..- - --

On sale soon ...
Monday morning at 8 a.m. the Athletic Department Ticket Office will put
tickets on sale to all of the Michigan football team's away games. The
Wolverines play at Illinois Sept. 2, at Boston College Sept. 16, at Indiana
Oct. 21, at Michigan State Nov. 4 and At Penn State Nov. 18.

"

Page 9
Thursday,
March 30. 1995

1994-95 NCAA Hockey final four
'Wolverines must slay Black Bears in hunt for title

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Michigan hopes to avenge 1993
semifinal upending in Madison

*y Tom Seeley
Daily Hockey Writer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The
Michigan hockey team's 4-3 victory
over Wisconsin last Saturday was a
huge win for the team, but that game
doesn't hold a candle to today's con-
test against Maine.
The win over the Badgers sent the

Wolverines to the NCAA
*tnifinals, but truth be told
the "final four" is nothing
new for Michigan.
The Wolverines have
advanced that far three out
of the last four years, and
what would be new for the
team is actually making it to
the final game.
Michigan (30-7-1) has
~of reached the National
ham pionship game since
1977. And each of the last
three times Michigan ad-
vanced to the national semi-
finals, the team has ended
up having to watch the na-
tional championship from
the stands.

11,0
hKCAA fMC
G NAMA *t
Natio
Semif
Michil
Wolver
(30-7
VS.
Maih
Black B
(30-5
TodE
Ep.n
(ESPI

Imes is the only player on the
current Black Bear roster to have
played on the 1993 NCAA Champi-
onship team. That year he achieved
All-American status and led the na-
tion in plus/minus with a plus-59.
This year, Imes was named Hockey
East Player of the Year and is
a finalist for the Hobey Baker
Award, which will be handed
out tomorrow.
K !At yesterday's press con-
)nal ference, Michigan coach
Red Berenson was asked if
he could take a player from
gie the team he's playing, who
-ines would he choose?
1) Berenson picked Ines
without a second's hesita-
nio o
bears tn.
3ea "He's a leader and a real
experienced defenseman,"
ay Berenson said. "He can gen-
N) erate offense, and I don't
think anybody has put up
the plus/minus numbers that

Blue offense,
Maine defense
in showdown
for finals berth
By Darmn Everson
Daily Hockey Writer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The
coaches of the teams. at the NCAA
hockey final four are in disagreement
about how Michigan and Maine stack
up against each other.
Of course, everyone agrees that
the matchup between the Black Bears
and the Wolverines is an intriguing
one.
"(That game) will be fun to watch,"
Boston University coach Jack Parker
says, 'just because of the difference
of styles."
Maine coach Shawn Walsh and
Michigan coach Red Berenson take
issue with that - not the fun part, but
Parker's claim that these are two dif-
ferent hockey teams. With just a
glance at the teams and their statis-
tics, however, one can see that Parker
is right.
Michigan offense vs. Maine of-
fense: Berenson says that his team is
one that "thrives on puck control,
passing and speed." Michigan's first
line combines those attributes quite
well, with Brendan Morrison and
Mike Knuble, the nation's leading
point and goal scorers, along with
Robb Gordon (15 goals, 26 assists -
41 points).
Michigan's offense, though, is a
bigger story than just those three. The
Wolverines' top three lines have been
See MATCHUPS, Page 11


a

In addition to giving the Wolver-
ines a shot at the title game, today's
*ntest gives them a chance to get
back at the Black Bears (31-5-6) -
the team that knocked Michigan out
of the tournament the last time it ad-
vanced this far.
That Maine club went on to defeat
Lake Superior to win the national
championship.
This year, Maine is led by
defenseman Chris Imes. The senior
# fenseman returned to the team this
eason afterplaying for the U.S. Olym-
pic Team last year.

he has during his career."
Maine coach Shawn Walsh had a
little more difficulty with his choice
from the Michigan roster.
"Somebody get a coin out," Walsh
said. "Heads it comes up 22 (Mike
Knuble) and tails it comes up nine
(Brendan Morrison). I'd take either
one of those guys in a heartbeat.
"Mike Knuble is red hot offen-
sively and Brendan Morrison seems
to be (Michigan's) go to catalyst and
anybody who leads the nation in scor-
ing is someone you'd want on your
hockey team. But there's about six
See HOCKEY, page 11

__. .... . . - ......._ ....... ... ................ - ..... -- . - -._. - ..... . . . -. .... _........ .... - .-. ... .... .....- ... .. ........- . -.... ........ ........ .... -
DOUGLAS KANTER/Daily
Ron Sacka and Michigan will try to avoid being upended today against Maine in the NCAA hockey semifinals.

