The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - October 9,1989 - Page 5
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1989-90 University of Michigan
....:Ho c k e y S c h e d u le. ..... .
Oct'1t*t Miami (OH) Oxford, OH 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 14 *at Miami (OH) Qxford, 011 7:30 p~m.
O.7WETR ONTAR (Ex.) Ann Arb~or 7:30 p.m,
Oct. 2() *at UIC Chicago, IL 7 p.m.
Oct21 *at UIC Chicago, IL 7 p.m.
Oc.27 *at LakeSuperiorState SaultSte.Marie 7:30p.m.....
Oct. 28 *at Like Superior S Late Sault Ste. Marie 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 2 *at Bowling Green Bowling Green,.OH 7:3Q0 pm.
Nov.3 *BOWLING GREEN Ann Arbor 73.....7' m .
Nov. 10 *FERRIS STATE..... ...Ann Arbor...7:30p.m.
Nov. 11 *FERkIS STATE Ann Arbor 7:30 p~m.
Nov. 17*ZOHJO.STATE Aim Arbor...7:30p~.
Nov. 19 *at Qho State Columbus, OH 3 p.
Nov,24 *WESTERNM.ICHWGAN Ann Arbor 7:30 p.m.
Nov25 *at Western~ Michigan....Karaaoo 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 1 flOSTON UNIVERSITY Ann Arbor..7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2 BOSTON.UNIVERSITY Ann Arbor 7:30 p.m....
Dc.,9 *MICHIGAN STATE Ann Arbor ..7:3Q p~m
Dec. 10 *a:. Michigan State East Lansing.4 p.-
.CAnn Arb. .7:30 p.m-
D;c. 16 *UIC Ann Arbor 7:30 p.m-.
Dec. 29 at Great Lakes Invitational Detroit
Dcc. 2. vs. Northr Michigan Detroit TBA ...
Dec. 30 vs. MSU/Michiigan Tech DritTBA.
Jan. 5 *LAKLE SUPERIOR STATE Ann Arbor 7:30p~m.
Jan6 *LAKESUPERIORSTATE Ann Arbor...7:3.p.m .
Jan. 12 *BOWLNG GREEN Ann Arbor 7:30 p.m. <
Jan. 13 *at Bowling Gron Bowling Green,.OH 7:30 p.m..
Jan, 1.9 *af Ferii State Big Rpds 7:30 p.m4
Jan. 20 * at Fers State Biag Rapids.7:30p~m.
Jan. 26 *at Ohio State Columbws, O.7:30 p.m
Jan.27 *OHO SATE Ann Arb~o...7:30 p.m.
Feb, 2 "'*it Western Michigan Kalamazoo 7:30.p.m
Feb. 3 *WESTERN MICHIGAN Ann Arbor....7:30p..m
Feb. 9. ALASKA-ANCHORAGE Ann Arbor...7:30 p.m.
Feb, 10 AL ASKA-ANCHOR AGE Ann Arbor...7:30 p.m,
Feb. 16 *at Michigan State East Lansing 7:30 p.m
Feb. 17 *MCHIGAN STATE Ann Arbor 7:30p.m.
Feb. 23 *MIAMI (OH) Ann Arbor 7:30 p~m.
Feb. 24 *MIAMI(OH) Ann Arbor 7:30p.m
Mar. 2.CCHA First Round begins Campus Sites TBA
M .10 CCHA Fnaks begin Detroit-Joe Louis TBA
Mar. 16 NCAA First Round Campus Sites TBA
Mar. 23 NCAA Second Round begins Campus Shes.TBA
Mar. 30 NCAA Semi-Finals DtotJeLus TA
Apr. 1 NCAA Finals Dctroit-Joc Louis.TBA
*C..r.. Co eg t e .key A.scociati.....n es.
... .. s . . S . ~. n. .. :,
VETERANS LEAD 'M' CLIMB TO TOP OF CCHA
Seniors
by Andrew Gottesman
Daily Hockey Writer
"We were playing 10 freshman
out there every night, and that's
just too many young players. The
transition and getting over the
college difficulties for the freshmen
cost our team a lot of games."
-Michigan hockey coach Red
Berenson after the 1986-87 season.
The Wolverines finished a
disappointing 14-24-1 that year. In
the Central Collegiate Hockey
Association, they were 11-20-1,
good for 7th place.
But now Berenson is expecting
those same players, as seniors
leading the team, to be at the center
of a lot of Wolverine wins. "Any
successful college team has a solid
nucleus of seniors that play well,"
he said. "That's one of the reasons
we feel our team will be an
improved team this year.
"When, as freshmen, they didn't
really have a great year, our team
suffered. When I brought them here,
we needed kids to step in and help
the team. And they were ready to
play, but they weren't ready to carry
the team."
