The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - 11
Wide variety of
Porter to compete
scorers
By Ian Herbert
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan hockey team has one
of the most prolific offenses in the coun-
try. The team is averaging 4.06 goals
per game this season, which is second in
the nation only to Denver. But somehow
Michigan doesn't have a single player
sitting in the top-15
in the nation in goals
or points.
That's because the
Wolverines haven't -0 \
had to use any one
player as a crutch.
They are led in goal-
scoring by sophomore T.J. Hensick and
junior Jeff Tambellini, each of whom
has just eight goals on the season. Tam-
bellini led Michigan in 2002-03, and
Hensick led the team last season. So it
was expected that they would produce.
But every forward in the lineup has at
least two goals.
Going into Friday night's game
against Notre Dame, Michigan for-
wards had scored 44 perfectly distrib-
uted goals. Each of the four Wolverines
lines had scored exactly 11 goals.
"That's not by design," coach Red
Berenson said. "But it shows that top to
bottom, offensively, we're doing well.
And that gives our team a chance."
Berenson said that this season is
unlike previous seasons when the team
may have counted on one line in par-
ticular to score.
"It just shows the depth that we have
here and the overall talent," Tambellini
said. "Every guy on this team can put
ielpsi 'M'
the puck in the net."
Last weekend was just another exam-
ple of Michigan's ability to get everyone
on the team involved in the scoring.
Each of the goals in Friday's 6-1 win
over the Irish was scored by a different
Wolverine. Saturday wasn't much dif-
ferent, as six different goal-scorers com-
bined for the eight Michigan goals.
Tambellini was one of two players to
score multiple goals on Saturday - the
other was freshman Kevin Porter. Ear-
lier in the season, Tambellini carried
the team when he scored five goals in a
series sweep of Miami (OH).
"Every team has players that are
capable of scoring two, three goals in
a game, but they're not going to do it
every game," Berenson said. "So you
need to have more than one player who
is capable of scoring. It's the best of
both worlds."
Tambellini said that he doesn't care
who scores the goals as long as the puck
is finding the twine for the Wolverines.
But he added that the excitement in the
locker room after the weekend sweep of
Notre Dame was pretty high because of
the team's ability to get a lot of players
going.
"There aren't a lot of teams around
the country that can score 14 goals in
a weekend and disperse it around the
entire lineup," Tambellini said.
INJURY REPORT: While playing in South
Bend during Michigan's 8-0 victory on
Saturday, sophomore defenseman Tim
Cook hurt his shoulder and had to sit out
the third period. He didn't participate in
practice either of the last two days, and
Berenson said that his status was still in
By Ian Herbert
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan hockey team knew
more than a month ago that it would
be losing four of its best players to the
U.S. National Junior team later this
month. It found out on Monday that it
will lose a fifth.
On Nov. 4, USA Hockey announced
its preliminary roster for the 2005
World Junior Championships. But
earlier this week it announced the full
team, and Michigan freshman Kevin
Porter was on it. Porter will join sopho-
mores Mike Brown, T.J. Hensick and
Matt Hunwick and junior goalie Al
Montoya. Last year, the tournament
was held in Finland, and the U.S. team
won for the first time in the event's 27-
year history.
Porter didn't get a call from the team,
but found out from his coach before
Tuesday's practice that he would be play-
ing for a chance to win a gold medal.
"It was actually just (associate head
coach) Mel Pearson giving me the great
news," Porter said. "I don't know, it's just
a great feeling. ... Only the best players
make that."
Porter said that making the team has
been a goal of his for a couple years now.
He was an alternate when he was 16 and
has been focused on making the team
since then. Michigan coach Red Beren-
son expected Porter to make the team
because of how well he's played this sea-
son. Porter has 11 points (5-6-11), high-
lighted by a four-point night - two goals
and two assists - on Saturday's 8-0 win
over Notre Dame.
