The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 5, 1993 - Page 11


ICERS CLOSEOUT REGULAR SEASON WITHCONTESTSATKENT,OSU
If it's Friday, it must be Ohio

by Tim Rardin
Daily Hockey Writer
The last time the No. 2 Michigan
hockey team ventured into the vast
plateau in America's heartland
affectionately dubbed "Ohio" for
two weekend games, it returned to
Ann Arbor a bit disappointed -
having lost an overtime nail-biter, 4-
3, to first-place Miami.
This time, with games at Kent
i State (10-17-1 CCHA, 13-18-3) and
Ohio State (3-23-2, 5-26-2) - two
teams who have combined for just
one more league victory than sixth-
place Ferris State - the trip home
should be different.
In the last weekend of the regular
season, the Wolverines (21-5-2, 25-
5-3) have little chance of defending
their CCHA title. Miami, playing at
Ferris State and Lake Superior, must
lose both of its games, and Michigan
must sweep its pair; only then can
Michigan finish in first place.
Thus, since the Wolverines have
DOUGLAS KANTER/Daily no control over the fate of the
A Notre Dame player locks up Mark Ouimet in last weekend's triumph over the Irish. If the Wolverines are to lock Redskins, they can concentrate
up a repeat CCHA title they will need help, as Miami leads by three points heading into the final two games. solely on extending the five-game
Women gymnasts to wrassle with Gators

win streak they've compiled since
that loss at Miami.
Michigan has never lost in three
meetings with the Golden Flashes.
Two months ago in Ann Arbor, the
Wolverines prevailed in convincing
fashion, 9-4 and 5-3.
Kent State coach Bill Switaj
looks to home ice as an advantage
for his team but is realistic about the
difference it will make.
"I hope that playing at home is
going to help," Switaj said.
"Sometimes a crowd can pick you
up, but you still have to play well
enough to win."
While the Golden Flashes have
played well in their inaugural run
through the CCHA, they still haven't
shown the ability to win the close
games, of which they have had
many.
"Other than about four games all
year, we've been in every game,"
Switaj said. "We've had some one-
goal losses to Lake Superior,
Michigan State and Miami. The
good news is we have a chance to

win. The bad news is we don't pull it
out."
While Kent State has some potent
weapons in forwards Claude Morin
(24 goals-27 assists-51 points) and
Dean Sylvester '28-18-46), Ohio
State, resting uncomfortably at the
bottom of the league standings, has
little ammunition of which it can
speak. The fact that defenseman
Steve Richards (7-20-27) leads the
team in scoring is indicative of the
Buckeyes' woes all season.
The league playoffs begin March
12 at campus sites, and all eleven
CCHA teams are included, along
with associate member Alaska-
Fairbanks. Miami, Michigan, Lake
Superior, Michigan State, Western
Michigan and Ferris State - the top
six seeds in the tournament - will
host first-round series.
UAF will be offered as an oppo-
nent to the top six teams, with the
higher-seeded team having the right
of first refusal. In all likelihood, the
top five teams will refuse the
Nanooks and they will play at Ferris
State.

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1.

Miami (Ohio) 22 3 3 47

by Thom Holden
Daily Sports Writer
With a 15-1 record overall and a
No. 10 national ranking, the
Michigan women gymnasts are
enjoying success like never before.
But the team's success is not a sur-
prise to Coach Bev Plocki.
"This team has a lot of talent and
I think you are going to see our
scores really improve," Plocki said
after the first meet of the year.
The Wolverines are in
Gainesville tonight to take on the
Florida Gators. Florida was expected
to be a national power this year, but
has not been able to remain in the
top 20 nationally.
Since that first meet in January
when the Wolverines posted a 188.5,
they have broken or tied the overall
team record twice and shattered
several individual records. Most of
the records that were broken fell on
the western trip during spring break.
"I'm glad we've got the road
meets in February so we can get
used to the feeling of being away
from home," senior tri-captain Julie
Hofmeister said before the Michigan
Invitational in early February.
The Wolverines suffered their
only loss of the season at the
Michigan Invitational, but the expe-
rience must have paid off.
During the spring break meets,

the Wolverines broke their team
record set earlier in the year with a
score of 192.25 Feb. 22 at Utah
State, then tied that record three days
later while competing at the
University of Denver.
Other records broken during their
road trip included rookie Wendy

Marshall breaking the school record
on the vault with a 9.85. Just six
days later, she broke that record with
a 9.90. Also during those three
meets, 11 Michigan gymnasts set
season personal records on at least
one apparatus.
Led by sophomore All-American

Beth Wymer, the Wolverines have .
their sights set on two main goals:
defending their Big Ten title and
earning an invitation to the NCAA
national tournament in mid -April.
The Wolverines' final home meet
before the Big Ten Championship
occurs March 12.

2. MICHIGAN 21 5 2 44
3. Lake Superior 19 5 4 42
4. Michigan St. 17 9 2 36
5. Western Mich. 15 11 2 32

7. Bowling Green 10 17
8. Kent St. 10 17
9. Illinois-Chicago 8 18

1 21
1 21
2 18

10. Notre Dame
11. Ohio St.

5 21 2 12
3 23 2 8

6. Ferris St.

12 13 3 27

L

Men tumblers seek first Big Ten victory

by Scott Burton
Daily Sports Writer.
You can call it a tale of two uni-
versities when the Michigan men's
gymnastics team visits Michigan
State Sunday afternoon.
Although both the Wolverines
and the Spartans come into the con-
frontation with 0-4 Big Ten records,
each team has a different story to tell
for the season.
The Wolverines' fortunes have
depended upon a young and mostly
inexperienced squad. As a result, de-
spite some fine individual achieve-
ments and outstanding team perfor-
mances in several events, the team is
still trying to find consistency in its
whole routine.
Michigan will count on the return
of top gymnasts Brian Winkler,
Royce Toni and Jorge Camacho to
stabilize the team.

"Bringing in these three guys
might combat the consistency prob-
lem because they do have a lot of
competitive experience," Wolverine
coach Bob Darden said.
However, the more experienced
and respected Michigan State
squad's season has been character-
ized by stability.
"We have a lot of seniors - they
seem very confident and ready to
compete," Spartans coach Rick
Atkinson said. "We really don't have
any weak events. We really don't
have any strong events. I think our
greatest strength is our consistency."
Michigan will be looking to
boost its team average (270.9) over
the next three weeks in hopes for
qualifying for the NCAA Eastern re-
gionals on April 3. The team has
greatly emphasized beginning the
playoff push Sunday.

"We are definitely looking to
bust loose against Michigan State
and really make a commitment to a
regional berth," Darden said.
In contrast, the Spartans look
strong to qualify for regionals with a
team average of 275.72, giving them
one less concern.
"We'd just like to have a good hit
percentage, somewhere between 75
and 80 percent, and not worry about
anything else," Atkinson said.
"Regionals we're not too worried
about."

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