The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Thursday, January 7, 2010 - 5A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, January 7, 2010 - 5A
S

Michigan seeks first
signature road victory

By JOE STAPLETON
Daily Sports Editor
One thing no one was sure about
heading into this season was how
the Wolverines would play on the
road.
After all, Michigan didn't
exactly set the world on fire last
year during the
Big Ten sea- Michigan at
son, especially Penn State
away from Cris-
ler Arena. The Matchup:
Wolverines won Michigan 7-6;
only three road Penn State 8-6
games last year When: Tonight
- against Indi- at 7 P.M.
ana (finished Where: Bryce
last in the Big Jordan Center
Ten), Minne- TV/Radio:
sota (seventh) ESPN2
and Northwest-
ern (ninth).
They also lost on the road to Iowa,
which finished 10th.
And although it fought valiant-
ly against Kansas, Michigan laid
eggs against Utah and Indiana,

the latter of which was without its
leading scorer.
"I think the biggest thing is
that when the other team goes on
a run we need to keep our poise,
and that's where we need to
become more solid," sophomore
Zack Novak said. "Rather than
coming down and saying 'alright,
they're making a run, we got to
make this spectacular play,' we
got to make the solid play and just
tighten up."
At 8-6 (0-2 Big Ten), the Nittany
Lions are having a similar season
to Michigan's - crushing losses to
inferior teams and trouble on the
road. Granted, Penn State is sig-
nificantly less talented than the
Wolverines (1-1 Big Ten, 7-6 over-
all). After junior Talor Battle, a
Cousy Award finalist, who's aver-
aging 18 points per game, no other
Lion is scoring in double digits.
"He's the challenge," Michigan
coach John Beilein said of Battle.
"But they have a lot of players they
can score with, and they've sur-
rounded him with more shooters,

just like they had in the past."
Checking Battle will be the true
road test, and tonight fans will see
if the Wolverines' guards are pre-
pared.
Freshman Darius Morris said
Michigan needs to keep a consis-
tent mental edge and play togeth-
er.
"Obviously we need to do more
than we have been doing on the
road," Morris said. "I think it's
going to take a solid 40 minutes..
We can't just play one half togeth-
er."
NOTES: Sophomore Jordan
Dumars, son of Detroit Pistons
legend Joe Dumars, is officially
walking on to the team. Dumars
can practice with the team but
will not be eligible to play until
the second semester of next year.
Freshman Darius Morris was
wearing an Allen Iverson-esque
sleeve at practice yesterday and
said it was due to elbow tendinitis,
an ailment that he said dates back
to high school. He will be fine to
play against Penn State.

CLIFREEDER/Daily
Junior Manny Harris struggled against the Nittany Lions last year at the Bryce Jordan Center, shooting 1-9 from the field and finish-
ing with only four points. At home last season, the Detroit native tallied 28 points in one of his best performances of the season.


Blue freshmen poised for big second half

By TIM ROHAN
Daily Sports Writer
Freshmen on the Michigan hock-
ey team know that if they are good
enough to play, they'll see the ice.
Many from this year's crop are
starting to join standout Chris
Brown as solid contributors.
For freshman forward Lindsay
Sparks, camaraderie with a fellow
Canadian teammate could help him
stay on the ice.
"He likes to chill with me,"junior
forward Louie Caporusso said. "I
guess because I'm from Toronto
and it kinda reminds him of home.
Sometimes he just loves to show up
at my place and chill with me all the
time. I know I'm a pretty cool kid.
So that's probably why."
Michigan is hoping that the
teammates' friendship will trans-
"" lateo Tesnlts on the ice. Sparks was
moved to Caporusso's line late in
the Wolverines' 5-3 win over Michi-
gan Tech in the Great Lakes Invita-
tional on Dec. 30. That line - which
also includes senior Brian Lebler -
will play together again this week-
end against Western Michigan
Sparks scored the first two goals
of his career against Michigan
Tech, including a first-period pow-
er-play goal, after playing in only
eight of Michigan's 20 games up to
that point. The Oakville, Ontario
native has skated in the Wolverines'
last three contests and is starting to
make his presence known.
Now teamed up with Caporusso
and the physical Lebler, Sparks is
getting his chance to produce with
one of the team's top lines.
"He's a bit of an unknown,"
Michigan coach Red Berenson said
of Sparks. "Ijustthink there's some-
thing there. He's got some offensive
instincts. We weren't sure what he
was going to add to our team ... He
showed that he has a knack around
the net. He's one of those players
the puck seems to follow."
Berenson said he liked how
Sparks practiced when the team
got back to skating after its break
in early December. And now Sparks
is one of several freshmen playing a
key role on a Michigan team that is
trying to turn around a 10-10 record

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MAX COLLINS/Daily
Freshman Lindsay Sparks, pictured here, had a season-best performance in the GLI consolation game, notching two goals.

