12B The Michigan Daily - F W '99 -Thursday, Octbe 4 ,.' Exam schedule The Michigan aily - Faceoff '99- If you take 12th Avenue past Cornwall Street and Victoria Park, youll see it. The large square build- ing rises out of the landscape much the way all of Regina, Saskatchewan fits oddly against its prairie background. Its tough to imagine now, but in many respects the foundations of a legendary Michigan hockey legacy were planted here at the Regina Public Library 40 years ago. It may be a bit simplistic, but arguably this was the point where Michigan first beckoned to a young hockey phenom. And the self-described prairie kid has been answering that call for four decades. First guiding the Wolverines to national prominence as a player while resisting the lure of a professional career, then catapulting the Michigan hockey program into the national spot- light as a coach, western Canada native Red Berenson has become a Michigan icon. But it was a journey that began not in a rink, but in a library. HOME ON THE RANGE On this day a blue hat all but covers the hair that gave Gordon "Red" Berenson his nickname. A wealth of plaques and trophies all but covers the quiet room he sits in, testaments to what the coffee-sipping general has orches- trated since becoming Michigan's eighth head coach 15 years ago. But these things haven't always been there - and despite his unparalleled commitment to Michigan hockey - neither has Berenson. There was a time when Berenson couldnt find Michigan on a map. That was until former Michigan coach Al Renfrew recruited Berenson. What Berenson, an academic stand- out did know was that he could find out more about the school at the library. So with his parents in tow, Berenson went to the big building by Victoria Park. What he found on 12th Avenue in 5z ri:s..- ,. 4 MARKS HICKS/Special to the Daily From his own playing days at Michigan, to his years as an NHL star before taking over as Michigan's coach, Red Berenson has enjoyed a life in like few others. This season Berenson enters his sixteenth year as the Michigan general 40 years after first playing hockey for the Wolverines in I Regina that day put him on State Street in Ann Arbor the next fall "The thing that impressed me most was the academic strength of the school," Berenson said. "My parents and I looked up the credibility of the schools that were interested in me. Michigan was at the top academically." PRAIRIES FOR PUCKs So the kid who grew up playing vir- tually all sports enrolled as an engineer- ing student to pursue the one he loved the most - hockey. And while the aca- demic strength of.Michigan impressed Berenson, what he discovered when he visited Ann Arbor sold him on the school. "I came down here, and immediately I could sense that this was a big-time university. I liked that," Berenson said. "I also liked the fact that Ann Arbor was close to Detroit, where I could go see an NHL game." Berenson saw his first NHL game that fall of his freshman year in 1,959 when the Detroit Red Wings 'played host to the Montreal Canadiens. Little could he have imagined that he would go on to play for both teams. But not before skating his way to All- America honors his junior and senior years at Michigan while staking his claim as one of the Wolverines finest players of all time, leading them to a third-place NCAA finish his senior year. "We didn't win the national champi- onship, although we could have and maybe should have," Berenson said. "But we were a real good team, and I felt good with the progress in the pro- gram. I felt good with being able to contribute." Though his teams never reached the NCAA pinnacle, Berenson marshaled the Michigan squad to within two wins T H PRINTING . LOWEST PRICES! HIGHEST QUALITY! FASTEST SER VICE! * 1002 PONTIAC TR. 994-1367 m l1are of the title in 1962. scoring 43 goals in just 28 games that year - a Michigan record that stands to this day. While he shares the record for goals in a season with Dave Debol, consider that Berenson scored his in 28 games, Debol in 43 But for Berenson, personal success and athletic accolades paled in compar- ison with what he worked to achieve off the ice. Berenson switched from engi- neering when he was accepted to the business school, where he earned his degree in 1962. "We had some good seasons, as a team and individually," Berenson said. "But the thing that Im most proud of is that while I was here I was a serious stu- dent as well as a serious player. To suc- ceed at both makes me very proud." FROM AWESTRUCK TO AWESOME These days the fabled Boston Garden is just a memory. The old fieldhouse, a shrine to the six-team NHL, seems best remembered as a part of the bygone era of professional hockey's more formida- ble years. Into this setting a much younger Berenson walked before lacing up his skates to play his first NHL game alongside boyhood idols. Even now, more than 35 years after that night, Berenson calls it the most exciting moment of his NHL career. The story surrounding Berenson's entrance into the professional ranks in 1962, seems to read like a film script. After seeing his Wolverine squad to a third place finish in the NCAA Championships in Utica, New York, Berenson was driven to Boston where the next day he suited up with the sto- ried Montreal Canadiens at Boston Garden, becoming the first player to ever jump directly from college to the NHL. If the mere jump alone wasn't already impressive, consider the resilience of Berenson who had told the Canadiens, arguably the best team in the game, that he wouldn't leave school to play despite being courted by the squad since first coming to Michigan. Interestingly, Berenson managed to fin- ish classes supporting a wife and two children in a small apartment rather than opt for a chance at a lucrative career. Maybe it was the wait that made that night so special, or maybe not. What is certain though is that the moment affected Berenson like none other in his career. "It was unbelievable," Berenson explains with