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CAROLINA 2,
N.Y. Islanders 1
Nashville 3,
TAMPA BAY 0
DETROIT 2,
Buffalo 1
N.Y. Rangers 2,
FLORIDA 1
Boston 3,
OTTAWA 0
San Jose 8,
TORONTO 5
OOLORADO 5,
Vancouver 2
Montreal 2,
EDMONTON 0
NBA
BASKETBALL
Minnesota 87,
BOSTON 68
ATLANTA 103,
Indiana 102
CHARLOTTE 110,
Chicago 81
Detroit 84,
NEW JERSEY 71
Ucie Ldjgm t~lg
want my 'MTV
The Michigan hockey team's entire trip to Worcester,
Mass. can be seen on Channel 3 in the dorms, chary
nel 26 off-campus, and channel 12 no matter where in
Ann Arbor you are.
Thursday
March 25, :999
9A
Baseball braves
cold, lights fire
against Western
SMichael Kent
y Sports Writer
KALAMAZOO - Braving freezing temperatures and a
tundra-like field, the Michigan baseball team built a fire under
its hitters that fueled three multiple-run innings for the
Wolverines en route to a 9-5 victory over Western Michigan.
Heading into the eighth inning, the Wolverines (8-10) led 7-
2 and looked to be cruising to an easy victory. But a three run
eighth for Western, thanks to an RBI triple by right-fiekler Kris
Gundrum and a two-run homer by left-fielder John Toner,
brought the Broncos within two going into the final inning.
Wut in the ninth, Michigan scored twice to put the game away
for good.
Michigan preseason All-America candidate Bryan Besco has
struggled so far this season. But the first baseman's RBI double
in the ninth was the key to the two-run inning that helped ensure
victory.
"He's got the potential," Zahn said. "He's got to realize that
you take it one bat at a time and not worry about his not hitting
up until this time because now is when we need him."
All ten of Michigan's hitters managed to reach base at least
once, keying a pair of three-run innings in the first and fifth.
cor different players had multiple hit games for the
verines, led by left-fielder Rob Bobeda who had three sin-
gles, drove in two runs, and scored.
"We're starting to swing the bats better" Zahn said. "It was
good to see Besco swing the bat well, there at the end."
Though Michigan's hitters were unaffected by the cold, the
pitchers were able to use it to their advantage.
"The pitching is at an advantage when it is cold like this
because the hitters don't want to hit' Zahn said. "(The pitchers)
don't get too bothered by the cold. It's more the wind, and it
wasn't too bad out there today."
M tarting pitcher Bryan Cranson turned in his best perfor-
ce of the season, pitching six innings and giving up just two
runs. Cranson struck out and walked two, scattering eight hits.
See BRONCOS, Page 12A
Away from home,
'M' has harder path
Hockey 'U'
NCAA East Regional
By Mark Francescutti
Daily Spouts Writer
Last year at this time, the
Michigan hockey team notched a
No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament
and received the luxury of playing
the We,6t Regional in the warm con-
fines o FYost Ice Arena - something
they won't have this season.
Horne sweet home turned out to be
an undserstatement.
Thamks to what many players call
the bes t crowd ever at Yost, Michigan
fought off Princeton and then North
Dakota in the NCAA Regionals.
That victory gave the Wolverines
the necessary confidence that
enabled them to win their second
chan.apionship in three years.
"Confidence is everything with
these guys," Notre Dame coach Dave
Poullin said.
The crowd at the North Dakota
game in last season's regional was a
menorable one for both fans and
players. In fact, the building was so
loud that the television and radio
an nouncers were nearly shouting to
get their messages through.
"The gift of home ice came at a
tin ie when the team needed to prove
itself in the playoffs. It was coming
off a 1997 season - one of the
ggreatest Michigan regular seasons in
history - in which it had lost a dis-
alppointing NCAA seminfinal game..
The '98 Wolverines hadn't won
Chapter Two?
Here are the differences between last
season's national championship team
and the 1999 Michigan hopefuls.
Records
30-1 24-106
CCHA finish: 2nd 2nd
Regionals site: Yost Ice Worcester,
Arena Mass.
