Tuesday, April 3, 1973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Seven Tuesday, April 3, 1973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY PQge Seven SPORTS OF THE DAILY This year By ROGER ROSSITER The opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs begins tomorrow night and as usual, les Montreal Canadiens loom as heavy favorites to take it all again this year. No one in his or her right mind would call this year's version of les Canadiens the best ever, but they did set an all-time NHL record for fewest losses in a season, ten (old record of 13 held jointly by Boston and Detroit). The biggest thing the Habs have going for them is depth. No other NHL team can boast for sheer number the talented, able bodied skaters assembled by Montreal general manager Sam Pollock. The recipe is simple. Start with a cast of veterans that includes Frank Mahovlich, Henri Richard, Jacques Lemaire, Yvan Cournoyer, Jacques La- Perriere, Serge Savard, and Ken Dryden; sprinkle in rookies Murray Wilson, Chuck Lefley, Paul Robinson, Bob Murdoch, Wayne Thomas and Michel Plasse; and spice the mixture with the shrewdest coach in hockey, Scotty Bowman, and you have a team that was potent enough to finish second in the league in goals scored and tough enough to win the Vezina Trophy for the best goals against record. Les Canadiens should have little trouble dis- posing of their first round opponent the Buffalo Sabres, a third year expansion team. The Sabres had to fight right up to the finish to edge out Detroit for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division, largely due to the scoring of the French Connection line of left winger Rick Martin, former Calder Trophy winning center Gil Perreault, and a castoff right winger from Pittsburgh, Rene Robert. Buffalo has also gotten great goaltending from veterans Roger Crozier and Dave Dryden, aided by a relatively young defense tempered by the experi- ence of perennial old man all-star Tim Horton. Realistically speaking, Buffalo is just no match for les Canadiens. The other East quarterfinal round finds the run- ner-up Boston Bruins tangling with the -on again, off again New York Rangers. After a mid-season coaching change that saw "Bep" Guidolin assume the coaching reigns from a maligned Tom Johnson, the Bruins caught fire and overtook the Rangers in the season's final week, capturing the home ice advantage for this crucial series. With the league's leading scorer Phil Esposito (55 goals-130 points) and hockey's premiere de- fenseman Bobby Orr pacing the attack the Bruins again led the league in goals scored, but the biggest Bruin plus at this point has to be the acquisition of goaltender Jacques Plante from Toronto hours before the trading deadline March 1. Plante has been nothing but superb in the Bruin net. New York's GAG line (Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert, and Vic Hadfield) played havoc with enemy netminders all year and the Ranger goaltending duo of Ed Giacomin and Gilles Villemure finished second to Montreal in the Vezina race. The inevitable question that arises when discussing the Rangers' chances is whether they can shake the injury bug that has plagued their playoff aspirations in seasons past. Already defenseman Rod Seiling has been lost, and super blue liner Brad Park has been nursing an assortment of ailments all year. Coach Emile Francis, known for his trading finesse, dealt for aging veteran Bert Marshall to bolster his defense, but one cannot help but believe that another injury here would doom the Broadway Blue in their quest for Lord Stanley's elusive Cup. In the West Division, the Chicago Black Hawks again copped the Clarence Campbell Bowl which means simply that the Hawks still outclass their "expansion division" rivals. The Hawks lost the NHL's most exciting player, Bobby Hull, to the upstart World Hockey Asso-, ciation. Without the "Golden Jet," Chicago actually scored twenty-eight more goals, almost exclusively due to the efforts of the MPH line (consisting of Pit Martin, Jim Pappin, and Dennis Hall) the league's highest scoring trio. The big difference came defensively where the Hawks yielded fifty-nine more tallies than the previous season. The St. Louis Blues will pose