Page 6-The Michigan Daily-Sports Monday- February 15,1993 00 1 1 10 Li W"uo ca4sa Icers kill off far too many BG penalties by Chad A. Safran Daily Hockey Writer BOWLING GREEN - It was a question of kill or be killed. If a team is going to be successful in hockey, it must knock off the oppo- nent's power-play opportunities. The Michigan penalty killers operated like a well-trained military force in its 8-1 conquest of Bowling Green. The Falcons went 0-for-11 with the man-advantage. This statistic can be attributed to an aggressive and disciplined Michigan defense as well as an intept BGSU power-play unit. Michigan center Ron Sacka gave credit for these characteristics, or at least the former, to the Michigan coaching staff. "Our assistant, Mel Pearson,,came down here last night and scouted them," Sacka said. "We had an idea of what they were going to do." The Wolverines frustrated the Falcons time after time. Michigan clogged the passing lanes like mucous in a stuffy nose. No matter how many times BGSU players tried to feed a player in the slot, the puck was almost always blocked or deflected. Down two men for 1:12 in the second period, the Michigan trio of Cam Stewart, Dan Stiver and Pat Neaton prevented every attempt to get the puck into the slot. Stewart blocked several passes, while Stiver and Neaton cleared the puck with ease. Things were going so well for the Wolverine penalty killers that de- fenseman David Harlock came out of the box and found himself with a breakaway opportunity, only to be called offsides. "I was kind of laughing when I came down the ice," Harlock said. "I knew (the referees) were going to blow the whistle." Instead of chuckling at his situation, perhaps the Michigan captain should have chortled over Bowling Green's poor power-play performance. The Falcons were coughing it up in the Wolverine zone more than a per- son with a sore throat. Passes were soft and had no snap. Even when the Falcons put a shot on goal, netminder Steve Shields was up to the challenge, turning away everything that headed in his direction. While Michigan did manage to shut down the opposition when down a man, that the Wolverines had to kill 11 penalties is not a positive sign and may in fact be a continuation of a disturbing trend. Although Michigan shut down Miami on the five power-play chances it had last weekend, Ohio State had eight opportunities to score on the power- play, managing one goal. The Wolverines cannot allow its opposition so many man-advantage situations. "There were too many penalties on both sides," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "We got away with most of our penalties at the beginning." Against weaker foes, like Bowling Green and Ohio State, the Wolverines are able to kill off penalties with ease. Michigan is more aggressive and stronger than these clubs. They forecheck better, intimidating them. However, when the Wolverines take on some of the stronger (both record-wise and physically) teams in the CCHA, like Lake Superior State, Michigan State, Miami and Western Michigan, they cannot allow them- selves to take stupid penalties at inopportune times. Those squads are sure to take advantage of the chances they get. The Broncos may be the most aggressive team in the league, as evidenced by their victory over+Miami Saturday, while the Redskins and Lakers are two of the strongest. If the Wolverines allow any of these teams 11 power-play HOCKEY Continued from page 1 Green's fate. Riding a slim 1-0 lead,. the Wolverines pummeled Ellis with 19 shots in the period, cashing in on. four of them. Michigan's fourth goal, and third of the period, exemplified the over- whelming ineffectiveness of Bowling Green's defense all night. Defenseman Chris Tamer sent the puck into the right corner, where Mike Stone dug it out. While three: Falcon defenders checked Rick Wills: and Ron Sacka out front, they appara ently didn't see Stone, who skated untouched in front of the crease and promptly snuck a backhander past Ellis for his eighth goal of the season.f Michigan's defense was another story altogether. Bowling Green, failed to convert on its 11 shots, or on any of its four power-play oppor, tunities in the second period. "We were real good on our penalty-killing," forward Rick Willis said. "They