rt. dy. October 6, 2008 -3B

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com


Special teams key to
' weekend victories

Top goalies split ice time
By GJON JUNCAJ
Daily Sports Writer

From Page 1B
forward Louie Caporusso picked
up the game-winning power-
play goal late in the first period.
Fellow sophomore forward Carl
Hagelin flashed through the
offensive zone, and after Hage-
lin deflected his shot, Capo-
russo knocked the puck past the
Waterloo goalie to put Michigan
up 2-0.
The Wolverines would add
another power-play goal in the
third period to take a 3-1lead.
While Michigan's power play
connected on two goals in Sun-
day's game, it lacked the cohe-
sive passing and puck handling
featured in previous years.
In the waning minutes of yes-
terday's game, Michigan had a
5-on-3 advantage for a full two
minutes but was unable to capi-
talize.
With the regular season still
a week away and half the week-
end's offense coming on the man
advantage, Berenson was still
pleased with the unit's perfor-
mance over the weekend.
"The power play is a work in
progress,"Berenson said. "We've
got literally three units out there
just using our lines. I thought
they moved the puck good, they

got shots through and got a cou-
ple of ugly goals, but that's what
you want on the power play."
On Saturday, sophomore for-
ward Matt Rust notched a pair of
power-play tallies, including the
game winner. On the first goal,
sophomore defenseman Chad
Langlais missed a shot from the
blue line and Rust knocked it in
off the rebound.
"I think (Langlais) missed the
net on purpose because the puck
bounced right on my stick, and
you've got to be terrible to miss
that one," Rustsaid.
While top-line players like
junior alternate captain Chris
Summers, Rust and sophomore
Aaron Palushaj will likely get
plenty of power-play time this
year, some freshmen also got to
show off their skills on the man
advantage.
Freshmen defenders Greg
Pateryn and Brandon Burlon saw
plenty of time on the man advan-
tage in yesterday's game.
"We're looking to see if these
guys can produce on the power
play," Berenson said. "I'd like to
have three units, really. We're
looking to see what we have. You
might never play on the power
play again, or you might be able
take advantage of your chance."

With six blueliners returning
from last year's Frozen Four team,
Michigan's defensive corps could
be the hockey team's strongest
asset.
In this week- NOTEBOOK
end's exhibition
games against the U.S. Under-18
National Team Development Pro-
gram and Waterloo, the defensive
unit might have even played too
well, providing sophomore goalie
Bryan Hogan with a catch-22.
Hogan and senior netminder
Billy Sauer were rarely tested
between the pipes. Sauer faced just
15 shots Saturday night, and Water-
loo managed just 17 against Hogan
on Sunday afternoon. Hogan's eight
first-period saves Sunday marked
the busiest20-minute stanzaeither
goalie endured, and he thought he
needed the action.
"It's a lot easier when you face
a lot of shots early," Hogan said.
"Your mind moves a lot quicker.
Sometimes, sure, you're mentally
prepared for the game. But once
you have all those shots, it makes
(the game go) that much faster, and
you feel a bit more confident."
It might seem counterproduc-
tive, considering what a defensive
unit is supposed to minimize the
goalie's workload. The Wolver-
ines' penalty-kill was particularly
outstanding, allowing just three
combined shots on goal during 12
opponent power plays this week-
end.
"I thought they played great in
front of me," Hogan said. "I didn't
have to face any difficult shots,
really. That's the one thing at
Michigan, I've noticed, is that it's
easy, but it's not easy, playing with
them. But I've got to thank them a
lot."
WHO'S NO. 1?: Once again,
there is a well-publicized goalie
controversy to begin the season.
Both Sauer and Hogan will play
significant time until a clear No.
1 net-minder is established. Both

Sophomore Bryan Hogan stops a shot in Michigan's 3-1 exhibition win over Waterloo.

