AMEN'S NCAA BASKETBALL (2) CONNECTICUT 77, Rutgers 64 (4) MICHIGAN ST. 82, (18) Purdue 69 (16) MIAMI FLA. 103, Villanova 82 ArkDansas at (24) FLORIDA, inc. WOMEN'S NCAA BASKETBALL (1) TENNESSEE 113, Memphis 39 (6) OLD DOMINION 90, William & Mary 57 (8) Rutgers 72, ST. JOHN'S 55 (17) Iowa State 55, (20) KANSAS 52 (22) AUBURN 89, South Alabama 50 (24) LSU 91, SE Louisiana 45 NBA BASKETBALL NEW JERSEY 97, Detroit 82 Milwaukee 93, PHILADELPHIA 92 fbe ick tjigilat Tracking 'M' coaches Following the departure of Vance Bedford to the Chicago Bears, Michigan has hired Teryl Austin as its secondary coach. Before coming to Michigan, Austin spent three seasons as an assistant at Syracuse. Wednesday February 17, 1999 9 HAVE FUN, WILL TRAVEL BY MARK FRANCESCUTI a DAILY SPORTS WRITER sk Mike Comrie about his hobbies and he'll give you a one-word answer: hockey. Most competitors love their ame, but Comrie takes his love to a next level. The freshman, who finds himself leading the Michigan eckey team in almost every offensive category, likes plenty of other things a normal Michigan student would enjoy. But hockey is the item on his daily schedule that he doesn't tire of no matter what. After the Wolverines finish their drills and workouts at daily practice, Comrie is usually the last one to leave, always playing games - whether its horsing around or pretending to play goaltender - his bright, wide eyes always open and a gleaming smile on his face. "It's free ice," his usual parnter in fun, defenseman Mike an Ryn said. "It gives you a chance to be creative and try- Wings you can't do in practice. He loves it." Even when "Terrible Tuesday" workouts leave the team withered in fatigue, Comrie still musters a mood of happiness as he walks off the ice. Not that Comrie works any harder than any of his other teammates, but he truly has an ability to squeeze so much enjoyment and fun out of each day of hockey. His enjoyment of the game began as early as two years old, when his father Bill and older brother Paul - a senior on Denver University's hockey team - strapped skates on him before he could barely walk. And for the freshman, hockey wasn't the clarinet that everyone quits after finding out practice consumes two hours a day. Endless hours of grueling hockey practice? That was fun. Comrie was a kid who flooded the area around his house so he could build a temporary ice rink. That way he could get in a couple more hours of practice and one or two more victory skates around the ice with an invisible Stanley Cup. He even played on his older brother's hockey team to build experience, facing an onslaught of players three years older and three years stronger than him - an amusing challenge rather than something to be feared. Because for Comrie, shooting pucks excites him more than Little Caesars' Wacky Wednesdays, more than "buy one get five free" at Steve and Barry's and even more than parents try- ing to get ahold of a Furby. And with hockey such an integral part of his life, his focus and his determination, it's not ironic that one of the most important decisions of his life had to deal with the pastime he obsesses over. The Edmonton native lived in a world where one can liter- ally find an ice rink, indoor or outdoor, on every corner. Comrie was from a place that breathes colder and snowier than anything Ann Arborites have to deal with. In this winter hockey wonderland, thousands of miles away, when a young teenager shows some skill that separates him from the others on the ice, one path always lays ahead: juniors. Comrie showed unbelieveable hockey skill, swooping by defenders effortlessly with the puck while piling up 138 points in 68 games. This production helped Comrie earn the Alberta Junior Hockey League player-of-the-year award and the St. Albert Saints to a league championship. The decision for a Canadian player to skip major juniors, which is the fastest path to the NHL, and attend college, is one that Comrie struggled with. At just 16 years of age, the young man had to decide his future with a toilsome choice - to be a freshman or a junior. Luckily, his family was there to support him in his time of need. Comrie's dad and brother gave him the most support but also had to fill in the gap of a caring mother, who died of can- cer when he was just 11. "It wasn't an easy decision, especially at 16 years old," Comrie said. "I had a lot of different people tell me a lot of different things. My dad had played juniors and my brother played college, so it made my decision easier. They were there for me." The decision wasn't made any easier for Comrie when his rights for major juniors were traded to his hometown, tugging at him to stay. Juniors would have also allowed him the chance to play almost every night, unlike the two-game-a-week schedule at Michigan. But when it came down to plain old fun, college offered a life and a plan that juniors just couldn't stand up to. In college hockey, an 18-year old can develop his skills with daily prac- tices for an extensive four-year period, something that Comrie felt was important to have. "You only play so many games (in