4B - Monday, December 11, 2006 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com CONTACT TO THE HEAD NOTABLE QUOTABLE "Its probably one of the more disappointing (birthdays) I've ever had:' - Michigan senior alternate captain TJ. HENSICK on losing to Notre Dame on his 21st RODRIGO GAYA/Daily birthday. PLAYER OF THE WEEK Travis Turnbull MICHIGAN The sophomore forward had his first career three-point game yesterday, and four points on the weekend. Turnbull benefitted from playing alongside T.J. Hensick and Kevin Porter during yester- day's game against the Fighting Irish. THE 'RED' LINE In a system named for legendary coach Red Berenson, the Daily hockey writers rate the Wolverines on their perfor- mance in each of four areas. (Rated out of 4 pucks) OFFENSE Michigan scored lust nix goals this weekend. But when you consider the fact that Notre Dame was giving up lust 1.83 goals per game going into the series, it looks pretty good. Nate Sandals Friday's game NOTRE DAME 7 - MICHIGAN 3 Sunday's game NOTRE DAME 4-- MICHIGAN 3 Irish stewed Canada calls Cogliano to Calgary Amber Colvin Ian Robinson James V. Dowd DEFENSE All the 'D' wants for the holi- days is a little health. It's hard to judge these guys when they're dropping like flies. Here's two pucks for effort. S. GOALTEN DING Sauer got yanked Friday after allowing five goals in two periods, and Jakiel didn't fare much better. Sauer was adequate yesterday, but 11 goals in a weekend are too many. SPECIAL TEAMS As coach Red Berenson put it yes- terday: "The power play couldn't score and the penalty kill couldn't defend." Sounds like a recipe for disaster in South Bend. By NATE SANDALS Daily Sports Writer SOUTH BEND - Calgary is 1,779 miles from the Notre Dame campus. Andrew Cogliano just didn't have enough time. Thesophomore forwardwasn'twith his fellow Wol- verines for their game against Notre Dame yesterday. Instead, he was in the southern Alberta metropo- lis preparing for the Canadian Junior team's tryout camp. His first practice was 7 p.m. last night. Even though Michigan coach Red Berenson was without his fourth lead- ing scorer, he didn't use Cogliano's absence as an excuse for his team's 4-3 loss. "Would we be better with some other players? Yeah," Berenson said. "But tonight, that was our team, and we just didn't get it done." Still, Berenson said he was unhappy to lose Cogliano and was even more upset that the sophomore's absence was the result of a schedule change for television. Michigan was supposed to play at Notre Dame on Saturday, but the game was moved to Sunday afternoon to allow for broadcast on ESPNU. Cogli- ano could have played in South Bend on Saturday and made it to Calgary in time for the camp. Berenson called it "bad timing," but injuries made it even worse. Michigan lost Cogliano while still skating without defensemen Jason Dest and Jack Johnson, both out with shoulder injuries. On Friday, Dest missed his first game since the season-opener of his freshman year. The senior had played in 124 straight games. With three key players missing, Michigan's coaches were forced to infuse new blood into the lineup. Junior Jon Montville saw his first action of the season on Friday. The Novi native played alongside captain Matt Hunwick, but he was absent from the ice at crucial points in the game. On Saturday, freshman Anthony Ciraulo played for the second time this season. He took Cogliano's spot in the lineup, but didn't fill his skates. POPPING AND LOCKING: It's becom- ing an epidemic. Another Michigan defenseman suffered a shoulder injury on Sunday. Freshman Steve Kampfer succumbed to a dislocated shoulder in the third period while battling in the offensive zone. Senior David Rohlfs had to move back to defense to fill the void from Kampfer's absence. Rohlfs played extensively at defense last season and didn't look out of place on the blue line on Friday. Michigan doesn't play until Dec. 29, which should give Kampfer a decent amount of time to heal. Kampfer said he felt fine and wasn't in too much pain as he left the arena holding a bag of ice. MOVING ON DOWN, TO THE EAST SIDE: After being swept by Notre Dame for the first time since February 2004, Michigan dropped one spot to third in the CCHA standings. The Wolverines are three points behind the Fighting RODRIGO GAYA/Daily Defenseman Steve Kampfer suffered a dislocated shoulder in Sunday's third period. Irish and five points back of first-place Hobey Baker-award hopeful turned Miami (Ohio). 