- The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 18, 1997 More output needed from all icers to catch CCHA leaders By Fred Link Daily Sports Writer Entering the season, the Michigan hockey team knew that if it were going to be successful, it would need its best players to play like stars. The Wolverines also knew that no matter how well players like Bill Muckalt and Marty Turco might per- form, to compete for the CCHA title the-Wolverines would need contribu- tions from the entire team. Thus far, the Wolverines' stars are playing like stars, but they're still waiting for consistent contributions from the rest of the team. Against Ferris State this weekend, the Wolverines managed to take three points largely because of the efforts ofjust three players -Turco, Muckalt and Bobby Hayes. in the two- games, Muckalt and Hayes scored all six of the Wolverines' goals and accounted for the majority of their scoring chances. Going back to Michigan's two- game set against Northern Michigan, Muckalt and Hayes have scored the Wolverines' last eight goals. Certainly, part of the reason for the Wolverines' lack of balance is the absence of captain Matt Herr, who has not played since injuring his groit in Michigan's season opener. Moreover, on a team with 10 freshmen, it will probably take some time before players settle into their roles. But the freshmen aren't the ones who are struggling to score. In fact, three freshmen - Mark Kosick, Mike Van Ryn and Josh Langfeld - are in the top five on the team in scoring. Instead, it has been upperclassmen who have had the most trouble find- ing their scoring touch. Players like Greg Crozier, Sean Ritchlin and Justin Clark were expected to contribute r offensively. E l e v e n games into the season, howev- er, they have only five goals between them. Defensively, as well, Michigan is not getting the kind of consistent play it needs to be successful. The Wolverines are still giving up far too many excellent scoring chances and expecting Turco to bail them out - and so far he has. In this weekend's series against Ferris, Turco was up to the challenge, stopping all but five of the Bulldogs "We've got a lot of guys who need to contribute.' - Red Berenson Michigan hockey coach 61 shots, including a two-on-none Sunday that would have given Ferris a 4-3 lead. Without such a performance by Turco, the Wolverines could easily have lost both games. While three players may be able to carry Michigan against the likes of Ferris State, if the Wolverines are going to be competitive against the elite teams in the conference like as Michigan State and Miami, they will need contributions from more than just their stars. As Michigan coach Red Berenson commented after Sunday's victory over the Bulldogs, "We've got a lot of guys who need to try to contribute to this team more offensively and defensively." If they don't'get that contribution, it might be a long season for the Wolverines. After all, there's only so much that three players can do. JOHN KRAFT/Daily Freshman Mark Kosick has been one of the few underclassmen contributing offensively for the Wolverines so far this season. Michigan has received poor offensive outputs recently from upperclassmen with the exception of Bill Muckalt and Bobby Hayes. Beyond dynamic duo, Warhurst is able to rely on 'M' harriers' supporting cast By Chris Duprey Daily Sports Writer Everything seems to be falling into place for the Michigan men's cross country team. First, the Wolverines ran the table on their regular-season schedule, winning every invitational on the slate. Then, Michigan seized the' Big Ten title from defending champion Wisconsin. Finally, the Wolverines gave coach Ron Warhurst his first NCAA district championship win in his 24- year career by winning the Great Lakes regional last weekend. And it truly was a team effort. Todd Snyder proclaimed himself healthy Saturday after a month-long bout with illness. Snyder ran sick at Big Tens, earning 11 th place overall despite feeling less than 100 per- cent. At the district championship, Snyder began to realize his potential, turning in a fast time of 31:43, good enough for fourth place overall. Along with Kevin Sullivan and John Mortimer, Snyder has started to run well again. Not only has he solidified himself once again as Michigan's third man, he has become an individual force. Snyder is used to success, after earning All-State honors at Ann Arbor Pioneer. With the NCAA championships next Monday, Warhurst has begun to taper the team's training, cutting mileage to ensure fresh legs for the Wolverines' most important race of the year. Michigan did a few speed workouts in between Big Tens and districts, to prevent staleness. Although Sullivan and Mortimer have turned heads with their performances this year, they do have a qualified sup- porting cast. With Don McLaughlin's probable return to the lineup, the Wolverines' depth will be intact once again. Michigan has six runners capable of finishing within 30 seconds of each other, and they only need five to score. Steve Lawrence's consistent performances often go unno- ticed, but Saturday, his finish of 31:56 played a key role in helping the Wolverines lock up the district title. Lawrence has been the stabilizing factor for Michigan, turning in quality efforts in each meet. He is a key factor in the three-man pack that keeps most teams at bay. It has been a quiet season for Jay Cantin, but that's not to say it hasn't been successful. Cantin completed Saturday's race in 32:00, earning him eighth place overall. His finish closed out a spectacular 30-second pack time for the Wolverines. Such a