Men's Basketball
at Michigan State
Tonight, 8p.m.
Breslin Center
SPORTS
Ice Hockey
vs. Lake Superior State
Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Yost Ice Arena
The Michigan Daily
Wednesday, January 29, 1992
Page 9
zG5 ri f W~r w C sp * 0
PIN' Blue hopes to stop jinx
Lakers are unbeaten in 12 straight at Yost
by Kenny Sugiura
Daily Hockey Writer
When the Lake Superior State hockey
team rolls into Ann Arbor for its two-
game series with Michigan this weekend,
it will have more than control of first
place in the Central Collegiate Hockey
Association (CCHA), more than the
CCHA's premier goaltender, Darrin
Madeley, and more than a No. 3 ranking.
Laker coach Jeff Jackson's squad will
enter venerable Yost Ice Arena with a
long-standing history of control over the
Wolverines.
"We just haven't found a way to beat
them in our building," Michigan coach
Red Berenson said. "I can't tell you the
last time we beat them (in Yost)."
Berenson is hardly to blame for not
remembering - he wasn't here when it
happened. All told, in their last 12 Yost
appearances, the Lakers (15-3-2 in the
CCHA, 17-4-2 overall) are 10-0-2. Their
last failure came in the 83-84 season, a
year before Berenson became coach of the
Wolverines (12-3-4, 18-4-3).
However, while the record would lead
one to believe otherwise, blowouts have
been the exception rather than the rule. In
fact, the last two years have both featured
a 4-3 Michigan loss and a 4-4 tie.
So what gives? Have the Lakers been
that much better? Granted, Lake Superior
has usually been the better team, but the
Wolverines have scored four victories in
Sault Ste. Marie with Berenson at the
helm.
Could it be the Wolverines' problems
all rest in their noggins? Michigan team
psychologist Dr. Hugh Bray thinks that
may be the case.
"Athletes build things up in their
own mind and make things more
important than they necessarily have to
be," Bray explained. "Sometimes you
make a team better than it really is just by
the way that you think about that team."
And what does David Harlock say to
that?
"I think in past years we have," the
Wolverine captain said. "I think last year
was the first time we really stood up to
them and proved to ourselves we can play
at the same level that they can."
In last season's series in Yost, the
Wolverines lost Friday, but had the noose
tightened Saturday before the Lakers
pulled a Houdini. Lake Superior escaped a
3-0 deficit to force a 4-4 tie.
In the CCHA final at Joe Louis Arena,
Michigan nearly returned the favor,
coming from two goals behind before
falling, 6-5, in overtime. Heartbreaking
games both, but perhaps the demons had
been exorcised.
Bray spent time with the Wolverines
Monday and reported "they're pretty
confident. All they have to do is play
Michigan hoc-key and stay within their
game plan (to win)."
But the fact remains that the streak
still exists, and the Lakers, as usual,
aren't slouches. Any hope of kicking the
losing habit will take more than the
encouraging words of a psychologist.
Lake Superior has an unbeaten streak dat-
ing back to Dec. 13. Furthermore, the
Wolverines' last encounter with the
Lakers ended in a 10-0 shellacking.
Harlock, though, remains unfazed. The
Maize and Blue haven't lost at Yost since
it played - who else - Lake Superior.
"I think we're going to stand them up,
look them in the eye, and we'll have a
successful weekend," he said.
KRISTOFFER GILLETTE/ Daily
Michigan defenseman David Harlock shown here skating past Ohio State's Greg Burke, is
confident the Wolverines will have a successful weekend against Lake Superior State.
j
i
SPARTANS.
Continued from page 1
lose at the guard position may be
equaled by the shooting skills of
rookie Shawn Respert and speed of
senior Mark Montgomery. Respert,
fifth in the Big Ten in three-point
baskets, could bury the Wolverines
with his perimeter game. Montgom-
ery leads the league in assists and
stands third in steals. He is renown-
ed for pushing the ball up the floor.
But the biggest battle will be
waged inside the paint. Michigan's
Chris Webber and Juwan Howard
*must'establish position and produce
in the post to keep up with the likes
of Spartans Mike Peplowski, Matt
Steigenga, Dwayne Stevens and
Anthony MIller.
Steigenga is coming off an ankle
injury which could slow him down
and reduce his playing time, but he
will still start against the Wol-
verines. At 6'9" 255 pounds, Miller
will produce the size and strength to
replace him off the bench.
"Peplowski scares me inside,"
Fisher said. "The matchup I might
be concerned with is if they go really
big and Steigenga comes out and
they go with Peplowski, Miller, and
Stephens. That would put one of our
smaller guys on Stephens and if they
get him inside I don't know how we
would react to that."
Much of the inside offensive pro-
duction will depend upon who has
control on the boards. Webber tops
the Big Ten in rebounds, averaging
10.5 per game, and proved his pro-
wess on the glass Saturday against
Wisconsin with 17. But not far down
in fifth place is Peplowski, who also
boasts 30 more pounds than Webber
with which to establish position.
'Surprising' Minnesota soars to third
by Albert Lin
and Travis McReynolds
Daily Staff Reporters
Glancing over the Big Ten standings, one
might be stunned to find Minnesota alone in
third place. The Gophers (4-2 in the Big Ten, 12-7
overall) have managed to obtain victories over
Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and
Illinois, losing only to the top two teams in the
league.
In the fall, the Big Ten coaches predicted
Minnesota would finish in the bottom half of
the conference. But during yesterday's tele-
conference, the coaches expressed little surprise
to seeing the Gophers right behind Big Ten
leader Indiana (5-0, 14-2) and second-place Ohio
State (4-1, 12-3).
"Minnesota is a lot like I thought they
would be - a little bit better than people pre-
dicted," Purdue coach Gene Keady said. "I don't
know if there ever are any surprises in the Big
Ten, because there's always going to be someone
better than you think, and there's going to be
teams that don't have the chemistry that you
thought."
"We're probably surprising a lot of people
with our record," Minnesota coach Clem Hask-
ins said. "But we know we still have a long way
to go, and a lot of tough teams to play."
Haskins has turned a young team into one
that is respected around the Big Ten. Haskins is
getting major contributions from four rookies,
with Detroit native Voshon Lenard leading the
way, averaging 13.5 points per game.
"To the coaches, it's no surprise, but I think a
lot of people are shocked at the way (Lenard) can
play," Illinois coach Lou Henson said. "He's a
tremendous player, and you have to rate him
right up there with (former Detroit Southwest-
ern teammate and Michigan frosh) Jalen Rose.
He is really an excellent player."
Haskins credited the attitudes of all involved
with his basketball program's success and
current standing.
"When you have young players, you have to
wait and see (how they will perform)," Haskins
said. "When you work hard as a staff, you coach
the heck out of them and you have a good group
of kids that will listen. At this stage, they're
listening and playing well together. The last
few weeks, the kids have been working hard. The
key to our success has been defense, though."
Michigan State (3-2, 13-2), Purdue (3-2, 11-
6), Michigan (3-3,11-4) and Iowa (2-3,10-5)
follow Minnesota in the standings. The Boiler-
makers put themselves in the thick of things
with a victory over Michigan at Crisler Arena
earlier this month.
Most of the coaches felt the competition
level in the Big Ten has risen this season
compared to a year ago.
"It's a league that is a lot tougher than last
year top to bottom," Keady said.
,a
.
p 1
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