Monday, October 9, 2006 - The Michigan Daily - 3B
USNTDP
Continued from page 1B
to one last showdown between the
future Notre Dame goaltender and
Michigan's most prolific scorer.
Before he knew it, Phillips was
sprawled on his back in despair.
Hensick flew in from the right side
of the zone, cut back to the left and
let loose a backhanded shot that
found the back of the net, giving the
Wolverines a 3-2 victory with just
four-tenths of a second left on the
clock.
"That's why you come to the
rink,' Michigan coach Red Beren-
son said. "That's why you buy a
ticket - to see players like T.J.
Hensick."
Last night's game was the third
consecutive meeting between the
teams in which the Wolverines
needed to come from behind with
late goals. After a scoreless first
period, Colin Wilson opened the
scoring for the USNTDP at 10:30
of the second period, with a shot
from the left side that popped up
behind Michigan goaltender Billy
Sauer, just out of the sophomore's
reach.
Michigan tied the game late in
the second on a power play-goal by
sophomore Andrew Cogliano, with
assists from Hensick and freshman
defenseman Jack Johnson. In the
ensuing moments, the Wolverines
COACH
Continued from page 1B
"Having him here all the time is
just going to be huge, knowing
I have somebody I can rely on
with me."
Fioravanti, a Rochester, NY.,
area native, had been looking
to coach at higher levels, but
expressed surprise at the speed of
his ascent.
"I was hoping to move up'
Fioravanti said. "I didn't expect it
to happen this fast."
Berenson and his staff brought
Fioravanti in for an interview in
late September. The coaches were
impressed with his intensity and
passion for goalkeeping.
"He's really into working with
goalies and totally excited about
the opportunity to come in and
help' Berenson said.
The 43-year-old Fioravanti spent
the past three years as a goalie
coach at the Maksymum Hockey
School in Rochester, NY., where
he tutored Sauer, a native of nearby
Walworth. Prior to that, Fioravanti
had worked under Finnish goalie
guru Jukka Ropponen at the Puck-
stoppers Goalie School in London,
Ont. Fioravanti credits Ropponen
with getting him into coaching.
Though he never played college
hockey, Fioravanti was a member
of the American Hockey League's
Rochester Americans. In a two-
year, self-described "miracle
stint," Fioravanti saw action in
fewer than 10 games.
Fioravanti stresses the funda-
mentals of goaltending. He would
rather a goalie excel at moving
with the puck than making spec-
tacular saves from out of position.
"My stuff is a little bit differ-
ent than what most other people
teach'Fioravanti said. "I want(the
goalie) to be square to the puck at
all times, and I expect them to be
square to the puck on their feet."
While Michigan's other two
goalies, senior Mike Mayhew and
continued to put pressure on Phil-
lips, most notably when Hensick
spun around a USNTDP defender
before shooting the puck into Phil-
lips' chest. But the goaltender stood
strong.
Phillips got a boost from his
teammates in the third period,
when a mix-up between Michigan
defensemen allowed 16-year-old
Jimmy Hayes the opportunity to
knock in a loose puck. Such break-
downs in communication can be
common early in the season, and
Berenson hopes to minimize them
in the coming weeks.
"Any goal against is a concern,"
Berenson said. "We'll review all the
goals against, and our players will
learn from their mistakes. We're
going to make mistakes - this a
game of mistakes."
As the clock wound down in
the third period, it appeared that
Hayes's goal would stand as the
game-winner, and Michigan was
forced to pull Sauer in favor of an
extra attacker. The Wolverines
received a big break as Sauer head-
ed to the bench, when USNTDP
forward James vanRiemsdyk was
called for tripping just inside the
USNTDP blue line.
At that point, Berenson used the
Wolverines' lone timeout to calm
his players down and outline a plan
for the 6-on-4, empty-net power
play.
"(The USNTDP had been doing
a) good job of fronting our defense-
men and keeping shots fromgetting
through;' Berenson said. "(We told
our guys) to battle for loose pucks
and try to get shots through."
After working the puck around
the zone looking for an open shot,
a series of passes from Hensick and
junior Chad Kolarik found Johnson
alone in the slot. Phillips froze as
Johnson wound up, and the puck
slipped between Phillips's pads to
send the game into overtime.
The two teams battled through-
out the extra frame, notching four
shots apiece before Hensick buried
the Wolverines' fifth attempt. The
goal marked Hensick's ninth point
of the exhibition weekend. He con-
tributed one goal and two assists
against the USNTDP after scoring
one goal and notching five assists
in a 10-2 victory over Waterloo on
Friday.
Hensick was one of five Wol-
verines with three or more points
in Friday's game. Johnson notched
two goals and four assists, senior
Matt Hunwick had four helpers
to lead the defense, and Hensick's
linemates Porter and sophomore
Jason Bailey recorded four and
three points, respectively.
The Wolverines open the regular
season next weekend, with games
against Alabama-Huntsville on Fri-
day and Connecticut on Saturday at
Yost Ice Arena. Both games begin
at 7:35 p.m.
MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily
Thanks to junior Mike Hart's spectacular rushing, No. 4 Michigan Is six games away from running the table. Jack
Herman says the Wolverines have a 10-to-1shot to finish the season undefeated.
Sizingu the final nine
ZACHARY MEISNER/Daily
Sophomore Billy Sauer should feel more comfortable between the pipes
this season with the addition of new goalie coach Yona Fiorvanti.
freshman Steve Jakiel, have never
met Fioravanti, both Sauer and the
coaching staff expect his arrival to
improve the unit as a whole.
Fioravanti is a coach who's very
interested in feedback from his
players, a style that helps foster a
good working relationship, Sauer
said.
Fioravanti will replace Stan
Matwijiw, who spent seven sea-
sons coaching Michigan's goalies.
While the remainder of the
team has the day off, the three
Wolverine goaltenders will be at
Yost tomorrow afternoon for their
first session with the new coach.
As usual, Fioravanti plans to start
with the fundamentals: watching
the puck come off the stick.
For now, Fioravanti will com-
mute from his home in Rochester,
N.Y., to work for Michigan. He
hopes to be in Ann Arbor at least
twice a month, a level comparable
to the presence of previous goalie
coaches
While the new position will
include a lot of travel, Fioravanti
is excited to be a part of a storied
program like Michigan.
"I thank the University and
coach Berenson for the opportu-
nity," he said.
DOUBLES
Continued from page 1B
and Ken Skupski, ranked No. 28.
Cluskey and Skupski earned an
early break to take the lead at two
games to one. But this lead didn't
last long, as the Michigan team
fought back in the very next game
to earn its own break and even the
score at two games apiece. Hung
and Maravic picked up the intensity
after the early scare and triumphed
in six of the next eight games, pick-
ing up an 8-4 victory and a trip to
the final match.
"They had good first serves and
solid returns throughout the tourna-
ment:' Maymi said. "They stuck to
the basics and stayed within their
game. Too often teams come here
and look to do too much. They look
to hit that one big return or one big
volley. (Hung and Maravic) just
looked to play their game."
Michigan's duo was looking to
capture the school's first individual
national championship in tennis
since 1989, when MaliVai Wash-
ington won the singles title at the
ITA National Indoor Champion-
ships.
Even with the loss in the final
match, Hung and Maravic had a
very good showing in Tulsa last
week.
Although they are happy with
their performance, there's still room
for improvement.
"They could do really well if
they can work on some things in
practice coming up," Maymi said.
"With hard work, they can have a
lot of success this year."
ith three undefeated
teams
(Auburn,
Georgia and
Oregon) falling
this weekend, and
Michigan remain-
ing unscathed
halfway through
the year, it's time to
start handicappingk
the race to the no-
loss season. Nine JACK
teams are left from HERMA
six different confer- SportsMo
ences, and here are Colum
their chances to
do it.
NO. 19 MISSOURI (2-0 BIG XII
NORTH, 6-0 OVERALL)
Off to a 6-0 start for the first
time since 1973, Missouri ben-
efited from a schedule so easy that
it would make Andy Katzenmoyer
blush. It rolled over teams like Col-
orado (0-6 with a loss to Division
I-AA Montana State) and Murray
State (a Division I-AA team with a
1-5 record). But Saturday's big win
over inter-division foe Texas Tech
- the only team now over .500
Missouri's faced - proved that the
Tigers can compete.
It's unlikely that will last long,
though, as games against Nebraska
and Oklahoma - and possibly the
Big XII Championship game loom
- on the horizon. Surely, they'll
lose one of them.
Odds: 200-to-
NO. 24 RUTGERS (1-0 BIG EAST,
5-0)
The birthplace of college
football, Rutgers had been
one of the sport's peren-
nial doormats until its recent
reemergence under coach Greg
Schiano. Led by preseason
Heisman hopeful fullback Brian
Leonard and now-Heisman
hopeful halfback Ray Rice (141
carries, 806 yards, 11 touch-
downs), they've run through
some not-really-quality oppo-
nents (Division I-AA Howard,
for instance) and eeked out a
win over South Florida. The
Scarlet Knights play has earned
them their first ranking since
1976, when they went 11-0.
Still, Mike Teel isn't an ideal
quarterback, and they need to beat
top-10 teams Louisville and West
Virginia. Plus Schiano will have to
stay focused even though many big
suitors (see Miami) will be calling.
And, oh yeah, this is Rutgers we're
talking about.
Odds: 150-to-1
NO.3 SOUTHERN CAL (3-0 PACIFIC-
10, 5-0)
Give them some credit. The Tro-
jans have played better than people
expected. But Josh Booty's no Matt
Leinart, Chauncey Washington
and Emmanuel Moody are no Reg-
ARE YOU
HEARING THAT
NOISE TOO?
THAT'S THE STATE
NEWS COLLAPSING
UNDER THE
PRESSURE OF
THE DAILY'S
FEROCIOUS
DEFENSE.
