Page 10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 20, 1989 'M' looks to tame BY RICHARD EISEN As the Michigan hockey team begins the final leg of the CCHA season, they look around and find a lot of company. Just a week ago Michigan (10-9-3 CCHA; 12- 11-3 overall) reclaimed fourth place and put some distance between it and a surging Bowling Green squad. This weekend, they will try to do the same in a home series against Ferris State, a team which lurks only four points behind the Wolverines. Things are so tight in the CCHA right now, that if a team sneezed they might be able to move up a notch in the standings. With only 10 points separating second and sixth place, teams are jockeying for home-ice playoff positions as they enter the stretch drive. "(Ferris State) is not far off the pace," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "They will see these games as an opportunity to catch Michigan. We're looking at them as games to get ahead of Bowling Green and Ferris State and to try and catch Chicago." MICHIGAN is three points ahead of the Falcons and three points behind third place Illinois-Chicago. Ferris State, like Bowling Green, will play the Wolverines on a winning streak. Last weekend, the Bulldogs swept last-place Miami to pull within a sweep of Michigan. Ferris State (9-12-1 CCHA; 12-12-2 overall), however, limps into Yost this weekend without its top two scorers, John dePourcq and Andy Black. dePourcq, last year's CCHA Rookie-of- the-Year, will be sidelined by a bad shoulder while Black is out with a knee injury. Defensmen Brad Turner and Todd Copeland are questionable for Michigan this weekend due to injuries, Berenson said. "Both of our leading scorers which we normally count on to produce are injured," Bulldog coach John Perpich said. "So we've reorganized a little bit and we're asking everyone to dig down and give us a little more." THE PERSON Perpich probably hopes will dig down the most is senior center, Rod Schluter. Last weekend, Schluter nailed down his fourth hat trick of his career in the Saturday night 6-3 win over Miami. Michigan swept the first season series against Ferris State, with the second game of the sweep Bulldogs being a 9-0 whitewash of the Bulldogs. While Berenson contends the game was closer than it seemed, many Wolverines had nights to remember. Don Stone recorded his first career hat trick and Denny Felsner capped a six-point weekend that night. Goalie Warren Sharples recorded his second shutout against the Bulldogs, saving 17 shots. "I think (Ferris is) going to remember us going in and sweeping them in their own building," Sharples said. "I certainly think they're going to use that as motivation." Said Perpich, "We feel we have something to prove after our series with Michigan." While the revenge factor is working against Michigan, the schedule is in their favor. With the exception of Michigan State, the Wolverines play the bottom three of the CCHA for the rest of the season (Ohio State, Western Michigan and Miami). "I feel good about our position, but we won't stay there long if we don't win," Berenson said. "We've got to win these games. This is a must win weekend for us." 0 ROBIN LOZNAK/Daily Michigan defensmen Todd Copeland (2) and Brad Turner are both questionable for this weekend's series against Ferris State. Ferris State trails Michigan by only four points. 01 Cagers Continued from Page 9 said. "If we can play this weekend the way the we've been practicing during the week, I'll be very happy." For offense, the Wildcats go to forward Carrie Lawless, who is averaging 12.8 points per game with 5.2 rebounds, and center Mia Whitmore (13.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg), while guard Nancy Kenally is the 'Cats top defensive player with 19 steals this season, along with 72 assists. Even with the improvement in his lineup, Michigan worries Perrelli. "Tempie Brown has proven that she can play, and both (Leslie) Spicer and (Tanya) Powell are impact players. They are a well- coached, aggressive team that will play hard every single game. It will be a typical Big Ten game. We'll have to play well." Wisconsin coach Mary Murphy also likes Michigan's lineup. "Brown always has good games against us. Michigan's quickness creates matchup problems for us. We have a height advantage, but we are in a shooting slump." First-year point guard Amy Bauer will direct Murphy's offense, even with an ankle injury that affects her performance. Bauer hopes to be creating opportunites for Wisconsin's scorers, guard Kay Fredrickson and center and native Ann Arborite, Janetta Johnson. The 6-3 Johnson creates defensive opportunities as well, she leads the nation in blocked shots, averaging 6.1 per game. VanDeWege respects the third- year coach Murphy, who has led the Badgers to a 7-5 record this season. Track team gears up for Saturday's Michigan Relays BY JOSH MITNICK The indoor season for the men's track team will shift into full gear tomorrow when the Wolverines host the Michigan Relays at the Track and Tennis Building. Like most of the meets on the squad's indoor schedule, the Relays will be an "open" meet, and no team like Michigan almnus Greg Meyers and Notre Dame graduate Chuck Aragon will improve the field of competition for the Wolverine's distance squad. Meyers placed first in the Boston Marathon, and Aragon finished fourth in the Olympic Trials. Assistant Coach Ron Warhurst said that since many runners will be competing for the first time, the team would be shooting for times under 4:10 in the mile competion. "Even though the meet is going to be low-key, the mile will be tough," junior Brad Barquist said. the meaning of MICHIGAN MEN'S VOLLEYBALL v-s. BALL STATE Friday, Jan. 20, 1989 7:30pm at the CCRB score will be kept. Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, and Toledo are some of the bigger schools that will send their squads to compete in the relays. Because the meet is open, runners - SH I We're changing the word f PRINTING ...andyo COTTON Pi Lam HANES BEEFY-T Michigan coach Jack Harvey said he was looking for a steady progression in the performances of the squad as they progress through the indoor season and approach the championship meets. "Every meet that we have is sort of a lead-up to the conference meet," Harvey said. "Hopefully that's when these guys will run their best times." Senior half-miler Matt Butler added that most of the team has not gotten back in shape after the break: "Everybody's just trying to get back into it." On an individual level, Harvey said that another goal would be making sure that theWolverine standouts qualified for the NCAA championships. "What we're looking at with our quality people - like Sherer and Barquist in the distance, and Irvine and Darr in the pole vault - is qualifying for the NCAA. They will be attempting to do that at every meet they go to until they qualify," Harvey said. raternity... u can too bda Phi i NEV. VVT. SWEATS 1002 PONTIAC TR. 994-1. 821 East University Rush Jan. 22-26 Sun. 4-10 P.M. Steak Dinner M-Th. 7-10 P.M. --, ai0 Af1 Come IA7 look us over! n '1 IT -J V The Fraternity whose time has come! Discover the difference Greek life can make. " BROTHERHOOD - SOCIAL - LEADERSHIP - SCHOLARSHIP - PHILANTHROPY - ATHLETICS WELCOME TO WINTER RUSH. SEMI ANNUAL ALL CAMPUS PRE RUSH BASH Saturday, January 21st: 9:30 pm OPEN RUSH! w