The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 14, 1997 - 13 ig game I . for Irish not as big for Blue By Jim Rose Daily Sports Writer Surprisingly enough, this actually is a very important weekend. Even though it's only Notre Dame that will be visiting the Michigan hockey team for two games at Yost Ice Artna - even though the Fighting Irish are 5-16-1 in the CCHA (8-21-1 4verall) and even though they have t six games in a row - this is an important weekend. This is a very, very important weekend. For Notre Dame. And maybe Brendan Morrison. In the past three weeks, the Irish have managed to remove themselves from what seemed to be a favorable position in the CCHA playoff picture. e top eight teams in the conference lalify for the postseason tourna- ment, with the eventual winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Three weeks and six losses ago, Notre Dame seemed to be a likely bet for the league playoffs. But now, the Irish find themselves in.the CCHA cellar, three points out of eighth place. The bottom four teams in the league are separated by just four points. ABut with only three regular-season games left after this weekend, Notre Dame desperately needs to start win- ning. A bad time to visit Michigan? "I don't think there is a good time' Notre Dame coach Dave Poulin said. "Obviously, (the Wolverines) are a juggernaut. They're well worthy of their ranking, with their record and eir position and their schedule." Assuming Michigan avoids a total collapse and hangs on to win the reg- ular-season league title, the Irish - if they make the playoffs as a No. 8 seed - could be the Wolverines' first- round playoff opponents. It's a prospect that, understandably, is less than thrilling for Poulin. But the coach says he's more concerned with the remainder of the regular sea- son than potential playoff matchups. '"I don't really think we're quite to that point yet," Poulin said. "We've still got a lot of work to do here, and all we can do is take it one step at a time." -And don't think Michigan isn't aware of the situation. "Oh, we definitely know (about the possible pairing)," senior Brendan Motrison said. "We'd love to go out nd send them a message, and now is e' best time to do it." With six points this weekend, Morrison would become Michigan's all-time career scoring leader. His 256 points are second only to former Wolverine Denny Felsner, who played from 1989-92. Morrison is currently tied with another past Michigan star - former center Brian Wiseman - for the Michigan career assist record, with af4. "4 guess I'd like to get it over with," Morrison said of the imminent record-breaking. "I'd rather do it sooner as opposed to later, but it's really not something that I'm thinking about." According to Poulin, it's not some- thing Notre Dame will be thinking about either. "They have a lot of weapons," he *id. "You can't just focus on one guy." In the only meeting of the two teams this season, Morrison was held scoreless in a 6-3 Michigan victory in South Bend. This weekend marks the first time since Nov. 2 that Michigan will be trying to bounce back from a defeat. Before last Saturday's 2- 1loss to Michigan State, the Wolverines had Mpnehunbeaten for 23 games, setting a y school record. Incidentally, the Wolverines fol- lowed the November loss by winning their next three games by a combined score of 16-4. "I think that loss was good for us" -Morrison said of the most recent defeat. "It showed us that we have to come out and work hard every single night. We definitely turned it into a * sitive. "It made us realize how quickly everything can end," said Morrison. 1996 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSI KR M'Q MAt WIVF 'M' hoops hope to avenge loss to Lions Amy Johnson anda the Michigan women's basket- ball team haven't -, had many prob- lems scoring this season. But the Wolverines' defense is a con- cern for coach Sue Guevara. MARGARET MYERS/Daily By Pranay Reddy Daily Sports Writer They have their coach - they also haven't won a game in three weeks. The dropping of "interim" from Sue Guevara's title as Michigan women's basketball coach was no doubt exciting. Regardless, she knows the Wolverines can't afford to get caught up in the commotion, espe- cially in the midst of a three-game losing streak. "We've had two pretty good days of practice - we're just caught up on improving our per- formance against Penn State," Guevara said. Always the taskmaster, Guevara has been concerned with Penn State, who is coming into Crisler tonight at 7:30. Michigan (4-8 Big Ten, 12-9 overall) will be out for vengeance against the Lady Lions (6-6 Big Ten, 13-9 overall) especially after its not-so- happy road