21 Sunday, and the only present he got While there is still half of the con- was a sweep by Notre Dame ference season to play, Berenson said Hensick has been praised for his he was disappointed to fall behind increased leadership and maturity this Notre Dame in the standings, because season. While he's the team's youngest the two teams don't meet again this senior, the Howell native often carries season. himself as though he was the oldest. "Yougetsweptby ateamthat's going Hensick denied thinking about the to compete for first place in this league big day before the game's 3:05 p.m. and that really puts us in the backseat," start, but on his way out of the Joyce Berenson said. "Because you're not Center admitted the loss had made a going to getthose points back." letdown out of his 21st. DROWNING YOUR SORROWS: Watch "It's probably one of the more dis- out, Ann Arbor: T.J. Hensick is legal. appointing (birthdays) I've ever had," The senior alternate captain and Hensick said with a youthful shrug. IN THE STANDS It seems like the crowd at Joyce Arena missed the memo: good hockey is back in South Bend! There was no consistent cheer or even a uni- form sound when the Irish went on the power play. The band was just confused, playing over the loudspeaker - but the fans stayed mum. With a revamped team should come a revamped fan base. It's not like they were busy cheering for Brady Quinn, right? BY THE NUMBERS 33 The number of goals scored on Michigan since Thanksgiving. SUNDAY'S SCORING Notre Dame 4, Michigan 3 Michigan... . . . .............. 2 1 0 - 3 N otre D am e ........................................................1 1 2 - 4 FIRST PERIOD 1. MICH Travis Turnbull 2 (Chad Kolarik) 0:42, 2. ND Kyle Lawson 2 (Erik Condoa, Keavineth) 13.25. 3 MICH KtnPrtnr14 (Ttavis Trnbull, Chrsemers)6:08. Penaties-Dnny FardigMICH(slashing)836; Christian Hanson, ND (interference)10:31; Steve Kampfer, MICH (tripping) 12:42; Brock Sheahan, ND (tripping)16:33; Evan Rankin ND (interference) 19:31. SECOND PERIOD 4. ND Garrett Regan 5 (Mark Van Guilder, Brett Blatchford) 7:45. 5. MICH Mark Mitera 1 (Brian Lebler, Travis Turnbull) 19:37. Penalties - Garrett eguan, C0 (tghi nolc510, Tea) , MICH r(ta any players on)5:10 Tie Mien, MICHA(interfetrence) 609, Math Mitena, MICH (cosas-checkinu) 7:30; Garrett Regan, ND(tripping) 9:24; Wes O'Neill, ND (interference) 16:46. THIRD PERIOD 6. ND Ryan Thang 9 (Kevin Deeth,tErik Condra) 7:13. 7. ND Garrett Regan 6 (Mark Van Guilder) 7:43. Penalties - Erik Condra, N0 (tripping)1:44; David Rohlfs, MICH (tripping)2:33; Travis Turnbull, MICH (hooking) 6:41; Tim Cook, MICH (tripping)8:31. Shots on goal: MICH 7-12-9-28; ND 6-14-9-29. Power plays: MICH 0-for-6; ND 3-for-7 Saves - MICH Billy Sauer (5-13-7) - 25; ND David Brown (5-11-9) - 25. Referee: Barry Pocheara. Attendance: 2,763 Despite confidence, Sauer's mind hurts team It's difficult to feel lonely among more than 6,200 people. Unless you're the one who allowed five goals in back-to-back home starts. The one pulled from the game after two periods. The one still wearing a goalie mask on the bench. Unless you're Billy Sauer. - Then, I guess, loneliness doesn't seem like such a fanciful concept for someone at Yost Ice Arena on Friday night.t With each Fighting Irish goal, Sauer looked a little smaller, a little younger and a little more t. . helpless. By the time the horn JOSE sounded to conclude the sec- ond period, Sauer looked like BOSCH a defeated man - scratch that - - a defeated child as he somber- The Bosch ly skated back toward his locker Watch room. During the third period, Sauer sat on the bench, tucked into the corner, and kept his goalie mask on. It could've been a sign of weakness, a way for Sauer to hide from the embarrassment of giving up 18 goals over