12-The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 23, 1996 'M' readies for L By Danielle Rumore Daily Sports Writer The Michigan hockey team is well aware of the importance of this weekend's games not only for confer- ence standings, but also for home- coming reasons. The No. 3 Wolverines (20-4-2 CCHA, 25-5-2 overall) will battle No. 7 Lake Superior State (18-6-2, 22-6- 2) tonight and tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie. The race for the CCHA crown is closer than it has been in years, and the result of Phis weekend's twinbill will have a definite impact on the standings. The Wolverines and the Lakers know that this weekend's series comes at a critical juncture in the season. The outcome of the series could pos- sibly eliminate Lake State from the title chase, or dump Michigan further behind the Spartans and most likely Western Michigan, too. The Wolverines are currently in sec- ond place with 42 points, two points behind leader Michigan State, while the fourth-place Lakers trail the Spar- tans by six points. For the Wolverines' sophomore goalie Marty Turco, the weekend is not only about victories, but also about homecoming. Turco, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., just minutes from the Michigan border and the Lakers' arena, will be making a homecoming to the rink he knows so well from the past. "Fifty or60 of my family and friends will be there," Turco said. "I played a lot of minor hockey in that arena so I can call it home." Turco grew up in "the Soo" and played for St. Mary's College where he was named the team's MVP in 1994. Last season, Turco played both games against the Lakers at Sault Ste. Marie. The Wolverines came away with a pair of victories, 5-1 and 4-3, respectively. And their rookie goalie came away with CCHA Player of the Week honors, as he stopped a career- .high 42 shots in the latter of the two games. This year, Turco is a year older and knows what he will encounter tonight and tomorrow. Turco, who leads all CCHA goalies in wins (25), brings a year-and-a-half of experience and the two victories from last season to the arena. Michigan coach Red Berenson said that the experience gives Turco a mental edge. "Last year, he got a lot of (the dis- tractions) out ofhis system," Berenson said. "A lot of his relatives and friends will be there. It will be tough, though. Any of these rinks are tough on goal- ies." Turco does not concern himself with the distractions and does not feel the ke State need to deal with them. The foremost issue on his mind is focusing on the importance of two wins. "I am there for one specific reason - to get four points," Turco said.@ am there to stop pucks and help my team. This is our big weekend. The seniors down to the freshmen (under- stand). (Lake State) is always a play- off team. (The two games) will be a good measure to see where we're at." The Wolverines beat Lake State, 8- 2, Dec. 8 at Yost Ice Arena. Five different Wolverines scored in that game and Michigan outshot the Lak- ers, 34-18. As of late, the Wolverines have hV to deal with injuries. Center Brendan Morrison will continue to play with a hand injury he suffered against Ohio State three weeks ago. "He's coming around," Berenson said. "He is a lot better than he was two weeks ago. He is getting'used to it." Right wing Sean Ritchlin is out for the season after undergoing surg* for compartment syndrome. Justin Clark is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, and left wing Jason Botterill did not skate in practice Monday due to a bruised shoulder. "Botterill is fine," Berenson said. "Clark is a question mark, but he might get the OK to play. (Right now), we're pretty healthy." WALKER VANDYKE/Daily Brendan Morrison and the Wolverines will try to extend their six-game unbeaten streak this weekend against Lake State. Brzezinski to suit up with Wolverines for last time By James Goldstein and Dan Stillman Daily Sports Writers The lone senior bows out. The Michigan women's basketball team closes out the regular season with a pair of conference tilts. The Wolverines visitNo. 7 Iowa, tonight at 7:30 at Carver- Hawkeye Arena. Sunday at 2p.m., Michi- gan hosts No. 13 Wisconsin in senior center Jennifer Brzezinski's last game at Crisler Arena. Michigan (1-13 Big Ten, 7-17 overall) will be hard pressed to equal its confer- ence win total of three from last year, or even last year's overall total of eight victories. The Hawkeyes (13-1, 22-2), who sit atop the Big Ten, defeated the Wolver- ines, 69-53, on Dec. 29, while the second- place Badgers (11-3, 19-5) annihilated Michigan, 89-48, in the season's first conference game. For Brzezinski, this weekend's con- tests mark the end of her regular-season college career. As of late, Brzezinski has come on strong in support of slumping sophomore center Pollyanna Johns. The senior captain came within four points of her career-high Sunday against Michigan State. She