DAILY SPORTS.
gie Bush and Lendale White, and
this isn't last year's Tro-
jan team. It's been a bit
shakier for Southern Cal
recently - it just barely
beat Washington State
and Washington the past
two weeks.
And the real reason
the Trojans won't do it:
The four-game stretch
of Oregon, California,
Notre Dame and UCLA
AN to end the season looks
nday nearly impossible.
,no Odds: 50-to-
NO.2 FLORIDA (4-0 SOUTHEAST-
ERN CONFERENCE, 6-0)
Urban Meyer seems to have fig-
ured things out in Gainesville and
probably won't be riding the Ron
Zook train anytime soon. And the
quarterback combo of senior Chris
Leak and freshman Tim Tebow?
Pretty darn effective. The Gators
have some big wins in the always-
tough Southeastern Conference
including Tennessee, Alabama and
a 23-point performance against
a much-heralded Louisiana State
defense Saturday night.
Unfortunately for Florida, things
don't get any easier. Next up, a
Saturday night game at Auburn,
probably pretty eager to win after
that loss to Arkansas. Then comes
Georgia, also a solid team upset
about a huge defeat this weekend.
And don't forget about the rivalry
game at Florida State to close out
the season.
The Gators are good, but their
schedule will probably get the best
of them.
Odds: 45-to-
NO. 7 LOUISVILLE (0-0 BIG EAST,
5-0)
The Cardinals remain
unscathed despite a season-end-
ing injury to star running back
Michael Bush and an injury to
quarterback Brian Brohm. Coach
Bobby Petrino has made the pro-
verbial lemonade from lemons,
with his team's offense averag-
ing 44 points per game while his
defense allows just 11.6.
But like many other teams
on the list, their schedule is sus-
pect. A 31-7 drubbing of Miami
seemed quite impressive - until
the 'Canes barely scraped by
Houston the next week. If the
Cardinals manage to get through
West Virginia Nov. 2 (doubt-
ful), they need to recover quick
enough to beat Rutgers on the
road the next week. I just don't
see it happening.
Odds: 25-to-
NO.4 MICHIGAN (3-0 BIG TEN, 6-0)
The Wolverines already broke
one barrier by advancing through
the nonconference season unde-
feated for the first time since 1999.
That dreaded road game against
Notre Dame turned into an impres-
sive resum6 builder, as Michigan's
talent and preparation topped the
heap of hype in South Bend. It's
tough to stop the offense, and the
defense appears to have fixed many
of the nagging problems from the
Jim Herrmann era. Need proof that
Michigan is for real? It hasn't won
by fewer than 14 points this season.
Even though next week's road
game against Penn State isn't
quite as worrisome as it seemed in
the beginning of the season, that
Iowa game should still have fans
nervous. Then there's that trip to
Columbus in a game that's likely to
be for alot of marbles.
Odds: 10-to-1
NO. 5 WEST VIRGINIA (0-0 BIG
EAST, 5-0)
Running back Steve Slaton and
quarterback Pat White form a
potent duo and haven't had much
trouble keeping the Mountaineers
undefeated so far. Sure, they had
a pretty easy schedule to start
the year, but they play in the Big
East, so it won't get much tougher.
Games against Rutgers and Lou-
isville remain, but if all goes as
planned, West Virginia could
waltz into the national champion-
ship without a sweat.
Odds: 8-to-
NO. 1 OHIO STATE (2-0 BIG TEN,
6-0)
These guys are good. Troy
Smith has thrown for 1,261 yards
and 15 touchdowns on a super-
efficient 68 percent completion
percentage. Running back Antonio
Pittman and the receiving corps
featuring Ted Ginn, Jr. haven't
been half bad either. The Buck-
eyes' defense has allowed more
than seven points just twice, and
they already conquered the most
difficult part of the schedule (at
Texas, Penn State and at Iowa).
With just the bottom five teams
in the Big Ten standings up next,
the biggest challenge between
Ohio State and an undefeated
record heading into the Michigan
game might just be counting up
the 11 wins.
Odds: 5-to-2
NO. 20 BOISE STATE (2-0 WESTERN
ATHLETIC CONFERENCE, 6-0)
The boys on blue turf are unde-
feated once again, and it's likely to
stay that way. The Broncos have
lost just one conference game the
past three years, and that won't
change this year. Just one of their
six remaining opponents is over
.500, and two of them are one-win
teams. About the only question
left is whether or not this will be
enough for the mid-major team to
earn a BCS berth.
Odds: Even
--Herman can be reached
atjaherman@umich.edu.
S m oky's
Fine Cigars
Ann Arbor's Newest and Best Tobacconist
Featuring Michigan's Finest Selection of Premium Cigars
Huge Selection of Imported Ciggs, Cloves, Pipe Tobacco and RYO
We also Carry a Large Selection of Hookah Supplies
Spectacular Walk-In Humidor and Cigar Lounge!
Davidoff Cigars Now in Stock!!
--Show Your ID and Save--
[734-222-00221 1423 E. Stadium @Packard next to Caribou Coffee
Senior Brian Hung (above) and junior Matko Maravic reached the finals
of the Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Championships.
4