The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 29, 1996-13 Jce, ice, baby: Pipe burst delays games Women tumblers seek 5th staight tide By Danielle Rumore Daily Sports Writer CINCINNATI - From all of the commo- tion inside Riverfront Stadium yesterday, no- body would have guessed that the Division I cekey championships were being played. The two semifinal games were played to determine which two teams would face-off in the championship game tomorrow, but for a while that seemed to take a back seat to the commotion concerning the ice surface. The conditions of the rink were more condu- cive to casual skating than to a national cham- pionship. The brine pipe (a coolant) cracked before game one during a routine procedure to fix the holes for the net moorings. In order to contain the spill, which seeped Wto the ice around the crease, the cooling system needed to be completely turned off. "It was a fluke thing that happened," said Rick Comley, chairofthe Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee. "(The pipe) was just nicked and that's all it took. The experts did atremendousjob getting the building back in order." The first semifinal game between Vermont and Colorado College started 40 minutes later thah scheduled and went into double overtime. 0 t the end of the first overtime, the Colorado am was so soaked from the pools of water on the ice that they needed to change their under- wear during intermission. The game ended with pools of water over the entire ice surface. ': , The cooling system v was still unable to be turned back on because of the cracked pipe. The Michigan and Bos- ton University semi- final game was close to being cancelled -. due to the two prob- lems and to the length of the first q game - the NCAA did not count on the first game going to double overtime,F which ate into the FraNtic repairs prevented time they had to fix the problem. "It was just a question of the rink people fixing it, but it was fixed and it got better and better as the night went on,"Comley said. "We had to get it fixed and then we sprung a second leak, and we tried to get both coaches calmed down and believing that the quality of the ice was not going to affect the game. "We probably would have played at 2 (Fri- day and the same time Saturday). Now, in retrospect the day off is critical." The pipe was mended and the cooling sys- tem was turned back on in time for the game, but the Wolverines and Terriers still faced off By Nancy Berger Daiy Sports Writer Over the past four years, it has become a habit for the Michigan women's gymnastics team to lead the Big Ten conference. The Wolverines hope this year will be the same as they strive for their fifth consecutive Big Ten title. At last year's Big Ten championship, Michigan left the rest of the field behind in a cloud of their chalk dust. Michigan's record-breaking score of 196.500 not only gave them their fourth consecu- tive conference championship, but was also more than three points ahead of their closest opponent, Michigan State. At this year's Big Ten championships, the rem- nants of the Wolverines'cloud will surely have cleared for some of the conference teams. With the rest of the Big Ten having dusted themselves off, Michigan will be looking at a much improved and more competitive field. "It is getting better every year," Wolverine coach Bev Plocki said. "(This year), we have a handful of teams that are going to be in the mid- 190.0 range." Minnesota,Michigan State and Penn State are the teams that Plocki is watching out for. The Wolverines twice lost to the Gophers and once to the Spartans earlier in the season. Michigan is no stranger to tough competition. Currently ranked No. 4 nationally, Michigan has beaten the defending national champion, Utah, while coming close to beating No. I Georgia. In their last home meet against No.5 Brigham Young, the Wolverines turned in their second best team performance ever, scoring 197.00 points. Against Utah and BYU, Michigan established school records on the uneven bars, balane bam and- floor exercise. While most, ifnot all of Michigan'sbest puefor- mances have come at home, its last met at hon. State was its best away score of the season. "Ourlastmeet gave us alot ofconfidenwoitour away score," freshman Kathy Burke said. While the 195.925 posting is more than a ilIl point off their season high, Plocki believes tat. her gymnasts can score well within the teach of the 197.000 points mark. "We went just under 196 at Penn State,"Ploaki said. "We did not have Heather Kabnick and we counted a fall. We very easily could haer added a point on to our score." Whether Michigan has Kabnick back for the Big Tens is still in question. The sophomore has been battling a chronic injury that causesswalliog in her ankles. "Heather had an injection in her ankle,"Plki said. "She has sprained her ankles so many times that her ankle has thickened." Despite these irritations, Kabnick has men- aged to practice on the vault and floor exercise. Other than Kabnick's injury, Michigan seems to be in good shape after a never-endingsturngof injuries that riddled its lineup. The late-season return offreshmen Nikki Peters and Lisa Simes have strengthened the squad - anchored by senior Wendy Marshall, junior An- drea McDonald and freshman Beth Amelkovich. All that is really left for Michigan to do is to clean up the mistakes in their routines while they, wait to