couldn't get anything going." The consistent effort of Wolverine goalie Steve Shields wal another factor in the Michigan blowout. After shutting out Bowling Green a month ago in Ann Arbor, Shields came within a Brian Holzinger breakaway goal away from repeating his performance. "I underestimated his speed," said Shields, who was replaced by Chris Gordon after the goal. "I backed in too far. It wasn't a very bad shot to put in. It should've been a routine save. 01 SHARON MUSHER/Daity Ron Sacka skates along the boards in Saturday's 8-1 triumph over Bowling Green Saturday night. HOCKEY NOTEBOOK by Tim Rardin and Chad A. Safran Daily Hockey Writer BOWLING GREEN - Michigan's four freshmen have each made their presence felt so far this season. Center Kevin Hilton is leading the freshmen in scoring with 24 points, including two goals and an assist Saturday. Left wing Ryan Sittler has totaled 21 points on the season, while defenseman Steven Halko and right wing John Arnold have contributed eight and six points, respectively. All three of the forwards boast game-winning goals. CENTURY CLUB: With his assist on David Oliver's power-play goal in the 8-1 victory over Bowling Green, forward Cam Stewart notched the 100th point of his collegiate career. Stewart tallied 32 points in his first year, 28 in his sophomore campaign and has, as the math suggests, totaled 40 points thus far this season. ONE IS ENOUGH: In seven of their last eight games, the Wolverines have held opponents to one goal or less, including a shutout against Bowling Green Jan. 16 at Yost Ice Arena. The only kink in that streak was last weekend's 4-3 overtime loss at Miami. Going into the Bowling Green tilt Saturday, Michigan was second in the nation in goals for, averaging 5.35 goals per game, and second in the nation in goals against, at 2.46 goals a game. The Wolverines trail Maine in both categories. HOME COOKIN': After Saturday's loss to Hockey Fab Frosh give strong support Michigan, Bowling Green's record at home stands at 331-115-17, one of the best in the country with a win- ning mark of nearly 75 percent. The Falcons have had only five losing seasons in their storied 24-year history, and currently boast an 8-5 record at the BGSU Ice Arena so far this season. The secret to their success? Try some serious talent. Current pro stars Paul Ysebaert, Gino Cavallini, Rob Blake, Nelson Emerson, Dave Ellet, and Garry Galley all spent their collegiate careers under coach Jerry York. ISN'T THAT SPECIAL: The Wolverine special teams continued their fine effort of late. After killing 11 power plays, Michigan has warded off over 86 percent of its oppositions man-advantage opportunities. Meanwhile, the Wolverine power-play has converted on 25.3 percent of its chances for the season. LEADING THE WAY: Despite not garnering a point against the Falcons, forward Dave Roberts continues to lead the Wolverines in scoring with 42 points (13 goals, 29 assists). le had better look over his shoulder, though, because three Wolverines are in hot pursuit. Stewart has 40 points (14-26), while Oliver (27-12) is just three behind Roberts. Mark Ouimet is in fourth with 38 points (10-28) after scoring a goal against BGSU. Among the CCHA leaders in plus/minus rating, Michigan has eight players in the conference's top twenty. Going into the weekend defenseman Pat Neaton was the league leader with a rating of +22. 0 Defenseman Chris Tamer and the rest of the Wolverines committing costly penalties in order to compete with the need to avoid CCHA's elite. SCORE BY PERIODS Michigan 1 4 3 - 8 BGSU 001 - 1 First Period: 1, UM, Stewart 14 (Oliver, Neaton) (pp), 1:53. Penal- ties: BG, Reirden (cross checking), 0:57. UM, Knuble (slashing), 2:10. BG, Carper (holding), 10:00. UM, Willis (slashing), 12:24. BG, Carper (holding), 15:00. UM, Tamer (el- bowing), 17:23. Second Period: 2, UM, Hilton 11 (Oliver), 1:23. 3, UM, Ouimet 10, (Knuble, Stiver) (5 on 3), 3:46. 4, UM, Stone 8 (Tamer), 6:15.5, UM, Hilton 12 (Knuble, Stiver) (pp), 14:00. Penalties: BG, Hall (high sticking), 1:54. BG, Carper (slash- ing), 3:16. UM, Harlock (slashing), 6:59. UM, Tamer (tripping), 7:47. BG, Reirden (interference), 12:16. UM, Sinclair (holding), 13:05. UM, Harlock (holding), 16:29. UM, Sittler (checking behind), 20:00. BG, Lune (10-minute misconduct), 20:00. Third Period: 6, UM, Oliver 27 (Wiseman, Stewart) (pp), 6:52. 