In Antwort auf:
Minuteman Warren Norris: Center of attention
By Jorma Kansanen
Collegian Staff
The zone - a mythical place where we all would like to be, all the time, but only the chosen few have the talent to reach that place. When you are in that indescribable sphere of consciousness, the world is at your fingertips, and it's just a matter of going with that mental and physical flow.
In hockey, one of the aspects of the game, which getting into the zone suits best, is found in the faceoff circle. The player on the Massachusetts hockey team (11-16, 6-12 in Hockey East) that is the first option to faceoff with the opponent's best is senior center Warren Norris (16-18-34). Adept at all parts of the game, Norris is the standout for the Minutemen in the magical circle of puck possession.
Recently, ESPN2 has done a variety of commercials to promote their NHL coverage, with one done on the enigma of the faceoff man. This commercial talks about one of the best in the pro game, Pittsburgh's Ron Francis, with the ref in the commercial believing he has to think of other things (i.e. pizza) to break Francis out of his zone. Norris does not have commercials done on his puckÐhandling proficiency, and Hockey East referees like Steve McBride think of other things than the game before them, but he believes in feeling the faceoff flow.
"The main thing about faceoffs is that you have to get into a groove," Norris said. "If you're not into a groove early into the game, you can really get into trouble. For me, I know that if I win them early in the game, I pretty much win them throughout the game." "So, it's a matter of confidence. But, if I am losing faceoffs, I try to do different things, like tying the guy up straight after the draw. It's a key part of hockey, just like scoring goals, and if you're in a rut, you have to get out of it. But, really, I try to cheat as much as possible."
For coach Joe Mallen, the importance of his senior center effects his whole team. But, his importance also comes down to a key juncture in the game, when his team needs to win a faceoff in an opponent's end of the ice.
"Faceoffs are huge in the standpoint that every time the puck is dropped there is a 50-50 chance as to which team will get possession," Mallen said. "Winning and losing faceoffs are something that we can keep track of during the course of a game, and he is very good at them.
"But, he also takes a lot of pride in taking and winning faceoffs. As a result of that, he has had some real good success in that area, and statistically, he has been our most reliable guy."
It's in the blood
When you sit back, relax and think about Canada, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Moose? No, we got those in this country, too. Strange Brew, and those hosers, Bob and Doug MacKenzie? No, you can meet guys like that at Time Out any night of the week. For sports aficionados, hockey is the first thing to come to mind, and it is the same thing with the native from St. John's, Newfoundland. His father, Carl, had always coached hockey, and from his crawling age, he had watched his two older brothers play the game, so Norris has lived and bled the game of hockey his whole life.
Inspiration from his father, and especially his older brother Dwayne, who played on the silver medal Canadian national team in the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, has surrounded him his entire life.
"My father always pushed me, but he never really got down on me," Norris said. "You know how fathers are possessive, and they are demanding of their sons? He let me play the game myself, and learn my own way, telling me about my mistakes, but in a positive way."
"My brother taught me a lot of things, about shooting the puck quick and little pointers like that. Now, we just go over and talk about the game. He gives me advice, and we kind of feed off of each other."
In his own first steps into big-time hockey, Norris played in the SJHL for the Yorkton Terriers before UMass, and was Rookie of the Year for that team. He planned on going to Michigan State, like his brother Dwayne, and if he did well in the juniors, would be given the benefit of the doubt concerning scholarship status. Coming off of a 107 point season (47-60), he expected to be a Spartan. For whatever political reason, it did not happen, and was then contacted by Dave Peters, who worked for the Minutemen at that time. and the rest is history.
When Norris came to UMass on his recruiting trip, he knew something special was going on with the reinstated hockey program.
"I saw the rink and I wanted to sign right away," Norris said. "I couldn't believe the facility, and [for that reason only] I really didn't care about the campus at that time, which turned out to be nice. I was used to a big campus like Michigan State, [the school] my brother went to, and I used to go visit him there when I was in high school. When I saw this facility, I just knew I was destined to come here."
Center of attention
This season, Norris has taken the experience, often harsh, of his four years in the maroon and white and used it to his advantage. After a tough start for both Norris and the team against nationally ranked squads in New Hampshire and Boston University, the team has been streaky, but the senior center is on a pace to be one of the allÐtime best UMass centers. Along with his linemate, senior co-captain Rob Bonneau, the leaders of the new hockey school are at the top of several school scoring lists.
In his four years for the Minutemen, Norris is now third in total points (142), tied for second in goals scored with Bonneau (69) and third in assists, only 16 behind his fellow linemate. This season, Bonneau and Norris have teamed up to be one of the top scoring duos in the nation. Both are tied at 73 points with the duo from No. 2 North Dakota, Jason Blake and David Hoogstein, and are five points ahead of No. 7 Michigan State's Sean Berens and Mike York.
By the end of this season, he will be one of the all-time centers of attention, and not just this season, but along with Bonneau and old-schooler Pat Keenan, in UMass history. But, like a faceoff against Hockey East stars like UNH's Jason Krog or BU's Chris Drury, he takes it all in stride. "It has been a great experience," Norris said. "I have learned a lot of things, and gone through a lot of ups and downs, but especially with this team, you have to learn overcome adversity.
"Sure, me and Robby are among the leading all-time scorers and whatnot, but we really don't look into that too much. It hasn't really entered my mind, not at all. Obviously, I had a goal at the beginning of the year to score thirty goals, but that's looking pretty hard right now."
"I've had some tough luck around the goal this year, but who knows? It doesn't really matter what your record is at the beginning of the year, because you want to be playing good hockey come playoffÐtime in March. "
Mallen is a old-time hockey fan, and he considers Norris to be a throwback to those good old days. The decision to sign Norris was one of the best the coach has made since the reinstatement of the program in 1993, and the team has reaped the benefits.
"I think he has had a great career here for four years," Mallen said. "A lot of people wanted him to play another year in juniors before he decided on college hockey. We decided he could help us right away, and went after him."
"He's a hockey player through and through, and loves the game. He works hard every day, and he really wants to be successful in this game, and make our team successful."
Copyright © 1997 The Massachusetts Daily Collegian
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