Of the ten players recruited for
the fall of 1986, eight have
remained at Michigan. Captains
Mike Moes and Alex Roberts lead
the offensive and defensive lines,
respectively, while goalie Warren
Sharples is a legitimate All-
American candidate. Todd Copeland,
Randy Kwong and Brad Turner
round out Michigan's senior
defenders. Along with Moes, Rob
Brown and Ryan Pardoski provide
additional experience as forwards.
Two other members of the class
of '86 were Bryan Deasley, a
forward who is now playing in
Calgary, and Glen Neary, a goalie
who transferred to the University of
Vermont.
Together, the group has been a
large part of Michigan hockey's
transformation from a CCHA loser
to a contender for the league's title.
"I knew the situation at U of M
before I decided to come here,"
Brown said. "We've always known
that each year's going to get better
and better. The only way the team
could go was up."
The.year before the ten arrived,
Michigan hockey was just
take
last
shots
at
goal
beginning its turnaround. Berenson
was in only his second year and
working with his very first recruits.
They finished a miserable 12-26
overall and came in 8th in the
CCHA at 10-22.
However, to Roberts, Mich-
igan's situation looked like an
advantage. "That made me want to
come here more," he said. "I could
play more and contribute more."
And with Berenson, a Michigan
and NHL veteran doing the
recruiting, many prospective
recruits looked past the Wolverines'
record.
After that frosh fiasco in 86-87,
the sophomores came together in
1987-88 to produce Berenson's first
winning season. They finished 22-
17 overall and moved up to 5th in
the CCHA with a 17-15 record.
Last season, the eight juniors from
the original recruiting class helped
the Wolverines bring home a 22-
15-4 record. They were 17-11-4 in
the CCHA, good for 4th place and
their first home-ice seeding in the
league's post-season tournament.
But this season they are seniors.
It's their bestshot to advance past
the first round of the CCHA
playoffs, something Michigan has
never accomplished.
"(This year) has been a long
time coming. Now we're just this
far away," Turner said as he
measured out about an inch between
his thumb and index finger. "If we
don't advance through the first
round and get to (Detroit's Joe)
Louis, it would be a disappoint-
ment."
This class has been such a huge
part of Michigan hockey for the last
three years that nobody is quite sure
how their departure will affect the
team.
But most agree that it will not
hurt quite so much simply because
of the strength these eight have
brought to the program.
"They won't have to start over
again with all new players next
year," Moes said, referring to this
year's strong frosh class. "There
won't be a big gap."
But still, the Wolverines are not
going to be the same team.
"There's no substitute for ex-
perience," Moes said.
1988-89 Final Central Collegiate
Hockey Association Standings
n W L T Points
Teat
m
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8
9.
Michigan State
Lake Superior
UIC
Michigan
Bowling Green
W. Michigan
Ferris State
Ohio State
Miami (OH)_
25 6
19 7
18 10
17 11
15 14
9 17
9 18
7 20
8 24
1 51
6 44
4 40
4 38
3 33
6 24
5 23
5 19
0 16
JOSE JUAREZ/Daily
Michigan hockey co-captains Mike Moes, top, and Alex Roberts lead a
group of eight seniors into what they hope will be their most successful
year since becoming Wolverines.
Hard-fought Blue-White
Game ends in 3-3 deadlock
by David Hyman
Daily Hockey Writer
Intensity, strong skating and hard
hitting are what one saw Friday in
the annual Blue-White hockey
game, which came as no surprise to
Michigan coach Red Berenson.
"That's exactly what we're
looking for," Berenson said. "We've
got to develop a level of play that
we're going to be able to handle for
60 minutes during a game and this
is the type of play* we need."
However, for those who attended
the 3-3 deadlock, it was hard to
imagine Michigan picking up the
pace any more.
The White jumped out to an
early 2-0 lead in the first period on
goals by Denny Felsner and Mark
Sorensen, only 29 seconds apart,
eight minutes into the game.
Sorensen, playing left wing this
season for the first time in his car-
eer, responded well to his new pos-
ition by adding a second goal, 6:42
into the third, to cap off the scoring.
"I've got to learn the position as
I've never played it before,"
Sorensen said. However, according
to Berenson, Sorensen is doing fine:
"He's learning some of his
responsibilities, being that it's a
new position, and he hadaa pretty
good game tonight."
The Blue soon settled down and
exploded for three goals to take a
lead at the end of the second buzzer.
Center co-captain Mike Moes scored
two, while right winger Ted Kramer
added the other.
The only low point of the
exhibition came when an injury
forced right-winger KentaBrothers
out of the game. He may. have
suffered a separated shoulder and will
be out indefinitely.
Berenson was also happy with
the play of the newcomers. "They
played pretty well and they're ready
at this point," Berenson said.
Overall, Berenson was pleased
with the scrimmage and will prepare
for the season opener this Friday
night against Miami (Ohio).