First opponent: Princeton Denver
Neutra-site
record:
Goaltender:
Championships
won:
3-3-1 3-2-0
Senior
Marty
Turco
NCAA
Freshman
Josh
Blackbum
CCHA+?
either the CCHA regular season title
nor the CCHA Tournament and
needed a strong NCAA Tournament
showing.
"If we hadn't won (the NCAA
Championship), and lost in the first
round of the playoffs, it would have
been a disappointing season"
Michigan coach Red Berenson said.
This season, the Wolverines won't
have the luxuries of home, playing
almost 11 hours away in Worcester,
Mass.
Plane tickets to surrounding air-
ports are selling for up to $1,000,
and many Michigan fans have no
choice but to stay home.
Fans also look to save their money
for the possibility of a Frozen Four
trip to Anaheim.
See REGIONALS, Page 11A
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
Unlike last year, Josh Langfeld and the Michigan hockey team won't have a homelce advantage.
NCAA
takes it
easy on
Wiscon sin
MADISON (AP) - The two-year
probation Wisconsin received for
unauthorized spending of booster
cl b money mostly embarrasses the
s ol, a top NCAA investigator
said yesterday.
"The penalties are quite light for a
major violation, said David Swank,
chair of the NCAA's Division I
Committee on Infractions. "The uni-
versity did not properly oversee
what its booster clubs were doing."
The school's teams were spared
penalties concerning postseason
tournaments, television appearances
and scholarship allotments.
#isconsin Chancellor David Ward
said he was "gratified" the NCAA
found most of the questioned expen-
ditures would have been considered
proper had necessary ' written
approvalbeen obtained.
"No competitive advantage was
gained and none of the funds
accrued to the benefit of enrolled or
prospective student athletes," Ward
in a released statement.
Athletic director Pat Richter said a
plan was in place to make sure simi-
lar mistakes don't happen again.
Men look to challenge for titles
By Jason Emeott
Daily Sports Writer
Beginning today, the Michigan men's
swimming and diving team - one of
the most illustrious programs in NCAA
history - will be at looking to chal-
lenge for a national title at the 76th
NCAA championships in Indianapolis.
The Wolverines have won an NCAA-
record II national titles in swimming,
not} including the seven Michigan won
before swimming officially became an
NCAA sanctioned event in 1937.
Though the Wolverines probably
won't be bringing home a 1999 NCAA
championship banner to the newly,
remodeled Canham Natatorium thii
weekend, coach Jon Urbanchek h as
already deemed the season a success..
"If we get eight to ten people to tteo
NCAA meet, the 'Big Dance', the sFra-
son will be a success," Urbanchek said.
Eight Wolverines will be at the
NCAAs in Indianapolis this weekend:
seniors Tom Malchow and Brett
Wilmot, juniors Mike McWha and Josh
Trexler, sophomores Chris Thompson
and Scott Werner, and freshmen Jeff
Hopwood and Tim Siciliano.
Stanford is favored to bring home
another NCAA title, unless upstart
Auburn can knock them off.
But these eight Wolverines have the
potential to make some serious waves -
- especially returning All-Americans
Malchow and Thompson.
Both have legitimate shots to add to
Michigan's 143 individual national
titles. Malchow, the 1996 Olympic sil-
ver-medalist in the 200-meter butterfly,
could very well bring home the NCAA
title in the 200-yard fly this weekend.
Thompson, the NCAA's third-place
finisher in the 500 freestyle in 1998,
holds the nation's fastest times in both
of his events this weekend, the 500 and
1,650 free.
Malchow is seeded third in the 200
fly. Urbanchek said the tall Malchow is
much better in the long-course
Olympic pool than in the collegiate
short-course pool, but he is still a seri-
ous threat to take on anyone in the,
nation.
"He has a definite shot to win it,"
Urbanchek said. "He's not as good in.
short-course, but you never know. I
hope he does it, he deserves to win it."
As for Michigan's youngsters,
Hopwood and Siciliano, the potential isu
there to make a large impact. In fact,
Siciliano is seeded first in the 400 indi-
vidual medley.
____________________________________________M
KELLY MCKINNEU./Daily
Jeff Hopwood has the potential to make some serious waves at the NCAA
Championships, which start today In Indianapolis.
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