defend their Big Ten title. "We're trying to keep it low-key,"Burke said. "The anticipation is there." WAERVANDK a postponement of the Michigan hockey game. 1 1/2 hours later than scheduled. "An hour and a halfdelay wasn't expected," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "We didn't know if we'd play or not." The two teams switched ends of the ice halfway through the first period because of the soft ice around the crease. The second and third periods were played in the normal 20- minute intervals even though the ice did not begin to harden until the third period. "The ice got better as the game went on," Michigan goaltender Marty Turco said. "In the third period, it was dry and normal and not as much water hanging around." Track begins anew in Eunshine State meet By Kim Hart For the Daily Whowouldn't look forward tospend- ing the wep~kend in Gainesville, Fla.? A trip there means sunny skies, beaches Od temperatures above 65 degrees. If you were a member of the track team though, you might have some hesita- tions about heading to the Sunshine State. The men's and women's track teams open their outdoor seasons this week- end at the Florida Relays with a slight disadvantage. The weather is cramping the Wolver- ines' style. Only the distance runners tve spent quality time practicing out- ors. The sprinters, hurdlers and field event participants are still working out in- doors, praying for a break in the cold. Preparation forthis weekend hasteam members all over the place. Some are running outside around Central Cam- pus, others are inside at the track and tennis facility, and some are taking trips to Eastern Michigan University's out- sor track to practice hand-offs. The cool air is a little too much for hurdler Neil Gardner, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica. He was reluctant to practice outdoors on Tuesday and donned several layers of clothing be- fore heading out. "The climate puts us a little behind some of the southern schools, but it's the same as any other northern school headed down there," men's assistant coach Ron Warhurst said. "We are go- down there on a wing and a prayer, so we will use this more as a chance for conditioning for the rest of the outdoor season." A couple of familiar Michigan faces will not be in Florida or even participat- ing in the 1996 outdoor season. Kevin Sullivan and Scott MacDonald have decided to redshirt the outdoor portion O this year. The Wolverines are using s as an opportunity for the younger ddle-distance and distance runners to gain more experience. Several run- ners will compete in two events to get the members maximum use of time- outside. The Florida Relays combines a day of relay events and a day of invitational events. The coaches are hoping forsome strong performances during Saturday's invitational portion. Trinity Townsend had some practice outdoors and is oking to do well in the invitational. The Wolverines are also looking for strong performances in the high jump, thejavelin and the 4x 1,600 meter relay. "We hope to do well this weekend, but with this weather we just can't get outdoors and get the practice we de- sire," Warhurst said. "We are taking 23 guys, and all we can do is pray for the best." This guy can't stop thinking about summer. I never thought of Northwestern as a summer hot spot, but the campus is right on Lake Michigan. They've got beaches, intramural sports, arts and crafts workshops, wine-tasting and pottery making minicourses, basketball and volleyball tourna- ments, campus musicals and the- Northwestern's study abroad programs sound great. Prague, Czech Republic; Alexandria, Egypt; and South Africa... They'd all be great oppor- tunities to earn college credit, and they're all places I'd like to visit. They've changed so much in recent years. With the three- or six-week program in Prague, I could learn about Czech politics from the inside, visit parts of 4 atrical performances, outdoor movies, and hiking and canoeing trips in Wisconsin. All with Northwestern Summer Session '96... Pretty cool. Summer in the Windy City sounds like a great time. Chicago has jazzfests, blues- fests, and gospelfests, Cubs and Sox games, some of the best museums and art galleries in the world, and ethnic festivals all summer long... I'd have plenty to do, and it's all just minutes from the Northwestern campus. Bohemia and Moravia, enjoy Czech pubs and restaurants, and experience the renaissance city's world-renowned architecture. Then again, six weeks in Alexandria, Egypt has its advantages. A five-day Nile cruise, a visit to Cairo's Great Pyramids, and all the festivals, beaches, and bazaars. Can't forget South Africa. The wildlife viewing in Durban is supposed to be incredible, and the program also includes the Kalahari dessert, Cape Town, and Johannesburg. 1996 will be a hot summer! 0 0 0 D 0 0 0 I could use some extra credit this summer, and I think Northwestern's the place to go. Summertime means smaller classes and better access to some of Northwestern's most popular professors. They even have a course on the Beatles, and if I get ambitious, I can earn a fll- year of college credit with Northwestern's eight-week intensive course sequences in physics, chemistry, and nine lan- guages. It'd be nice to go back to school in the fall with a few extra credits on my transcript. He must have read our catalog... Northwestern University Summer Session '96 a rr.