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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 1996)
THURSDAY November 21,1996 Keith. Barbato and Stuart Robertson form one of the top goaltending duos in the Pacific-8 Hockey Conference By Alex Pond Freelance Sports Reporter In team sports there is usually one po sition that is key to that team’s success. By the nature of the position, that per son is expected to be the team leader, the player who more than anyone else can control the outcome of a game. With baseball, it’s the Ditcher. In font 0U3 iros ball, the quarterback. And in basketball, that player is the point guard. Well, hockey is no different. The goaltender can make or break a team. In order to be suc cessful, a hockey team must have some one who can keep the puck out of the net. “The goalie is the key player on the ice,” said Nick Ham, head coach of the Oregon Club hockey team. “If your goalie is having a hot night, you can make all the mistakes in the world and still win. If your goalie is having a cold night, you can’t make any mistakes. That’s kind of what it comes down to.” Ham’s team has a 7-3-1 season record and is in the thick of the playoff race in the Pacific-8 Hockey League, so it’s ob vious that the goalie, or in this case goalies, have had more hot nights than cold ones. Keith Barbato and Stuart Robertson have been manning the nets for the Ducks this season and are one of the main reasons for the team’s fast start, which included an eight-game unbeat en streak that ended last weekend in the Bay Area. Barbato, a sophomore from San Ra mon, Calif., and Robertson, a freshman from Boulder, Colo., have been equally splitting the duties so far this season. People might think there could be some hard feelings between the two as they compete for playing time at such a key position. Turn to HOCKEY, Page 10 ! ANDREW BRACKENSICK/Emerald 3regon Club hockey goaltender Keith Barbato is part of a dynamic duo in the net for this season, although this weekend he will be a position player for two exhibition games. Smoltz inks new contract with Atlanta ■ MLB: The Cy Young Award winner wants to stay with the Braves for his whole professional career By Paul Newberry The Associated Press ATLANTA — John Smoltz knew all along that he wanted to stay in Atlanta. When the Braves offered him a $31 million, four-year contract — a record deal for a pitcher — the decision was easy. The best rotation in baseball will be intact for at least another season after the NL Cy Young Award winner re-signed Wednesday with the Braves. “This organization has shown me the ul timate in signing me to this contract,” Smoltz said during a news conference at At lanta-Fulton County Stadium. “There were some teams that obviously made it clear they wanted my ser vices. But my main goal as an athlete has always been to stay in one orga nization as long as 1 possibly can. I want to play my entire career here.” At least four teams, led by the Cleveland Indians, showed serious interest in Smoltz. The Indians reportedly discussed a $30 mil lion, four-year contract, but there was no further need for discussion when the Braves came up with a higher offer. “We wanted to be patient, but we also wanted to do the right thing,” Smoltz said. “This, in my mind, is definitely the right thing — to carry forth the tradition that we started here.” Smoltz, 29, led the majors with 24 wins and 276 strikeouts, along with a 2.94 ERA. He added four more wins in the postseason before the Braves were beaten by the New York Yankees in the World Series. His $7.75 million average is second in baseball behind the $11 million average in the deal Albert Belle and the White Sox agreed to Tuesday. The breakdown for Smoltz’s contract: $7 million in 1997, $7.75 million the next two years and $8.5 million in 2000. The club also has an option for 2001 at $8 million. “He showed last year how very important he is to the fortunes of our club,” Braves general manager John Schuerholz said. Turn to MLB, Page 12 advertisement University of Oregon V = Varsity CsClub Islntramsral 22 VOLLEYBALL/V VS. USC Mac Court, 7:00 PM HOCKEY/C Lane County ice Arena 8:00 PM 23 FOOTBALL/V CIVIL WAR at Oregon St., 12:30 PM volleybail/v VS. UCLA Mac Court, 7:00 PM Rugby/C ATOSU Hockey/C Lane County ice arena, 8. 00 PM 24 Tuesday Night 26 Men's Basketball/v vs. San Diego State mac court, 7:05 PM Let your NIKE student rep know the time and location of your events for next month. Reach him at: jarrad.smith@nike.com. THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS CARLO GOLDONI Directed by Kirk Boyd, Oregon snaxespeare festival November 8, 9,14,15,16, 22, 23 8:00 p.m. Benefit Matinee Lane County Chapter American Red Cross ^ November 17, 2:00 p.m. A Robinson Theatre Production UNIVERSITY OF OREGON ML , Accommodations related I to disabilities available. u L'\IVi:KSITY TIII ATRl r - box on iu T 346-4191
