Ice hockey vs. Michigan State Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. Yost Ice Arena The Michigan Daily_ SPORTS Thursday, November 8, 1990 Volleyball vs. Minnesota Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. at Minneapolis, MN Page 9 SOPHOMORE ICER QUIETLY LEADS CCHA'S TOP LINE Ouimet centers Blue offense by Matt Rennie Daily Hockey Writer Mark Ouimet has had to deal with doubters all his life. Now, even the believers sometimes for- get about him. Only 5-foot-7, Ouimet has overcome his size and centers what is arguably the top line in col- legiate hockey, with linemates Denny Felsner and David Roberts. But that's not the way you'll generally hear it. Usually, it goes something like, "Well, there's Felsner and Roberts and that other guy, the center, uh, Ouimet! Yeah, that's it! Ouimet!" If that were actually the case, the Wolverine sophomore might be happy because at least peo- ple remembered to include him. To be fair, it is not without justification that Roberts and Felsner receive such accolades. Fel- sner leads the CCHA in scoring while Roberts is - third. Nonetheless, somebody has to get them the puck, and more often than not, that someone is Ouimet. The statistics reflect Ouimet's unselfish style of play. Last year, he finished third on the team in scoring with 32 of his 47 points coming on assists. That 2-to-1 assists-to-goals ratio has held true at every level of hockey he has played. "That's my job on the line, to pass," Ouimet said. "I'm not the goal scorer. I've got two goal scorers on my line; there's no need for me to do that. When I have the puck, I definitely look to pass." Because of his passing style, the spotlight of- ten eludes the sophomore from Poplar Hill, On- tario. "I feel like that (forgotten) all the time," Ouimet said. "I might sound bad saying that, but it feels like I'm just along for the ride sometimes because they're the ones that always score the goals. As long as I'm helping the team win, I think that's the main thing." Ouimet is definitely doing that, as the Wolverines sit atop the CCHA with a 6-2 record entering this weekend's series with Michigan State. While Ouimet is now at the center of Michigan coach Red Berenson's gameplan, this was not always the case. Early last season, Ouimet's first with the Maize and Blue, he did not have a prominent role in the offense, and some doubted if he ever would. After missing the first four games of the season with an injury, he felt uncomfortable on and off the ice. "The first couple of games, when I was in- jured I didn't feel part of the team at all," Ouimet said. "Off the ice, it was difficult. I got mad that some of the players were talking behind my back, saying, 'Look at this guy, what's he gonna do?' Part of what I did on the ice was to show them that I could play in this league." Adding to his problems was the fact that Ouimet was adjusting to his first year away from home. Much of his life was different from what he had expected, including his coach. "I thought as a (former) centerman, (Berenson) could help me a lot more," Ouimet said. "I guess it's not his style to sit down anybody and talk to them one-on-one. I think a coach should maybe sit down with a player and talk to him a little more one-on-one and get to know him a little better. Talk to him individually, instead of as a team, and he hasn't really done that. He's just not that style of coach." Even Berenson would admit that Ouimet has made most of his progress on his own. "We taught him a little about playing defense, but he's a great, creative player," Berenson said. "I don't like to take credit for creativity. I don't know if he's learned a lot from me." At last year's Great Lakes Invitational, every- thing came together. The Wolverines defended their title, and the center on the all-tournament team was none other than Mark Ouimet. "It all clicked at the GLI," Ouimet said. "I could feel definitely part of the team. After that, the rest of the season went really well." This season, Ouimet is no longer a naive rookie. As he matures off the ice, he realizes where he needs to improve his game. "Defensively, I really have to work on my game," Ouimet said. "I've made some defensive mistakes this year. When I came in here, I didn't know anything about defense." The desire to improve is a driving force for Ouimet, and it carries over into the other facets of his life. "He's very intense in whatever he does," Ouimet's teammate Patrick Neaton said. "He hits the books hard, but he has a lighter side, too." Ouimet is enrolled in the School of Physical Education and would like to teach Phys. Ed. one day, but his immediate career plans involve three letters: NHL. "I got a little ray of hope this summer in the draft," Ouimet said. "You only get one shot, and I'm going to give it my all." When the Washington Capitals unveiled their fifth-round selection last June, Ouimet came one step closer to his dream. Although he promises to complete his educa- tion before moving to the pro ranks, you can bet that the people in the Capitals' front office will remember Mark Ouimet. Even if no one in Michigan does. JOSE JUAREZ/Daily Michigan s9phomore Mark Ouimet will play an integral role for the Wolverines as he centers their top offensive line against the Spartans tomorrow. Women netters seek improved doubles play in weeken by Becky Weiss Though the women's tennis team has yet to begin its regular season, tomorrow's Intercollegiate Tennis Coach's Association Tournament should be a good indicator of future Big Ten standings. "This is a much stronger tourna- ment than last week's (state tourna- ment)," Michigan coach Elizabeth Ritt said. "This will be a good op- portunity to see players from all re- gional teams and see how we com- pare with them." One singles entrant and one dou- bles team are automatically accepted to the tournament if the coach is a member of the association. The re- maining positions are filled on the basis of records, and a team can have as many as six singles and three doubles entrants. As a result of No. 1 singles player Christine Schmeidel's injury, the Wolverines will be entering five singles players instead of six. All players enter the same draw in this