Senior forwards lead Badgers TRIAL BY ICE osh Langfeld and Mike Van Ryn prepare to lead Michigan's freshman class into a su( BY CHRIS FARAH - DAILY SPORTS WRITER It's been two years since Wisconsin has participated in NCAA post-sea- son play, and the Badgers are pre- pared to make a return. Leading the Wisconsin resurgence will be its offensive stars, as the Badgers return nine of their top 10 scorers form last season. A group of five seniors will spear- head Wisconsin's offensive efforts, considering they accounted for more than 40 percent of Wisconsin's scor- ing last year. Included in this group are centers Brad Englehart and Joe Bianchi, who ranked No. 1 and 2 respectively in scoring in 1996-97. In addition to its vaunted senior class, Wisconsin also boasts a strong group of sophomores that had solid freshman years. Most impressive of that group is forward Dustin Kuk, who finished fifth among WCHA rookies with 22 points. From the blue line, Wisconsin is counting on the full recovery of red- shirt freshmen Alex Brooks and Jeff Dessner, who both missed last season See BADGERS, Page 20C I .1 LEADERSHIP & FLIGHT TRAINING for STUDENTS I FILE PHOTO Michigan Tech will have to beat Michigan State in the first round of the Great Lakes Invitational if it wants a shot at the tournament title. Wolverines look for th straight GLI title f a picture means a thousand words, then the cover of the 1997- 98 Michigan hockey media guide says it all. The most dominating shot on the page isn't of Michigan's freshmen or of Michigan's seniors. It isn't even of the 1997-98 Michigan hockey team. No, centered on the cover, taking up the most space, is a glorious color photo of the 1996-97 Michigan hockey team, celebrating after winning its ninth-straight Great Lakes Invitational title. The focal picture doesn't represent the present or even the future of the Michigan hockey program. It repre- sents its past. A past of formidable success - a past that Michigan's future, embodied by this year's 10- man freshman class, will have to strive to eclipse. Two freshmen who will feel a hefty share of this challenging burden are Josh Langfeld and Mike Van Ryn. The pair of Wolverines represent Michigan's future on both ends of the ice - Langfeld on the offensive end and Van Ryn on the defensive. Do they feel pressure? Considering they're coming on the heels of one of the most successful eras and classes in Michigan hockey history, the ques- tion isn't one of pressure, but how much pressure. "Of course, there's going to be a lot of pressure, with the winning pro- gram they've had" Van Ryn said. "A lot of big names have come out of the program. We're going to try hard this year to keep the tradition of such a winning program in the past. "It's going to be tough, they had so many stars -- every senior that grad- uated was so skilled. But there's 10 of "1 thinky they're going to be a real good class in their own right." - Red Berenson Michigan hockey coach, on the freshman class us freshmen, so we'll all help each other along the way." Of the 10, there's a good chance that Langfeld and Van Ryn will do more of the helping and less of the getting helped. Langfeld, who can play left or right wing, probably has more experience than any of his classmates. Langfeld graduated in 1995 from Coon Rapids High School in Minnesota. After graduating, he spent two years playing on junior hockey teams - most recently for the Lincoln Stars of the U.S. Hockey League, for whom he racked up an impressive 35 goals and 52 points in 38 games last year. But what stands out about Langfeld is not his stats, but Langfeld himself. Put simply, at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Langfeld is a big man. And he takes advantage of his size as much as pos- sible. Langfeld starred in two other sports aside from hockey in high school - baseball and football. The reason he chose to concentrate on hockey? Football and baseball aren't physical enough. Saying the Wolverines have been successful in the Great Lakes Invitational would be a minor under- statement. Michigan has dominated the GLI, winning the title the past nine years. If the Wolverines are to win a 10th consecutive title, they'll have to get past St. Lawrence in the first round and the winner of the Michigan Tech-Michigan State game in the final. Against St. Lawrence, Michigan will have to contain Saints captain Paul DiFrancesco, a senior center who is being touted as a Hobey Baker candi- date. Last season, DiFrancesco led the Saints in scoring with 49 points and garnered second-team All-ECAC hon- ors. Joining DiFrancesco up front will be senior wingers Derek McLaughlin and Mark McGrath, each of whom scored 25 points last year. On defense, St. Lawrence returns four experienced players, including junior JohnsPoapst, who led the team in defensive scoring last year with 18 points. In goal, the Saints' will rely primari- ly on senior netminder Clint Owen, who finished last year with a 3.73 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage. In the second round, the Wolverines will face either Michigan State or Michigan Tech. Michigan Tech is hoping to improve on last year's disappointing 8-27-4 record. Up front, the Huskies feature senior forward Andre Savage, who led team with 18 goals and 38 points last season. Senior center Riley Nelson will also be looked to for offense. In the net, Michigan Tech will need improved play from David Weninger, who was only 1-13 last year with a 4.14 goals-against average. On defense, the Huskies will be looking for major contributions from freshmen Mat Snesrud and Clint Way. Michigan and Michigan State have met in the GLI final in three of the past four years. Should the Spartans and Wolverines face each other in the second round again this season, it will be the second of four meetings between the two teams this season. --Fred