Jan. 25, 2007

By John Gilbert

There was nothing Shannon Miller could do. At the start of the season, it appeared her 2006-07 University of Minnesota Duluth hockey team might have the talent and depth to challenge defending league and NCAA champion University of Wisconsin for Women's WCHA supremacy. But the first half of the season saw the Bulldogs hop from problem to problem, and suffer enough losses to let Wisconsin get away, and Minnesota assume second place, and then the injuries came.

Before the break, the biggest problem facing Miller seemed to be how to reorganize her most skilled players so they could mesh into a more consistent and balanced attack. Some played well, some misfired. First linemates and close friends Jessica Koizumi and Noemie Marin both were racking up the points, but most of them seemed to be in individual outbursts. Rarely were they making the kind of creative plays that could inspire the team. That made it easier for foes to shut down the Bulldogs, and they definitely did get shut down.

After issuing Wisconsin its first loss of the season, 2-0, the Bulldogs lost 1-0 in the second game at Madison. Next, they lost 3-1 and 4-0 at Harvard. Back home, they dropped the first game against Ohio State, 3-0. That meant the Bulldogs had lost four straight - unheard of for Miller's elite program - but also, a very talented lineup had scored only one goal in four games after being shut out the other three.

That puzzling slump dropped UMD down to around 10th in national rankings, although when Miller shook up the forward lines, they seemed to get things back in order by rebounding to whip Ohio State 9-1 in the second game. But then came the month off, so instead of building on their new-found inspiration, they scattered for a break.

When the Bulldogs opened the second half of the season with a 3-3 tie and 2-1 victory against Niagara, the revised lineup showed nine players missing with injuries or recovery from surgery, and a tenth - speedy sophomore Michaela Lanzl - was back home playing for her native Germany in a holiday tournament.

"We lost Kim Martin at the Four Nations Cup," said Miller, starting her recount with the freshman and former Swedish Olympic star who aggravated an old leg injury. "We got Elin Holmlov back for one game at 100 percent against Ohio State, then she went home to Sweden and hurt her back... Sara O'Toole suffered a back injury in the first game against Niagara... And Samantha Hough twisted her knee while dancing."

Miller was asked if she was not about to outlaw dancing, and was she reconsidering her willingness to send her players back to assorted countries for mid-season tournament play.

"No way, it's what's best for them and for hockey," Miller said. "These players are some of the best young players in the world. They need to come here to get better than they might get in their own countries, then they need to go home and help their countries. You've got to look globally at the big picture. I've coached seven years at the national level."

"We have had to take a different look at how we play. With so many players out, we've had to adapt. I like to take risks defensively to score goals, but, given our situation, we've had to concentrate on defense-first. We've stressed backchecking, pulling together, and our team spirit has been outstanding."

A pivotal factor in UMD's second half is the return to form by goaltender Riitta Schaublin, who anchored the sweep against St. Cloud State, and another sweep at Bemidji State, which gave the Bulldogs a five-game winning streak. At the same time, Minnesota had lost twice at home to Wisconsin to drop into a tie with UMD for second, then dropped out of that tie by losing both games at Minnesota State, Mankato - against a Mavericks team that had only beaten the Gophers once previously in seven seasons.

That brought UMD back into second place as the primary threat to Wisconsin's league pace-setters. Not that it would be easy. UMD next goes to Ohio State, where it's a safe bet to assume the Buckeyes will remember their winning streak ending in that 9-1 disaster at UMD's hands. After that, UMD goes home to face Wisconsin and Minnesota in two of the season's most intriguing series.

To rise to 14-5-1, the Bulldogs had to take a circuitous route. A St. Cloud State team anxious to move up into WCHA contention was a stiff test. The Bulldogs trailed 2-1 after two periods, then erupted to put three goals past senior goaltender Laurie St. Jacques in the third period, before tacking on an empty-netter for a 4-2 victory.

St. Cloud coach Jeff Giesen continued to play his three-goalie musical chairs game the next night, and he almost hit on an upset winner when he tabbed junior Kendall Newell. All three goalies have had their bright moments this season, so Giesen has rotated those two with junior Carmen Lizee. The difference is that Newell - who proved to be a UMD nemesis last season - has had her best games against Wisconsin and UMD, the best two teams the Huskies have faced.

UMD stormed the Huskies net from start to finish. After outshooting the Huskies 31-27 in the first game, the 'Dawgs had a 35-17 edge in the second, but Newell stopped everything, artfully steering rebounds away from the shark-like UMD forwards, and stopping 34 UMD shots until the final one got away. It wasn't a fluke, but it indicates the kind of pressure UMD was applying. Lanzl, right at the crease, deflected a center-point shot by Jaime Rassmussen that struck Newell on the inside of her left arm, rebounding to land in the left side of the crease - to Newell's right. Before she could cover it, Lanzl, who was sprawling to the ice, poked in the loose puck with 4:48 left, and UMD escaped with a 1-0 sweeper.

The problem facing St. Cloud coach Jeff Giesen is picking the right goalie on the right night. At Ohio State, Giesen started Newell but the Buckeyes scored three in the first period and Lizee relieved to hold a 3-3 tie. The next night, Lizee started and gave up five before St. Jacques relieved and yielded just one goal in a 6-1 loss.

Interestingly, in the rotation, St. Jacques has won four games, Lizee three, and Newell only one. St. Jacques' victories were over Robert Morris, Bemidji State, Boston University and Vermont. Lizee has beaten Ohio State twice, early in the season, and Vermont. Newell, whose only victory was against Minnesota State, lost 2-1 in overtime to Wisconsin and later fashioned 2-2 and 3-3 ties against the top-rated Badgers, and adds that 1-0 nail-biting loss at UMD. So against Wisconsin and UMD, the top two teams in the WCHA, Lizee gave up two goals in one game, a 2-0 loss to UMD. St. Jacques was nicked for 16 goals in three games - two against UMD and two periods against Wisconsin, while Newell gave up only nine goals in five games - four against Wisconsin and the gem at Duluth.

At UMD, Miller has had no concerns about which goaltender to use. Martin and Schaublin were splitting duties early, and when Schaublin seemed to lose her focus, Martin took over. Now Martin is out, and Schaublin has taken back the job that won her All-America honors last year.

"I got into a real bad slump," said Schaublin, after blanking St. Cloud. "It was mental. Kim came in, but that wasn't the problem. I had one bad game, a really horrible game against Mankato, and it broke my confidence. I lost my cockiness. It affected me everywhere in life. I don't know what it was, and it came back gradually. Finally, I believe in myself again."

With UMD moving upward and some huge games coming up among the final eight in regular-season play, the Bulldogs are playing well. And Miller's patience has paid off, because some of those missing jerseys will start showing up any day now.

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