Scoreboard-
ajor League NHL
eball Colorado 3
Boston 12, BOSTON 3
CLEVELAND 8 New Jersey 2
BosToN WINS SEREs, 3-2 OTTAWA 2
Carolina 3
NFL CALGARY 3
Jacksonvil e 16, San Jose 3.
NY JETS 6 ANAHEIM 3
lBlackbur
By Uma Subramanian
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan goalie Josh Blackburn
suffered torn ligaments between the
first and second toes on his left foot
Saturday night, an injury which is
pected to keep the starter out until
id-January.
Three students saw Blackburn fall
at a party that night. One student saw
a limping Blackburn being helped by
two companions and driven away a
few minutes later.
But Blackburn said that the injury,
a Lisfrancs sprain, was sustained
later that evening after he returned
home.
"I got home from the party and
cided I needed a refrigerator in my
room," Blackburn said. "I went in the
garage where we have extra mini
refrigerators.
"On my way back to the house I
tripped on a buckeye nut and fell
backward. After that my foot just
killed."
. E
Stickerst- fins
kelp all aro
By Michael Kern
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's field hockey te
find other ways to put the ball in the net las
and Northwestern shut out leading scorers
Kelli Gannon.
Reid's personal-best six-game scoring st
She was held pointless just one other time t
Senior co-captains Ashley Reichenbach
eked up the slack for the Wolverines, both
ty strokes.
Reichenbach, who had not scored for the
this season, netted the game winner again
and third-ranked Iowa. The goal was her thi
"Reichenbach is our stroker, so when we
she is the one who steps up to take it," Mich
Pankratz said. "She has really worked on it
four years here and is the best on our team.
pressure to come in a big game like that, so t
On Sunday, Pankratz knew that the North
n Reichenbach take a stroke against low
okers to keep the Wildcats guessing. Wi
for the Wolverines but was still surprised to b
tunity at such a critical moment in the gam(
"Usually it is Ashley (taking the stroke),
prised," Widder said, "but I was excited and
the team."
BACK IN THE SADDLE: Michigan assista
Fuchs and Peggy Storrar returned to the W
this weekend after spending the past few v
They were "down under" with the United St
the Olympic test event, held at the 2000
The Americans finished second at the ev
current world champion Australia, China an
"We tied Australia in the round robin, but
finals," Fuchs said. "It was great preparati
Olympics)."
Besides providing the Wolverines with in
ence, Fuchs and Storrar brought some new d
back to Ann Arbor.
Pankratz was happy to have her two assi
bench with her to talk strategy during the ga
"I like to bounce ideas off of them and ge
*y think we should be doing," Pankratz sai
have another set of eyes out there to watch
off the ball."
Golfers lea(
By Sam Duwe
and Benjamin Singer
for the Daily
*With a new lineup and renewed vigor, th
men's golf team isn't looking for a top 1
Cincinnati. The Wolverines aren't just looki
in the top three. Michigan coach Jim Carra
championship, a goal he believes his team c
"We have a solid team, a team that is capa
ning," Carras said over the weekend. "Th
-nh+a Thevwill Po with the same exnecta
Phoenix 2
BUFFALO 2
NY Rangers 4
NY ISLANDERS 2
Nashville 4
TORONTO 2
Z1e £ctiian &iI
SPORTS
Tracking 'M' teams
Read about the Michigan volleyball team's shot at
school redemption when the spikers travel to East
Lansing on Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. match
against the rival Spartans.
Tuesday
October 12, 1999
il1
n out at least three months after freak injury
Blackburn's injury will require
surgery next week.
Michigan coach Red Berenson
said the mishap will be a test for
Michigan's two other goalies, sopho-
more Kevin O'Malley and freshman
L.J. Scarpace.
"I fell really bad for the kid,"
Berenson said. "And it will be a real
adjustment. It will be a huge chal-
lenge for our team."
The injury came on the heels of
Blackburn's impressive perfor-
mances against Notre Dame in which
he held the Irish scoreless for 53:04.
Berenson said that both replace-
ment goalies will be evaluated in the
next few days.
