r The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

New Student Edition - 3E

HOCKEY
Gone
Michigan already knew that the
loss of its two superstar seniors
would leave a Hobey Baker-sized
hole in the team. But after losing
forward Max Pacioretty to the NHL
in July, the Wolverines will now be
without last year's entire top line.
The outgoing seniors - captain
Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik
- combined for 119 points en route
to the 2008 Frozen Four. Porter won
the award for the best player in col-
lege hockey, joining Brendan Morri-
son (1997) as the only Wolverines to
winthe HobeyBaker and solidifying
his status as oneof the best Michigan
athletes in istory.
Michigan will sorely miss Porter
and Kolarik's leadership. Last year's
team was originally slated for medi-
ocrity because ofits 12 freshmen and
loss of key players to the NHL. But
unlike in recent years, where some
oftheWolverines admitted egos and
upperclassman status sometimes
got in the way of teamwork, the two
seniors worked to make sure the
freshmen fit in quickly.
r When Kolarik missed four games
' because of injury, he stood with the
Michigan coaches behind the bench
in dress clothes, firing up his team
just as much as he did in skates. And
all year, Porter deflected Hobey
Baker talk and seemed genuinely
uncomfortable with the attention.
But Pacioretty, a would-be sopho-
more, wasn't expected to leave after
just one year. The CCHA Rookie of
the Year signed with the Montreal
Canadiens this summer, meaning the

Wolverines won't have a clear-cut
best player heading into this season.
Here
After last year's Frozen Four
loss, now-senior Mark Mitera and
now-junior Chris Summers were
rumored to be bolting for the NHL.,
But, like Porter after his junior
year, both key defensemen decided'
to return. That means Michigan's
entire defensive corps will stay
intact. Withoutthe growingpainsof
transition, it should be even stron-
ger than last season.
Despite Pacioretty's departure,
expect the offensive output to come
from sophomores. Aaron Palushaj
led the team in assists last year
and will likely turn many of those
chances into goals this season. Matt
Rust, Carl Hagelin and Louie Capo-
russo also had promising freshman
seasons.
The only possible question mark
will be in goal. During his first two
years as a Wolverine, senior Billy
Sauer was dogged by a reputation for
inconsistent play. Last year, Bryan
Hogan came in ready to compete for
the starting job, but he sat out with
mono until Christmas. Sauer was
one of the team's strongest players
all season - until he choked in Den-
ver. His three-goal collapse in the
first period of the Notre Dame game
probably means the starting goalie
job is again up for grabs. If Hogan
stays healthy, Sauer could see his
playing time dramatically reduced.
Last season, the arrival of 12
freshmen was a little concern-
ing. This year, 10 sophomores will
already be leadingthe team.
COURTNEYRATKOWIAK

2007-08 MICHIGAN TEAM FINISHES
A compilation of the final records of University of Michigan athletic teams for the
year of 2007-2008
Baseball 46-14 1st 3rd,#
Men's Basketball 10-22 T9th -
Harnss Basketball 19-14 17th (WNITT5Ih)
Men's Cross Cuntry - 5th 24th
Wamen's Crass Country --- 3rd 21st
FieldnHckey 16-7 1st 2nd9td.
Football 9-4 T2nd 181d
Men's Golf -- 5th 12th'
Women's Gait --- 5th -9
Men's Gymnastics 29-7 thd th
Women's Gymnastics 24-1 2s 28th
Ice Hockey 33-6-4 1st' T3rd
Women's dowing --- 5th 1th%
Men's Soccer, 10-7-2 716h __---__
Women's Soccer 3-9-h9th __-d--2n 3r
Softball 52-B 11sf 2nd"'
Men's Swimmiag and iving 10-1 1st 6th
Woen's Swimming and iving 6-1 2nd 9th
Men's Tennis 20-7 T~rd 19th
WomensTennis 19-6 2nd 2nd Rd.
Men's Indoor Track and Field --- 6th T44th
Women's IndoorTrrack and Field - 2nd 3rd
Men's Oatdoor Track and Field -- 1st 142nd
Women'saOutdoor Track and Field --- 2nd 7th
Volleyball 24-11 15th T3rd'
Women's Water Palo 34-11 1s 6th
Wrestling 16-8 3rd T7th
INFORMATION cOURTESY O F MGOBLUE.COM
GRAPHic BY HILLARY RUFFE/Daily
* indicates conference tournament champions
# indicates final Associated Press national ranking
^ indicates NCAA regional finish
^^indicates NCAA super regional finish
% indicates first varsity eight boat finish

Forward Max Pacioretty signed a deal with the Montreal Canadiens in July.


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