the opposition for the Black Hawks, token opposition at best. The Blues were picked in most corners for a higher post in the final standings, but their lack of a major league goaltender and inability to score goals left them in a desperate struggle to even make the playoffs. The battle for the right to become les Canadians second playoff victim between the Minnesota North Stars and the Philadelphia Flyers should be a rowdy affair if nothing else. The Flyers were the league's most penalized team this season wresting the "brawling" championship away from Boston. Like Boston, the Flyers have found the rough house style to their advantage, using the pugnacity of bad . . boys Andre "Moose" Dupont, Dave Schultz and Don Saleski to intimidate smaller foe. Phila- delphia's scoring punch relies on high flying centermen Bobby Clarke (a leading candidate for the Hart Troph-MVP) and Rick MacLeish, in line for the league's comeback award. Doug Favell will have to carry the load in goal for Philly, but a hot Favell can be as good as anyone in the league. Minnesota must rely on old men at some key positions and goaltending that can only be termed suspect. One really must wonder how much longer ancient defensemen Ted Harris and Doug Mohns will last under the strain of playoff competition. Goalie Cesare Maniago's playoff performances have been dismal in the past, and Gil Gilbert offers little back up help. Despite the fact that Minnesota and Philadelphia finished with identical 37-30-11 records, the Flyers' youth and aggressiveness should prevail, four games to two. The semi-finals pits the winner of the one vs four series in each division against the winner of the two vs three series in the other. If these predictions hold true, it will be Montreal-Philadelphia and Boston-Chicago. Montreal should need no more than five games to dispose of Philadelphia, while the Bruins will probably need six games to scalp the Hawks. The finale for the right to quaff champagne from the eighty year old cup should be a classic, featuring the high scoring Bruins against the continuing legacy of les Canadiens. The pick here is Montreal in seven games with Ken Dryden the recipient of the Con Smythe Trophy .. Montreal WEATHER PERMITTING Blue bc Michigan's baseball club and the Eastern Michigan nine open their regular-season campaigns this af- ternoon at Ray L. Fisher Stadium. The scheduled doubleheader starts at 2 p.m., weather permitting. The word from Ypsilanti is op- timistic. Huron Coach Ron Oestrike returns 20 of 22 lettermen from a 1972 squad that finished 21 - 20. Eastern came home from their successful spring trip last Satur- day with an 8-3 mark compiled against competition in North and South Carolina. itsmen face EMU today SPORTS NIGHT EDITOR: THERESA SWEDO conference opener on Thursday. The Hurons begin play this year in the expanded Mid - American Conference. Michigan and Eastern split a doubleheader in Ann Arbor a year ago in their only 1972 encounter. Last y e a r, Michigan finished third in the Big Ten with a 9-5 record, behind Iowa and Michigan State. College baseball, along with the American League, has adopted the designated pitch hitter rule. The Wolverines, however, in one game at least will not be employing this rule since Forhan batted a solid .471 last year. The Lineups Forhan, last year's freshman sensation. pitched well on the Ari- EMU's probable pitchers are zona trip, but the Michigan bats Wody Millsad Terry Harrison, a will have to support him more. He pair of hard-throwing righthanders. lost to Arizona 3-1 and Arizona Mills, a 6-1, 190-b. senior, has com- State 5-3 while compiling a 2.57 ERA. piled a 17-9 ledger in his varsity H,'s, c a r e e r. Harrison, smaller and However, Michigan's hitters, if craftier than Mills, pitched a nine they repeat last year's perform inning 2-hitter in Carolina. Wolver- ance, should have a potent offense. ine mentor Moby Benedict was Pat Sullivan, who hit .336 last year __ _ __ . t:T~t, b ata hlitc dn 19 r ns regain his poise from last year in- stead of repeating his anemic .111 batting average at Arizona this spring, Michigan will be prepared to face EMU. Eastern Michigan batted .305 on their Carolina caravan paced by Washington's .455 (15-33) and Wag- ner's .355. These two also led the Hurons with nine RBI's apiece. Petrilla socked three homers on the trip. Oestrike, 1970's NAIA Baseball Coach of the Year, looks at today's twinbill as a tuneup for his club's EASTERN MICHIGAN close - mouthed on his lid - lifting: hurlers, but speculation puts Pete Helt and Craig Forhan on the hill. Helt has been having problems recently and he is hoping to regain his 1972 form which placed him ninth in the Big Ten Conference with an ERA of 3.25. Walton okayed to face Soviets WASHINGTON OP)-The National Collegiate Athletic Association said yesterday it will allow college bas- ketball players, including All- American Bill Walton of UCLA, to compete in the upcoming basketball series between the United States and the Soviet Union. Walter Byers, executive director of the NCAA, said his organization under rules already established, could in effect sanction the tour if the Amateur Athletic Union made a formal request. The NCAA changed its previous objection to the series after Rep. Peter Peyser, R-N.Y., told Byers that Walton was to call the NCAA offices Monday to seek permission to compete for the American team. Peyser also, released a letter to Byers signed by 58 senators re- questing the NCAA to permit its athletes "to participate . . . with- out fear of reprisal or penalty to those athletes." with 4 extra-ease us anuf r u for a .539 slugging percentage, should provide the Wolverines with a good attack if Mike De Cou could r Mills and Harrison Gary Gentle Ron Curtis or Mark Skeels Helt and Forhan p C John Lonchar 1B Pat Sullivan It' s YOUR turn now!. I Ue I would like to proudly a * ca st m y ballot for ....................................................... # * is MICHIGAN ATHLETE I # OF THE YEAR, |MICHIGAN COACH OF e * THE YEAR, AND .. .. # r is the most exciting moment in Michigan athletics . this year. s # # # SEND BALLOTS TO: SPORTS DEPT. # MICHIGAN DAILY 420 MAYNARD ST., # ANN ARBOR, MICH. 48104 # I I BALLOTING ENDS APRIL 9, 1973 I I - m m~~~~m m m m mmmm- - - -m --mmm m OPENINGS AVAILABLE on the 1974 MICHIGANENSIAN Staff-experience desired * Copywriters for features and investigative reporting. 0 Photographers-paid per assignment. e Section Editors and Business Staff members. Your interest will be well rewarded (all 662-3971 or 761-3702 Mike Wagner 2B Brian Balaze ' Mike Ferguson 3B Chris Burak or Mark Mills Bill Riechel SS Mark Crane Jeff Washington LF Tom Kettinger Larry Bolt CF Don Damiani Chuck Petrilla RF Mike Decou from Daily Archives UNIDENTIFIED NO. 16, an undercover FBI agent, is frantically trying to convince the winning run to turn around and go to third. It didn't work. - --- - --___ Exhibition Baseball Pittsburgh 6, Philadelphia 4 Kansas City 7, St. Louis 2 Montreal 5, Boston I Chicago (A) 8, Texas 4 San Diego 5, Milwaukee 3 Oakland 8, California 3 THERE WILL BE A MASS MEETING OF THE UNDERGRADUATE POLITI(AL SCIENCE ASSOC. to elect officers for next year . . If yOU are interested in becoming active we URGE you to attend this important meeting .. 2013 Angell Hall Wednesday, April 4th 7:30 P.M. ®' ____________ r t At Michigan's Crisler Arena Sat., April 7 8:00 p.m. Tickets on Sale at: MICH. ATHLETIC DEPT. 1000 S. STATE TUESDAY, APRIL 3 The International Center Presents SYLVIA WYNTER Visiting Professor from the University of the West Indies SPEAKING ON: "REVOLUTION AND CHANGE IN THE THIRD WORLD" 12:00 NOON I COFLSA COFFEE HOUR TUESDAY 3:00-4:30 April 3 Near Eastern Languages, Dept. With a shovel. At an archaeo- logical site. On a new EL AL Col- lege Vacation. There is more in Israel that's exciting, surprising and profoundly moving than you can imagine. You'll dig sunny, fascinating Israel. Go to the Negev. Scale Massada. Explore Jerusalem. See 4 seas. Tan at Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. Water-ski the coral - -1 1)-1 Q1, begin to swinging, the under 3 Fraternize at an oasis on the Dead Sea. Poke through our Roman past at Caesarea (Mediterranean Sea). Beach-hop. Bible-hop. Live, Learn. Enjoy. You can renew yourself and wear yourself out. You can fly to Israel for $381)* (from New York) and on the way home we'll give you one Eu- ropean stop-over free. Add $57* during June, July and August de- 30 airln partures I