trip to Happy Valley. The Wolverines were the ones who made the trip to University Park last Friday, but it was Penn State that did all the moving - as Shauntai Hall and the rest of the Lions ran over, around and through Michigan, 82-73. Penn State coach Rene Portland's infusion of a transition game ran the Wolverines into the ground. Hall led the charge for the Lions, scor- ing the first 10 points of the contest on her way to a career-high 20. This time around, Guevara has made her squad well aware of Penn State's game plan. "We've been addressing (transition defense) all week," Guevara said "I think a lot of the problem last time was communication:' Michigan's lack of communication was just one of the reasons Hall was spurred to her career-best game. In fact, Hall's performance against the Wolverines helped her claim Big Ten co-Player of the Week honors for the past week. Michigan also provided Purdue's Jannon Roland with a stepping stone on the way to shar- ing the honor with Hall. Roland lit up the Wolverines with 21 points, in Purdue's 64-54 victory last Sunday. Obviously, Michigan will try to keep from handing out any more awards both tonight and Sunday, when the Wolverines play Northwestern. The Wildcats (6-7 Big Ten, 13-9 overall) boast three of the top six scorers in the Big Ten - Michele Ratay, Kristina Divjak and Megan Chawansky. Not exactly a remedy for a wound- ed defense. Nevertheless, Guevara isn't concerned - especially after Michigan's previous 97-90 win over the Wildcats at Crisler Arena. "We have that capability of scoring," Guevara said. "I just hope we play better defense." i Michigan sports roundup Michigan wrestlers to celebrate 75 years By Jordan Field Daily Staff Writer This Sunday, the Michigan wrestling team will square off against league rival Minnesota. But the dual meet represents more than just a tight match between the third-ranked Gophers and the 11 th- ranked Wolverines. Sunday's match will also celebrate the 75th year of Michigan wrestling. Former Michigan wrestlers from the past seven decades are expected to be in attendance. "Michigan wrestlers from the 30s to the 90s will be here and to win in front of them would really be special," Bahr said. But that wouldn't be the only high- light: If Michigan can upset Minnesota, the win would be Bahr's 100th. "Getting 100 wins will be nice, but to me it only means I've been here a long time" Bahr said. "The win is much more important in my mind to win with all the alumni there. "I guess beating Minnesota would be a great culmination of a personal mile- stone and a fantastic win for everyone in attendance." Underdog Michigan will have one thing going in its favor heading into Sunday's match. Minnesota's starter at 118 pounds, Brandon Paulson, recently had surgery on his ankle and won't make the trip to Ann Arbor. Paulson was a sil- ver metalist in Greco-Roman competi- tion at the 1996 Olympic games. The only question mark for the Wolverines will be in the 142-pound weight class. Redshirt freshman Teya Hill injured his left knee last week and may not be ready to go on Sunday. His replacement would be classmate Luiey Haddad, who filled in last weekend and upset a two-time All-American from Purdue. Women's gymnastics After coming off its big win against Nebraska and Illinois State last weekend, the Michigan women's gymnastics team must now focus on rival Oregon State. Who? Yes, that's right, Oregon State - the ninth-ranked team in the nation that boasts six All-Americans - is coming to Cliff Keen Arena tonight at 7. The Beavers are 7-1 this season, com- pared to Michigan's 9-1 record. But the Michigan gymnasts are not intimidated by their opponent's record. "The commitment that the women have shown to practice, each other and the coaching staff is paying off," Michigan coach Beverly Plocki said. "Our women continue to gain confi- dence each and every meet. We need to concentrate on each and every meet one at a time and build up to the NCAA championships. "If we continue our improvement process, we will contend for a national title." Last year, Michigan's chance for a title was ended by the Beavers, who placed fifth in the National meet. The Wolverines finished sixth. - Sara Rontal CATCH ANY GAME OF ANY SPORT! 2 GIANT SCREENS & 30 MONITORS Over 24 Beers on Draft- Including: Bel's, Newcastle, Ic Guins & Youngs DJ + DANCING THURS - SAT POOL TABLES & DARTS W "ek r r"Promo Code: AV0027 Ticket Designator: AV0027 I ~ o r1 ~~e~ rd' C rd Travel Complete: June 6,1997 1 Ue Yur gat a B _ A For r eat GaVi B u UnitedAirimm,.M _ rin .m BRo Rates United I} } TERMS AND CONDITIONS: not replaceable if lost or stolen. 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