"It's only been half a season, but I
think (his time at Michigan) has been
good for him," Berenson said. "He's
obviously holding his own. He's done
a good job with us in a series of roles,
different lines, different positions. So,
I think he's handling everything well,
and I'm sure he'll handle everything
well over there."
While Porter was expected to make
the team, Berenson and Porter both said
that they were surprised that he won't be
joined by his roommate, freshman Chad
Kolarik. Kolarik is tied for second on the
team with seven goals so far this season.
Earlier this week, Berenson said that,
even though he deserved the recogni-
tion, Kolarik would probably not make
the team because he wasn't invited to the
summer camp.
"They make up their minds some-
times in the summer," Berenson said
on Monday before the complete roster
was released.
Michigan is one of three college
programs with multiple players on the
roster. Minnesota and Wisconsin each
have two.
The tournament begins on Dec. 25
and runs through Jan. 4 in Grand Forks,
N.D. While the five Wolverines will be
working toward the Junior team's sec-
ond straight gold medal, the rest of the
Michigan hockey team will be compet-
ing in the Great Lakes Invitational at Joe
Louis Arena.
"They'll do fine," Porter said. "They're
going to have (Noah) Ruden in net and
(Mike) Woodford and (Charlie) Hender-
son playing. And all those guys can play.
So they'll do fine."
in
World juniors
JEFF LEHNERT/Daily
Jeff Tambellini leads the team with eight goals, but he's not the only one scoring.
doubt for this weekend's series against
Bowling Green.
"(Cook) is day-to-day," Berenson
said yesterday after practice. "We'll get
a better idea tomorrow, whether or not.
If he doesn't practice, he won't play.
He's got a dinged-up shoulder, so we'll
see how he is tomorrow."
Three other players who didn't prac-
tice on Monday - forwards Brandon
Kaleniecki, Mike Brown and David
Moss - all participated yesterday.
Berenson said that they all looked good
and would play this weekend.
NOTES: Michigan had two players
named CCHA Players of the Week after
the team's sweep of Notre Dame. Senior
alternate captain Brandon Rogers was
named Defensive Player of the Week
and freshman Kevin Porter received the
award for Rookie of the Week. Rogers's
plus-three rating tied him for the team
lead, and Porter scored two goals and
tallied three assists on the weekend. For
both Porter and Rogers, this was their
first weekly honor of the season.
Dierdorf follows father to Ann Arbor
By Stephanie Wright the 1997 Rose Bowl that really confirmed
Daily Sports Writer her dream.
"I was pretty young, but I remember sit-
Women's basketball freshman Katie ting there in the middle of all those fans
Dierdorf was raised in St. Louis, but her and thinking how great it would be to go
heart has always been in Ann Arbor. The to a college like that," Katie said.
daughter of former Michigan offensive The 2004 Missouri Ms. Basketball
tackle Dan Dierdorf, an All-
America selection in 1970,
Katie grew up enamored ToN
with the Maize and Blue. She
started attending football
games at Michigan Stadium
when she was a little girl.
"We must have 200 pic-
tures of Katie from when she Cnskr
was 18 months old, pushing C
a baby stroller with a Michi-
gan T-shirt on," Dan Dier-
dorf said.
Even though she wanted to be a Wol-
verine for most of her life, it was a trip to
Aen a
weeks ago,
briefly considered attending
Colorado and Missouri. But
when it came time to make a
decision, there was really just
one choice.
"Ever since she was old
enough to think about going
to college, this is where she
wanted to be," her father said.
"She couldn't be happier."
But not everything has
gone according to plan. Four
Dierdorf broke the thumb on
father believes the injury has hindered
Dierdorf's shooting ability, and it may
have contributed to her limited playing
time so far this season.
In Michigan's first five games, Dierdorf,
playing with the brace, scored just seven
points in 32 minutes off the bench. But her
father says the thumb will be re-examined
this week and she may be able to remove
the splint soon.
