Women's Cross Country Michigan Interregional Sunday, 10:30 a.m. University Golf Course S Field Hockey vs. Ohio State Tonight, 7:30 p.m. Oosterbaan Fieldhouse Icers head to the last frontier M' opens season in Alaska ready for challenge By PAUL. BARGER DAILY HOCKEY WRITER A lotofquestions willbe answered this weekend as the Michigan hockey team takes the ice in the Great White North against Alaska-Fairbanks in the season opener tonight in Fairbanks. Will the defense be able to quiet its critics and pickup where last year's team left off? Will the freshmen be able to adjust to the college game? Will goalie Steve Shields be able to get his possible record-breaking sea- son off on the right foot? And most importantly, what ex- actly is a Nanook and why are the Wolverines traveling nine hours by plane to play them? As for the definition of Nanook, the name originates from the 1922 film, "Nanook of the North." And as for why Michigan is play- ing theseNanooks tonight and tomor- row night, well, it's not for the balmy climes. Instead, itis becauseFairbanks is an affiliate member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). In fact, the Wolverines are the last team in the conference to make the trek to the Land of the Mid- night Sun. Actually, the Wolverines said they did not mind the prospect of a five- day excursion to Alaska. "We're looking forward to the trip," said Shields, whose team left Wednesday. "This is a new team and it will give us a lot of time to be together." As for the games themselves, the Nanooks are a formidable opponent. Last year, they had an overall record of 32-12-2 and a record of 7-6-0 against CCHA opponents. Alaska-Fairbanks returns 18 letterwinners including last season's top scorer, Dean Fedorchuk (28 goals, 36 assists), team captain Don Lester (12, 39), right winger Tavis MacMillan (16, 41) and starting goaltender Brian Fish (3.34 goals against average). The Nanooks also have five solid newcomers, all from junior teams, to fit into the mix. The team has added three high-scoring all-star forwards and two all-star defensemen. "We are coming off a successful season," Alaska-Fairbanks first-year coach Dave Laurion said. "There is pressure to have another good one." This may be difficult considering the schedule that Fairbanks has to en- dure. The Nanooks will play 12 regu- lar-season CCHA contests and will host the second annual Great Alaska Face- Off with Lake Superior State, Notre Dame and Michigan Tech. Alaska-Fairbanks will also travel to Milwaukee to compete in the Bad- ger Showdown, where tournament entries will include Wisconsin, Provi- dence and Northern Michigan. "This year's competition is bet- ter," Laurion said. "Tough games can only make people work harder." Tonight, Fairbanks will encoun- ter a Michigan team eager to get out on the ice and see if it can repeatthe success of last season, when the Wol- verines advanced to the national semi- finals before losing to eventual cham- pion Maine, 4-3, in overtime. "Our team's excited because they want to play a game," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "This is the time to go, early in the season. A long trip like this will give us a feel of what kind of a team and what kind of kids we have." With all the positives that should result from this trip, there are a few negatives as well. First, team members are missing three full days of classes. Also, due to the demanding travel and resulting jet lag, practice will be at a minimum. In addition, the Wol- verines face the prospect of sluggish play early in the contest, as the start- ing time for both tonight and tomor- row night's games is 11 p.m. EDT. "The biggest effect will be on Fri- day night," said senior David Oliver of Vernon, B.C. "I'm from that side of the world and I know that that far of a trip takes a lot out of you. We may be a little sluggish at first, but we'll pick it up." 0 The Michigan hockey team opens the season tonight against the Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks. Field hockey excited for No. 3 Iowa, Ohio State By RYAN WHITE FOR THE DAILY In the history of the world, the Michigan field hockey team has never beaten Iowa. The Hawkeyes have a 24-0 lead in the all-time series, in- cluding a 2-0 victory earlier this sea- son. After playing Ohio State (1-2 Big Ten, 6-7 overall) tonight at 7:30 p.m., the Wolverines (1-2, 8-2) will have a chance to strike back against No. 3 Iowa (1-2, 10-3) at noon Sunday. As both games will be at home for the Wolverines, Michigan coach Patti Smith hopes her team makes Ooster- baan Fieldhouse an unfriendly envi- ronment for its visitors this weekend. "We have an advantage playing at home," Smith said. "A lot of teams don't like to play at Michigan