Thursday, October 4, 1999 - The Michigan Daily - 11A Hockey opens in Irish country tonight By Uma Subramanian Daily Sports Writer Notre Dame hockey coach Dave Poulin played in 724 NHL games and three Stanley Cup Finals before he over the head coaching position at his alma matter. Michigan coach Red Berenson played 17 years in the NHL, scored six goals in a game and left an indelible mark on the league en *oute to taking over the reins of his alma mater's program. Both Poulin and Berenson returned to their respective schools to rejuvenate programs that had previously been floundering. Both succeeded. While Michigan went through its transfor- mation in the mid-to-late 1980s, Notre Dame has become a national contender and a force to be dealt with in the CCHA in the last four sea- sons. The resurgence of the Fighting Irish has cre- Sted a rivalry between the two schools that runs deep. When the puck drops at the Joyce Center, tonight at 8 p.m. in the season opener for both teams, the players will be ready. "We've been waiting for this weekend for a while," Michigan center Mike Comrie said. "It's our first regular season game. Notre Dame's a great team, Dave Poulin's a great coach. We have to respect them, but we can't ear them." But the eerie similarities between the two teams don't end with the coaching staff. Last year, the Irish lost several key defensernen early in the season - including Mark Eaton, who is currently playing for the Philadelphia Flyers. This year, it was the Wolverines who lost three defensemen in the off-season. Perhaps more significant, the team also lost captain Sean Peach for this weekend's trip to South Bend. Peach pulled his groin in last Friday's Blue- White game and should skate in practice today but will not accompany the team when they leave later that day. Last season, the Irish had a veteran goalie in net, whereas Michigan's Josh Blackburn was untested. This year, Blackburn is the veteran whereas Notre Dame sophomore Jeremiah Kimento has a big question mark next to his name. To add fuel to the fire, both teams even played the same preseason Canadian opponent, Wilfrid Laurier, in highly offensive contests. After losing to both Notre Dame and Michigan in consecutive nights, Wilfrid Laurier coach Tony Martindale said that the two teams had a lot in common. Poulin agreed. "We recruit the same types of players," Poulin said. "We like to play hockey. As teams we're both aggressive and can skate well. The focus for both teams has been each other. (The series) will be a good early test." Undoubtedly the two teams are well- matched, as evidenced by their 1-1-1 record last season. But due to CCHA scheduling changes this season, this will be the only time the teams will face this season. The teams should match up fairly well. Notre Dame returns a strong defensive core featuring five seniors. That defense will be a good chal- lenge for the talented Michigan offense led by Comrie - last year's leading point scorer. "It'll be a tough game," Berenson said. "They're a big, tough team, returning a physi- cal defense. It's going to be physical, we must play with a lot of focus and discipline and be ready to pay the price. "We've got to take checks, get hit, and yet still stay in the game and not be intimidated. This league is a tough league. Notre Dame is ready for us; hopefully we'll be ready for them." Between the pipes, Kimento will be eagerly awaiting the Wolverines. "He's very excited to play in this game," Poulin said. "It will be great for him to see a Top 10 team this early." The game may be great experience for Kimento, but it will also be a challenge for the Wolverines to face an untested goalie. "The one thing about a new goalie, is nobody knows much about him," Berenson said. "Typically new goalies play really well. They have a lot to prove and in this league there have been some very good new goalies. "The only way he will be a big factor is if we get to him and we pour it on offensively." The Michigan defensive could dictate the pace of the game and will be continuously pres- sured by the Irish, especially senior Ben Simon. "We'll have to pay attention to him" Berenson said. "We'll try to keep certain play- ers like (Dave) Huntzicker or (Jeff) Jillson on the ice with him. We'll try to put our best defensemen on the ice" Without Peach, each defenseman will see a lot of ice time. The key for the Wolverines will be to ensure that the defense isn't worn out down the stretch. Berenson said from time to time a forward may play some defense. More than anything else, the weekend could set the tone for the year. In years past the difference between first place and sixth place in the conference has only been a few points. With a pair of victories tonight and Friday, the Wolverines could be on their way to the first place finish the CCHA coaches predicted. DANNY KAUcK/Daily The Wolverines open their CCHA season early against conference foe Notre Dame. Both teams defeated Wilfred Laurier last weekend, but one will see its win streak come to an end tonight. A PLAYER TO RESTRAIN BY DENA KRISCHER * DAILY SPORTS WRITER ore's a reason why junior middle blocker Joanna Fielder traveled over 3,000 miles from her sunny Costa Mesa, Calif. home to go to school where the winter temperatures are sub- zero. It's because she's simply that good. "It was between here and Pepperdine," Fielder said. "I chose to go here because I like the size of the school and because of the huge athletic tradi- tion. " Besides, a little snow never hurt any- body. And her decision to come here is only hurting the rest of the Big Ten. Right now, Fielder is one of the main reasons why Michigan's volleyball team is having such a successful season. She's one of the main reasons the Wolverines can hope to make it to the fina four of the NCAA tournament in Hawaii. It's because she's simply that good. "Joanna has definitely stepped up for the team," Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. "She's doing a great job, especially with a big adjustment." Michigan's award-winning volleyball star has taken on a new role this season to not only broaden her versitility as a player, but to help the team become a threat to the Big Ten. Rather than dominating the net, as she did last year, Fielder has moved to the back row, focusing more on passing and defense, something she hadn't done up front. With a little extra practice, she's made the new responsibility work for both herself and the team. "I'm adjusting pretty well," said Fielder, this year's Carolina Classic MVP "I just had to refine my skills and make them more consistent, and that's my main goal." Last season, Fielder lead the Wolverines with 78 block assists and a .300 hitting average, which ranks 12th in' the Big Ten. So far this season, her numbers have not been as impressive, but that's not because she's lost her step. It's because she's simply that good. Fielder's block assists and hitting average opened the eyes of Big Ten coaches, giving them a reason to worry - a player to restrain. "When the other schools scout us;' Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. "They look at her and they say, 'How are we going to stop her?"' They know she's out there - while standing at six-foot, two-inches, it's hard not to take notice -and they're going to do whatever they can to stop her, includ- ing double teams. And it's frustrating for Fielder. "I've been struggling with it," Fielder said. "I've been having two blockers up on me at once and my confidence hasn't been as high in my attack." Even though she is currently holding an average of only .13 attacks per game - while at this point last season, she was averaging .33 per game - her other numbers are remaining strong. Through 13 matches, Fielder is aver- aging 3.32 kills per game, second best for Michigan behind sophomore outside hitter Nicole Kacor. Coming off a big win against Notre Dame on Tuesday, which ended its three- game losing streak and improving its overall record to 9-4, Michigan is finally getting back into winning, and preparing for the upcoming weekend. "We're really excited," Fielder said. "Right before the fourth game (against Notre Dame), Nicole Kacor said we have to step up our game to give us a good outlook for this weekend. We stayed with them, and it wasn't easy, but we finished the game. The win helped us. a lot." Michigan hopes to turn things around. The losing streak was a major set-back, but it's over with. "Before (Tuesday's) match, we talked about a tu-rning point in the season," Fielder said. "It just happens, and we don't know why. We talked about how we need to have fun out there:If we did- n't want to be doing this, we wouldn't. We just pushed (the streak) aside, went out there, and played as a team again.' JEREMY MENCHIK/Daily Middle blocker Joanna Fielder has taken on a new roll. Instead of dominating at the net, she now intimidates the opponents in her new defensive roll.