Her improvement showed in the Wol-
verines' 45-43 victory over UNLV Mon-
day night. Dierdorf logged 15 minutes,
notched three points and grabbed two
rebounds. After the Lady Rebels closed
Michigan's lead to two midway through
the second half, Dierdorf scored three
straight points, including a clutch jump-
er off an offensive rebound by freshman
Janelle Cooper.
But it was her tough inside defense that
had the biggest impact on the game, help-
ing to hold UNLV to just 43 points, which
is more than 28 below its season average.
"Katie gave us something that only
Katie could give us, and that's a post player
that can run the floor in defensive transi-
tion and get in the lane," Michigan coach
Cheryl Burnett said. "She gained a lot of
confidence in her rebounding and execu-
tion (in the game). Her minutes were qual-
ity minutes."
Senior forward Tabitha Pool believes
Dierdorf's hard work in practice each day
paid off with her solid performance Mon-
day night. But even if Dierdorf continues
to improve with each game, it might not be
enough to keep her father calm.
"I played at every level, but nothing
prepares you for being a father, sitting up
in the stands and watching your daughter
play college basketball," Dan said. "It's
torture,- I'm going.to get an ulcer from
this - I know it."
her shooting hand, and she has been play-
ing with a rigid splint on it ever since. Her
Katie Dierdorf goes for a block on Monday against UNLY.
N VOLLEYBALL
Seniors, freshmen led team this season
By Sara Livingston
Daily Sports Writer
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Coach Bev Plocki, left, congratulates Becca Clauson after her floor routine. This year,
transfer Shanna Duggan's unique floor exercise helped her quickly gain respect.
Duggan adjusts to
Blue with imitation
With the 2004 season in the books,
the Michigan volleyball team can't help
but look back and smile at the last four
months. With team chemistry as high as
it has been in quite a while, it's easy for
the players to see the good in their other-
wise-dismal season.
The Wolverines, who received an at-
large bid to the NCAA Tournament, were
knocked out in the second round by No.
11 Texas. This marked the third straight
year that Michigan has not made it past
the second round of the tournament.
"This year, I think we were as good or
better of a team than Texas," coach Mark
Rosen said. "And I think we had a chance
to win that match and it felt like we were
very competitive in that match. I am very
confident that this team will get passed
this point next year."
Fifth-year senior captain Lisa Gamal-
ski recognizes the team's postseason
struggles as well and feels it's all about
players' state of mind.
"We are definitely capable of playing
good teams, and it is just a matter of truly
believing in it. And that's something that
we have all of the physical talent and it's
just the mental aspect of our team that
needs to change," Gamalski said. "It is
that mental hurdle. We don't just need to
be able to play with ranked opponents,
but we need to beat them."
With a 20-13 overall record (9-11
Big Ten), this team's accomplishments
fell short of its expectations. One of the
team's early defining moments came in
its four-set victory against American
University at the Manhattan College
Invitational in Riverside, N.Y., on Sept. 4.
After American won the first set, Michi-
gan grouped together and won the next
three sets to take the match. The team's
ability to remain composed and recover
from a tough game proved vital later on
in its season.
"We knew that we were going to be a
young team so expectation-wise," Rosen
said. "I don't know that we really had
a definitive win-loss expectation. The
thing that we were most surprised and
excited about was how large of an impact
that the freshmen made. We had three
freshmen starting throughout the year, so
we had a very young team on the floor.
And I thought we continued to improve
throughout the year."
The impact of the freshmen proved
to be especially crucial during the
team's road win against Purdue on
Oct. 1, a game that stands out in
many of the players' minds. Fifth-year
senior captain Sarah Allen went down
with an injury in the beginning of the
match. With the team down two sets,
freshmen Katie Bruzdzinski, Stesha
Selsky and Lyndsay Miller stepped up
under the leadership of Gamalski. The
team rallied back to clinch the vic-
tory by winning the final three sets in
dominating fashion.
"It felt like I had won the NCAA Tour-
nament," Gamalski said. "It was awe-
some to come back from 2-0 and then
win - just awesome."