(5-7 CCHA).
Freshman defenseman Lee
Moffie has also come on as of late.
Moffie and sophomore Greg Pateryn
have been in a season-long carousel
at the final defenseman position, but
Moffie has played his way onto the
ice in four straight games. He has
had one goal and three assists in that
span and is the only blue liner on the
team with two goals on the season.
Despite Moffie's maturation
throughout the season, Berenson
still sees inconsistency in Moffie's
play on defense.
"He adds a little bit of, I think,
offensive puck sense," Berenson
said. "He sees the open man. ...
And his shots have a way of get-
ting through. He's dangerous in the
offensive zone.
"He has to learn howto play good
defense because you don't have the
puck that much in the offensive
zone."
Moffie is the lone freshman on
defense, while the veteran for-
wards have adapted to playing with

newcom
And bec
there ha
playingc
lines for
While
to wait
Moffie t
ward Cl
from the
verines'
of t]
the
t
but he I
the past
moving
is being
sophomc

ers throughout the season. Glendening to help him get going
ause of Sparks's emergence, again.
s been atleastone freshman Elsewhere on the roster, Beren-
on each of the four forward son has praised freshman Kevin
most of the season. Lynch's play onand off the puck, but
the coaching staff has had his only problem was that he wasn't
patiently for Sparks and scoring - until Lynch scored on a
o stand out, freshman for- one-timer against Rensselaer in the
hris Brown tasted success GLI. And freshman forward A.J.
get-go. Brown is the Wol- Treais, who has had his share of ups
third-leading point-getter, and downs, will be moving back to
his natural position of center. The
coaching staff moved him to wing
to take some of the defensive pres-
parks is) one sure off ofhim.
Improved play from the youth
and deeper scoring depth in the
puck seernms lineup will be imperative for Michi-
gan to make a second-half CCHA
:o follow." surge.
o "They know that, hey, if you want
to play and you can help the team,
you're not just along for the ride,"
hasn't recorded a point in Berenson said. "You'rehere to make
four games. With Sparks a difference on our team. ... They're
up the line chart, Brown all getting a chance to add some-
moved down to play with thing to the team. I'm expecting
ore alternate captain Luke good things from all of them."

Wolverines look to snap three-game conference
losing streak in second matchup with Hawkeyes

By ZAK PYZIK they can expose. Michigan takes on
Daily Sports Writer Iowa at Crisler Arena with hopes of
redeeming themselves after their
If the Michigan women's basket- first home loss against Northwest-
ball team wants to avoid another ern on Dec. 28.
downward spiral Michigan is in a tough position,
in the Big Ten this IOWA at but that's not to say tonight's game
season, it had bet- against the Hawkeyes is a must-
ter hope the third MiChigan win. It sure would help, though.
time is, in fact, the Matchup: In the first matchup between
charm. Michigan 9-5; the Wolverines and Iowa on Dec.
The Wolver- Iowa 8-7 6, Michigan avoided a second half
ines (1-3 Big Ten, When: Tonight surge by an emotionally charged
9-5 overall) fin- at 7 P.M. Hawkeye team and pulled out the
ished below .500 . victory 54-51.
inBigTenplaythe le Arena Cs- But Iowa (1-3, 8-7) has come a
last two seasons. long way sinice theis.
And this season, Live Blog: In their first contest against
they're following rchiga Michigan, the Hawkeyes shot just
a familiar script, 21 percent from beyond the arc. But
sitting next-to- in their last two games, they have
last in conference. made 34 percent of their 3-point-
Fortunately for the Wolverines, ers.
they'll see a familiar opponent "They have a lot of kids who can
tonight with holes they've proven shoot it, got that quick jump shot,"

Michigan coach Kevin Borsethsaid.
"If they catch you going the wrong
way, the kids got it and, boom, it's
gone and they are big kids so they
are really hard to defend."
But perimeter shooting alone
won't determine the outcome of
the game. In the last two years
against Iowa, the Wolverines have
dominated the post. Senior center
Krista Phillips recorded a team-
high 15 points in the conference
opener, and 16 in the game she
started against the Hawkeyes a
year ago.
"I think KP likes playing against
Iowa," fifth-year senior Ashley
Jones said. "She eats those post
players up."
The Hawkeyes were without
their leading scorer, junior guard
Kachine Alexander, in the first
meeting. Alexander is averaging 16
points per game this season.
The Wolverine defenders will

have to be much more aggres-
sive on the glass, and more aware
of where their opponents are on
the floor. Michigan can't give the
Hawkeyes second chances. The
Wolverines allowed Iowa 14 offen-
sive rebounds last game, and 41
total.
"To get stops and get rebounds,
that's what our strategy was,"
Borseth said after the last game
between the two teams. "To get
rebounds and bring the ball to the
other side of the court"
In Borseth's past two seasons at
Michigan, the Wolverines started
off strong by beating ranked oppo-
nents but failed to earn a winning
record in conference. They haven't
swept a Big Ten opponent under
Borseth, nor have they beaten Iowa
in the second season meeting.
"We have not had a sweep in my
five years," Jones said. "We want to
take care of that."

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