individual 26 team tournament and the top three Michigan singles entrants will be junior Lindsay Aland, senior captain Stacy Berg, and sophomore Kalei Beamon. The only Wolverine doubles team currently entered is the combination of Berg and Beamon. The associa- tion is still unsure whether it will allow Schmeidel's doubles partner Kim Pratt to enter the tournament in Madison with a different partner. The fact still remains that the d tourney Wolverines are under-represented in doubles. Captain Stacy Berg feels, "Sometimes people put more effort into singles than doubles, and I think we have to start putting more effort into doubles." Ritt has also noticed the differ- ence between the Wolverines' per- formance in singles as compared to doubles. "I think we have to be more aggressive (during doubles play) and focus in on the basics,"j Ritt said. "We just didn't play the big points well (in the state tour- nament)." Ritt is still optimistic for tomor- row's tournament. "I think we did well at singles in last weekend's tournament, so I feel people are ready to compete," she added. ILLINOIS Continued from page 1 post-season play this season, and will be unable to play outside the continental United States during 1991. Illinois will also be unable to have paid visits by recruits, or off- campus recruiting by coaches during 1991; off-campus recruiting will restart in 1992, but only one assis- tant coach will be able to help the head coach, instead of the customary two assistants. Scholarships, which may nor- mally total six per season, will be reduced to two for each of the next two seasons. On the bright side, Thomas, who was redshirted last year because of the inquiry, retained his eligibility, and Illinois' television exposure was not eliminated. The University announced it will freeze the basketball coaches' salaries, suspend assistant coach Jimmy Collins, and implement rules education programs. Besides the repetitive nature of the offense, the NCAA found that "significant violations occurred... and the university's men's basketball program obtained both recruiting and competitive advantages." The Committee found Illinois (Collins) guilty of making too many visits to a prospective student-ath- lete's high school, and other unap- proved encounters. The players, their families, and some high school coaches received illegal game tickets as well. The investigation also uncovered that "three student-athletes in the men's basketball program purchased automobiles from a dealership oper- ated by a representative of the uni- versity's athletic interests through special credit arrangements to finance the purchases because of their status as university basketball players." The Illini deny most of the claims. U U MICHIGAN HOCKEY - LEADERS AND BEST! UPCOMING GAMES AT YOST ICE ARENA A 9% 0190 Iowa can clinch conference tie by Adam Miller Daily Sports Writer So you thought the Big Ten race was over? Right now, Iowa is in the driver's seat to Pasadena, but, de- pending on the results of Saturday's games, the Run for the Roses could * get interesting again. Then again... Ohio State at Iowa ...it could not. After putting on an offensive clinic at Illinois last week, the Hawkeyes return home to Mr. (QB Matt) Rodgers' Neighbor- hood. A victory guarantees them a tie for the Big Ten crown and virtu- ally assures them their first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1986. Mus- tache or not, Hayden Fry has his troops playing like champions. The Buckeye Scoring Machine, which has averaged 47 points over the last three games, could make itself a con- tender again with a victory. You know this one's big. It replaced the Michigan-Illinois game on ABC. Michigan State at Minnesota One of the teams rooting hard for Ohio State this week is Minnesota. With only one conference loss and a. home game against the Hawkeyes in the final week, the Gophers could spend January 1 in California. Spar- tan quarterback Dan Enos, who got no relief on the streets of East Lans- ing last Sunday, won't find much in Minneapolis, either. Taking a page out of State's playbook, Minnesota has revitalized its defense with a stunt 4-3 set. It has been erratic, though, and State may walk away with its John Hancock Bowl plans intact. Purdue at Northwestern and Wisconsin at Indiana What to say when the bottom four schools in the Big Ten square off? Not much. Their combined record is 8-21-0 and all are having "disappointing" years. Going into the season, Purdue thought its of- fense would be better, Indiana and Northwestern were counting on strong defenses and Wisconsin was high on new head coach Barry Al- varez. Nov. 9 " Nov. 23 t Nov. 24 "h Dec. 8l" Dec. 14 " Dec. 15 " BRIARWOOD ON BOARDWALK M" vs. Michigan State M" vs. Ohio State m" vs. Ohio State M" vs: W. Michigan M" vs. Lake Superior M" vs. Lake Superior - Sold Out - Toys for Tots - Poster Night - Banner Night/Toys - Toys for Tots - Christmas at Yost for Tots Lunch Buffet and Beverage for $3.99 Monday-Friday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Briarwood Ponderosa on Boardwalk BRIARWOOD N DE L K ON BOARDWALK Theta Xi Fraternity Proudly Congratulates The 72 New Members of Sigma Colony at the University of Michigan: Steven F. Ford, Steve Afek, Don Cady, Chae An, David Lee Osborn, Tony Piazza, Brad Pinne, Sean Bormet, James E. Dood, Steve Burkett, E. Benjamin Alliker, Paul Chi, Jeff Gourdji, Fred Stibor, Douglas Croland, Jeff Cooperstein, John Brady, Cibangir Ergun, Steve Fabian, Mark Cooley, H Ehrenberg, Scott Adams, Joe be Ranjit Singh, Jeff Hrycko, Eric Slutz , Mike Goldsmith Andy Goodman, Samir Chowh ury, Ray Gruesbeck, Mike Warner, Jehaa Hamdan, Bill Richardson, Dan Robbins, Brian Harper, Ethan A. Heinz, Jeff Maccagnone, Jason Hirsch, Craig McPhee, Gary Schneider, Bill Mercer, Mike CALL 764-0247 FOR HOCKEY TICKET INFORMATION $800,000 SELL OUT A $800,000 inventory of quality name brand and designer clothing will be sold at SAVINGS OF UP TO 70%!!! Sportcoats - Suits - Slacks - Tux. Dept.-New & Used - Sweaters Leather Coats Neckwear - Blouses - Outerwear - Gift Items Belts & Suspenders - Socks & Underwear Also many more items drastically reducedlll Doors open Thursday, Nov. 8 at 9 a.m. sharp!!