SAID ALSALAH/Daily

6Wolverines
warm up wit
pineaipple race
In intrasquad have real competition," Kerska
said. "We've had some competi-
freshmen ease into tive races here with the fresh-
men."
competition among The team features 10 incom-
ing freshmen hoping to contrib-
teammates ute to the Wolverines' success,
with two who competed in the
ByFELIX CARREON U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha,
For the Daily Neb., this summer.
Senior Emily Brunemann will
The Michigan women's swim- be the Wolverines' strongest
ming and diving team took to returning swimmer. Brunemann
the pool at Canham Natatorium won the NCAA championship in
early Saturday morning for the the 1,650-yard freestyle last sea-
Maize and Blue Invitational, the son, four seconds ahead of the
first competition for the Wolver- field.
ines this year. Last season, the Wolverines
No individual statistics were finished second to Minnesota at
recorded for the exhibition, in the Big Ten title meet and ninth
which the team was divided into at the NCAA Championships.
Maize and Blue teams. This season, Michigan's main
The Wolverines were joined in goal is to bring the Big Ten title
the pool by alumni, and the pres- back to Ann Arbor after a four-
ence of the former swimmers year hiatus.
established a relaxed environ- Senior leadership will be cru-
ment in the pool. cial to the Michigan's postseason
But the meet's laid-back atti- performance, with a large fresh-
tude did not stop some of the man class coming in this year.
Wolverines. from having strong "They have really embraced
performances. the freshmen," Kerska said of the
The Maize team won the seniors. "I think they're going to
meet and the coveted 650-yard be the reason for the success of
freestyle Pineapple Relay. The this team."
winner of the Pineapple Relay In addition to Brunemann,
receives a case of pineapples, a seniors Payton Johnson and
tradition that stems from Christ- Christine Nichols will be return-
mas training in Hawaii against ing with hopes of ending their
other Big Ten schools. collegiate careers with a Big Ten
"The girls are amazed at how title.
great they .look, how fit they The Wolverines' stiffest com-
are, and how fast they still are," petition will come from the
assistant coach Stefanie Kerska defending Big Ten champion
said of the alumni. Minnesota in their first dual
Juniors Margaret Kelly and meet of the season.
Emily Hanson had solid swims "It's going to take every sin-
in the exhibition. gle person exceeding their own
"It's nice for them to get into goals (to win Big Tens)," Kerska
the swing of things before they said.

will make starts next weekend
against St. Lawrence. How Michi-
gan coach Red Berenson will allot
playing time after that, though,
remains a mystery.
"That may go week-to-week or
we may make the decision to go
month-to-month," Berenson said.
"I think Billy's got the experience,
but Hogan needs experience."
Berenson said volunteer goal-
tending coach Josh Blackburn
will be his barometer, letting him
know when each player is ready to
help the team win. Hogan said the
coaching staff has given him word
on where he stands in the situa-
tion.
"But it means nothing,".he said.
"It's whoever's playing, I think,
better at the time, more efficient,
more consistent."
Translation: the spot is up for
grabs.

Both goalies will be under the
microscope from game to game.
Their play will be dissected and
analyzed constantly by the coach-
ing staff and fans alike. Despite the
scrutiny, Hogan believes his rela-
tionship with Sauer is the stron-
gest it has ever been.
"It's gotten a lot better," Hogan
said. "It was never bad, but it's
just that we're getting a lot closer
over the years. So it's definitely a
lot easier to talk to him, especially
him being a senior and me being
younger. I think we're meshing a
lot better."
THE SHUFFLING CONTINUES:
Despite the departure of lastyear's
top line, Michigan's top six return-
ing forwards are loaded with scor-
ing potential.
As of now, the Wolverines don't
have a clear No. 1 line, and Beren-
son is still searching for the right

chemistry. During Sunday's third
period, he bumped sophomore for-
ward Carl Hagelin up to the top
line, reuniting him with his line-
mates from last season, sophomore
Matt Rust and sophomore Aaron
Palushaj. Hagelin replaced junior
forward Chris Summers.
Senior forward Brandon Nau-
rato was scratched and replaced
on the third line by junior Brian
Lebler. Senior Danny Fardig was
also scratched in favor of junior
forward Anthony Ciraulo. The
experimenting is nothing new this
early in the season.
"I didn't think our lines were
jelling, really, in the first two peri-
ods," Berenson said. "I like to have
options. I like to have different
guys that can skate with different
guys. Sometimes you get kind of
stale and you need a change. This
will probably go on for a while."

