Generous defense lets Turco shine

Sometimes life as the goaltender for the Michigan hockey team can be a little boring. If the Wolverines are playing well, the goaltender might not face many shots. He might not get the opportunity to show his teammates what he can do.

Fortunately for Michigan netminder Marty Turco, his teammates look out for him, and every now and then, they let him face a good scoring chance.

Last weekend against No. 9 Miami (Ohio) and Northern Michigan, his teammates gave up no less than six breakaways. Turco responded, stopping all six opportunities.

"On that whole breakaway stuff... the defense never gets to see Marty make saves," Michigan defenseman Bubba Berenzweig said. "So we wanted to let a few go by because it's fun watching him make those saves."

PAUL TALANIAN/Daily When Michigan is controlling the puck, as sophomore Andrew Merrick is here, Marty Turco has a tendency to get lonely at the other end of the ice.

And fortunately for his teammates, it doesn't bother Turco when defensemen let a player slip past them.

"I don't mind," Turco said about stopping breakaways. "That's just my job."

In last weekend's victories over the RedHawks and the Wildcats, Turco made just 34 saves. But thanks in part to his teammates giving up so many excellent scoring chances, Turco was named CCHA defensive player of the week.

A sprawling save he made late in the third period against Miami's Tim Leahy, to preserve Michigan's one-goal lead, was good enough to appear on ESPN's "Plays of the Week."

But although Turco's play earned him recognition, it isn't anything out of the ordinary for the Michigan netminder.

Four weekends ago against Miami, Turco played poorly, giving up seven goals, as the Wolverines were swept by the RedHawks. Since then, the senior netminder has played exceptionally, giving up just seven goals in his past five games. In that time, the Wolverines have gone 5-0 and extended their lead in the CCHA to three points over second-place Michigan State.

Turco hasn't been bombarded with shots, but he's been a factor in most games, keeping opponents off the board until Michigan's offense can build a lead.

Turco again figures to play a key role this weekend as the Wolverines take on Michigan State twice. Against the Spartans, the games figure to be close checking contests - the kind of games that can come down to goaltending.

Michigan State likes to slow things down, playing the neutral zone trap. And while the Wolverines will need to keep their mistakes to a minimum, when they do give up good chances, Turco will be called on to do his job - to keep the puck out of the net.

"Michigan State doesn't give up very many goals," Berenzweig said. "So if we want to win that game we can't give up very many goals. It's going to come down to discipline. We're not going to get away with the stuff that we got away with against Northern - unless, of course, Marty comes up big again."

On several occasions this year, Turco's play has been the difference between winning and losing. After the Northern game, Berenzweig was asked about Michigan's goals against Northern goaltender Duane Hoey. Berenzweig responded simply, "Well, their goalie isn't as good as Marty."

In most games this season, the opposing goalie hasn't been as good as Turco. And that's been a big edge for Michigan.

02-17-98