scored 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting. That performance followed her first double-double of the season. "I'm most pleased with Brzezinski," Michigan coach Trish Roberts said. "She's nothadagoody}earminhersenioryear. I'm glad to see her have a good game." To have a chance at playing with Iowa or Wisconsin, though, the Wolverines need more than a solid performance from Brzezinski or Johns. "We need to have a game where every- body puts together a good game," Rob- erts said. In the past few games, the Wolverines have received improved scoring, espe- cially, from guard Akisha Franklin, who has shown signs of brilliance. When Franklin is on hergame, she has provided strong penetration, sharp 3-point shooting and in-your-face defense. "Akisha is capable of putting up num- bers," Roberts said. "We've seen her do it all year." All season, the Hawkeyes and Badgers have put up numbers in different ways. Iowa plays a grind-it-out type of game, both on offense and defense. The Hawkeyes lead the conference in scoring defense, holding their opponents to a meager 57.2 points per game. And even though Iowa is 10th in the BigTen in scoring(68.5 pointspergame), the Hawkeyes get their offense close to thebasket, thanks to their solid frontcourt duo ofTiffany Gooden andTangela Smith. Gooden is the team's leading scorer, averaging 14.3 points per game. Smith is right behind Gooden with 13.8 ppg, and tops the Hawkeyes with 7.4 rebounds per game and 2.25 blocks per game. The Badgers are another story. Wis- consin prides itself more on its passing game. The Badgers trail only Ohio State in scoring in the conference with 80.1 points per game. Wisconsin's go-to player is Barb Franke. Franke's 20.8 points per game is tops on theteam and places herthird in the conference in scoring. She also leads her team in rebounds, field goal percentage and blocked shots. Briefly... Lacrosse club looks to continue success Tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m., the Michigan lacrosse club takes on Marietta at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse. This is the second game of the season for the Wolverines, who are coming off a strong season opener against Michigan State. The Wolverines defeated the Spartans, 21-11. Michigan hopes to emulate its offensive output of the Michigan State game, when 12 of 16 Wolverines either scored a goal or assisted on one. Women's tennis hosts Northwestern The Michigan women's tennis team is in action tomorrow against the Wildcats. The match will begin at 1 p.m. at the Liberty Sports Complex. This could be the Wolverines' first real test of the season after sweeping both Western Michigan and Penn State in their last two matches. Michigan is looking to avenge last year's loss to Northwestern. Freshman Jen Boylan won't see action this weekend due to a torn meniscus in her knee, which may require arthroscopic surges Boylan will be out at least three weeks. I I ...f1 Aft is A irday, February 24, 1996 m- 1:00pm-. al Entertainment and Dancing s-to make and wear -however you like ragopce al ethnic meals-wide range of prices Satu 7:30p Music Masks Dress Magic PENN STATE Continued from Page 11 It was mildly surprising that the con- fusion didn't set in earlier. From the beginning, things did not look good for the Wolverines. Michigan's top two scorers, Taylorand Bullock, each picked up two quick fouls. But ratherthan fold, the Wolverines did something they haven't done all season. They hit their three-pointers. Bullock hit three of his five long-range shots. Mitchell nailed two ofthree. Con]Ian converted on his only attempt. In all, Michigan was 6 of 12 from 3-point range in the first half. That's why the Wolver- ines led, 34-28, at the break, despite being outrebounded, 19-13, and despite Taylor making just one shot. Fife was the only Wolverine who couldn't connect from long distance. He was 0 for 3 from down- town before the break. Although Fife was offon offense, he made up forit with three steals. His play was a key to the stellar defense which gave Michigan its 34-28 halftime advantage. But that lead was lost. The season will be, too, if the Wolverines don't start win- ning soon. Michigan hosts Minnesota (7- 6, 15-10) tomorrow night at 8 p.m. "It's a home game that we can't afford to lose," Fife said. Conlan Taylor Baston Fife Bullock Morton Oliver Mitchell White Totals MIN 38 30 28 31 30 4 2 17 20 200 Michigan (57) FG M-A 2-4 1.9 3.5 3-6 6.13 0-0 2.7 4-5 21.49 FT M-A 00 00 1-2 0-0 1-1 0-0 600 1-2 3-4 6-9 REB O-T G4 1-6 2.4 40 1-6 o-1 t}0 4-0 34 7.25 A F 1 1 3 4 0 1 2 4 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 8 18 PTS 5 2 7 8 17 0 0 7 11 57 MCINTOSH Continued from Page 11 .s we assigned the seating. Students, who1 are going to stand and scream, get three-quarters of the bottom bowl - I none of this one-quarter stuff like Crisler Arena. The alumni get to sit1 down in nice comfortable seats where