pack time is a high benchmark to shoot for in 8,000- meter races, but Michigan was able to hold its five that close together for the extended 10,000-meter race. The feat was even more impressive due to the presence of star runners such as Mortimer and Sullivan, who stretch out the pack time with their superior efforts. For the Wolverines, depth will be key if they are to unseat NCAA favorites Stanford and Arkansas on Monday. "Our goal is to finish third or fourth," Snyder said. MCLAUGHLIN AILING: McLaughlin pulled out of Saturday's NCAA Great Lakes regional race with a pulled calf muscle. McLaughlin, one of the Wolverines'top five runners, ran most of the way in visible pain before stopping. It's the first injury any Wolverine has suffered this season. "It's not a torn muscle, I just pulled it," McLaughlin said. "I'll take a day off and I should be ready to go again soon." The NCAA championships are scheduled for Nov. 24, and A fast past Results from Michigan men's cross country's past five postseasons. 1993: Big Ten championships - 1st NCAA districts - 3rd NCAA championships - 10th 1994: Big Ten championships - 2nd NCAA districts - 2nd NCAA championships - 7th 1995: Big Ten championships - 2nd NCAA districts - 4th NCAA championships - 11th 1996: Big Ten championships - 2nd NCAA districts - 3rd NCAA championships - 14th 1997: Big Ten championships - 1st NCAA districts - 1st NCAA championships - ? JOHN KRAFT/Daily John Mortimer, who finished second to teammate Kevin Sullivan at last weekend's NCAA regional, will be able to count on his teammates at the NCAA championships. McLaughlin plans for the race. Verbal battle continues 'few ti ."t P.4 i WAR Continued from Page 9 won't necessarily mean roses for Ohio State, however. The Buckeyes need to win and hope that Penn State loses one of its final two games - against Wisconsin and at Michigan State - in order to a avoid a three-way tie for first place in the Big Ten. In the latter sce- nario, Michigan advances to Pasadena by virtue of the Big Ten's final tiebreak- er - the team whose Rose Bowl absence is longest. But as in any season, the Wolverines do not want another team to determine their postseason destination. And they most certainly do not want to share their first Big Ten title in five years. "This is a real shot for us to get our dream that we have worked hard for all season long," tailback Chris Howard said. "There have been a lot of scenarios on getting to the Rose Bowl. What we are worried about is winning the Big Ten championship outright." on returning to the lineup at full strength Women's Basketball Poll The Associated Press Top 25 women basketball polt, with last season's records, First-place votes are in parentheses. Team Rec, Pt s. Prev, . Tennessee (35) 29-19 994 10 2. Louisiana Tech (5) 31.4 950 5 3. Old Dominion (2) 34-2 881 2 4. Stanford (1) 34-2 857 3 5. North Carolina 29-3 844 4 6. Connecticut 33-1 774 1 7. Illinois 24-8 747 16 8. Texas Tech 20-9 707 17 9. Florida 24-9 700 7 10. Vanderbilt 20-11 581 20 11. Alabama 25-7 580 8 12.Iowa 1842 508 13. Virginia 23-8 439 12 14, Georgia 25-6 407 5 15. Arizona 368 - 16. WesternKentucky 22-9 320 25 17. Stephen F. Austin 28-5 289 19 18. Colorado 23-9 263 18 19. Duke 19-11 258 - 20. Auburn 22-10 221 13 21. Tulane 27-5 175 23 22. George Washington 28-6 174 22 23. Texas 22-8 121 14 24. Kansas 24.6 118 11 25,Louisiana State 25-5 78 9 (tie) Wisconsin 1-11 78 - Others Receivng Votes Nebraska 69, Arkansas 57, Marquette 48, Notre Dame 45, UCLA 43, North Carolina State 32, Oregon 32, Maryland 31, Purdue 26, Colorado State 25, Washington 23, Drake 22, Northwestern 22, Clemson 21, Michigan 12, Iowa State 11, Louisville 11, Memphis 6, Michigan State 5, Montana 5. Southwest Missouri State 5, Depaul 4, Indiana 4, Pena State 3, San Francisco 2, Toledo 2. Eastern Kentucky 1, Maine 1. LONDON CLINICAL INTERNSHIPS May 25 -July 17 HONG KONG TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS Men's Basketball Poll The Associated Press Top 25 ren.s basketball pol, with records through Nov. 16. First-place votes are in parentheses. Team Rec. Pt s. Prey. 1, Arizona (30) 0-0 1,685 1 2. Kansas (28) 1-0 1,69 2 3. Duke (7) 1-0 1,592 3 4, N'orth Carolina (5) 1-0 1,558 4 . Clemson 10 1,352 5 6. South Carolina 10 1,284 7 7. UCLA 0-0 1,282 6 8. Purdue 1.0 1,259 9 9. Kentucky 0-0 1,248 8 10. Xaver (Ohio) 010 1,050 10 11. New Mexico 1-0 1,046 11 12. Connecticut 10 881 12 13, Fresno State 0.0 783 13 1.Iowa s 2-0 741 15 15. Stanford 0-0 702 14. 16 Utah 1-0 643 16 17. UNC-Charlotte 0-0 560 18 18. Temple 2-0 539 24 19. Oklahoma 1-0 437 20 20. Rhode Island 0-0 313 21 21. Mississippi 0-0 305 23 22. Louisville 0-0 230 25 23. Indiana 0-1 174 17 24. Ilinois State 1-0 158 - 25. Georgia 1-1 135 19 Others Receivng Votes Cincinnati 121, Mar yland 96, Princeton 92, Minnesota 91, St. John's 79, Flonida State 77, Arkansas 63, Syracuse 55, UNLV 48, St: Joseph's 46, Wake Forest 46, Michigan 39, TCU26, Massachusetts 24, George Washington 22, Eastern Michigan 19, Mississippi State 19, Hawaii 15, Illinois 15, Iowa State 15 Long island-Brooklyn 15, Texas 13, Georgetown 12. North Carolina State 12, New Mexico State 10, Pacific 9, Tennessee 9. West Virginia 9, Marquette 6, Cafornia 4, Washington 4. 9 Il May 30 -July 12 FOUR DAYS UNTIL FOOTBALL SATURDAY RETURNS. OH, AND THERE'S ALSO A GAME THAT DAY. ZIMBABWE CLINICAL INTERNSHIPS DYNAMIC INFORMA TION SYSTEMS CONSULTANTS Looking for training with the latest in computers? Come check us out. We offer specialized training in the following areas: 10 Time 14 - I lv 31 LEVEL I: DURATION -12 WEEKS (Requires no jprior yrogrammring backgrounld ? >. 11