Blue victorious amid Buckeye attack

Against ranked rival,
Michigan responds
goal-for-goal for
second Big Ten win
By IAN KAY
Daily Sports Writer
Every time Ohio State scored,
Michigan sophomore forward Ali-
cia Mayer was there to answer.
In a game where it was severely
outshot (15-7) and outcornered
(10-1) by a talented Buckeyes squad,
the Michigan field hockey team
relied-on gritty defense, solid goal-
tending and a pair of markers from
Mayer in a 3-2 victory yesterday at
Phyllis Ocker Field.
Michigan (2-0 Big Ten, 6-6 over-
all) came into the game fired up to
face its biggest rival after defeat-
ing Temple, 3-1, on Friday. Several
former players, in town for Home-
coming weekend, gave pregame
pep talks. And after losing in their
first five contests against ranked
foes this season, the Wolverines
couldn't wait to take a crack at the
Buckeyes.
"We came into this thinking
there is no way we're going to lose to
Ohio State," Mayer said. "We really
needed this, because the beginning
of the season didn't go the way we
wanted."
The beginning of the game didn't
gothewayMichiganwantedeither.
Ohio State (0-3, 8-6) scored just 24
seconds into regulation.
Despite the early deficit, the

attacks thwarted by Wolverine
defenders. Redshirt junior goal-
keeper Paige Pickett made several
sprawling saves and the Wolver-
ines' defense denied Ohio State's
first nine penalty corner attempts.
Michigan was able to neutralize
Ohio State's speedy forwards with
organization and a tight defensive.
alignment.
"If everyone is where they need
to be, the ball can't get through us,"
Pickett said.
But finally, on their third attempt
in five minutes late in'the second
half, the Buckeyes converted on a
redirected corner to eventhe score.
Just as it had a minute into the
game, all the momentum rested
with Ohio State. Michigan had not
forced a corner since the halftime
break and had tallied just a single
shot in the second frame.
But once again, Mayer respond-
ed.
Withthe ballrollingtowardsOhio
State's endline, Mayer instinctively
broke towards the goal. Senior tri-
captain Sarah Wilhite dug the ball
outfrombetween several defenders
and flicked it towards the cage with
an extended full-body dive.
From there, it was all Mayer. She
raced past a defender to the ball and
beat Quintiliani from close range
for the deciding goal:
"I just happened to get my stick
on the ball and keep it in bounds,"
Mayer said. "I knew the goal was
somewhere in that direction, so I
shot it andit went in."
And just like that, Mayer pushed
that Michigan's season back in the
right direction.

5AM WULSON/Daily
Sophomore Alicia Mayer scored twice for the Wolverines in their 3-2 upset over No.
20 Ohio State.

Wolverines (2-0 Big Ten, 6-6 over-
all) weren't intimidated.
"I knew we were definitely in
the game," Mayer said. "Sometimes
we have little breakdowns here
and there, but we never, ever think
we're out of a game. We kept com-
ing back that much harder."
Mayer's confidence was well-
founded.
Less than three minutes later,
she deftly dribbled the ball inside
the penalty circle and banged the
Wolverines' first shot of the game
through the legs of Ohio State goal-
keeper Lindsay Quintiliani to even
the score.

"Ohio State is solid defensively,"
Michigan coach Nancy Cox said.
"Alicia was running through tack-
les. When they were stopping and
breaking up the play, she was stay-
ing low and grounded over the ball
and winning her one-on-ones."
Senior tri-captain Stephanie
Hoyer added a goal to give Michi-
gan a 2-1 lead midway through the
first half. For much of the game,
it appeared the marker might be
enough to ensure a Michigan vic-
tory.
Over and over, the Buckeyes
(0-3 Big Ten, 8-6 overall) stormed
through the midfield, only to see

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