Women's Gymnastics
Valentine Invitational
Tonight, 7 p.m.
Keen Arena
SPORTS
Ice Hockey
at Bowling Green
Tomorrow, 7 p.m.
Bowling Green
Blue looks to down Falcons
Ices need to stay alive, dance over BGs on Satwrday night
r.
by Brett Forrest
Daily Hockey Writer
For the Michigan hockey team,
the question obviously is, how do
coach Red Berenson and his players
rebound from their 4-3 overtime
loss to Miami Saturday in Oxford?
Well, the Wolverines (17-2-3
CCHA, 20-5-3 overall) are fated to
make a return trip to Ohio to play
the Bowling Green Falcons (8-14,
13-17) Saturday.
Perhaps while at the BGSU Ice
Arena, Michigan can regain the
form that helped it outscore its op-
ponents 45-5 in the six games prior
to the contest against the Redskins.
Because there is just one game
this weekend, Michigan has shuf-
fled its practice schedule to utilize
the extra off-day. The Wolverines
did not skate Monday and were on
the ice for under an hour Tuesday.
Coach Red Berenson is trying to
keep his players fresh and enthusi-
astic in the late stages of the season.
"Coach wants to keep a high
level of intensity," defenseman Pat
Neaton said. "It boils down to fo-
cus. We have to have every guy
ready to go. We have to start build-
ing for the weekend."
The Falcons and Wolverines
met one other time this season, a 4-
0 Michigan victory at Yost Ice
Arena Jan. 16. The shutout was
Steve Shields' second of the season,
but the game was a close one. The
Wolverines had just a 1-0 lead until
senior Mark Ouimet scored with
five seconds remaining in the sec-
ond period.
"It's going to be a close game,"
senior right wing Dan Stiver said of
Saturday's tilt. "They always play
us close, tight games. There are two
ways to go about (recovering from
the Miami loss). You can lose con-
fidence and give up. Or you can put
your nose to the grindstone."
Sophomore center Brian Hol-
zinger, who was successfully neu-
'Coach wants to
keep a high level of
intensity ... We have to
have every guy ready
to go.'
- Pat Neaton
Michigan defenseman
tralized in the earlier Michigan
game, leads the Falcons in scoring
with 42 points (23 goals, 19 as-
sists). He is tied for fourth overall
in league scoring with Michigan
left wing Dave Roberts.
Junior center Sean Pronger is
second on the team in scoring with
38 points (20, 18). Freshman goal-
tender Aaron Ellis (9-8) and sopho-
more netminder Will Clarke (4-8)
split time between the pipes for the
Falcons. They both sport goals-
against-averages above 3.50 and
have seen much rubber this season.
This contest at Bowling Green's
5,000-seat arena could be a pivotal
one for the Wolverines, who were
playing their best hockey of the sea-
son heading into the Miami loss.
The defeat was costly, but Michi-
gan still has seven games remaining
on its CCHA schedule.
"We had a lot of games going
into (the Miami game). We have to
get back to playing better hockey,"
Berenson said. "The season doesn't
stop if we win or lose a big game.
We try not to get too high or too
low.
"We want to play well and es-
tablish a presence on the road. It's
in a tough building, against a tough
team. We have to play better defen-
sively and offensively."
Stiver, who was knocked out of
action in the second period of Satur-
day's game, should play against the
Falcons. Stiver's hand was skated
over during a melee in front of the
Miami net. He now wears a thin,
protective leather glove over the
gash while skating.
"It was a scramble in front of the
net and I was hit from behind,"
Stiver said. "My glove popped off
and I looked at it and saw the cut. It
just needs to heal a little bit more.
The knuckles are bruised too from
the skate stepping on it. It's no big
deal - it could be a lot worse."
' f
EVAN PETRIE/Daily
Michigan defenseman Aaron Ward passes the puck off last Friday at Ohio State. Ward and his teammates will try
to rebound from a one-goal loss to Miami when they visit the Bowling Green Falcons tomorrow.
IN. ,
-1
Men's track searches for momentum at MSU
by Jesse Brouhard
Daily Sports Writer
Many times the key to a success-
ful season is not how well you do in
the midst of it, but at what time you
happen to peak. Coming into this
weekend, the men's indoor track and
field team hopes to find Mt. Everest,
or at least a small mountain range
just around the bend.
The Wolverines will compete in
the Central Collegiate Champion-
ships (CCC) this Saturday in East
Lansing. This is the squad's second
trip to Spartan country in the last
two weeks.
"This is a good meet for us,"
men's track coach Jack Harvey said.
"This will be a tester to see if we are
where we want to be at this point in
the season."
The Wolverines have lost steam
after their early season successes but
are beginning to gain strength again.
"We ran really well early in the
event. The CCC is composed of 22
college teams, highlighted by
Eastern Michigan and Purdue. It is a
scored meet, giving out points from
first to eighth place in each event. In
addition to the team title awarded to
the squad amassing the most points
in all events, there is also an individ-
ual crown for each event.
The Wolverines faced Eastern
Michigan earlier in an unscored
preseason event, but the level of
competition has risen since that
point, according to Harvey.
"The favorite is certainly Eas-
tern Michigan. Purdue is also not
bad," Harvey said. "After that it is
up for grabs between us, State and
the other teams."
Dan Reddan, in the high jump,
and Toby Van Pelt, in the pole vault,
lead the Wolverines into the meet.
Both have come up with strong per-
formances in recent meets.
"We need senior leadership from
paced Michigan by placing in the top
three in numerous events this season.
MacDonald did not participate last
week in order to rest.
