I
Puck/h9
Miller makes the Bigs.*..
.. .Cullen copes with future
By DAN PERRIN
Post-season notes on Michigan hockey ...
FORMER CAPTAIN Mark Miller, who currently toils for the AHL Bing-
hamton Broom Dusters, has signed a two-year contract with the Ed-
monton Oilers of the WHA. Miller received the contract in the mail a day af-
ter he scored his first professional goal for the Dusters, an Edmonton farm
club.
After finishing this past season as the Wolverines' top scorer (23-26-49),
Miller was assigned to Binghamton where he has tallied a goal and six
assists in 10 games for the third place Dusters.
The Essex, Ont. native, who was awarded both the Most Valuable Player
and Total Points trophies at last week's Michigan hockey banquet, will play
out the season with Birghamton.'The AHL club is currently fighting for the
third and final playoff spot in the league's South Division.
With the recent signing of a merger agreement between the WHA and
the NHL, Miller could be playing for one of a number of clubs next season.
The New York Rangers hold his NHL rights and could pick him up if Edmon-
ton leaves him unprotected.
If the Rangers pass him up, he will be placed in a dispersal draft where
he can be chosen by any of the four WHA teams entering the senior league:
Edmonton, New England, Quebec or Winnipeg.
Another former Michigan icer in the news is Michigan's all-time leading
scorer, Dave Debol. Debol skated regularly for the WHA Cincinnati Stingers
this year until he suffered an eye injury a month ago. Winnipeg's Morris
Lukowich blatantly slashed the ex-Wolverine, forcing him off the ice for the
season. Debol picked up 10 goals and 27 assists, good for 37 points in 59 games
for the Stingers.
The icer who "has more moves than Ex-Lax", according to a Cincinnati
spokesman, is concerned about his lack of play and how it might affect his
chances to play in the NHL.
"I wish I could have played out the season," said a despondent Debol at
the banquet. "After only playing half a year, in the back of my mind I'm
wondering if they (the NHL) want me."
High hopes for health
When healthy, Debol is a potent scorer on the ice. Such would have been
the case with a number of this year's Blue icers had they been at full
strength all season.
This year's squad, which began the season with high hopes, quickly
came down to earth when two of its top three centermen, freshmen Terry
Cullen and junior Dan Lerg, were injured in the third game of the year.
Rookies Murray Eaves and Jeff Tessier followed suit, bowing out with
knee injuries in January and February, respectively. On top of that, another
freshman, Paul Brandrup, didn't being practicing until Nov. 6 due to a
broken ankle sustained over the summer.
And let's not forget Mike Coffman, one of only four seniors, who was out
for a month with mononucleosis. In addition, first year defenseman Dave
Richter had back problems until late October and then contracted
pneumonia in January.
So, you see, the pucksters were not without their woes. Not once all
season were they at full strength, and in fact, there were only four players on
the team who weren't injured at least once.
"This is the worst year injury-wise in my five years with the hockey
team," noted trainer Al Green. "Every freshman that came in this year
missed at least one game due to injury.
"in comparison, there was a period of two months last year where we
didn't treat one person," he added. "We went three weeks without even ap-
plying an ice pack to anyone."
Why were there so many injuries this year and why such an increase
from last year?
"I think it's just a matter of luck and the way things go," observed
Green. "We're one of the better conditioned teams in the league, so it's not
that."
While the other icers should be back on skates next fall, Cullen's injury is
the one that most concerns those close to him. The blue chip prospect, called
by Coach Dan Farrell "the most highly recruited player in North America
last year," suffered two crushed vertebrae and a spinal cord contusion when
he was hit from behind in the second series of the year.
He immediately went numb from the neck down and faced the
possibility of being paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life. But
Lady Luck was with Cullen that night and he was spared further injury.
The red-haired rookie underwent nine hours of surgery during Christ-
mas break and currently is well on the road to recovery. He's wearing a neck
brace, but has been given permission to work with weights on all parts of his
body except his neck. The brace comes off in two and a half weeks and after
that, he'll slowly and gradually strengthen his neck and increase his range of
motion.
Although he may never play hockey again, Cullen is up and around and
as optimistic as could be.
"I'm hoping and praying things go my way," said Cullen. "The doctors
will have the big say in what I do. I realize that if the doctors say there's no
way I can play and I go and play, I could be a cripple.
"I love the game and want to play," he added. "I have a lot of faith in the
team. There's a lot of young players that will really come on (next year.)
"(But) I don't hold my destiny in my own hands. When the time comes,
we'll have to make a decision and live with it."
Synchers grab a third
Wolverine batsm
By BOB EMORY
Drizzle, drazzle, drozzle drome, time
for the Michigan baseball team to come
home. Not that they ever went away
though, as today's regular season
opener against the Toledo Rockets in
Toledo was canceled due to the usual
inclement Midwestern spring (?)
weather.
And not that being home will make
the situation any better because
tomorrow's home opener twinbill with
the same Toledo team is, at this point,
very tentative. An official announ-
cement won't be made until tomorrow
morning at the latest.
THE WEATHER has become an an-
nual hassle for the baseball team over
the years. The Wolverines have only
been able to play in their officially
scheduled opener once in the'last ten
seasons.
