16B The Michigan Daily - F ff '96-- Monday, October.o41996 _CCUa '0 Monday, Ocoer 14, 1996 - F ~.~FIrI TEAM I PREVIEW ~REV Falcons hope NCAA comes calling this April ichigan On the 1C Bowling Gen The third time is a charm, or so they say. And Bowling Green may try to hold someone accountable for that statement. The Falcons have been knocking on the doorstep of the NCAA tournament the past two years, but both times they were edged out for the final spot. Returning eight seniors and four of their top six scor- ers, the Flacons have the talent to take the next step. "That's the goal we tried to set when we arrived - to get Bowling Green back in the top of the CCHA and to get back in the national picture," Bowling Green coach Buddy Powers said. "We've been close, but not close enough." The Falcons lost seven letter-winners from last year's team, which finished fifth in the CCHA and had an overall record of 26-14-1. On the positive side, though, they bring in nine talented freshmen - their first big recruiting class of Powers' three-year tenure. "We'll be looking for those guys to fill some pretty big holes that were left in our club," Powers said. "I think that the sooner we can get these guys acclimated to playing for Bowling Green, it will have a lot to do with how our team improves down the line." Bowling Green's offense will be led by three seniors: center Curtis Fry, left wing Brett Punchard and right wing Mike Johnson, who tallied 53, 52 and 31 points last year. Powers is looking for Johnson to have a breakthrough season. "Mike is the guy I think might be the best player in college hockey," Powers said. "But nobody really cares or knows about him except us at Bowling Green." Defensively, the Falcons will count on seniors Matt Eldred and Todd Kelman to replace the departed duo of Chad Ackerman and Quinn Fair, who combined for 52 points last year. Senior Kelly Perrault, however, is the most offensive- minded defenseman on the team. His 46 points last sea- son more than doubled Eldred and Kelman's combined 17 points. Bowling Green's biggest question mark will be between the pipes. Senior Bob Petrie is still recuperat- ing from a severe groin pull which left him on the bench for 23 games last year. Sophomore Mike Savard was 18-10-1 filling in for Petrie and may need to carry the load again. "If Petrie and Savard can raise their level of play, we're going to be a team that will challenge in the top of the league," Powers said. "If there's one thing that can affect a team more than anything, it's to have erratic play (in goal)." -Andy Knudsen Defensive unit led by Sloan and Turco Inexperience between pipes worries Buckeyes' coach Ohio State Ohio State has a problem. The Buckeyes enter the season with- out a goalie. The problem is not a play- er lost to injury or even limited experi- ence between the pipes. The three goalies on the Ohio State roster, Tom Connery, Ray Aho and Lanny Jardine, are all freshmen and have yet to play in a college hockey game. For at least one of the three, the opportunity will come very soon. The Buckeyes opened the season Oct. 12 at Bowling Green, in what was a noncon- ference game. After four years of quality goaltend- ing, Ohio State will have to overcome the loss of its two senior netminders from last season. Both Tom Askey and Kurt Brown were lost to graduation after giving Ohio State consistency in the net last season. While the play of the goalies may be the team's biggest concern, goal-scor- ing should not be a problem. Ohio State returns more than two-thirds of its goal-producers from last season. The offense is sparked by the second-leading scorer from the last campaign, right wing Pierre Dufour. The return of his 30 points, including five power-play goals, gives the Buckeyes a clutch scoring threat to com- plement three-time captain Steve Brent. Brent, last season's team leader in games played, will be counted on to fill the void of the 10 seniors lost to graduation. The senior's consistency is one of his greatest assets. He played in all 34 games last season and is approaching 100 for his career. The defense is led by oft-injured junior Derek Beuselinck. A wrist prob- lem limited him to 16 games last sea- son, and in the off-season, he suffered a knee injury. But Beuselinck played 35 games during his freshman season, and the Buckeyes are counting on him as a vital blueliner. Sophomore Dan Harrison, a member of the all-CCHA rookie team, will join Beuselinck on the defense. His 19 points were third on the team last season. Trevor Putrah, a Colorado College transfer, will join four freshmen on the Ohio State defense. The five newcom- ers will be vital to the untested