in last night's 8-2 victory.
W ATERLOOBerenzweig saw significant ice time and
Continued from Page 12 showed signs of improvement after a
Throughout the game, the Wolverines tough start to the season.
did a good job of sending the puck "I think (Berenzewig) is stepping up,"
toward the net in hope that something Berenson said. "He has not looked good
good would happen. And good things in the early going in practice, but he
did happen for the seven Wolverines that knows that, and we've talked about it,
accounted for Michigan's eight goals. and he's trying to address that."
Defensively, Michigan succeeded in After Waterloo's first period score, left
keeping the puck in Waterloo's end and wing Greg Crozier added one of his two
putting constant pressure on goal- goals on the night to give Michigan a 3-
tenders Andy Adams and Joe Harris. I lead after one.
The Wolverines outshot Waterloo, 50- The second period was one of penal-
15. - ties galore as both teams each racked up
Sophomore defender Bubba 14 minutes worth. With roughing calls
accounting for half of the infractions,
tempers flared as the period ended.
Berenzweig and senior Warren
Luhning got into it with two Waterloo
players as the buzzer sounded. Soon, a
melee erupted before-both teams went to
the lockerrooms with Michigan leading,
5-1.
Junior Gregg Malicke took over goal-
tending duties in the third period, allow-
ing one goal on six shots.
Waterloo's second and final goal
came with five minutes remaining, but
was answered 31 seconds later by
Crozier's second goal of the game.
WARMUP
Continued from Page 12 ,
"Every time we tried to get things
going five-on-five they took penalties,"
he said. "So I think we need to work on
our five-on-five play."
One thing Michigan did well yesterday
was play physically.
"I was looking forward to hitting
somebody who wasn't on my own team
-not holding anything back," Muckalt
said.
Muckalt went so far as to run into the
Waterloo goalie - twice.
The first time came on a power play
early in the second period. The right wing
slid into Adams (a.k.a. Patterson) and
they remained tangled for a second before
Adams up-ended Muckalt as he pushed
him aside.
Muckalt then patiently waited for his
payback on the left side of the crease until
John Madden found him from the right
side. Muckalt punched the puck in the
open left side of the net before Adams
could recover.
Later in the period, after Harris
replaced Adams in the Warriors' net.
Muckalt introduced himself by running
into Harris and knocking him on his back
after he stopped Muckalt's shot on a two-
on-two breakaway.
Waterloo almost won Canada's version
of the NCAA championship last year, but
the caliber of college play between the
two countries still seems to be far apart.
"These guys are very quick, they have
a lot of agility and have the ability to put
the puck in the net," Harris said of his
opponents. "They have a lot of prepara-
tion for games and are just a little bit fur-
ther ahead of us"
The Warrior goaltender thinks that
America's college game will greatly ben-
efit by hockey's ever increasing populari-
ty in the United States.
"The college teams are going to get
better, maybe it's just a matter of time
before they jump ahead of the Junior A
ranks," he said. "With the boost in
American schools, a lot more Canadians
are going to stay home to play, so hope-
fully that will make our teams better."
Ysterda I' game
Michigan 8, Waterloo 2
Waterloo 1 0 1 - 2
Michigan 3 2 3-8
First period - 1. UM, Botterill 1 (Muckalt.
Morrison), 1:27 (pp);2. UM, Legg 1 (Herr),
10:17 (pp): 1. UW, Brearly 3 (Goldie, Smith),
13:27 (5 on 3); 3. UM, Crozier 1 (Madden,
Luhning), 17:15. Penalties - UW, Smith (hold-
ing), 0:24; UM, Botterill (high-sticking), 4:21;
UW, Brearley (interference), 9:28;. UW,
Fullerton (holding), 11:04; UM Fox (interfer-
ence), 12:34: UM, Ritchlin (interference),
12:52.
Second period - 4. UM, Muckalt 1 (Madden,
Morrison), 3:14 (pp); 5. UM, Berenzweig 1
(Merrick, Clark), 16:32. Penalties - UW,
Pomeroy (roughing), 1:22; UW, Austin (hold-
ing), 4:11: UM, Merrick (interference), 9:02;
UM. Ritchlin (holding), 9:40; UW, Mundel
(tripping), 12:22: UM, Crozier (holding),
12:57; UW Smith (holding), 19:29; UM,
Schock (holding), 19:29; UWM Vaughan (rough-
ing), 20:00: UW, Chambers (roughing), 20:00;
UW, Brearley (roughing), 20:00; UM, Luhning
(roughing), 20:00.
Third period-6. UiM, Morrison 1(unassisted),
4:18 (4 on 4):7. UM, Herr 1 (Legg, Sloan),
12:52; 2. UW, Paleczky 1 (Palmer, Kraemer),
15:01; 8. UM, Crozier 2 (Madden, Luhning),
15:32. Penalties - UM, Merrick (holding),
3:12: UW, MacKinnon (tripping), 3:23; UW,
Palmer (holding), 6:59; UM, Schock (tripping),
8:53; UW, Pomeroy (roughing), 16:24; UM.
Herr (roughing) 16:24.
Shots on goal- UW 5-4-6 - 15; UM 13-24-
13-50.
Power Plays -WU, 1 of 8: UM, 4 of 8.
Saves - UW, Adams 10-10-x - 20: UW,
Harris x-12.10 - 22: UM, Turco 4-4-x - 8:
UM, Malicke x-x-5 - 5.
Referee - Matt Shegos.
Linesmen - John Dobrzelewski, John Pearson.
At: Ann Arbor Ice Cube. A: 1,171
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