Link "I'm a different person (on the ice)," Langfeld said. "The game just pumps me up - being able to hit peo- ple and not get penalized. "That's a big part of my game - just being big, strong, sitting in front of the net and scoring goals. I can score a lot of goals, I did the past two years, and I'm hoping that'll contin- ue." Michigan coach Red Berenson said that Langfeld's size and scoring abili- ty will eventually make him a stand- out, not only at Michigan, but in all college hockey. "I think he's going to be an impact freshman," Berenson said. "Maybe not the first week or the first month, but I think he's a player that is going to show us he can score. He's big and he's strong, and I think he'll be a suc- cessful player in this program and this league.' Berenson was equally happy to get Van Ryn to Ann Arbor - although landing the star recruit wasn't stress- free for the Michigan coaching staff. "Mike's been a highly touted player the past couple of years," Berenson said. "He's received a lot of pressure and really made a strong commitment to come to college when everyone was telling him he should play major- junior. "I'm so glad he's finally here. We've been watching him and waiting for him - he made a commitment nearly two years ago." A quick scan of Van Ryn's accom- plishments makes it obvious why he faced so much extra-collegiate temp- tation. Van Ryn, a native of London, Ontario, played with the London Nationals of the Western Junior B League last year, where he earned the league's Defensive Most Valuable Player, leading the league in points by a defenseman with 15-30-45. He was also a member of Team Canada's 1996 gold medal-winning Under-18 Team, on which he served as team captain. Although he has a lot of adjusting to do at the collegiate level - includ- ing focusing less on the offensive aspect of his game and playing with- out the red line featured in his old league - Van Ryn said his experi- ences with the Canadian national team would help him adapt more quickly. "It was a good experience, not only because the players are so skilled, but also the mental prepara- tion," Van Ryn said. "Like focusing for the game, looking over what the other team does - they go over a lot of game tapes. That'll help me out with the natural preparation that comes in and all the ups and downs you go through. "Being a young team, everything's not going to be on the high side, you're going to run into some low times too, so that should also help." Although the college game may test Van Ryn, Berenson said his skills put Van Ryn at a level above his natural youth. "His skating and puck-carrying is very strong," Berenson said. "He makes good plays and shoots the puck really well, and he's a pretty strong kid for a freshman. He's strong on his feet and plays a strong game, even though he's still young. As freshmen, Langfeld and Van Ryn have to adjust, not only to a new style of hockey, but to a whole new lifestyle. The two are taking full loads in the Division of Kinesiology, although both plan to transfer to LSA. Langfeld, appropriately enough, wants to have a career in I a w e n fore e - ment - but not just because he likes to push people around. lived with a host family while playing juniors last year, allowing him to get some first-hand experience with law enforcement - on the right side, not the wrong side. "The guy I lived with last year was an FBI agent, and that's pretty cool stuff; I liked it," Langfeld said. "He did everything. He made the biggest drug bust in Nebraska history, plus he did stakeouts. He's got a lot of con- nections, so he could hook me up pretty good." Langfeld is finding that hockey and school leave time to do little else. "You get up, and you're kind of dragging in the morning," Langfeld said. "And then you go to class and eat and go to practice for four hours, come home and you have to go to study table. "I really feel that people that don't have any extracurricular activities have a lot of time on their hands." After living with host families away from home the past two years, Langfeld is used to being indepen- dent, even though his family is much further away now than it was before. Van Ryn, on the other hand, is find- ing that he doesn't always have the discipline to follow Mom's advice. "It's different, that's for sure," Van Ryn said. "I'm on my own now, no one to look after you and cook meals for you. You gotta take care of your- self, make sure you eat the right stuff at the right times. I'm getting to bed a little late, I should be getting to bed a little earlier." -PAID SUMMER INTERNSHIPS WITH NO OBLIGATION- -SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDING AVIATION AND LAW- WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF.. > YOU WERE GUARANTEED THE CHANCE TO FLY MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR AIRCRAFT? v YOU WERE PAID $30,000 PER YEAR WHILE YOU LEARNED AND $50K WITHIN 4 YEARS? m YOU WERE GUARANTEED THESE THINGS WITH ONLY COMMITMENT BEING SUMMER TRAINING AT Marine Corps Officer Candidate School? THIS OPPORTUNITY DOES EXIST!! p be but an the ed rini me R) an dii an mo "Li gil he an fo< on ant co R) M an mu M ab bu fre in co su net wh so REQUIREMENTS FOR AVIATION GUARANTEE: Freshman thri Graduate - Male or Female Plan to graduate from college before age 27-1/2 20/30 or better uncorrected vision Pass our aviation selection test and physical U.S. Citizen REQUIREMENTS FOR NON-AVIATION Freshman thru Graduate - Male or Female Graduate prior to age 30 Pass medical screening U.S. Citizen SOUND INTERESTING?? Call your local Marine Corps Officer Selection Officer, Captain Minor OR Captain Anderson 1-800-892-7318 or EMAIL sdminor@aol.com MALLORY S.E. FLOYD/Daily Josh Langfeld (top right photo) and Mike Van Ryn (white jersey, above) will be two of the major contributing freshmen for the-Wolverines this year.