Said Allen: "I think that said a lot
about our team because our backs were
against the wall and we were playing in
a very hostile environment and it was a
must-win for us."
Gamalski couldn't hold back her tears
as she reminisced about senior night at
Cliff Keen Arena, when the gym reached
its 1,800-person capacity and the fire
marshal was forced to turn fans away.
"I guess the biggest thing for me was
all of the fans that I have acquired and
all of the little girls that come in, even
after a loss," Gamalski said. "They just
adore the volleyball players. They once
waited for a half-an-hour after we got
yelled at by our coach just to get their
shirts signed."
It's hard to look back over the season
and not notice the increased interest in the
volleyball team around campus. Gamal-
ski and Allen find it hard to believe that
when they first arrived in Ann Arbor five
years ago, the team had trouble filling
Cliff Keen for home games. This season,
the roaring Cliff Keen crowds bolstered
team's confidence on a regular basis.
Allen was able to follow in the ath-
letic tradition of her mother and father,
former basketball and football players,
respectively.
"I think about just putting on a uniform
for the first time and I was so excited to
wear the block 'M' and it was something
that I have always wanted to do - to be
able to play to Michigan," Allen said. "It
was the first time I had ever put on a uni-
form and known it was where I wanted
to be."
The Michigan block 'M' holds a spe-
cial significance for Gamalski as well.
"I am going to miss everything that
goes along with being a Michigan ath-
lete," Gamalski said. "I just don't know
what it is. It's that stupid cliche, 'You don't
know what you got until it's gone.' It's just
hard for me to leave the game. Wearing
the block 'M' and everything that comes
along with being an athlete - something
that I took for granted for a couple of
years."
But the seniors know they are leaving
the team in the very capable hands of
their freshmen teammates.
"They have stepped up huge, and I
don't think we have ever had a freshman
class able to do that in a while," Allen
said. "They did a very good job this
season, and I know they have so much
more potential that they can reach. And
I know they are going to step up as lead-
ers of this team."
By H. Jose Bosch
Daily Sports Writer
Imitation is the most sincere form of
flattery. And for senior transfer Shanna
Duggan of the Michigan women's gym-
nastics team, imitation was the key that
opened the door to the hearts of her new
teammates.
On Halloween night, Duggan per-
formed a floor routine that no one on the
team would forget.
While the senior class, up for the holi-
day, dressed as male gymnasts, Duggan
broke into her best impression of a male
gymnast's floor routine.
"She did all these really funny poses,
senior Chelsea Kroll said. "It was just
hilarious, and she really let loose that
day. (It) made us all laugh.
"She's a little bit goofy, and she's not
really afraid to show that to (the team).
Being with another team for so many
years and (still) being able to be that
open with us, it really says something
about her."
may hinge on the performance of the
vaulters and uneven bars specialist.
Duggan - a MAC champion on the
vault in 2002 - will be a big key to
Michigan's success. So no surprise that
Duggan felt some pressure coming in.
"(There was) pressure, and I was
also excited, too," Duggan said. "It's
my last year, and I get a chance to go to
nationals and do the things I've always
wanted to do."
At Central Michigan, Duggan gained
the reputation as one of the best vault-
ers in the MAC. But her issues with the
Chippewas' workout program were a
big reason for Duggan's transfer.
"The conditioning and everything
was a bit over the top," Duggan said.
"I'm getting old, and I can't handle that
anymore. I really needed a change, and I
am glad I got the opportunity to."
Duggan said that the workout program
at Michigan was much smarter. Athletes
never tumble and vault on the same day
of practice because that can cause unnec-
essary wear and tear on a gymnast's
ATTENTION HOCKEY FANS:
Don't Miss your Wolverines in the 40th Annual Great Lakes invitational!
AT "MhE JOE'-
40th Annual Great Lakes Invitational
du
Wed, Dec. 29
Michigan vs Michigan Tech * 430 PM
Michigan State vs, New Hampshire * 8:0 PM
-'1
1' = L
DANCE SPECIALS ALL WI