college), but you can look at college hockey as professional because you're practic- ing every day;' Comrie said. "At this stage in a player's life you have to practice more and develop yourself as a player. You also gain more experience by playing against older play- ers." Juniors also meant a life of long bus rides, lonely hotel rooms and the lack of a structured life that a teenager still needs, whether he'll admit it or not. Junior hockey would've meant the absence of the fun atmosphere that Comrie enjoys at Michigan. "I felt I needed time to grow," Comrie said. "I love it here. We skate every day and work out twice a week. I just try to have the most fun I can, because if you're not having fun, I wouldn't go out there. It's not hard work." No, daily practices are nowhere near work for Comrie. After a quick lunch, he's usually the first person to scurry down to Yost for practice and the last person to leave. "I just love to be" at Yost, Comrie said. "It's my favorite place to be." No doubt Comrie would have enjoyed hockey anywhere he played, but in the end, he found a place where he can play the game he loves, meet people and have experiences that would have been near impossible as a junior hockey player. Oh, and more fun, too. PHOTOS BY DANA INNANE AND DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily Freshman center Mike Comre sweeps by one of many defenseman this season (above). Comrle enjoying himself nseif at 'Terrible Tuesday' practice (far right). Hockey getting physical in response to slide By TJ. Berka Daily Sports Editor Tuesdays are not the happiest days if you are a Michigan hockey player. You spend two hours hitting, skating and scrimmaging at high intensity, ,tusing you to leave the ice with very tie energy. The intensity and exhaustion of Tuesdays has given birth to the nick- name "Terrible Tuesdays." Yesterday's practice was far from ter- rible for the Michigan hockey team. In fact; it was regarded as one of the better workout sessions of the year. "We really picked up the tempo today," Michigan forward Bob Gassoff dod. "We came out more physical today, and I thought it was one of our best practices this year." While one may say that the increased hitting is a way to relieve the frustration USCHO Top 10 Rakings and records are updated as of No. 1 North Dakota (24-2-2) No. 2 Maine (22-2-4) 'No. 3 MidNan State (22-3-6) No. 4.New Hampshire (22-5-2) No. 5 Colorado College (20-9-1) No. 6 Boston College (18-10-2) No. 7 Michigan (17-8-5) No. 8 Notre Dame (16-9-4) No.9 Ohio State (18-11.4) No. 10 Clarkson (16-9-1) Summer jobs! Camp Bgichigania of the Wolverines' six-game winless streak, Gassoff said the physical nature of practice was a calculated ploy to regain the edge that has been lost during the slide. "Bubba (Berenzweig) and I came out with the mentality that we wanted to hit,' Gassoff said. "Maybe we haven't been hitting as much lately, so I wanted to help set the tempo." Although yesterday's practice was considered to be a particularly intense one, Michigan coach Red Berenson said that the drills that they run were no dif- ferent than a typical Tuesday. "We did a lot of the same drills today that we normally do," Berenson said. "But the intensity was different. We are trying to forecheck harder. We aren't necessarily trying to be more physical, but if you play hard, you are going to play physical." A lot of the focus on effort has been directed toward the defense as of late. The Wolverines have given up 32 goals in their previous 10 games. In the 10 games before the slide began, where Michigan ascended to No. 2 in the nation, the Wolverines gave up just 13 goals. This discrepancy is not lost on Berenson or the Michigan defensemen. "We really have to bear down now' Michigan defenseman Mike Van Ryn said. "We were watching a game seg- ment and we realized that we are giving up way too many shots. We've been relying on (goaltender Josh) Blackburn way too much. "Any time you eliminate shots, you eliminate goals." MUSICAL CHAIS: Yesterday's prac- tice also saw forwards Andrew Merrick and Bill Trainor practicing with the third line. Merrick and Trainor, who haven't dressed in the past eight games, are get- ting a long look in practice this week by Berenson. "One of the problems in the last 10 games has been penalty killing," Berenson said. "I think Trainor can help us in that area. As for Merrick, he's a junior who can skate, has good speed and plenty of experience." Line juggling has been a common thing for the Wolverines this season, and Berenson suggested that it will continue. "Every player on this team is in con- tention for playing time," Berenson said. .R .,, ' }Y ._, ' " rww The Michigan hockey team has given up 32 goals in the last 10 games, so defense was made the focus of "Terrible Tuesday." DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily Covering Assisted Death The Michigan Journalism Fellows with the university of Michigan Law School invites you to join Nationally recognized journalists and experts who will discuss media coverage of euthanasia and assisted suicide and its role in shaping public policy. I A uw I