The starting goalie for Friday's
game against Massachusetts-Lowell
will be announced Thursday.
Depending on how that goalie fares,
the starter for the rest of the season is
subject to change.
O'Malley is confident that he can
handle the starting goalie job.
"It's awful for Josh and, being
close to him, it's tough," O'Malley
said. "But I'm not at all worried. I'm
capable of playing. It makes a good
opportunity for me out of a terrible
situation. I know I can play.
"It doesn't make any difference
whether I go in in the third period
like I did against Notre Dame or in
the first period. Eight times last year
I went in in the third period. It just
means that I'm starting the game a
little earlier this time. I'm excited
and ready to go."
Michigan captain Sean Peach, who
has played in front of Blackburn and
Marty Turco, college hockey's all-
time career victory leader, isn't over-
ly concerned either.
"It's a little adversity faced by our
team," Peach said. "All teams go
through this. We have to stick togeth-
er. It's a time when guys can step it
up. Guys stepped it up last weekend
when I was down (with a groin
injury), and now the team will come
together even more.
"I've got the utmost confidence in
both O'Malley and Scarpace,
they're both great goalies in their
own right. You could sit here and
cry about (Blackburn's injury), but
there's no use in doing that. You've
got to move on. They're both great
goalies."
Blackburn's injury comes at the
tail end of a string of bad luck for the
Wolverines.
In the offseason, Michigan lost
three defensemen to the pros, anoth-
er school and academic problems. In
a pair of exhibition contests, Peach
and freshman forward Mike
Camalleri both suffered injuries, but
both will play this weekend.
Blackburn's absence will undoubt-
edly put more presusre on Michigan's
already-shorthanded defense.
In the future. Michigan may also
be forced to rely on its forwards to
get behind the blue line in pressure
situations.
i. '
DANA UNNANE/ Daily
Starting goalie Josh Blackburn won't see action on the ice for three months.
Michigan eyes share of Big Ten title
Ililli~milEIRIEMMM~ie~a%2REEM~mBy Dan Williamrouss
The Michigan
field hockey team
has spread the
wealth around
recently, behind
scoring surges
from senior co-
captains Ashley
Reichenbach and
Erica Widder
MARJORIE MARSHALL/ Daily
und
eam was forced to
t weekend, as Iowa
Courtney Reid and
reak was snapped.
his season.
and Erica Widder
h scoring on penal-
Wolverines before
st then-undefeated
ird of the season.
get a stroke called,
igan coach Marcia
very hArd over her
It's an awful lot of
hat was a big one."
western coach had
'a, so she switched
dder tied the game
be given the oppor-
e.
so I was really sur-
happy to help out
nt coaches Tracey
Volverines' sideline
weeks in Australia.
Mates national team
Olympic venue.
ent, which featured
nd Spain.
they beat us in the
Jon for us (for the
ternational experi-
drills and strategies
stants back on the
ame.
t feedback on what
id. "It also helps to
what is happening
By ClaraWilliams
Daily Sports Writer
After narrowly escaping
Northwestern, the Michigan soccer
team is nearing a conference cham-
pionship. Michigan just needs wins
against Wisconsin and Minnesota
this weekend to secure a share of
the Big Ten title,
The Wolverines (7-0-1 Big Ten,
10-3-1 overall) have just five regu-
lar-season games remaining.
Given the positive results so far,
thoughts of titles and post-season
success in the coming weeks are
inevitable.
The 3-2 win over a Northwestern
team with a deceptively poor record
reminded the Wolverines that they
can't get ahead of themselves.
"We're not worried about a let-
down," senior Emily Schmitt said.
"We're just worried because these
are good teams we still have to
play."
While games against Wisconsin
and Minnesota will decide
Michigan's fate in the Big Ten, they
won't mark the end of the team's
season. A home game against
Valparaiso and games against
Kentucky and Alabama, both in
Lexington, still remain on
Michigan's schedule.
These games will have strong
implications on who Michigan plays
in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolverines have all but sewn
up a spot in the NCAA field, but
finishing the regular season unde-
feated in the Big Ten would help
their chances of making more than
just a brief appearance in the tour-
nament.