a smile and a shake of the head. "That is what I would call the biggest thrill of my career, that night in Boston." "Just looking around the lockerroom and seeing the guys that I had just wor- shipped as a younger player was incred- ible,' Berenson says, the smile sneaking across his face slowly as he names a litany of the games greats that wel- comed him to the NHL that night. Berenson's entry into the league may have been the stuff that dreams are made of, but it was his return to 9 CCHA Rank - Media Poll Miami enters the 1999-2000 season with a new optimism fueled by first year head coach Enrico Blasi. Blasi, who played for the Red Hawks from 1990 to 1994 ranks 14th on the school's all-time scoring list. Blasi looks to bring Miami back to the postseason after last year's team missed the CCHA playoffs for the first time since 1990. "We've been working hard to change the attitude at Miami," Blasi said. "We return 19 letterwinners. I believe that we understand after the year that we had last year that it takes a great effort every night to be successful in such a competitive league." The Red Hawks will look to junior forward Jason Deskins to provide the scoring punch this season. Deskins led the team with 40 points last season including a CCHA best 26 goals. Deskins isn't the only returning starter on offense either. The Red Hawks welcome back 73-percent of their offense from last season. Deskins along with senior Mark Shalawylo and Pat Leahy should provide a pretty descent 1-2-3 punch for Miami. The Redhawks will also have the lux- ury of returning two senior goaltenders in Ian Olsen and Andy Marsch, who will have one of the most improved defensive units in the conference in front of them. - Chris Grandstaff Strong- veterans to lea( AttitudeR rC. tLast year's overall record: 11-20-5 Last year's CCHA record: 9-17-4 Last year's results vs. Michigan Dec. 4 Mich. 1, Miami 0 Feb. 26 Mich. 6,Miami 1 Nebraska joins CCHA CCHA Rank - Media Poll 2-f 1 Recruiting in college hockey is tough. With so many attractive opportunities that often provide direct routes to the NHL, college programs often have to fight to get high quality players. So, with little more than three hours of daylight in the winter months acting as a counter-incentive, recruiting is a tough chore for Alaska-Fairbanks. Yet, Fairbanks' first-year head coach Guy Gadowsky doesn't believe that his team is disadvantaged when it comes to drawing players in. "There are a lot of beautiful things in Alaska," Gadowsky said. "It has some of the best fishing and hunting in the world. Hockey players are many different types of personalities. "Alaska is the best place for some people and there are those who say Fairbanks, Alaska is the greatest place in the world." The primary difference between this year's and last year's team will be the presence of Gadowsky who took over the team from Dave Laurion. The Nanooks returns 12 of their top 15 scorers from last season as well as 20 letter-winners. They are also counting on key performances from seniors Kerry Hafele and Sjon Wynia who led the team in scoring last year. But the strength of the Nanooks roster is the defense. By returning six of their top seven blueliners from last year, the team is fielding its strongest lineup ever. The defense may be required to hold down the fort in their own zone as the Nanooks will alternate redshirt freshman Nathan Wheeler and true freshman Lance Mayes between the pipes. -Uma Subramanian CCHA Rank - Media Poll New Bronco headman Jim Culhane is bringing more than just a new face to Kalamazoo - he's instilling a new sys- tem. Culhane and his coaching staff want to turn things around for the Broncos this season. In fact, they've been challenging the team since the spring with a focus on off ice condi- tioning. The reason? Culhane intends to develop the Broncos into a "run and gun" team that gets off a lot of shots and puts pressure on the opposition both offensively and defensively. Center David Gove and left wing Jason Redenius are the teams',top returning scorers. Both have excellent speed and should fit perfectly into Culhane's new system. Western Michigan will also get some needed firepower back with the return of junior Brett Mills. Mills missed last season due to a medical redshirt, but should be a key contributor for the Broncos this season. "We should be an exciting team this year," Culhane said. "I really want to emphasize defense and putting pressure on the puck. If we can do that then maybe we can make it back to Joe Louis Arena." If the Broncos plan on making their first appearance at the Joe in four sea- sons they'll need to make one major replacement. - Chris Grandstaff CCHA Rank - Media Poll No, it's not a misprint. This season the CCHA welcomes the University of Nebraska-Omaha, as it's 12th member. In only their third year as a program, the Mavericks join one of the top con- ferences in college hockey. "We're extremely thrilled to be aligned in such a prestigious confer- ence," coach Mike Kemp said. "We feel that our dreams were realized and met last June when we were accepted into the CCHA." Those dreams will likely transform into a nightmarish first season in the league for Kemp and the Mavericks, who only registered 11 wins last sea- son. Despite their record the Mavericks have registered big wins in their short history over such programs as Maine and Denver - -wins that have Kemp expecting big things from his squad. "Obviously we want to finish first, but realistically our goal is to make the playoffs," Kemp said. "Our short term goal is to unveil ourselves to the CCHA in a much better fashion than the Cleveland Browns did in the NFL" - Chris Grandstaff New system for Broncos Players to watch Kendall Sidoruk Greg Zanon Jason Cupp Yr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Pos. G D C Head coach Mike Kemp, third season Notable: This is Nebraska's first sea- son in the CCHA and third overall season. 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