Hockey writers look into future of 'M' icers

By Darren Everson
and Tom Seeley
Daily Hockey Writers
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - After
talking to coaches, interviewing
players, watching hockey games and
judging the outcomes since Octo-
ber, we feel pretty confident we
know this game pretty well.
This being the case, we feel we
can save everyone a great deal of
time and trouble if we just reveal
what's going to happen so no one
need watch. Trouble is, there seems
to be a difference of opinion. And
since we both crave the chance to
tell the other, "I told you so," for the
next year, here, for the record, is
how we see it:
Everson: First things first --
Michigan over Maine. Agreed?
Seeley: Definitely.
E: Okay, so that sets up a Michi-
gan-Minnesota championship, a
rematch of a classic contest played
earlier this year.
S: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not so
fast buddy. Who says Minnesota
over Boston University is such a
sure thing? Boston owns those silly
Gophers. The Terriers not only beat
up on Minnesota earlier this year in
front of a very pro-Gopher crowd at
Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, but
they beat them last year when it
counted the most - in the semifi-

Predictions
nals of the NCAA Tournament,
which incidentally happens to be
the same game they will be playing
today.
E: The Terriers are tough, no
question. Everything about this
matchup favors the Golden Gophers,
though - the smaller ice surface,
the revenge factor and the fact that
Minnesota's the underdog again.
S: But this time the crowd will
be pulling for the Terriers since the
Civic Center is only about an hour
from the Boston campus, and just
remember how much better Wis-
consin played in front of its home

crowd last week.
E: Okay, then; just for the sake
of argument, a Boston-Michigan fi-
nal goes this way. The Terriers have
the home-ice advantage, both with
the crowd and the size of the rink.
The Wolverines then somehow man-
age to lose to the fourth-best team in
the group.
S: Time to get a clue, pal. The
one thing that the Wolverines won't
manage to do is lose to Boston. The
Terriers will fold in the finals the
same way that they did last year
against Lake Superior. The only way
that Michigan might find a way to
lose in the finals is if the other team

in the game was the Lakers.
E: None of that matters, though;
the Gophers and the Wolverines are
the class of this group. And since
you didn't attend the first meeting,
let me fill you in on what you missed:
Minnesota outshot and outplayed
Michigan like no one has this year.
The Wolverines won't have to find
a way to lose this time; the Gophers
will provide them with a two-goal
defeat.
S: Regardless of who they play
on Saturday, the Wolverines will
hang a new banner in Yost Ice Arena
next year, and it will read "1995
National Champions."

**LIVE.AT-HILLAU NORUM I

MIKE FITZHUGH/Dyaiy
Michigan was left in the dust by Western Michigan yesterday.
Broncos trample
Wolveri[nes. 10-8

.I
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0 V S '
By John Lerol
Daily Baseball Writer
Things aren't going the way they
should for the Michigan baseball team.
The Wolverines futily used five pitch-
ers yesterday in a 10-8 loss to Western
Michigan in Kalamazoo. But despite its
poor pitching, Michigan had a shot at
winning the game in the final inning.
W With two outs in the ninth and the
olverines down by three runs, Ryan
Van Oeveren reached base on his
third hit of the day. One batter later,
Van Oeveren scored when Rodney
Goble's deep fly ball was dropped at

But Michigan came back to tie the
game in the third. Van Oeveren led
off the inning with a bunt single and
Rodney Goble drew a walk to put two
runners aboard. After Wade flied out,
Scott Weaver's single knocked in Van
Oeveren. Goble scored on a wild pitch
to bring Michigan within two.
Leftfielder Sean Coston kept the
rally alive by singling Weaver to third.
Chad Chapman then walked to load
the bases and after consecutive base-
on-balls to Kelly Dransfeldt and Scott
Niemiec, the Wolverines had knotted
the score at four runs apiece.

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