8 - Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Pair of Hobey
hopefuls duel
6
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
a
Sims sits at
start, but
shows savvy
By NATE SANDALS
Daily Sports Writer
DETROIT - Jeff Jakaitis's 5-
foot-10 frame may not be impres-
sive, but he plays like it is.
The Lake Superior State goalie
leads the nation in save percentage
(.937), and his 2.16 goals against
average isn't anything to scoff at
either.
So how do you score on the best
goalie in the CCHA and arguably
the nation?
"You've got to get him moving,"
Michigan senior T.J. Hensick said.
Hensick had two goals in Mich-
igan's 3-1 win on Sunday, but he
actually beat Jakaitis three times
last weekend.
With Michigan trailing 3-2 on
Friday night in Sault Ste. Marie,
Hensick put a shot past the senior
goalie with under a minute to play.
It should've tied the game.
Instead the puck clanged off the
left post.
"That was a great shot," Jakaitis
said. "I got lucky."
But on Sunday the breaks went
Hensick's way.
The senior scored the game's
first goal by batting the puck out of
the air. While the goal looked like
a fluke to most, Jakaitis saw it dif-
ferently.
"(Hensick's) got so many differ-
ent talents," Jakaitis said. "You just
never know what he's going to do."
One thing both Hensick and
Jakaitis have done this season is
play at an elite level, and they've
garnered Hobey Baker hype as a
result.
As candidates for college hock-
ey's most prestigious trophy, Hen-
sick and Jakaitis are among the
best on the ice every night. This
weekend, both of them lived up to
the expectations.
While Jakaitis stole the show
Friday on his home ice, making 31
saves in a 3-2 Lakers victory, some-
thing about Joe Louis Arena must
make it easier for Hensick to put
pucks past the Lakers' goalie.
On Oct. 23 2004, the last time
the Lakers and Wolverines faced
off in Detroit, Hensick tallied
three points on one goal and two
assists.
But in his four other games
against Jakaitis going into Sunday,
Hensick had just one goal and one
assist.
"I've been able to play against
(Hensick) for four years," Jakaitis
said. "Going against players like
that, it challenges you to bring
your play up to their level.
This weekend, Hensick and
Jakaitis proved that tough com-
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PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily
Senior forward T.J. Hensick is the nation's second-leading scorer. He has 53 points.
petition does in fact bring out the Hensick showed the breadth of
best in elite players. his skills and intelligence, too.
Jakaitis made spectacular saves His second goal on Sunday was
in both games, diving across the the product of skating past three
crease to stop a shot on Friday and Lakers, then baiting Jakaitis to
stacking his pads to make a key go down before bringing the puck
save during Sunday's first period, across the crease and slipping it
Jakaitis remained exception- into the net between Jakaitis's out-
ally calm under intense Wolverine stretched pads and the post.
pressure, and despite his smaller It remains to be seen whether
stature, the Rochester, Minn., Hensick or Jakaitis will hoist the
native played his angles well, fill- Hobey Baker come April, but this
ing the net like a goalie twice his weekend both proved they are
size. among the elite in college hockey.
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to the University of Michigan
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By DANIEL LEVY is going to hang his head down,"
Daily Sports Writer senior Brent Petway said. "But
-- ------ I was talking to him all week (to
All it took was one phrase. keep him positive)."
"Starting at center, a 6-foot-10 Through the first half of Sat-
freshman from Edmond, Oklaho- urday's game, Sims proved the
ma, Ekpe Udoh." naysayers correct. In eight min-
And with that, everyone in utes of action, the senior scored
Crisler Arena was up to speed two points, grabbed one rebound
on what the Michigan basketball and missed both of his free throw
team had known for days: Court- attempts. Though the Wolverines
ney Sims would be coming off the held a 25-18 lead thanks to their
bench for Saturday's matchup stifling defense- Indianashotless
with Indiana. than 27 percent from the field in
Why the sudden change this the opening stanza - it appeared
late in the season? this would be a game Michigan
"We really wanted our kids would have to win in spite of its 6-
to know that the effort that we foot-11center, not because of him.
have to give every game has to be But whether it was motivation
the paramount effort," Michigan from losing his starting spot or
coach Tommy Amaker said. "I desperation to deliver in a game
thought that (the new) lineup was Michigan had to have, a new Sims
going to give us that." took the floor in the second half
The Wolverines' revamped Sims came off the bench three
starting five also featured sopho- minutes into the half and imme-
more point guard Jerret Smith in diately made an impact with an
place of junior forward Ron Cole- assist on a Harris 3-pointer. After
man. That switch allowed senior a brief rest, Sims came back with
Dion Harris, Michigan's leading a bucket and a free throw to keep
scorer, to move back to his natural Michigan atop Indiana, 42-41.
role at shooting guard. It wasn't But it was when the senior
necessarily based on Coleman's re-entered the game with seven
recent play minutes remaining that the Wol-
But inserting Udoh into the verines got the spark they so des-
lineup for Sims was a direct perately needed.
reflection on the senior's recent Sims delivered eight crucial
play. There's no doubt the coaches points down the stretch, every one
were less than thrilled with Sims's of them a blow to the Hoosiers'
four-point, four-rebound and comeback bid. Twice Indiana cut
four-turnover performance last Michigan's lead to one, only to see
Tuesday in a 59-44 loss at Michi- Sims get two on the other end to
gan State. keep the Wolverines in control.
With the new lineups And when the Hoosiers finally
announced, the focus shifted took their first leagl of the game
to whether or not Sims would (47-46) with five minutes left,
respond in a positive way. It it was Sims who once again
wasn't the first time Sims has had answered with a lay-up on a beau-
to sit in what has been an up and tiful feed from Smith.
down career for the Boston native, "I just wanted to respond, come
but that doesn't mean the setbacks off the bench and not sulk," Sims
get easier to swallow. said. "Iknewthiswas ahugegame
"People always think (Sims) for us in terms of our Tournament
hopes."
Fueled by his scoring, Sims
stood tall on the defensive end
as well. Clinging to a three-
point lead, he fought for a crucial
rebound in traffic with just more
than a minute remaining. After
getting fouled, he then calmly
stepped to the charity stripe and
sank both free throws to put the
Wolverines up five, and Michigan
held on for a much-needed 58-55
victory.
After his disappearing act
in the first half, Sims's second-
half numbers - 11 points, four
rebounds and zero turnovers in 11
minutes of play - shocked pretty
much everyone, including his
teammates.
"I was reallysurprised,because
usually he's not like that when he
comes off the bench," Harris said.
"It's like frustration coming off
the bench, and he usually doesn't
have the type of numbers that he
had (Saturday)."
With a visit to Illinois loom-
ing Wednesday, the new question
on everyone's mind is this: Will
Amaker stick with the team's
newfound success?
At Michigan's practice yester-
day, Harris voiced his support of
sticking with the new lineup. And
after Saturday's win, who could
argue?
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