defense. Last season, Ohio State proved to be one of Michigan's greatest nemeses. Two of the three games ended in ties - moral victories for the Buckeyes and frustrating contests for Michigan. Ohio State coach John Markell is looking toward the future. The plan for a brand-new, $84 million hockey facil- ity, scheduled to open in 1998, pre- sents a new opportunity for Ohio State to bolster its program. "Our (present) rink has a smaller capacity, so the chance to play in . something like the new arena is a great opportunity," Markell said. No matter where the Buckeyes play this season, their fortunes reside in the net. - Mark Snyder By James Goldstein Daily Sports Writer It is fitting that the defense of Michigan's national championship and its quest for a repeat could hinge on the play of the newly-arranged defense. The offensive unit is proven with its dazzling stars returning, but the defen- sive unit lost a landmark behind the blue line last year. Steven Halko, the heart and soul of the Wolverines, graduated last year. Now, the defensive unit must play a game of you-step-up-here-and-I'll-step- up-there. This season, four senior blueliners lead the unit. Blake Sloan, Harold Schock, Peter Bourke and Chris Frescoln are returning for their final year at Michigan. With the loss of Halko, it's Sloan's turn to take up the slack and fill the leadership role. Named as the assistant captain by his teammates, Sloan (6- 24-30) is ready to take on that role. "With Halko gone this year, I know it is my turn to step up and become the leader of the defense," Sloan said. "My main concern is to help the young guys on our team. If I can do that, then I know I am doing my job." Last year, the Wolverines were doing their job. Michigan allowed 2.16 goals per game, the nation's lowest. Michigan's 86.2 penalty-killing per- centage ranked third in the country. With the offense very strong, the defense should have no problems feed- ing the puck to the forwards up the ice. With the likes of Brendan Morrison, Jason Botterill, John Madden and Mike Legg, the blueliners may not handle the puck in their zone for a while. But when they do, Michigan coach Red Berenson knows that they must not let up. Too many times last year, the defense was porous in letting in bad goals, according to Berenson. The Wolverines have to stay focused on matching up with the top forwards in the league and in the country. "I think we can play more consistent- ly defensively," Berenson said. "There were times when we let down last year. I think our penalty killing will have to be strong. We are a team that seems to attract penalties." Schock (5-20-25) will provide the Wolverines with experience. The senior defenseman had a team-leading plus- minus ratio of plus-37. But Schock won't be the only one Berenson will look to in the Michigan zone. He will be rotating defensemen in and out of games to see which pairings fit. After all, there is no Halko this year. "You can't replace Halko," Berenson said. "This is an opportunity for the Blake Sloans and the Harold Schocks to step up and play a huge role on our defense. It is also an opportunity for players like Frescoln, Bubba Berenzweig and Chris Fox and the younger defensemen to step up and play a stronger supporting role, because they won't have a Schock or a Sloan to be the supporters. "I think it's bit of a chain reaction." The chain will include Berenzweig and Fox, who didn't play much last sea- son but impressed Berenson. Berenzweig, who is one of the biggest defensemen on the squad at 6- foot-2, 195 pounds, realizes that it will take a little bit of time before things start to click. "I think our defense right now is a lit- tle weak," Berenzweig said. "But I think we could have a strong defense if we keep on working hard and get to know each other a little better." The people the Wolverines' defense- men will have to get to know the most See DEFENSE, Page 10B Assistant captain Blake Sloan attempts The American Fitness Professionals & Associates present The 1996 Ann Arbor Fall Fitness Classic Fitness Education$ Michigan Union °n Bookstorence, Cerif'icd~ticl Novembier 6 Con fer'erce 10, 1996 calf Ypsilanti Morriot and Conference Center Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI Abi Arnr odybullding C Ann Aibur's OK SUPPLY and BooK & suPPLY $$ bili T- SHIRT SPRINTING . LOWEST PRICES! HIGHEST QUALITY! FASTESTSERVICE! U * 1002 PONTIAC TR. U 994-1367 19aurday, November 9, 1996 Roosevelt Au~ditorium, Eatern Michigarn University 212 McKenny Union Ypsilant'i, Michgan" (313) 467-1157 For more informaion~, call (60.9) 976-783 Ground Floor, 'I Michigan Union 995-8877 open: 9-6 Mon.-Fri. 10-5 Sat. 12-5 Sun.