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- We're in 9th place! 2007 If each person avoids creating 114 lb of waste this week, we'll jump to 8th! If everyone edited just one paper on their computer instead of print- ing a draft, we could save 34 trees! University of Michigan Waste Management Services www.recvcle.umich.edu 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. Coming in March 2007 to the University of Michigan The Millmnare's Forum is seeking the top student leaders on campus . . Millionaire's Forum. Will you be one of them? 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? IMAGINE A PARTY WITH NBA ALL- STARS, MEMBERS OF THE MICHIGAN HOCKEY TEAM AND ATHLETES DUNKING OFF TRAMPOLINES. SOUNDS FUN, EH? HOW MUCH IS THE COVER, YOU ASK? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. THAT'S BECAUSE YOU CAN GET ALL OF THIS AND MORE AT OUR BLOG, "THE GAME." 0 E MICHIGANDAILY. COM/THEGAME