r - race* iay, ouwuoer Z3; ,99 r,, . f Almost every aspect of this season's Michigan hockey team is different. Except for in net, the Wolverines will have to find themselves after the departure of nine storied seniors. oving Forward Muckalt, Herr needed to fill void left by departed superstars By Pranay Reddy Daily Sports Writer Excellence - a trademark of the Michigan hockey team for the past four years. The same could be said for its for- wards - consistently excellent. However, with the departure of superstars like Brendan Morrison and Jason Botterill, there are chinks in the armor of the mighty Wolverines. Now, coach Red Berenson is simply hoping for one of the two qualities his departed class displayed - consistency. "We are going to look for combi- nations of players that play well with one another," Berenson said. "We FILE PHOTO Dale Rominski and the rest of the Michigan offense will need to pick up the scor- ing after the graduation of mainstays like Brendan Morrison and Jason Botterill. Employment Opportunities $6.85 hr Startng age - Residence Halls Dining Services don't have a lot of players returning that I know play really well with cer- tain other players. "If you're not scoring, you can still work hard and play good defense, and that is going to be the main emphasis for the first half of the year." Not the most enthusiastic words, but what else can be expected with the departure of such a talented class of forwards? This is not to say that this year's version of the front lines are sub par by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, they are solid - but for a team used to brilliance, this is quite a change. Captain Matt Herr is the second lead- ing returing scorer for the Wolverines. WARREN ZINN/Daily Nevertheless, no team in the CCHA could complain with an offensive unit led by Michigan cap- tain Matt Herr and assistant captain Bill Muckalt. Both players are dominant on the offensive front, with strong defen- sive skills as well. Muckalt was the second-leading scorer on last year's team with 64 points, while Herr was third in goal scoring, tallying 29. Muckalt's numbers are even more impressive league-wide, considering he is the leading active point- and goal-scorer in the CCHA. Despite the success of both Muckalt and Herr, there is still a considerable drop-off from the lines of the past to this year's group. Berenson understands this and remains unfazed by the challenge of the upcoming season. "There are a lot of unknowns as far as what our lines are going to be," Berenson said. "I don't even know what our lines are going to be in November, but I know what they are right now. "We may have more changes in our lines this year than we have in the last four years put together - or we may not." The uncertainty felt by Berenson is brought on more by the lack of real-game experience of his young forwards rather than lack of talent. Therefore, in a sort of trial by fire, Berenson is tentatively inserting freshman center Mark Kosick into a line with right wing Muckalt and left wing Greg Crozier. "The biggest concern is that they haven't played a lot together," Berenson said. "It's going to take them some game situations to get See FORWARDS, Page 9C Colgate retooling offense Colgate may be part of the ECAC, but the Red Raiders are facing a theme all too familiar to many teams in the CCHA, including Michigan. Rebuilding. Colgate lost 50 percent of its total scoring from last season, including sec- ond team All-American and Hobey Baker finalist Mike Harder, who left the team as the Raiders' all-time leading scorer. Colgate coach Don Vaughan, tak- ing a page out of the books of nearly every other coach who's ever been in his position, said the uncertainty that surrounds the Raiders this season should be a source of excitement, not tension. "We've lost some marquee names, but it allows some other guys who have been playing in the shadows to finally get their chance," Vaughan said. "As a coach, it's always fun to see who'll step up. Aside from the eight untested fresh- men, there are plenty of returning play- ers willing to increase their contribu- tions and to prevent Colgate from expe- riencing its first losing season in three years. Seniors Rob Mara and Tim Loftsgard are the top two returning scorers for the Raiders. The pair tied for third in scoring on the team last year with 33 points, good enough to share the ] 3th position among all scor- ers in the ECAC. Anchoring the Raiders' defense will be juniors Mark Holdridge and Ryan Faubert. Holdridge played in 29 games last year, while Faubert played in 25. The Raiders will face Michigan in their first two games of the season Oct. 17 and 18. Vaughan said the games should provide Colgate with a strong test. "It is great for our program to face a team that was the national champion in 1996 and a national semifinalist last year," Vaughan said. - Chris Farah I $199.00 Full ROCKPORT 0 4.00 Full OAKBROO V' I WE'VE GOT YOUR LUCKY NUM SO ROLL THE DICE, GUARANTEED I OVER 25 ARM STYLES 5 YEAR WRITTEN \ --y $469.00 with drawers CAROLINA 11 0 $364.00 Full BRIDGEPC ATTACHED "NO SLIP" MATTRESS GI a O ale- 1 ... $399.00 Full VENICE 0 $399.00 Pine NORTHBEN 0 Phone or stop by the Dining Services Office of any hall Bursley ........... 763-1120 East Quad......764-0136 Couzens .............. 747-0904 Law Club ............ 764-1115 Alice Lloyd ......... 764-1183 Betsey Barbour ..... 764-1166 Mosher Jordan ... 763-9946 Markley..........764-1151 South Quad........ 764-0169 Stockwell............ 764-1194 West Quad ......... 764-1111 Snack Bars .........764-1147 IMMEDIATE SEATING HUNDREDS I\ TO PLACE YOUR BETS 6 University Housing, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs, is a non-discriminatory affirmative action employer.