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- . .