his previous three starts; a way for him to avoid seeing the hundreds of pairs, of eyes glued to him as he sat and watched like everyone else. Or it could've been a sign of what he was think- ing, a symbol he's ready for his next game and he won't allow this last slip-up to affect him., The only way to know is to ask him. After Friday's game, Sauer opened the door to leave the locker room. He appeared to walk just a little bit faster than usual, maybe trying to avoid a post-game discussion. Not so fast, Billy. But while I talked to him, there was no sense that the past three weeks have been, statistically at least, the worst of his career. Judging by his body TURNBULL IR From page 1B Fr unleashed a slapshot that found its way into thro the net for Turnbull's third point of the con- onc test. ing With the first half of the season finished pucl and the Great Lakes Invitational over the of t holidays, Turnbull's offensive outburst in the terv final game before the break could create a lit- of t tle momentum for a team that needs a lift. Bab CCHA STANDINGS Team CCHA Overall Pts 1. Miami 10-3-1 14-5-1 21 2. Notre Dame 9-2-1 14-3-1 19 Mi 3. Michigan 8-5-0 12-7-0 16 t 4. Michigan State 7-5-1 9-7-1 15 5. Lake Superior 6-4-2 11-5-2 14 6. Alaska 5-4-3 7-5-4 13 Mi Ohio State 5-6-3 5-9-4 13 8. Nebraska-Omaha 5-6-1 8-7-4 11 Western Michigan 5-7-1 6-7-1 11 10. Northern Michigan 4-7-1 7-10-2 9 11. Ferris State 2-9-2 4-11-2 6 12. Bowling Green 2-10-0 4-13-1 4 language and the way he talked, Sauer was treating this like just another rough day at the office. Unfortunately, another rough day doesn't just affect him - it affects his team. And as positive as he sounds after rough games (this isn't the first time he's seemed upbeat after a tough loss), he still appears rattled on the ice after allowing a goal. It's easy to tell people you have to forget about the last goal, but actually doing it isn't so easy for Sauer. "It was a tough game for him," Michigan coach Red Berenson said on Friday. "He only had four shots in the first period and two were goals. That is frustrating for a goalie. Then in the second period, it got worse. I cannot tellyou what his psyche is, but obviously the puck is going in too easily." Yet despite his concerns, Berenson stuck with Sauer yesterday. The goaltender he dubbed the starter at the beginning of the season. Sauer started between the pipes for yesterday's game, the bookend of a home-and-home series with Notre Dame. He had a chance to redeem himself with a win on the road. Instead, Sauer gave up two third-period goals within 30 seconds of each other, and the Fighting Irish finished their sweep of the Wolverines with a 4-3 win. That's nine goals against one goalie in one series. In the world of theater, Sauer's rise and fall is a quintessential tragedy. At the tender age of 17, he was hailed as the next one in a line of great goal- tenders. His 8-3-1 record after the first half of last season was just a glimpse at his talent. But since then, his inability to rebound after tough goals and tough contests has led to many dis- appointing games. Sauer should know that to succeed as a goalten- der his mettle must be harder than the pucks he's supposed to stop. And to come to that conclusion, he may need to spend some extended time on the bench. Last year was the first time in 10 years Berenson had to pause before penciling in his starting goalie. It seemed like Sauer had done enough to eliminate that problem before this season. But the last three weeks have prosven he's done anything but that. "There's nothing you can do about anything in the past," Sauer said on Friday. "You might as well just keep on going." For the Michigan hockey team, forgetting about the past may require going on without Sauer in net for the short term. It seems counterintuitive to bench a player whose mental game is shaky. But it's the only option Beren- son hasn't tried with his young - he's still just 18 - goalie. Last season's goalie carousel did a lot to harm Sauer's confidence. And Berenson's undy- ing support (with the exception of last weekend's benching) has also failed to spark