Goalie coach invaluable to Icers

By Joe Smith

Daily Sports Writer

Steve Shields. Marty Turco.

Both are former Michigan goaltenders with tremendous talent who helped bring the Wolverines to national prominence before moving on to NHL careers.

But they had one more thing in common that was instrumental in their development - an experienced goalie coach.

In fact, the first thing Michigan coach Red Berenson did when he took the reins of the Wolverines in 1984 was to find a volunteer mentor who could specialize on guiding his netminders so he could focus on other aspects of the team.

Last season's goalie coach and Turco's mentor Mike Liut, became an agent forcing Michigan to "cut the cord" and find a replacement.

Ironically, the week Michigan's starting goalie Josh Blackburn went down with an injury, Stan Matwijiw made the call to Berenson after being recommended by Liut. After impressing Berenson with his approach and how he carried himself, Matwijiw was welcomed into the Michigan family - and hasn't disappointed since.

"He's been really perfect for this program," Berenson said. "It's good to have someone like that to talk to and give subtle coaching. I think it's invaluable for the goalies."

Matwijiw's presence became especially important beginning on his first day - the Monday after it was announced that Blackburn would be out for three months due to torn ligaments in his left foot.

Matwijiw worked with the two Michigan backup goalies, Kevin O'Malley and L.J. Scarpace - who had started a combined one game the previous season - and together they produced impressive results.

The goalies platooned in net to notch a 13-6 record in Blackburn's absence, including a key victory over No. 3 Wisconsin, keeping the Wolverines alive during their quest for the CCHA title.

"We were behind the eight-ball," Matwijiw said. After Blackburn went down, "If you would have told anyone in the CCHA that Michigan would win the CCHA title - they would have told you were nuts."

Winning the title is a "testament to those two."

Matwijiw's experience as an NHL goaltender - a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1993-94 season - helps him relate with the Michigan netminders and gives him extra credibility.

"He just makes it simple with us," O'Malley said. "Sometimes you just need a goalie to talk to."

This includes during games, where Matwijiw can communicate with the other coaches from the press box via radio to give extra pointers to the goalies.

The simple method in which Matwijiw advises the goalies stems from his owning and running of the Michigan division of the Bandits Goaltending School - where he tutors goalies from ages 8-22 on his "six basic fundamentals of goaltending" that Matwijiw feels are valuable at any level. He welcomes all of his students into a kind of fraternity in which each goalie helps the other in any problem.

"I like to pull them in to my own little family," Matwijiw said. "If one guy has a problem, we can all figure things out together."

Players not only respond well to Matwijiw's personality, but also to the fact that he's 27. Being nearly the same age as his pupils helps Matwijiw relate on more than one level - what he calls becoming the "middle man" between the head coaches and players.

"While we respect him on the ice as being our coach, he can also be our friend," Scarpace said. "Sometimes we can feel comfortable talking to him on a different level."

Missing in action: Berenson will miss Friday's game against Ferris State to reunite with his old teammates from the 1972 Team Canada at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto to be honored as "Canada's Team of the Century."

Associate coach Mel Pearson and assistant coach Billy Powers will take over Berenson's responsibilities until he returns for Saturday's game.

Tech coach out: Michigan Tech coach Tim Watters stepped down yesterday. Former Minnesota-Duluth coach Mike Sertich will replace him.