"We've had a number of days off sin-
ce our spring trip," said head coach
Moby Benedict. "I thought we'd get a
break when there were a couple of
beautiful days awhile ago, and we did
get a lot accomplished but since then
we've just been spinning our wheels."
If Mother Nature hasn't been that
kind, well then, neither has Father
ekept
Canham, or whoever sche ues the
culture events in the Track and Tennis
Building. "We've had builder's shows,
art shows and as a result, we had about
five or six days when we didn't do
anything at all," said Benedict,
referring to last week.
"SO IT'S REALLY hard to say where
we are in our conditioning for the Big
Ten season," he added.
The Big Ten season is scheduled to
start for Michigan on April 14 with a
doubleheader against Wisconsin at
Ferry Field. Up to that time, the
Wolverines are supposed to play
"warmup" games with Toledo,
in limbo
Bowling Green, Western Michigan and
Grand Valley - weather permitting, of
course.
It's not life or death for Michigan to
win those pre-Big Ten games. It would
be nice, but the main thing is for the
team to get in shape and be set for the
Big Ten, since that is ultimately where
an NCAA playoff bid will come from.
"I'll tell you one thing," said
Benedict, "if we don't play this week
against Toledo'or Bowling Green and
next week against Western, we're gon-
na be in very poor shape for the Big Ten
season."
Blue golfers teed off
at ninth place finish
By JOANNE SCHNEIDER
Flying high after an unexpected victory in the Gulfstream Classic earlier
this month, the Michigan menus golf team came in for an abrupt landing last
weekend in Cape Coral, Florida, finishing the GAC Intercollegiate Tournament
in ninth place in a field of 19.
"We should have done better," said team captain Frank Sims. "We just
weren't playing solid golf."
According to Sims, there were many contributing factors to the disap-
pointing outcome in the four-day, 72-hole event. "There were long waits at
the tees, up to an hour and 40 minutes, and USGA rules allow no practicing
during that time. Even in warm weather you can get stiff under those con-
ditions."
In addition to the pile-ups at the tees, Sims said that the sand traps
caused particular trouble for the Blue linksters. "The bunkers had synthetic'
sand, which is soft and new, not like real sand," explained the team leader.
"With real sand, there's a hard-packed base covered with soft sand, but the
synthetic sand is soft all the way down.,The ball flies into the trap and gets
buried. Normally, this doesn't happen."
Sims also cited the dryness of the course as a disadvantage.
"Florida's in a drought right now. The fairways aren't growing, they're
still dormant. We were hitting the ball from tight lies. With a tight lie, you
have to hit it perfectly to get a good backspin and distance.N
"It's important;" Sims continued. "You have to hit 100 per cent on every
shot. If you lose concentration on one shot, it's going to show in your score."
Both Sims and assistant coach Jim Carras thought that overconfidence
played a part in the poor showing last weekend.
"They played well the first day," said Carras. "And from that point on,
it went the other way. I wish I could put my finger on it."
CAMP TAMARACK
Interviewing on April 5
Summer Placement-763-41'17
Positions still available for specialists, unit super-
visors, counselors, caseworker, nurse, cooks and
kitchen workers, bus drivers, secretary, main-
tenance.
Vote Today in the
MS1A Elections
Michigan Student Assembly annual elections
for President, Vice-President and Repre-
sentatives.
LAST TWO DAYS
POLL SITES LOCATED CAMPUS-WIDE
The Michigan Student Assembly is the all-campus
student government of The University of Michigan.
Michigan Baseball
4
6
7
10
11
14
15
18
20
22
28
29
APRIL
TOLEDO (2)
BOWLING GREEN (2)
at Bowling Green (2)
at Western Michigan (2)
GRAND VALLEY (2)
WISCONSIN (2)
MINNESOTA (2)
OAKLAND (2)
DETROIT (2)
at Eastern Michigan (2)
at Illinois (2)
at Purdue (2)
1
4
5
9
12
13
16
19
19
20
MAY
WESTERN MICHIGAN (2)
at Indiana (2)
at Ohio State (2)
EASTERN MICHIGAN (2)
NORTHWESTERN (2)
IOWA (2)
at Wayne State (2)
MICHIGAN STATE (2)
MICHIGAN STATE (1)
at Michigan State (1)
TONIGHT at
SECONID CHIANCE
Thy
Wednesday is Ladies Night
All Ladies admitted FREE
APPEARING WED-SAT
4th CHAPTER
The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, April 3, 1979-Page 9
MISERABLE WEATHER MARS TODA Y'S OPENER
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The Michigan women's synchronized
swim team carved out a successful
weekend in the water, placing third in
the AIAW synchronized national cham-
pionships, held last Thursday through
Saturday in Albany, New York.
-Pacing Michigan were Kathy Seidler
and Ruth Pickett, who both earned All-
American honors, while Pickett
qualified for the Pam American Trials
to be held May 3rd and 4th in California.
Perennial champion Ohio State once
again copped first place honors with 74
point total, while Arizona was second
with 67. The Wolverines were far back
at 36 and Wheaton College finished
fourth with seven.
The Wolverines next meet is this
week's AAU championships running
through Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
-Daily Sports
BULLETIN
Carroll Rosenbloom, 71, con-
troversial owner of the Los
Angeles Rams who played a
major role in the growth of the
NFL for 26 years, drowned
yesterday while vacationing in
the Florida resort city of
Golden Beach.
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