7, UM, Stiver 16 (Sittler, Hilton) (pp), 8:33.8, BG, Holzinger 25 (Helbing, Clark), 13:28. 9, UM, Knuble 17 (Sittler), 19:44. Penalties: BG, Mit- tleholt (tripping), 5:45. BG, Acker- man (tripping), 8:27. UM, Stone (slashing), 9:13. UM, Knuble (in- terference), 14:19. UM, Sacka (charging, 16:11. UM, Harlock (roughing), 17:41. BG, Herman (roughing), 17:41. CCHA Sta. Team Miami Michigan Lake Superior Michigan St. W. Michigan Ferris St. Bowling Green Kent III.-Chicago Notre Dame Ohio St. W 18 17 16 15 14 10 9 8 7 5 3 L 3 5 4 8 8 11 15 15 15 19 19 T 3 2 4 1 2 3 0 1 2 2 2 Pts. 39 36 36 21 30 23 18 17 16 12 8 Hilton Holzinger's goal, at the 6:33 mark, was the only bright spot of the game for the Falcons. In fact, not only did that goal save Bowlin'g Green from the embarrassment of a second consecutive shutout against the Wolverines, it also secured its streak of 243 straight games of not being blanked at home. Holzinger's goal was also just the seventh and final shot from the Falcon's top three scorers - Holzinger (44 points), Brett Harkins (39) and Sean Pronger (38), which undoubtedly hurt Bowling Green. Michigan, on the flip side, displayed its usual balanced attack, as four players - Kevin Hilton, Mike Knuble, Oliver and Stiver notched three points each, while Stewart chipped in with a goal and an assist. opportunities, the chances for a Michigan victory are as probable as surviv- ing a skydiving effort without a parachute. Wolverine penalties always seem to occur to the wrong people at the most inopportune times. Harlock, who is Michigan's best defensive defenseman, has been called for 12 minutes in penalties in the last two games. If he leaves the ice, the defensive corps is severely weakened. Saturday, Michigan had a 2-on-1 opportunity with Mike Stone and Rick Willis bearing down on BGSU goalie Aaron Ellis when a whistle echoed through the arena. The call? Michigan defenseman Chris Tamer for tripping. An unneces- sary penalty behind the play when the Wolverines had a prime goal scoring opportunity. The infraction gave the Falcons a 5-on-3 advantage. It did not matter much Saturday, as Michigan was up, 4-0, and dominat- ing play at the time, but what happens in the CCHA playoffs or NCAA tournament when every game must be treated as if it were the last. Friday Results Miami 5, W. Michigan 2 MSU 7, OSU 2 U IC 7, Kent 5 BGSU 7, Notre Dame 4 Saturday Results Michigan 8, BGSU 1 W. Michigan 7, Miami 6 MSU 7, OSU 1 Notre Dame 3, Ferris St. 2 (OT) Kent 4, UIC 3 Netters open season with team effort, win by Tim Spolar Daily Sports Writer While Wimbledon may not be the first event on the minds of sports fans this time of year, the Michigan women's team did its best yesterday to get the tennis season underway. The Wolverines played host to Miami (Ohio) at the Michigan Indoor Track and Tennis Building, knocking off the Redskins by a final score of 5-4. The combination of the first meet of the season and an op- portunity to avenge last year's loss to Miami provided motivation for Michigan. "We were really psyched for (the rematch)," Michigan junior Allison Schlonsky said. "We knew just what to expect and we were well pre- pared. "We expected it to be tough. We prepared all week and we were just mentally and physically ready for them." The difference, in the Wol- verines' eyes, was a total team ef- fort. With the lone exception of Liz Cyganiak, who won both her No. 5 singles and No. 3 doubles contests, no Michigan player won both of her matches. The Wolverines did, how- ever, get at least one victory from each team member, putting together just the right combination of wins to pull out victory. "(The meet) was really close, but each person kind of helped in their own way," Schlonsky said. 01 FAST, FREE DELIVERY 663-3333 .r -- -- - ---- -- -. ' MONDAY MADNESS' 16" 1 ITEM PIZZA S$4.95+TAX I 1 MONDAY ONLY! I .--- ------ --- THE SLAM 1 20" 1 ITEM PIZZA & 4 POPS 1 1 $10.82+ TAX 1 I A I ('Il IMRi:V A If"li Wolverine Fitness Center Powerhouse Gym Absolutely The Lowest Rates In Town SELF-SERVE COPIES r- REG. COPIES 32 20# white, 8.5x11 I Collate 1 " Staple GUMBY'S NOW HAS FETA CHEESE: . ....1T .N ... , ...,, .. . ,' ll v rn~ ncywwr .w i