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December 08, 2006 - Image 8

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The Michigan Daily, 2006-12-08

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8 - Friday, December 8, 2006
New-look Irish ready

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

By AMBER COLVIN
Daily Sports Writer
Last time the Michigan hockey
team skated into the Joyce Cen-
ter in South Bend, it banged seven
pucks past Irish goaltender David
Brown. And just for good mea-
sure, the Wolverines tapped in an
empty-netter to make it an even
eight-goal night.
But that was more than a year
ago.
And oh, how the times have
changed.
With a home-and-home series
against Notre Dame this weekend,
don't expect either game to be like
they were in years past, especially
when it comes to putting pucks
into Notre Dame's net.
Sure, it'll be the same goalten-
der between the pipes for the Irish.
Heck, it'll even be a lot of the same
players on the ice.
But don't you dare think it will
be the same Notre Dame team.
It may be just a couple months
into the season, but the Irish are
still stunning everyone around the
NCAA.
Early in the season, they deliv-
ered a 7-1 thumping to then-No. 1
Boston College. From there, the
wins kept coming, including one
over then-No. 4 Michigan State.
Now Notre Dame is No. 5, and
suddenly, the once non-threaten-
ine conferene onnnonet isthe fo

in a crucial weekend series for the
seventh-ranked Wolverines.
"They totally changed, as every-
body can see," Michigan forward
Danny Fardig said. "They're taking
the country by surprise, but hope-
fully we know what to expect."
The Wolverines (8-3-0 CCHA,
12-5-1 overall) are riding an eight-
game winning streak against the
Irish. In that span, they have out-
scored Notre Dame 52-14, includ-
ing 10-1, 8-0 and 9-2 decisions.
But now the new-look Irish (7-
2-1, 12-3-1), sparked by second-
year coach Jeff Jackson, have the
nation's best defense, allowing a
measly 1.38 goals per game. On
top of that, Brown, now a senior,
boasts the NCAA's second-best
goals against average (1.45) and the
third-best save percentage (.939).
"It's been amazing how well
they've played defensively," Mich-
igan coach Red Berenson said.
"Obviously the team has bought
into Jackson's systems or ideas
about how they need to play to be

successful. They're a hard team to
beat, that's what's showing up."
Pit the staunch Irish defense
with Michigan's No. 3 scoring
offense (4.35 goals scored per
game), and you've got a marquee
matchup.
The Wolverines have four of the
nation's top-20 scorers - senior
T.J. Hensick, juniors Chad Kolarik
and Kevin Porter, and sophomore
Andrew Cogliano - crashing oppo-
nents' nets each night.
But move back to Michigan's
defense, and you won't find such
a steady group. The Wolverine
defensive corps is hurting, with
senior Jason Dest out for about a
month after dislocating his shoul-
der against Western Michigan last
weekend.
Berenson doesn't plan on dress-
ing star back liner Jack John-
son, who also suffered a shoulder
injury. But the sophomore, listed
as day-to-day, did some skating at
yesterday's practice, making him a
possibility for Sunday's contest in
South Bend.
Fellow sophomore Mark Mitera
will continue to play with a cast on
his right wrist.
"I'm not feeling great about it,
but we'll have to wait and see,"
Berenson said. "We'll make the
best of it. We have some depth."
Senior Tim Cook will return to
his natural position on the defense.
He has dressed as a forward for

RODRIGO GAYA/Daily
Senior Tim Cook will help out Michigan's depleted defense by returning to the blue line this weekend against No. 5 Notre Dame.
most of the games this season due As for the forwards, Kolarik, Thebattlebetweenthe NotreDame
to the overwhelming number of who is tied with Hensick for the defense and Michigan offense will
defensemen. Junior walk-on Jon team-high of career points against be a close clash.
Montville might also see his first Notre Dame (14), knows that the "It'll be a one-goal game, either
playing time of the season because days of high-scoring affairs against way," Kolarik said. "It should be a
of the depleted defense. the Irish are now just memories. good test for both of us."

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