anything in the sophomore. An extended stint on the pine may be just what Sauer needs to kick-start his mental game to the next level. He already knows how to talk the talk while dressed in a finely pressed suit, the stink of a bad game washed away. But walking the walk while wearing the damp and bulky goalie's equipment during the game is still out of his reach. Back on Friday, Sauer spent most of the third period with his hockey helmet on. He looked like he was desperate to get back out on the ice and atone for his mistakes. And maybe that's the problem. Maybe he's pushing too hard. Maybe spendingsome time on the bench without his helmet on will clear his mind. Maybe, just maybe, Michigan hockey fans will finally get the consistent goalie they've been pray- ing for the last two years. - Bosch can be reached at hectobos@umich.edu. 'M' STATS GP G A Pts Player +/- PIM Sht i . i i i i i i Hensick Porter Kolarik cogliano Rohlfs Johnson Miller Naurato Lebler Hunwick Mitera Turnbull Cook Dest Ward Kampfer Fardig Summers Bailey Craulo Montville 19 19 19 18 17 16 19 18 19 19 19 19 14 17 11 16 19 19 19 2 7 14 12 10 10 6 3 6 5 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 33 31 25 23 20 13 9 9 8 8 8 6 4 3 3 2 2 3 0 0 +10 +11 +7 +1 +10 +10 +4 +1 -3 +4 +2 -2 +4 +1 +3 0 -1 +3 -11 -1 -1 18 8 12 10 8 33 35 4 22 28 24 26 8 12 0 8 22 36 28 0 0 47 69 71 37 46 47' 26 43 25 34 27 33 8 7 6 9 19 16 17 0 ISH om page 1B ugh the neutral zone, Turnbull e again found a hole in the Fight- Irish's defense, slipping the k to Kevin Porter just outside he Notre Dame blue line. Por- walked the puck to the left side he ice while holding off Noah in and Brock Sheahan before AROUND THE CCHA Friday's results: Notre Dame 7, MICHIGAN 3 ALASKA 4, Bowling Green 3 chigan State 3, NoRTHERN MICHIGAN 2 Lake Superior 1, FERRIS STATE 1 (OT) Miami 5, OHIo STATE 2 NEBRASKA-OMAHA 5, Bentley 2 Saturday's results: chigan State 3, NORTHERN MICHIGAN 2 Bowling Green 6, ALASKA 4 Obio State 2, MIAMI 2 (OTi Lake Superior 4, MFEIS STA Sunday's results: NoTRE DAME 4, Michigan 3 NEBRASKA-OMAHA 7, Bentley 2 'Home teams in caps cutting back across Brown's net and slipping the puck in with just fewer than four minutes remaining in the period. As the second period opened, Notre Dame's power play again took advantage of a shorthanded Michi- gan team. A series of penalties by both teams culminated with a 4- on-3 Irish advantage after defense- man Mark Mitera was penalized for tripping with 12:30 remaining in the second period. Michigan was able to clear their zone after 15 seconds, and an exhausted Kolarik, who had played an active role on the penalty kill, raced to the bench. But before his replacement, senior David Rohlfs, could reach the defensive zone the ensuing odd-man advantage ended with a game-tying goal by Garrett Regan. With the opportunity to take its first lead of the game in the follow- ing minutes, Notre Dame generated several rushes on Michigan's net, but goaltender Billy Sauer was up to the task. As the second period wound to a close, the Wolverines again seized the lead with a shot from the left point by Mark Mitera - his first career marker. The sophomore slapped the puck toward the net, and it found a pinhole between Brown's pads for the go-ahead goal. Michigan held onto the lead for more than half of the final stanza, but it was then that the famed magic took over. The Fighting Irish needed the magic in the late-game come- back yesterday, but Friday's vic- tory was plain dominance from the start. Notre Dame jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first period and never looked back. Michigan twice narrowed the deficit to one, but three consecutive goals by the Fighting Irish in the late second and early third period put the game away for good. Having allowed five goals in two periods on Friday, Michigan coach Red Berenson elected to use fresh- man Steven Jakiel in the third peri- od. But even a change in backstop couldn't prevent Notre Dame from running away with a four-goal vic- tory. Michigan now has a 19-day break before returning to the ice for the Great Lakes Invitational inDetroit.