they can see over the students, and the FR%: .429. FT%: .667. Three-point goals: 9-17, .529 (Conlan 1-1. Taylor 4-1, Fife 2-5, Bullock 4-7, Mitchell 2- 3). Blocks: 2 (Bullock. White). Turnovers: 21 (Bullock 5. Conlan 5, Fife 4, Baston 3, White 3). Steals: 9 ;Fife 4, Baston 2, Conlan 2, White). Technical Fouls: none. students get to harass the heck out of opposing players. The conclusion, aspiring basketball coaches: It's really not that easy. It takes fundamentals, some upstart per- formers, and some unquantifiable fac- tors to get where we are. But follow the tips above, and y have a pretty solid start. I - Brent McIntosh can be reached over e-mail at mnctosh@urnich.edu. Penn State (67) Washtenaw Community College, Morris Lawrence Building $12 in advance; $15 at the door; $8 studen Tickets available at: Jewish Community Center Absolutely everybody welcome! Sponsored by and a fundraiser for the JCC' its Dance or just listen to the Klezmer Fu- sion Band, Israeli and Eastern European folk dances, swing, polka, waltz. Hasidic dances and more. Dances taught. No experience or partner necessary. Soulful Eastern European music, haunting liturgical melodies and traditional Israeli folk tunes with robust Jazz, Latin and Rock rhythms. This band features the traditional laughing.crying clarinet, balalaika/mandolin, guitars and trumpets backed by keyboards and a professional jazz rhythm section. Gaudio Sekunda Booth Earl Lisicky Stephens Metzger McKnight P. Williams 0. Williams Totals M!N 27 32 22 32 36 5 10 6 18 12 200 FG M-A 1-6 414 5.7 3-8 6i10 3-3 0-1 ao 62 2-3 2454 FT M-A 2.2 55 6-2 46 2-2 6-0 6-0 1-2 60o 14-19 REB 0-T 21 4-8 01 6-3 41 1-2 -o0 a-0 46 0-1 11.29 A F 3 1 4 2 1 2 4 3 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 13 17 13 PTS 4 14 10 10 18 6 0 0 1 4 67 FG%: .444. FT%: .737. Three-point goals: 5-18. .278 (Lisicky 4-7, Sekunda 1-6, Earl 0-5). Blocks: 3 (Sekunda, Booth, D. Williams) Turnovers: 14 (Earl 4, Gaudio 4, Metzger 2, Sekunda 2, Lisicky, Stephens) Steals: 11 (Earl 4, Lisicky 3, Booth 2, Gaudio, Sekundaa) Technical Fouls: none. Michigan.......34 23-57 Penn State....28 39-67 At: Bryce Jordan Center: A: 14,917 a- - *1 Flurry of d( Hardaway, The Associated Press Tim Hardaway, Christian Laettner and Billy Owens were the biggest names to move Thursday on one of the busier NBA trading deadline days in recent years. Six deals involving 19 players were completed, with the Miami Heat mak- ing three trades. The Heat added forward Walt Will- iams, forward-center Chris Gatling and guards Hardaway and Tony Smith. The Atlanta Hawks acquired Laettner from the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Toronto Raptors picked up Sharone Wright from Philadelphia. The biggest non-trade involved the Portland Trail Blazers, who failed to deal disgruntled guard Rod Strickland or forward Clifford Robinson. Strickland was suspended for one game by the Trail Blazers after he stormed off the court during warmups Thursday night. Miami made all three of its trades within two hours of the 9 p.m. EST deadline. The Heat picked up Hardaway and Gatling from Golden State for power forward Kevin Willis and guard Bimbo Coles, then acquired Williams and Tyrone Corbin from Sacramento for Owens and Kevin Gamble. Miami also added Smith from Phoenix for rookie HEP TH LIBRARIES. EVER HAVE TROUBLE FINDING THAT BOOK IN THE GRAD??? (we did) EVER WISH TO STUDY PAST MIDNIGHT IN THE LAW LIBRARY??? (we would) LSA Student Government is seeking a few motivated individuals to work on the LS&A Library _" Lecture Nots }Course Packets Resume:Services .Cpy&Bindery Fax serices BOOKSTORE Laettner Terrence Rensher. The Hawks and Timberwolves beat the deadline by several hours. Atlanta picked up centers Laettner and Sean Rooks for center Andrew Lang and point guard Spud Webb. . Kevin McHale, Minnesota's vice president of basketball operations, said he was hoping to improve the tta* chemistry. "Everybody's got to understand there are roles that need to be played in the context of the team," MeHale said. The 76ers sent Wright to the Raptors for forwards Ed Pinckney and Tony Massenburg. The Sixers also acquired the right to swap first-round draft picks with Toronto this year or in 1997. "This was also done to free up money so that we could go after a quality gr of free agents," said Sixers' coachMl general manager John Lucas, who signed Wright to asix-year, $21 million contract which still has four years to run. Pinckney and Massenburg will be free agents at the end of the season. The Orlando Magic acquired Kenny Gattison and a second-round draft pick from the Vancouver Grizzlies for Jeff Turner. Gattison is expected to bac Shaquille O'Neal at center and Hole Grant at forward during the playoffs. ~due~tiss THIS MONT H ONLY! 0 COPIES 8.5x11 20# white Grade A Notes at Ulrich's Bookstore Second Floor " 549 E. University " 741-9669 k F in@ !m. c f I N 1\..'u 'a 1 '' ! Is 1 lAttention I I I I v