The football duo of Felman
Malveaux and Tyrone Wheatley
have both begun to get up to speed,
which should strengthen the sprint
corps. Earlier in the season, the lack
of depth in the sprints hurt the
squad's point total.
Although the Big Tens in
Madison are still three weeks away,
the squad knows it is time to begin
building the momentum it will need
going into the championships.
"The veterans need to come
through now, and the underclassmen
just need to show continued steady
improvement," Harvey said.
Women runners host
competitors, festivities
'The favorite is certainly Eastern Michigan.
Purdue is also not bad. After that it is up for
grabs between us, State and the other teams.
We need senior leadership from Dan Reddan
and Toby Van Pelt coming into this part of the
season
- Jack Harvey
by Tom Bausano
Daily Sports Writer
There will be a Big Ten show-
down tomorrow when the Michigan
women's track team hosts Michigan
State, Ohio State and Penn State.
This meet, besides involving Big
Ten competition, will also be Com-
munity Day and Parents' Weekend
for the Wolverines.
The first 250 spectators will re-
ceive a free Michigan water bottle.
There will also be chances to win
free Subway sandwiches, gift certifi-
cates to local restaurants and a grand
prize of two tickets for a men's bas-
ketball game. The meet begins at
11:30 am.
The women completed a suc-
cessful two week road trip, including
several career-best performances,
last week at Notre Dame. This
weekend will provide the team the
season, but now we have hit a lull,"
Harvey said.
The CCC provides an excellent
opportunity to excel, considering the
number of teams participating in the
Dan Reddan and Toby Van Pelt
coming into this part of the season,"
Harvey said.
The distance runners are led by
freshman Scott MacDonald, who has
chance to measure its improvements
against the rest of the conference.
"This is really a mini Big Ten
Championship," Michigan coach
James Henry said. "The throws,
jumps and distance events are our
strengths, but there are areas we are
not as strong in so we will have to
see if people step up. The confidence
is improving, but the challenge will
be on how the short sprints and hur-
dles improve."
Henry feels that this year's sprint
and hurdle personnel are vastly im-
proved over last year's, but that the
conference as a whole has improved
in these areas at a faster pace.
Echoing the sentiments of her coach,
Molly McClimon thinks this meet
will be a true test for the Wolverines.
"Team-wise this is the best com-
petition for the year," McClimon
said. "Penn State is going to be re-
ally tough in the distance area.
Michigan State and Ohio State will
have people here and there in the
throws and sprints"
McClimon and Karen Harvey
will be the work horses for the dis-
tance crew, doubling in the mile and
half-mile races. McClimon is also
going to be the alternate for the
4x400 relay.
Laura Jerman, Tonya Clay,
Jessica Kluge and Richelle Webb
will run the 4x400 relay. Last year,
the women placed second at the Big
Ten meet; this time, they have the
personnel to better their time.
CAGERS
Continued from page 1
especially to the first-place Hoosiers
- would all but end Michigan's title
hopes, something that has not been
lost on the players.
"Any time you're in second
place, you've got to worry about the
team that's in front of you, because
that's where you want to be,"
Michigan point guard Jalen Rose
said.
In the same way that the
Wolverines might have been looking
past the Badgers, Indiana did its best
to add some life to the conference
race when it traveled to Penn State
last Tuesday. After defeating the
Nittany Lions by 48 points earlier in
the season, the Hoosiers were forced
to go into double overtime before
pulling out a controversial 88-84
victory. And no one was rooting
harder for the conference newcomer
than the Wolverines.
."I felt like I lost the game,"
Webber said. "I haven't cheered for
another team besides us like that for
a long time. If that's the game that
costs us the championship by us
winning Sunday, that's terrible."
Despite the less-than-stellar play
by both teams during the past week,
Michigan coach Steve Fisher has no
doubt that the two opponents will
come to play Sunday.
"We'll be ready, as I'm sure
Indiana will," Fisher said. "Last I
heard, they had the nation's longest
home-court win streak (actually
second to UNLV). We don't have to
talk about being ready. We'll be
ready. I just want to make sure we're
not too anxious."
In the first clash this season,-
sophomore forward Alan
Henderson's play hurt Michigan a
great deal, as he tallied a game-high
22 points, eight rebounds and five,,@
blocked shots. His 10-for-1.
shooting helped the Hoosiers make
55 percent from the floor.
"We knew Henderson was a guy
who would step out and hit the 15-
footer," Fisher said. "I didn't think
he would hit as many as he did."
Senior All-American Calbert.
Cheaney poses the other obvious
scoring threat. Cheaney averages
22.3 points per game and scored 20.@
previously against Michigan.
But Indiana's specialty comes
into play when it is without the ball
The Hoosiers' defense has held op-
ponents to only 42 percent shooting
from the field and held nine teams to
less than 40 percent.
The result has been one of the
best starts in Hoosier history.
Indiana's 21-2 mark is its best record.
since 1987, when it went on to win
the NCAA championship. Likewise,
their 10-0 conference mark makes
the Hoosiers the only team to be
undefeated at the halfway point ofx
the conference season since the 1976
Indiana squad.
If the Hoosiers have a weakness,,.
it is be a lack of height. Senior Matt
Nover, at 6-foot-8, is the Hoosiers'
starting center. Indiana will have to
prevent the tandem of Webber an,-
Howard from getting easy shots in
the paint if it's to repeat its previous
success.
Tonight.t
1 American Pictures
American Pictures is a professional audio/video slide show depicting
racism and poverty in America. American Pictures aims to show not just
the symptoms of social injustice but the cause as well. Following the
program, there will be an in-depth discussion of the themes of this work.
......:.....I. ....
THE ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE!
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