PLAYOFF HOPES DISTANT:

The Michigan Daily-Friday, February 9, 1979-Page 11"

Blue icers need wing at Denver

By BOB EMORY
Despite their pitiful 6-18 league
record, and the fact that they've lost 11
of their last -12 games, the Wolverines
are still within reach of the WCHA
playoffs.
But that reach is indeed far - about
the distance from Ann Arbor to Denver,
Where the Wolverines head to play a
weekend series with the Pioneers
beginning tonight.
See more sports,
pages 12 and 13
DENVER IS currently holding down
the eighth and final playoff spot in the
WCHA with a 9-14-1 record and 19 poin-
is Michigan and Michigan State, which
have been involved in a hot battle for
ninth place for several weeks now, are
seven points back of Denver with iden-
tical6-18 records and 12 points.
So the stage is set, and if the
Wolverines are entertaining any
thoughts of post-season play, they'll
have to come out of the Rockies with a
two-game sweep of Denver. Otherwise,
the only thing they'll have to look for-
ward to is next year.
Michigan Coach Dan Farrell said a
week ago that for his team to make the
playoffs, they would have to win seven
Flores
replaces
Madden
OAKLAND (AP)-Tom Flores, an
assistant to John Madden for seven
seasons, was elevated yesterday to the
Oakland Raiders' head coaching job.
The 41-year-old Flores was regarded
as the logical successor to Madden all
along but had to wait more than a mon-
th for the promotion which was announ-
ced by Al Davis, managing general
partner of the team.
"I'm thrilled that Al Davis has shown
confidence and given me this oppor-
tunity," said Flores, who was a player
on the first Raiders team and becomes
their seventh head coach.
."My heart has always been with
Oakland," added the new coach who
has been associated with the team 13
years.-
Davis had interviewed several other
rten for the vacancy left by Madden,
before choosing Flores, whom he called
"a Raider player, coach and loyal
alumnus."
Flores is a California native who
playedcollege footballat Pacific and
was a quarterback for the Raiders, then
an American Football League team,
from 1960 to 1966. He also played with
Buffalo and Kansas City.
He wne into coaching in 1971 at
Pacific and joined Madden's staff the
next year to coach receivers.
We've got

the heArts.
foryoU.
Have a heart this
Valentines Day. Have
your ears pierced with
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ear piercing studs.
They're very petite and
very pretty. Available
in pure 24K gold and
fine silver finishes.
Valentine's
Day Special
Ear piercing with
heart-shaped Whims;.M
Only C,2 0"

of their 12st ten games. That was before
the Wolverines lost twice to Michigan
Tech last weekend. Now Farrell, the
true optimist, has changed his forecast.
"I DON'T think we'll need to win that
much (seven of the last eight)," he
said. "If we can win two this weekend,

make it that much easier. Michigan
still has to play Wisconsin and Min-
nesota-Duluth twice, which is anything
but easy. Duluth is ranked number one.
in the nation right now by the college
coaches' poll, despite trailing North
Dakota by one point in the WCHA stan-
dings.
When the Pioneers came to Ann Ar-
bor last November, they were un-
defeated and ranked number one. But
after splitting that series with
Michigan, their tailspin began. Denyer
lost 13 of its next 15 games and tied one,
spiraling from first to eighth place.
"THAT (NUMBER one ranking)
wasn't a realistic appraisal of our
team," said Denver Coach Marshall
Johnston. "I don't feel we were as good
as our record indicated. Since we had
lost so many players from last year, I
think some of the teams we played kind
of slacked off a little at first."
Another factor in the Pioneers' slump
is the fact that 11 of Johnston's 25
players are freshmen, including the two
goaltenders, Stuart Birenbaum and
Scott Robinson.
Injuries have been a slight problem

for both: coaches this year. The
Wolverines have lost the services of
freshman center Murray Eaves for the
remainder of the year and the Pioneers
have lost their top scorer Vince Magnan
for the season. Also, defenseman Gary
Nedelak (broken hand) and forward
Vince Morrow (pulled groin) are
questionable for Denver this weekend.
WCHA
Standings
" W L T Pts.

North Dakota.....
Minnesota ..........
Minnesota-Duluth ..
Wisconsin ..........
Notre Dame.....
Michigan Tech .....
Colorado College ...
Denver .............
MICHIGAN ........
Michigan State .....

16
15
14
13
13
12
10
9'
6
6

8
8
7
9
10
10
12
14
18
18

0
1
3
2
1
2
2
1
0
0

32
31
31
28
27
26
22
19
12
12

Marshall Johnston
it will cut the point difference to only
three and that will make it much easier
for us."
Actually, two wins in Denver won't

Daily Photo by PAM MARkS
MICHIGAN'S JOHN OLVER (16) looks on as his shot is stopped by the Notre
Dame defense. Netminder David Laurion (30) prepares to block the shot as M*
Irish icer slips in between. The Wolverines lost the game 10-7. Ninth place Micl-
igan in the WCHA will be in Denver tonight and tomorrow for a pair of
games against the eighth running Pioneers.


Mountaineering#4.

a

0
Mountaineering is a skill
of timing as well as tech-
nique. The wrong
moment, like the
wrong method,
marks the gapc
between
amateur and-_
aficionado. So the
key to successful mountaineer-"-
ing is to choose the occasions
wisely and well. When, then, is k1-
it appropriate to slowly quaff
the smooth, refreshing -
mountains of Busch Beer?
Celebrations, of course,.
are both expected and ex-
cellent opportunities to
test your mountaineering
mettle. Indeed, on major _-I4 .

pleasures of mountaineering
run the risk of being labeled
social climbers. But such
cheap shots are to be ignored.
They are the work of cynics,
nay-sayers and chronic
malcontents.
Similarly, the ambience
of an athletic afternoon (e.g.
The Big Game) is another
ideal moment. Downing
the mountains elevates
the morale of the fan and,
hence, the team. There-
fore, ifyou care at all about
the outcome, it is your duty to
mountaineer.
When should one not
enjoy the invigoration of the
mountains? Here, you'll be
happy to learn, the list is
much briefer.
Mountaineering is
considered
declasse
r: with
dessert,
improper
t3 during jud-
* . cial proceed
plain foolish while
crop dusting around
power lines. Otherwise,
as the hot-heads of the
sixties used to say, "Seize
:. ,.:. the time !"

'1

noladays it is virtually
mandatory r",lt .VU J'a"'--"
to do so. ~
I- Small'
r nvictories like exams passed,
ithepapers completed or classes
attended are equally.
acceptable.
'year or Remember the.
c mountain
eer's motto: .
rating matricula
Calvin C. tion is
Coolidge's celebration"
or trow-Interper- -4
ing caution to the wind during s"nrelson
Take-A-Sorghum-To-Lunch-
Week without the
benfitof usc. ACLII IX 't 1Gsr fu~l times. There are
disturbigpros-hANT sfew things finer than
at.:taking your compan-
pect best. ion in hand and head-
ing for the mountains
other hand, not transcending the ho-
every event need hum and hum-drum
be as signifi- in favor of a romantic
cant as those R & R. Naturally,
outlined above. c. .> couples who share the

:y
.
,,
,
.; ,
a '

I



R Lw .. ... .. .._.. .. ............ _ . . Y WI _'. ... _. ._.... __ iilYYV rI'_______ _t

'Mountaineering is the science and art of drinking Busch. The term originates due to the snowy, icy peaks sported
by the label outside and perpetuates due to the cold, naturally refreshing taste inside. (cf. lessons 1, 2.and 3.)