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March 08, 2007 - Image 8

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The Michigan Daily, 2007-03-08

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8A - Thursday, March 8, 2007

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Icers'playoff hopes rest
with goalie Sauer

By JAMES V. DOWD
On Ice Hockey
When the puck hasn't bounced
the way it should for the Michigan
hockey team this year, fans looking
for a scapegoat often fail to point to
the defense, which has turned over
the puck far too often, orto the for-
wards that have struggled to work
the puck through the neutral zone.
Time and again, the blame seems
to fall on sophomore goaltender
Billy Sauer.
Sometimes Sauer has rightfully
earned this criticism, like when
he allowed six goals to Ohio State
in the season finale and eight to
Minnesota in November's College
Hockey Showcase.
But it's time Michigan fans stop
letting those outlying games jade
their opinions of the fledgling
goalkeeper, who has been one of
the team's most consistent players

throughout the season's second
half.
It was easy to criticize Sauer a
year ago, when his litany of errors
made then-senior Noah Ruden an
obvious choice to startmany games
later in the season. Sauer struggled
with playing the correct angles on
Olympic ice surfaces, which are
15-feet wider than the typical col-
lege-hockey rink. The Walworth,
N.Y., native also found it difficult
to bounce back from poor perfor-
mances.
But this season has been a dif-
ferent story. Since Jan. 1, Sauer has
allowed just 2.53 goals per game,
and more important, he's bounced
back from bad games like a grizzled
veteran.
So what's the difference?
Sauer is a year older, 19 this
January, after entering Michigan
when he was just 17. This year has
brought increased maturity, which

has allowed him to critique his own
performances.
When the Wolverines traveled
to Fairbanks - which features the
larger ice - in October 2005, Sauer
allowed several bad goals en route
to a 4-2 loss duringthe series open-
er. But this time, Sauer spent extra
time before the games working on
his positioning, and it paid off with
a sweep.
Sauer has also worked closely
with the Wolverines' new goalten-
der coach Yona Fiorvanti, who was
his personal coach in New York.
Last year, Sauer struggled to learn
from then-goalie coach Stan Mati-
wijiw, whose impatience didn't
always work well with Sauer.
But Fiorvanti, who also appears
demanding but is more patient than
Matwijiw, has clearly aided Sauer's
play, helping him eliminate many
of the errors that plagued him last
season.

ANGELACESEs
Sophomore Billy Sauer and his Wolverine teamrmates open postseason play against Northern Michigan tomorrow.

With Sauer's improvements,
Michigan should be fine head-
ing into the CCHA playoffs - and
possibly the NCAA Tournament
- with Sauer in net.
He'll continue to make mistakes.
And he may not be able to steal a
game for the Maize and Blue like
Marty Turco, Steve Shields or
even Al Montoya were sometimes

able. But the Wolverines can count
on him to keep them in the game
almost every night.
Michigan coach Red Berenson
famously says he asks just one thing
of his goaltender: that he gives the
team a chance to win.
During almost every postgame
press conference this season,
Berenson has said Sauer has given

the Wolverines that chance.
It might be nice to have an
impenetrable wall like Turco in
net, but Michigan doesn't have that
this season.
But what the Wolverines do have
is a more mature goaltender than
they did a year ago, which can only
mean good things with the playoffs
around the corner.

Tankers eye big finish at NCAAs

By DAVID RUSSELL
Daily Sports Writer
For seniors Kaitlyn Brady and
Lindsey Smith, this weekend's
NCAA Championships in Min-
neapolis represents the last time
they will swim for the 10th-ranked
Wolverines.
In their Michigan finale, both
will compete for All-American
honors in seven events as they
anchor the team's championship
efforts during the three-day com-
petition.
"It would be nice to end with
career-bests," said Brady, who will
be part of four relay teams, includ-
ing two, the 200 and 400-yard free-
style relays that won Big Ten titles.
She will also participate in three
individual swims (the SO- and 100-
yard freestyle and the 200-yard

butterfly).
Younger team members also
have shown
promise for the
Wolverines. NCAA
Sopho- Championships
more Emily When:
Brunemann
is Michigan's Today, March
best chance for 8th, to Saturday,
a national title March 10th.
as her 16:70.10 Where:
time is the sev-
enth best in Minneapolis,
the country Minn.
this year. Brun-
emann is Mich-
igan's best long-distance swimmer
this season and will also compete
in the 400-yard individual medley
and the 500-yard freestyle.
"That's a lot of time," Brun-
emann said, referring to the 19 sec-

onds she cut off her 1,650-meter
freestyle time from last year.
But times from the regular
season don't determine National
Championships.
"Less than 50 percent (of swim-
mers) go faster than they did to get
to the meet," Michigan coach Jim
Richardson said.
He believes that if the Wol-
verines swim for times at the
championships, they will psych
themselves out.
On the positive side of the mind
games, Richardson said it's an
advantage the meet will be in the
same pool as this season's Big Ten
Championships.
Psychological issues are also
present with junior diver Elyse Lee
and Michigan diving coach Chris
Bergere.
"I don't look at the scoreboard

until the end," said Lee, who tries
to stay in the dark about her scores
during the meet.
She also listens to her iPod dur-
ing the 20 minutes between her
dives.
Asked how she avoids hear-
ing the score of each of her dives
announced, she said she stays
"underwater a little bit longer."
Lee and Bergere agreed a top-16
finish in the one-meter and three-
meter competitions are Lee's goal
for the meet as they will score
points for the team and earn Lee
All-American honors. Bergere
believes the junior diver can do it.
"She's peaking atthe right time,"
said Bergere, who was proud of
Lee's efforts at this past weekend's
Zone C Diving Championships,
where she took third in the one-
meter and fifth in the three-meter.

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