- rA1~ .1, BTr g 14 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 27, 1996 Now& - 0 BRAND NEW LOCATION S of the di.1 of rlichIgan CLC, ,,THING STORE (4,4,000 sq. feet) / I DULLY PARCK/pady Dale Rominski and other members of the Michigan hockey team visited C.S. Mott Children's Hospital last night. The Wolverines spent time with kids in the burn, cancer and intensive care units for the third time in the past year. 'M' hockey visits Mott Icers make third trip in last year to children's hospital By Jim Rose Daily Sports Writer Last night, hockey wing Sean Ritchlin found himself in a University hospital's intensive care unit for the sec- ond time in a year. Fortunately for Ritchlin, he was only visiting this time. The Michigan hockey team traveled to C.S. Mott Children's Hospital last night, visiting children in the burn, cancer and intensive care units. Ritchlin. who was hospitalized last year with a serious leg injury, was just one of the team members who made the trip. The "From 'the Heart" charity organization helped organize the visit, which was the squad's third scheduled trip to Mott's since last September. Sophomore wing Dale Rominski, whose Kermit the Frog impersonation was the highlight of the evening for one little girl, enjoyed talking with the youngsters. "It's really worthwhile," Rominski said. "The kids real- ly seem to enjoy it." Michigan captain and senior center Brendan Morrison was also in attendance. To hear him tell it, the children weren't the only ones enjoying themselves. "We love coming out here," Morrison said. "It's some- thing we enjoy doing - and it's nice to see that the kids enjoy it. "That's why we're up here. It puts a smile on the faces of some of these kids." Morrison, Rominski, Greg Daddario, Mike Legg and Peter Bourke visited cancer patients. Two other groups.of players, accompanied by "From the Heart" organizers, toured separate floors of the Children's hospital. The Wolverines were scheduled to spend an hour and a half moving from room to room but ended up signing autographs and posing for pictures afterward for closer to two hours. At one point, after gathering around for several pie tures in a row, the group even had two little boys snap- ping photos of each other. For some less-than-fortunate children who have been subjected to tiny hospital rooms, the Wolverines provid- ed a welcome change of pace. Assistant captain Blake Sloan summed it all up. "Some of the kids aren't even strong enough to talk, or even open their eyes." Sloan said. "Some of these kids are even in comas. "But I remember last year. when we came to visit Ritchlin, he was out of it - he didn't even know our names. But when he got out of the hospital he told us that he remembered us coming to visit. So I think it def- initely makes an impact, even for the kids who aren't able to tell us." Rominski agreed with his teammate. saying that the important thing isn't "who we are, so much - it's just th* fact that we're here. Kids see the yellow jerseys, they get to take some pictures - and that's fun for them." Once again, Sloan had the words that put the night in perspective. "Being around these kids makes your own worries seem a little less important," Sloan said. "After spending some time in the intensive care unit it doesn't seem like such a big deal if you've got a test tomorrow." -- Kickers look for improvement entering new conference season w ;,.yam j '.ti L ' ti - 4 x - S - ' d,' Y . l 4 :'1. ... 7 ti' T.; tz° My. , _ G, :T , 5: r .4, , 4 - ' F R 1 Y 7 . vds "} !9c1Q ; ,- p, By Nancy BergerI Daily Sports NiterI It might be premature for the t Michigan women's soccer team to bet eyeing a Big Ten championship. especially when its conference schedule begins today. But for co-captain Debbie Flaherty and her teammates, these conference games will bring their ultimate goal into focus. "The games will become more important," the junior midfielder said. "It is easier to see what you are playing for, like a Big Ten title or an NCAA berth." For the second consecutive year. Michigan (3-1-2) will open its con- ference season against Ohio State (5-2). When the Wolverines travel to Columbus today, they will take with them an 0-2 record against the Buckeyes. In their previous two meetings, Ohio State won both games by identical 2-0 scores. Michigan's history with Indiana (4-1) is a little more victorious. In 1994, the Wolverines lost their first- A.. it, Ti ct mp t tn inn i%- Buckeyes had jumped out to an early lead. While Michigan's record versus this weekend's opponents isn't some- thing to brag about, the Wolverines' overall conference record isn't some- thing they would even want to dis- cuss. Over the past two seasons, the Wolverines have accumulated a 2- 1 1-1 (.179) mark against the Big Ten. They have only managed to win We have been playing together more. We have all the talent, we just need to gel more. " - Debbie Flaherty Michigan soccer player one game in each of the last two sea- sons while playing to a tie with Micif C Sate lset ve intra-conference play this year. Despite what their record indicates many of their conference games have been closely contested. "The Big Ten is close this year and the title is up for grabs," Flaherty said. "We are hoping for even better than a .500 (record). We have come close and tied in games and now it is time to win.' Michigan had its share of close games against California and Kentucky last week. In the game against CalifornriaW junior forward Ruth Poulin had -a game-winning goal taken away on a controversial hand-ball call with just 30 seconds left to play. With six ticks left on the cloak against Kentucky, freshman EmiN Schmitt just missed the net when the ball bounced off the crossbar. Last year, Michigan had an over- time loss to Wisconsin, while at th* 1994 Big Ten championships they managed to best Penn State ii a penalty kick tiebreaker (3-1). With the help of a highly touted freshman class, Michigan will have the depth and the talent to win the close onimes a,,ainst tough oppo- r y=" ate, " + r z 5 :C ~Ir