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The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, February 10, 2011 - 5A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, February 10, 2011 - 5A
ICE HOCKEY .
Blue juggles ines in
searchof firepower
By MARK BURNS better numbers than us at this
Daily Sports Editor time," Caprousso said jokingly.
"That doesn't mean that I don't
The sight of three particular think me and Carl and Brown can
members of the No. 13 Michigan be a line just like that. I do think
* hockey team wearing baby blue we have the capability of being
jerseys at this week's hockey one of the best lines in college
practices evoked a memory, but hockey. It might sound cocky, but
probably more telling, induced a I feel that way."
realization of the current state of But Michigan coach Red
the Wolverines. Berenson didn't just push the
"Three goals in the past three restart button for one set of for-
games, that's not Michigan wards - all four lines, in fact, had
hockey," senior forward Louie a different look this week.
Capdrusso said after practice on The 27-year-coach said 'he
Tuesday. "We should be a pretty hopes the transformations will
high-powered offensive team. We soon generate "new energy, new
haven't been that this year, but enthusiasm and maybe some
that doesn't mean we don't have new confidence" from top to bot-
the capabilities of doing that. tom.
"When you shake up the lines, "You want to see guys wake
sometimes that helps chemistry, up, smarten up, take advantage
and guys get excited to play with of supporting other players and
each other. It can just change the encouraging them," he added.
dynamic of the team." The Wolverines lost 2-1 to
The newly constructed line Michigan State in late January,
of seniors Caporusso and Carl and last weekend they suffered
Hagelin and freshman Chris their first series sweep of the sea-
Brown looked eerily similar to son at the hands of Miami (Ohio).
a crop of forwards that skated The three-game slide marked the
together during the 2007-08 sea- team's longest losing streak since
son. November 2009.
Then-seniors Kevin Porter and With just six games left in the
Chad Kolarik and then-freshman regular season and Michigan sit-
Max Pacioretty combined for 78 ting in third place in the CCHA,
goals and. 79 assists, becoming the recent shake-up might just be
arguably the most dominant line what the Wolverines need to con-
in all of Division-I college hockey. tend for a regular-season confer-
Press the fast forward button ence title.
to 2011, and take a glance at the Berenson said Tuesday that
makeup of Caprousso-Hagelin- some of the former lines hadn't
Brown. Their individual skill sets had as much success as the coach-
all mirror the Wolverines from ing staff would have liked, offen-
three years ago, but their statis- sively and defensively. Separating
tics - 25 goals and 46 assists to certain players - like Hagelin
date - don't. and senior Matt Rust and
"Porter and Kolarik had much See LINES, Page 6A
Senior Muresan within striking distance
of program record for career simgles wins
By EMILY BONCHI
Daily Sports Writer
Sometimes, an injury can
make or break a collegiate ath-
letic career.
Many recruiters, unsure of an
athlete's future, choose not to
take the risk.
But almost four years ago,
the Michigan women's tennis
program did - and now senior
Denise Muresan has the chance
to change the record books for-
ever.
The senior is just 12 wins
away from breaking the program
record for career singles wins.
Former Wolverine Chisako
Sugiyama holds the current
record with 104 wins; Muresan
currently sits at the No. 5 slot
with 93.
Michigan coach Ronni Ber-
nstein explained that despite
being a star in juniors, Muresan
was injured during the collegiate
recruitment process, so many
would not have guessed she
would be standing where she is
today.
"I think a lot of schools were
unsure," Berstein said of Mure-
san's ability to successfully
compete at the collegiate level.
"When you have someone com-
ing off an injury you really don't
know where she can get to."
Breaking a Michigan record
didn't even seem to be on the
table.
But Muresan always knew she
had it in her.
"A lot of maturing off of the
court helped me play better on
the court," Muresan said. "Just
to relax and have more fun with
the sport is what ultimately
helped me to reach those goals.
I have a lot of confidence in
myself."
Staring down the singles
record is not the first time Mure-
san has come face to face with
making history in the Michigan
women's tennis program.
During the 2009-10 season,
the Illinois native earned All-
American honors - the first
Wolverine to do so since Marian
Kremer in 1981- and was named
Big Ten Player of the Year.
"At the end of our (2009-10)
season, we didn't have as good of
a finish as we wanted to - even
me individually," Muresan said.
"After I got All-American, it was
just really exciting. That entire
year I was trying to believe in
myself, that I belonged at the
top. After the season that we
had, it gave me the confidence to
know that I belonged there."
As one of four seniors current-
ly on the team's roster, Muresan
has buillt close ties with many
of her teammates - especially
senior Kari Whig.
Whig calls Muresan "com-
petitive and fiery," yet funny and
kind, emphasizing that despite
being the 11th-ranked competi-
tor at No. 1 singles, she's com-
pletely different once her feet
leave the court and her racket is
away.
"I remember when we were
freshman, we didn't know each
other very well," Whig said. "I'd
seen her off the court and she
was so nice. Then the first time
we played points against each
other ... I was shocked."
Muresan has built quite the.
career for herself, working her
way up the ranks over the past
Senior Denise Muresan is 12 wins away from the program's singles record.
three years. As a freshman, she
kicked off her career at the No.
5 singles slot, reaching a steady
position at No. 1 by her junior
year.
Currently 3-1 this season,
Muresan is just 12 wins away
from taking Sugiyama's title as
the Wolverine with the most
career singles wins. After a
2009-10 record of 18-8, a career
winning percentage of .699 and
at least 16 more matches this sea-
son, she has a fighting chance.
"It doesn't really faze her,"
Bernstein said of Muresan's
current successes. "Denise has
always had a ton of confidence in
herself. Every time she steps out
on the court, she feels like she
can win the match."
Bernstein hopes the next 12
times Muresan steps out on the
court, she's right.
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