After winning 14 of its last 16 games, the No. 3 Michigan hockey team has resoundingly put its disappointing first half behind them. Although the Wolverines have seemingly resolved their consistency issues, there is still a question that has gone unanswered:

Will Billy Sauer ever get any goal support this season?

The senior goaltender rotated with sophomore Bryan Hogan as the starter in Michigan's first 16 games. During that stretch, the Wolverines scored 10 goals with Sauer in net and 37 in front of Hogan. Despite near identical goals-against averages, saves made and save percentage, Hogan became the full-time starter in December.

Sauer, who set single-season program records last year in goals-against average and save percentage, routinely became a healthy scratch.

Michigan coach Red Berenson started Sauer in Saturday's 4-2 win over Nebraska-Omaha, just the second nod he's gotten this semester. Berenson has maintained that he wants two goalies ready for the postseason, and he said the coaches had been planning to start Sauer so he could become reacclimated to game situations.

Berenson said Tuesday that Sauer will “probably” play again at some point in the final four games of the regular season, but Berenson also said Hogan will still be the starter Friday at Ohio State.

After Saturday's nightmarish opening period in which the Mavericks scored two power-play goals 30 seconds apart, Sauer kept the Wolverines within striking distance all night.

He saved 28 of 30 shots that night. In his last three games, dating back to Thanksgiving weekend, Sauer has stopped 74 of 78 shots.

“Billy’s last couple of games have been phenomenal,” sophomore defenseman Scooter Vaughan said. "He held us in that game (Saturday). It could’ve gotten a lot worse in that first period with all those 5-on-3s.”

And the conference’s top offense finally gave its veteran goaltender some help. The Wolverines’ four goals marked the most scored with Sauer in net since Halloween. Michigan’s 40 shots on goal Saturday were a season high with Sauer as the starter.

“Yeah, it took awhile,” Sauer said. “I was like, ‘Here we go again,’ in the second period. But these guys did great and really came through for me.”

There was plenty of curiosity behind the decision to start Sauer. Entering Saturday, the Wolverines had scored at least four goals in 10 of their last 15 games. But in Sauer's only start in those contests, Michigan scored one goal.

Berenson acknowledged Saturday that Sauer was probably wondering when he would ever be the benefactor of a great offensive night again.

“That’s a tough thing to try to describe,” senior forward Travis Turnbull said. “It’s not like we’re playing any different in front of Billy. We have confidence in Billy’s ability to win games, and I think we showed that (Saturday). I know sometimes, you just can’t put the puck in the net.”

A victim of odd circumstance more than anything, Sauer has put on a great face in public regarding his bizarre season. He has jokingly lamented his lack of offensive skill after low-scoring games, and he has been quick to praise Hogan, who is in his first season as the starting goalie.

Asked in December if he took the lack of goal support personally, Sauer told Wolverine Sports Magazine: “I think I was at first. It went to the point where it was sad. Now it’s funny.

“There was probably a week almost where I was just mad, but I realized there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t score goals. I can try, but you don’t know how much that’s going to work.”

That was the week of the Michigan State series, when Hogan became the full-time starter. But at that point, the coaching staff hadn't decided to stick with one goaltender.

Two months (and just two starts) later, it’s unclear when Sauer will be in net again. As his collegiate career winds down in unusual fashion, Sauer hasn’t appeared bitter about his strange senior year.

“It’s got to be tough for him,” Turnbull said. “But he understands that you’ve got to produce every single night and that he has to wait his turn sometimes. He’s handled it very well. I’m really proud of him. He hasn’t let anybody know that he’s upset or anything like that. That’s a great thing, especially for the locker room."

When Hogan left in the third period of Friday's 8-3 win due to illness, Sauer finished the final seven minutes, stopping all four shots he faced.