The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 8, 1991 - Page 13 'i _ Clash of the Titans No. 4 Wolverine icers face off with No. 5 Minnesota by Andy De Korte Daily Hockey Writer By playing 234 times since 1922, once-Western Collegiate Hockey Association rivals Michigan and Minnesota created one of the most storied rivalries in collegiate hockey. But after Michigan joined the Central Collegiate Hockey As- sociation in 1981, the series sagged. The squads will play for the first time since the 1986-87 hockey season tonight and tomorrow at Yost Ice Arena. While both teams have a rich hockey history, Min- nesota (4-2 in the WCHA and over- all) has had the edge in recent years. "When we played them five years ago, they were a good team and we weren't," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "We've paid our dues, and I'm glad to have them back. There are a lot of people who re- member when Minnesota was in our conference, and it was a great ri- valry." Although Berenson is the only person involved with the current Michigan team to have played against the Gophers - and that was 30 years ago - Minnesota's No. 5 national ranking constitutes all the motivation No. 4 Michigan (2-2-1 in the CCHA and overall) will need. "It's good for the team to play a high-ranked team. It is good to get the experience," Michigan forward David Oliver said. "How we play against teams in other conferences, like the WCHA and teams like Minnesota, is important - both to us and the voters, and at the end of the year for the tournaments." In last weekend's sweep of Western Michigan, the Wolverines beat a team with strong defensemen. ?s Fiona Davidson and the Wolverines look to avenge an early-season loss to Penn State tomorrow at Keen Arena. 'M' spikers hope to . cash-in Lady Lions by Adam Miller Daily Sports Writer There are only five home matches left for the Michigan volleyball team, so the Athletic Department has come up with new ways to add excitement to the end of the season. Consider tomorrow night's "$2,000 Dash for Cash." : Spotlights will flash, music will throb ... oops, that's Da Bulls. Actually, the "Dash" is a timed contest where a handful of ran- domly selected spectators will race across the court, grabbing as much of the scattered money as they can. It's their's to keep. And, oh yeah, the match between the Wolverines (7-6 in the Big Ten, 16-8 overall) and Penn State (19-3, 9-3), which begins at 7:00, should be interesting as well. Michigan is coming off a tough 3-2 loss to Michigan State in East Lansing Wednesday. Michigan coach Peggy Bradley- Doppes said that the team could benefit from recuperation time, but part of the difficulty of the Big Ten schedule is that there is little "breathing room" for a team to re- cover in after a tough defeat. The Wolverines can only hope that enough breathing room remains to avoid suffocation at the hands of the Lady Lions. Penn State dispersed with Michigan in three games ear- lier this year, and has won five straight matches going into its match at Michigan State tonight. "The only home court advantage we may have," Bradley-Doppes quipped, "is if something happens to the Penn State bus in between East Lansing and here." Lady Lion coach Russ Rose dis- agreed. "The fact that (the Wolverines) were travelling, and the fact that we'll be travelling will have a bear- ing on the match," Rose said. "I'm certainly not looking past Michigan State or Michigan." Penn State is solid on both sides of the ball. Offensively, five Lady Lions have over 150 kills, with middle blocker Leanne Kling top- ping the group with 311. On defense, Penn State has limited opponents to a .142 hitting percentage this season. Still, both coaches said they ex- pect a competitive match. "Typically, we play equal to the level of our opponent," Bradley- Doppes said. "Just well enough to win, or just well enough to get beat. Kind of a mirror image. I'm hoping against Penn State, we come out a lot more focused (than at Michigan State)." The match will be the first in Keen Arena since the death of Cliff Keen Tuesday. It will not be decided until after today's 1 p.m. memorial service whether any special cere- monies will be held in his honor. BRIAN CANTONI/Daily Ted Kramer and his Michigan teammates hope to improve their 2-1-1 record as they square off against the 4-2 Minnesota Gophers tonight and tomorrow at Yost Ice Arena. While the Gophers' blueliners, led by first-round NHL pick Doug Zmolek and second-rounder Mike Muller, are comparable to West- ern's, their forwards are superior. "Minnesota has stronger for- wards than any team we've played, and probably better than any team in the CCHA or that we will play this season," Berenson said. Both squads entered the season with high expectations. The biggest difference between the teams is ex- perience. Minnesota lost eight let- ter-winners at the end of last season, twice as many as Michigan. "If we work hard and do all the small things right, we will win," Oliver said. "The team that works the hardest is the team that's going to win, and we're going to be that team." The Wolverines hope to improve on last weekend's dismal power- play performance. Michigan con- verted only three of 20 chances against the Broncos. Wolverine kickers seek state title by Mike Rancilio The best soccer team in the state of Michigan will emerge this week- end. And the Michigan men's soccer club hopes to wear that crown. The Wolverines take on nemesis Oakland University Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rochester High. Although this will be the final match of the season, the club still has much to prove. Oakland (12-5-2 overall) has defeated Michigan in close contests the past two seasons and is ranked No. 8 nationally in Division II. "(Oakland) is one of the better teams we'll play all year," said co- captain Dick Hillary. "They are one of the best teams in Michigan year in and year out." Rather than experiment with younger players, Michigan (8-9-3) will treat Saturday's game like a tournament match, because of what's at stake. "This is the state bragging rights game," Hillary said. "It determines the best (soccer) program in the state." The game will be played under the lights on a small field. The fore- cast is for cold and snow, so the Wolverines will try to utilize short passes to combat the condi- tions. They feel the team that better adapts to the weather will be victo- rious. To end the season with a victory, Michigan must find a way to slow a potent Oakland offense lead by Eli Tiomkin and Andrew Whastaff. The Wolverines will count on stopper Kelly Kuchne to continue his strong defensive play and help shut down the Oakland attack. Oakland will be using this match as preparation for the Division II national tournament. Siadjadpour I Schick i . Marcus Roberts SIll Razor TwI Sysen< : Ellis } Marsalis duo & solo presentations Sunday, November 24 7:30pm Rackham Auditorium e~p s e I Three Ways to Enter and Win! ENTER SWEEPSTAKES ( Schic ZORA NEALE NARROW HEAD FOR MANEUVERABILITY UNIQUE HANDLE FOR CONTROL ONE-PUSH CLEANING FOR STUBBLE FREE BLADES SPRI 1Fill out your entry coupon your Schick COLLEGE IM Enter to win when you register for the 3 Mail in your entry form fr FALL TERM PLANNER GI UREA 'N TRI ESS Nl SEDIGCA when you pick up FAy~ST Z PRINTED RAZOR PAIROF Ar/ ONR program RAo NAO.A NEEPADSGLOVES m your A/sAE UJIDE YF,4ss~Qs Q A~r~SUNgMSS HURSTON C Monday, November 25 8pm Mendelssohn Theatre i 1%