It's 5 p.m. and practice is winding down for Michigan. The coaches have left the ice and the real fun is about to begin.

A crowd gathers around the goal closest to the Wolverine locker room. T.J. Hensick, Andrew Cogliano, Chad Kolarik - the team's top goal scorers - and others form a semi-circle around the net. At the center of this offensive juggernaut, confined to his blue crease, is Billy Sauer.

For the next 15 minutes, Sauer faces shot after shot, rebound attempt after rebound attempt and joke after joke. Despite the relentless barrage, he has fun. He laughs and yells with his teammates, and argues about whether or not shots crossed the goal line.

At one point, Cogliano is sent to the bench for missing an open net. Later, Hensick throws down his stick and pounds his fists on the glass in playful frustration.

All the while, Sauer proves he's ready to be the Wolverines' No. 1 goalie this season. Following a summer of hard work, Sauer is more experienced and more confident than he was last year. He is certain that will make all the difference.

First in line
"Billy Sauer is our starting goalkeeper," Michigan coach Red Berenson said at CCHA Media Day in late September.

A week later, the veteran coach qualified his statement: "Billy Sauer's coming into the season, he's our most experienced goalie, he should be our starting goalie and then we'll go from there."

Just like that, the competition was gone. The fight was called before the opening bell rang. Sauer holds the title, and he likes it.

Coming off a season in which he battled hard to keep the starting goalie job from then-senior Noah Ruden, Sauer said he's happy to have some job security.

"It's nice not having to look over your shoulder," Sauer said. "Just knowing that I can get into the net and do my own thing and not really have to worry about too many other people, it definitely helps."

Sauer's increased relaxation on the ice is clear to his teammates, too.

"There's a lot less pressure on him," senior captain Matt Hunwick said. "He's not really competing for a job. He knows that the No. 1 role is going to be his. At the same time, he's ready for that this season, he's ready to step up to the challenge."

Sauer is self-assured, and it shows in his play on the ice. Asked about Sauer's play following Michigan's 10-2 exhibition victory over Waterloo last Friday, senior forward T.J. Hensick stressed the importance of poise in net.

"(Sauer's) confident in himself, and we're confident in him," Hensick said.

Confidence was hard to come by last year, when Sauer overworked himself and struggled both physically and mentally.

Weight on his shoulders
Sauer arrived in Ann Arbor last year when he was 17. The Walworth, N.Y., native accelerated his way through high school so he could be on the Michigan roster for the 2005-06 season. No one doubted his talent, but it was clear both on and off the ice that he still had some growing up to do.

"Last year he was only 17," sophomore defenseman Mark Mitera said. "Coming in to be the starter at the University of Michigan is a lot to rest on your shoulders at night."

Looking back, even Sauer acknowledged he might not have been ready for the pressures of being a college athlete, let alone a college student.

"Coming as a 17-year-old freshman and only playing one year of juniors when a lot of guys spent two or three years usually was tough," Sauer said. "There were a lot of social adjustments that I had to make. Coming in and trying to fit in as a 17 year old when you're playing with a lot of guys that are 23-24ish, it can be tough."

Some of Sauer's struggles came from not understanding his role on the team. He was talented, arguably more than any goalie on the roster. But Ruden had more experience and had bided his time behind Al Montoya for three seasons. He thought it was his time to shine.

Unfortunately for Ruden, Sauer was the better goalie in preseason practices and began the season as the starter.

Sauer played well in the early games, going 7-2-1 in his first 10 appearances. But his play faltered in the second half of the season, and Ruden started 12 of the final 14 games.

"It's nice to always battle because you make each other better," Sauer recalled. "But at the same time it can be kind of stressful, too."

When asked how Ruden helped his game, Sauer's "no comment" is an icy testament to their strained relationship.

In the summer leading up to his freshman year, Sauer worked tirelessly to get in shape. By the middle of the season he was worn down. Once that happened, it was difficult for Sauer to get back in the groove and feel comfortable in goal.

"I almost worked too hard coming into the summer, and I think it kind of hurt me at times," Sauer recalled. "I was skating probably four or five hours a day. I was working out and everything.