be- cause they feel enclosed." Iowa presents a special problem for the Michigan defense -Hawkeye forward Kristy Gleason. She leads her team with 23 goals and seven assists (53 points) in 13 games. On top of playing strong defense, the Wolverines will have to start con- verting the opportunities that are pre- sented to them. "Iowa has a good defense," Smith said. "We know our chances may not be as numerous, so we have to make the most of our chances." One person who's been making the most of her chances is midfielder Sherene Smith, who has scored four of the Wolverines' last seven goals - all on penalty corners. "That (play) is working really well for us," Michigan defender Keely Libby said. "Sherene has a good shot." With a big rematch against the No. 3 Hawkeyes, it would be easy for the Wolverines to look past Ohio State. But that's not the case, according to Smith. "They are excited about Iowa," she said, "but they're excited about Ohio State first. We are going to take this weekend one day at a time." The Wolverines face an Ohio State team that, according to Buckeye coach Karen Weaver, is better than its record indicates. "We have to make the most of our chances against Iowa." - Patti Smith M' field hockey coach "Right now we're struggling with consistency. That's a mark of a young team," Weaver said. "We're starting a number of freshmen and it's a mat- ter of getting adjusted to the tempo of Big Ten play." Apparently Weaver is not just offering lip service, because Michigan feels the same way about the Buckeyes. "Ohio State always plays Michigan tough, and it's never a gimme win," Libby said. Weaver knows that it won't be easy for her team, either. "We need to put the ball in the net," Weaver said. "Michigan has had a number of good shutouts and is playing very consistent defense. Michigan is a good team and it is a great rivalry between us and them." 4- - --- - Big Ten champ lacrosse opens fall season against Michigan State AL4 .ATS ON LY ALOHA ENTERTAINMENT'S STATETHEATRE on State St. at Liberty " 994-4024 ORLANDO 2:00 4:301 7:00 9:15 11:15 Searching for 20 01: Bobby Fischer A Space Odyssey 2:00 4:30 11:15 7:00 9:15 FriJSat. Only Two for one 1Top hit tapes, Cis and uideo cassettes. "u one at regular price and get the second for pennies plus shipping! riginal Rrtists/0riglnal Labels RDCK...00UNTRY...SP I RITUFL...JRZZ CLASS ICS...COMEDY...CH ILDREN'S If It's sold in music stores, we offer it, too.. To receiue our 28-coupon book plus catalog send check or M.D. for $14.95 plus $1.88 for s/h to: The Sunrise Group 115 E. Water Street, #9 Santa Fe, NM 87581 No eNpiratlon date on couponsl By DOUG STEVENS FOR THE DAILY While the main season for the men's lacrosse team is not until the spring, the Wolverines are geared up for their game tomorrow against Michigan State all the same. "We plan to use this game and the rest of the fall season as a time to get a look at new players for next semester," junior Paul Dreyer said. The game occurs at Mitchell Field at 3 p.m. After losing only two seniors from last year's Big Ten title win- ners, the upcoming year looks to be promising. Under the tutelage of coach Bob Digiovani, the Michigan offense this season will be led by senior attack- ers Tony Digiovani and Steve Simich, both of whom are captains of this year's team. In addition, junior midfielders John Kolakowski and Dreyer should provide Michigan with solid play. Although the lacrosse team is a club and not a varsity program, there is still an impressive amount of in- terest in the team. Over 20 new players are trying to earn a spot on the team. Following tomorrow's game, the Wolverines will play in three more games plus a tournament in West Virginia this fall in preparation for the spring season, which includes about 20 games. Throughout the spring, the Wol- verines will generally compete against either other Big Ten clubs or Division III varsity teams. "The fall season is more of a benchmark for the rest of the year, which hopefully will include a Big Ten Club Tournament win," Dreyer said. The Wolverines have won the Big Ten club championship the last four years. *I I V .,. 4ystofA JO ~Ar 'R.e kLLQ CQ ~ r,,.,,'"' < .+r! ioaster's co Je 24W41: * rc yn I The Wolverine Fitness Centre and i Powerhouse GymaI Pset. e INEPresents: W"MSn CeAM" GYM $1 a day aerobics* "Out of something terrible, there is something beautiful." By: Jim Morgan, Michael Stockler, Merle Hubbard, John Schak Directed by John Schak Musical Direction by Jerry DePuit * Choreographed by Debra Ann Draper Touching, spirited, and sometimes humorous stories that inspired people to create indi- '1 '' +, M. er .._ r.__ ._. 00 , c~Tons o Reebok I.R )"s o v+- pD es ft's YaM-w-#% e jl- *5 71t v'rF ir f Classes! I I I