"We've been on the ice since
September 10 and we're ready to
go," said senior center Rob Brown.
FELSNER
Continued from Page 1
around the net. He can score in a lot of different
ways," said coach Red Berenson.
While it seemed obvious that Felsner was
able to deal with the competition on the ice,
could he do the same with the atmosphere of
expectation that surrounded him?
"My performance made me feel real good
because I didn't expect it. But I never let it get
me cocky though because that's when you get
bad. I just blacked out everything and
concentrated on playing hockey," said the
Michigan Hockey Rookie-of-the-Year.
This attitude that Felsner brings with him to
the rink has a definite effect on the team as a
whole.
"He has a lot of fun out there and it's a lot
of fun to watch the kid. He does some amazing
things," senior center Rob Brown said. "The
way he looks at the game, it's his own outlook.
He's definitely a kid you'd like to have on your
team."
One word to describe Felsner's outlook on
hockey is intense. At practices it always seems
to be Felsner that is skating the hardest and
always leading the way as the team goes
through speed skating drills.
"Denny shows up every game to play and
plays to win, he's the player you need on a
good winning team," Turner said.
Felsner's ability and attitude has also broken
mythical barriers between the older and younger
players on the team as he is treated alike by
seniors as well as first-year students.
With his tendency to downplay his own
achievements, Felsner will tell you that his
success is largely due to the play of his
teammates, especially center Todd Brost, who
graduated last year.
Not only did Brost provide him with scoring
opportunities but also with leadership.
"It was his presence. That feeling you get
when you're around him. It helped so much,"
Felsner said.
Besides Felsner's offensive prowess, the
other interesting story behind this young athlete
is how he came to Michigan.
Felsner had narrowed down his choice of
schools to Michigan and Michigan State. As he
puts it, Spartan coach Ron Mason felt that he
wasn't good enough to play in East Lansing so
he came to Ann Arbor.
What's coincidental is that Michigan State
had an outstanding rookie of their own, center
Rod Brind'Amour. He netted 27 goals and
racked up 32 assists to finish ahead of Felsner
in the CCHA Rookie-of-the-Year award voting.
Was Felsner disappointed in not getting the
honor?
"Inwas kind of, but I just have to come back
and do well this year and show them that I
should have won it," Felsner said with a laugh.
When Felsner arrived at Michigan he wasn't
a complete stranger on the team. He's known
teammate Don Stone since they were both very
young and he describes his present housemate as
like a brother to him.
During practice the two are almost like
sparring partners, constantly trying to jab arid
trip each other with their sticks. "Felsner
usually starts that stuff but I finish it," said
Stone, the junior left winger, with a playful
smirk. "We've played together all the time so
we know what to expect from each other."
Stone and Berenson were two of the main
reasons Felsner became a Wolverine. Stone
because of his friendship and Berenson because
of the great amount of respect that he
commands from his players.
"You'll never meet another coach like him. I
can't even find the words," Felsner said. "On
and off the ice I talk to him a lot. He keeps a
good eye on me to see that I'm not screwing
up.
The present is certainly exciting for Denny
Felsner but the future could be even more
rewarding.
Last season there were rumors of Felsner
jumping to the NHL but he is the first to say
that this is far from the truth. "I'd love to finish
college. School is a great place, I mean, this is
the life."
In the NHL amateur draft last June, Felsner
was chosen by the St. Louis Blues after being
overlooked while in high school. Ironically,
Brind'Amour was also chosen by the Blues and
plays for them presently.
"Who knows. After school, maybe we'll be
linemates," Felsner said. "What I want to do
most is play hockey because that's what I like
to do the most." "
That certainly would be a pleasant anecdote
at the start of a promising hockey career for the
very talented Denny Felsner.
Western
Michigan
_ _- - --r. "
Miami
University
Miami University
Nickname - Redskins
Colors - Red and White
Enrollment - 15,000
Arena - Goggin Arena (2,50)
Head Coach - George Gwozdecky
First Year - Previously Assistant at Michigan State
Michigan
State
Michigan State University
Nickname - Spartans
Colors - Green and White
Enrollment - 44,480
Arena - Munn Ice Arena (6,255)
Head Coach - Ron Mason
Career Record at MSU (10) - 285-133-13
Ovip.~,rnll C r P~r nrA (t21- 574-243-27
Ohio
State
OHIO
STATE
I l
Ohio State University
Nickname - Buckeyes
Colors - Scarlet and Gray
Enrollment - 53,669
Arena - OSU Ice Rink (1,580)
Head Coach - Jerry Welsh
Career Record at OSU (15) - 277-236-33
Western Michigan University
Nickname - Broncos
Colors - Brown and Gold
Enrollment - 26,000
Arena - Lawson Arena (4,000)
Head Coach - Bill Wilkinson
Career Record at WMU (7) - 146-129-15