Men's and Women's Bowling Club Home Match Sunday, 9 a.m. Colonial LanesI The Michigan Daily SPORTS Friday, December 9, 1988 Hockey vs. Michigan State Friday, 7:30 p.m. Yost Ice Arenax Page 11 BLUE TO FACE NO. 1 RIVALS Spartans streak into Yost BY TAYLOR LINCOLN Michigan State lost its season opening hockey game to Lake Superior State on October 14. They haven't lost since. Heading into this weekend's series versus Michigan (7:30 p.m. tonight at Yost Ice Arena, and 3 p.m. Sunday at Michigan State, on PASS) the Spartans (15-1, 13-1 in the CCHA) are ranked No. 1 in the country in both the media and coaches' polls - unanimously. Michigan has been on a streak of its own - in the other direction. After getting off to a 7-2-1 start, the Wolverines (7-6-3 overall, 7-4-3 in the CCHA) are 0-4-2 in their last six contests. BUT THIS is a Michigan team with a history of rebounding against top competition. Earlier this season, after the Wolverines lost and tied at home to Illinois-Chicago, they traveled to defending national champion Lake Superior State and gained a sweep. "This is a good time to be playing State," Wolverine goalie Warren Sharples said. "We need a big game and we know that everybody will come ready to play. "It's no secret that we've been in a little bit of a drought here and we definitely need to get some points before Christmas," Sharples said. The Spartans have been dominating the CCHA. Currently, they lead the league in goals scored while giving up the fewest. THEY ALSO sport the most effective power play and have the JOHN MUNSON/Daily Michigan's Randy Kwong and Tim Helber will look to push MSU out of its No. 1 ranking tonight at Yost. aI Blue Lines BY MIKE GILL I talked to McGyver this week. Or a guy nicknamed that. This person hawks Rose Bowl tickets for inflated prices every year. And he told me something pretty interesting. He said when Michigan or Ohio State fans go to California, all the big restaurants are packed. The Chamber of Commerce loves it. But when Michigan State heads west, Burger King is packed. Pasedena hates it. "MSU's farmers," McGyver said. Guess who's comin' to Ann Arbor tonight? } Yep. And O' whatta game it will be. Michigan. Michigan State. Need I say more? No. But I will. First off, it's always the best series of the year. "It's a college hockey fan's delight," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. The emotion starts early in a sold out Yost Ice Arena. The barn really burns when these two teams square off. "Even in the warmup, the crowd - it's 'Go Blue,' 'Go White.' You can hear them up in the locker room," Mike Moes said. "When you get to the rink you can cut the air with a knife." Berenson loves the match-up especially at Yost, where many Michigan State fans invade the arena. "You've got both teams well represented by fans in this building and then you've got two teams that are really gonna play hard. That's a great classic hockey confrontation." You said it, coach. How about a prediction, Red? "I don't think the odds makers could ever predict when Michigan and Michigan State play." Why? It's a game of emotion. Throw out the records. The Spartans are in best overall penalty killing per- centage. Furthermore, five of the top 10 scorers in the league are Spartans. Michigan State center Kip Miller leads the CCHA in scoring, with Spartan left winger Bobby Reynolds second. Goalie Jason Muzzatti leads the league with the lowest goals against average. Despite the offensive output, Mason said that the key to his team's success has been defense. "We've had outstanding defensive play," he said. "Usually when a team scores a lot of goals, people assume that it's their offense. But it's been the defense which has set up the goals." Michigan co-captain Myles O'Connor is no stranger to being an underdog to Michigan State, but he also knows that being an underdog doesn't necessarily translate into a loss. "Every year that I've been here in the past you can basically throw out the record books when it comes to Michigan State," O'Connor said. "We know we can play with Mich- igan State. They've won 15 in a row, but I don't think that phases anybody on this team." DURING THE 1985-86 season, Michigan State won the national championship while Michigan man- aged only 12 wins. But, the two teams split their season series. Over the past three years, the teams are even at six wins apiece. "We can't get into a shootout with them because they're the best offensive team in the league," Berenson said. "We'll have to take advantage of our chances, play close- checking hockey, and force them to make mistakes." Michigan may be helped by the fact that the Spartans will be playing this game at the conclusion of their exams week, which could distract their preparation and concentration on the game. "It's a concern for us but we're not going to worry about it," Mason said. "Sometimes after finals week the players have been relieved and we've had really good efforts. Other times they have been drained. I guess we won't know until after Fridlay night's game." "This will be a great crowd, it will be a classic college hockey con- frontation," Berenson said. "I just hope we get off to a good start. If.We do I think we'll get some confidence and I think we'll beat them." Blue Banter - Penalty King: In last Saturday's game versus Boston Uni- versity, Myles O'Connor collected four minutes in penalties to become the Wolverines all-time penalty minutes leader with 313. -Slip, slidin' away: Mich - igan, which had been ranked in the top ten for the last few weeks, fell to No. 14 in the WMEB poll. 'M'-MSU: Heart attack game in store for tonight first? They have a unanimous No. 1 ranking? Michigan hasn't won lately? Who cares? "All 25 guys, even the guys who aren't dressed, are pumped up for this game," Alex Roberts said. Added Don Stone, "You start thinking about this one a little earlier than the other games." Michigan. Michigan State. It don't get any better than this. If you're one of the lucky to have tickets, get pumped. This is one game which takes place in the stands and on the ice. But fights in the stands don't get game misconducts. "State fans are rowdy and they sometimes don't show a lot of class," Warren Sharples said. So do whatever it takes to get geeked. Listen to the fight song. Drink a keg or two. Alex Roberts has fans who sit behind the Michigan bench complete with "Alex" signs and airhorns. Pick a player. Any player. Do the same. "Felsner's Following," "Kent's Korner," "Helber's Hideaway" are some suggestions. Maybe people who do real creative things with their minds can think of something for Don Stone. And how about the wave? "No. I think fans do that when they're bored," Berenson said. Okay, okay - don't expect Red to join in, but show him it's another way to make noise - in a tight game. This is it. This is the game. Myles O'Connor sums it all up, "The rivalry speaks for itself." Michigan. Michigan State. Enough said. - .. -- RESERVE OFFICERS' TRAINING CORPS 2 The Medieval and Renaissance Collegium announces QUI, QUAND, OU ET PUOR QUI?: TOUT SUR LA FARCE DE MAITRE PATHELIN a lecture by PROFESSOR BRUNO ROY Institute d'itudes Medievales Universit6 de Montreal Monday, December 12, 1988, 4 p.m. West Conference Room, Rackham Call 763-2066 for further information REMINDER: TODAY, DECEMBER 9 "The Latin Phaedo and Its concept of Simultaneous Harmony: The Reception and Application of a Medieval Text" Prof. Nancy Van Deusen, California State University, 4 p.m., West Conference Room, Rackham. 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