Volleyball vs. Michigan State Tonight, 7 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena G;xt t S " ' S } ; :. S 'k a i Basketball vs. Polish National Team Tonight, 7:30 p.m. Crisler Arena Blue leaps to No. 1ranking Wolverines ride five-game winning streak to the top BY BARRY SOLLENBERGER Daily Hockey Writer It doesn't take an aerospace engi- neer to understand why the Michigan hockey team has vaulted to the top spot in the WMEB College Hockey Poll. In the span of a week, the Wolver- ines (5-1 CCHA, 7-2 overall) knocked off three ranked opponents - then- No.8 Lake Superior State, 4-2, Nov. 4; No.4 Michigan State, 7-3, Friday; and No.10 Bowling Green, 7-3, Saturday. Michigan's victory over Lake State knocked the defending NCAA champions out of the top 10. Michigan coach Red Berenson knows the number-one ranking is no reason to go dancing on I-94. After all, the Wolverines were top ranked for over three months last sea- son - from Nov. 21, 1993 until Feb. 27, 1994- but didn't win the national championship. Lake State upset the Wolverines in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, 5-4, in overtime. "It doesn't really matter," said Berenson of his squad's elite status. "We want to be number one when the season's over. "It is, however, an indication we're doing something well." And what the Wolverines have done ''well" over the past five games is outscore their opponents by nearly five goals per contest. Since its 2-2 start, Michigan is av- eraging nearly seven goals while sur- rendering only 2.2 scores per game. "If your goals against are under three, you're going to be acompetitive team in this league," Berenson said. The Wolverines climbed into asec- ond-place tie with Bowling Green in the CCHA by dominating two of the league's best players. Spartan goalie Mike Buzak went into last weekend as the top-rated netminder in the league, allowing only 1.47 scores per contest. Friday, however, he resembled more of a sieve than a backstop as Michigan torched him for six goals in the first two periods. Michigan State coach Ron Mason finally pulled Buzak, briefly, late in the second period of the Wolverine romp. Even a brick wall between the pipes could not have stopped the Michigan offensive attack against the Spartans. The Wolverines made life miserable for the preseason Hobey Baker candidate, outshooting the Spar- tans, 32-7, in the first two periods and, 40-15, for the game. "Buzak's obviously not used to getting 15 or 16 shots a period," Berenson said. Michigan captain Rick Willis noted that the Michigan State backliners did not come to Buzak's aid. "He did not get a lot of help from his defense," Willis said. "It left him out to dry, and we took advantage of it." In Saturday's win over Bowling Green, the Wolverines shut down the CCHA's leading scorer, Brian Holzinger. The senior centermanaged only one assist and went scoreless against Willis and company. "The coaching staff made a point that you have to respect a guy like Brian Holzinger," Willis said."Wejust got in his face and shut him down." One negative that did emerge from the weekend for Michigan was a bi- zarre situation involving right wing Mike Knuble. The senior forward was ejected from Saturday's game for high stick- ing the Falcons' Jason Clark. The nature of the penalty means he must serve a one game suspension Friday against Miami (Ohio). Knuble did not agree with the of- ficial's call. "(The penalty) was totally acci- dental," Knuble said. "There's no way that I'd ever try to spear a kid in the throat. "You respect a guy enough to not try and end his career." Mike Knuble received a five-minute m ejection means he must sit out Friday Leaders sot By PAUL BARGER Daily Basketball Writer Few know what to expect when the Michigan men's basketball team takes the floor tonight against the Polish National team. Coaches, players and fans are in- terested in seeing what the Wolver- ines can do as a team outside of intrasquad scrimmages. The first issue is that of seniors immy King and Ray Jackson. The only remaining players from the Fab Five will be expected to pick up their game this season and assert them- selves as leaders on and off the court. This year in particular, Michigan coach SteveFisher will need all thehelp he can get in the leadership department. Once again, Fisher has landed a top recruiting class, reeling in five highly- ated players. He has called upon King d Jackson, as well as the team's other veterans, to help the new additions fit -into the program. .nTonight's game should be a barom- eter to test how the freshmen have pro- gressed since arriving in Ann Arbor. "We've matured a lot as players," first-year forward Maurice Taylor 'We're starting to use 0ur heads with our talent.' -- Maurice Taylor Michigan basketball player said. "The first day of practice we were doing everything on talent. We're starting to use our heads with four talent. (King and Jackson) have F helped us a lot because they were the same situation as us three years ago." One thing that is uncertain is which freshman will start in tonight's con- test. Sophomore Makhtar Ndiaye takes over for Juwan Howard at cen- ter after working with the former ajor penalty for high sticking against y's game against Miami (Ohio). MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily Bowling Green Saturday. His subsequent ught as 'M' opens with Polish team Wolverine during the off-season. Jun- ior Dugan Fife once again joins King in the backcourt, and Jackson returns as the team's small forward. Most onlookers anticipate that for- ward Jerod Ward will be the first rookie to break into the starting five, but Fisher has not indicated that. Injuries to sophomores Bobby Crawford and Olivier Saint-Jean have virtually assured that a freshman will start tonight and in the regular season opener Monday against Tulane. This year's freshman class is vastly different from the 1991 group that saw three newcomers start early in the year and five in the starting lineup by February. Still, there is obviously a great amount of anticipation to see if the freshmen are as good as their billings say they are. "I'm anxious to see how we're going to react in a game situation with the crowd and an outside opponent that doesn't know every move that we make," Fisher said. "I was anxious to see it when Jimmy and Ray were freshmen. First game they played we had more turnovers than points in the first half. "I know it will be far from perfect but I'm anxious to get a good look at them." The freshmen understand that they will be put under the microscope dur- ing the early part of the season. All of them are relishing the opportunity to display what kind of players they are and will be in the future. "I'm real excited," Willie Mitchell said. "I've got the butterflies right now just knowing about tomorrow night. It's a dream come true to play in a Michigan uniform. Tomorrow (tonight), I finally get my chance." 10 Great Reasons Why YOU Should Choose Air Force Nursing 1. Change, Challenge, Growth 2. Management opportunities early on 3. Rapid advancement 4. Advanced education 5. Opportunity to be selected for specialty training 6. Comprehensive medical and dental care 7. 30 days of vacation with pay 8. Worldwide travel 9. Member of world's best health-care team 10. Plus, you may qualify for a $5,000 bonus!* *Find out more - contact an Air Force health professions recruiter near you. Or call 1-800-423-USAF. 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