A high seed might keep the
Wolverines away from the toughest
competition until deeper into the
tournament. Higher seeds also get
home games in the opening rounds
of the NCAAs.
"We've had to play some tough
opponents in the early rounds in the
past," Schmitt said. "t would be
nice to have some home games."
Despite the fact that Michigan
has already played many of its high-
est-ranked opponents, the last five
regular season games are as impor-
tant as any.
The team is doing its best to
maintain intensity in practice.
"We have good consistency- at
practice everyday," Schmidt said.
"If you let down, someone else
might take your spot."
"f you let down,
someone else might
take your (NCAA
Tournament) spot."
- Emily Schmitt
senior midfielder
LIONS STAY UNBEATEN IN BIG
TEN: While Michigan control's its
own destiny in the Big Ten, No. 5
Penn State (6-0-1, 10-2-1) is also
guaranteed a share of the Big Ten
title if it wins its final three games.
Last weekend, the Nittany Lions
beat Iowa, 3-2, and Illinois, 4-1, to
remain just a half game behind
Michigan in the Big Ten race. The
Nittany Lions have games against
Ohio State, Northwestern.and
Michigan State remaining.
The Wolverines and Lions met in
one of the first games of the Big Ten
season in a tough-fought, scoreless
tie that foreshadowed the two
teams' domination of the confer-
ence.
Penn State and Michigan seem to
match each other star for star.
Michigan's freshman forward Abby
Crumpton has dominated defenses
on her way to scoring six goals for
the Wolverines.
Penn State counters with its own
super frosh, Christie Welsh. Welsh
has scored 13 goals for the Nittany
Lions.
Michigan goalie Carissa Stewart
has held all but one of opposing Big
Ten teams to less than two goals.
She became Michigan's career
leader in wins against the Wildcats.
Her main competition for all-Big
Ten honors is Penn State's netmin-
der, sophomore Em-ily Eleksiuk,
who has allowed just 10 goals all
season.
With no other Big Ten team with-
in two games of Michigan or Penn
State in the standings, it's hard for
the two teams not to keep an eye on
each others' results.
"I try not to watch Penn State, but
I definitely do," Schmitt said.
And with the two teams ripping
through conference opponents, a
titanic rematch in the final of the
Big Ten tournament looms on the
horizon.
"Both teams would like to meet
again," Schmitt said. "A 0-0 tie isn't
that satisfying."
MARJORIE MAiRSALL/uaily
Freshman defender Andrea Kayal gives the ball a mighty thump. The Wolverines and Nittany Lions have
been thumping through the Big Ten at an equal pace, and may share the conference crown.
d pack after a day
will count. The course is rated a par 71.
Qualifying rounds, which were held last week, dictat-
ed new top-five roster for the tournament. Constants
e Michigan Michael Harris and Andy Matthews were joined by
0 finish in Scott Hayes, Mike Affeldt and Andy Chapman.
ng to shoot Carras is confident in his new lineup. "If the kids all
s wants the play with the ability I know they can, there is no reason
an achieve. why we can't win. We used to have goals of making the
able of win- top 10, but this year we're aiming for number one.
e guys are We're strong enough to take on anybody."
tinns that I Sonhomore Andv Matthews. who shoots in the No. 2
Harriers run together
By Jon Schwartz
For the Daily
Whomever the opponent, a victory is
still a victory.
While the country's toughest teams
were absent at Saturday's Murray
Keatinge Invitational, an annual event
held in Orono, Maine, the first-place fin-
ish posted by the men's cross country
team was still valuable.
Knowing that winning would be an
Lawrence said. "I think that everyone
seemed to run pretty well."
But the Wolverines made possibly
their best team effort of the season.
Cantin, Lawrence and junior Mike
Wisniewski finished first, second and
third, respectively, with only 64-hun-
dredths of a second between them. For
the last half-mile, they ran alongside
each other, with Wisniewski finishing
just over four seconds before the fourth-
. .