12 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 14, 2000 Ice dust s ees Soccer set to build o promising first year Ferris student section says Yost fans can't compare By Joe Smith Daily Sports Writer BIG RAPIDS - A sign in the Ferris State student section proclaims, "If you can't run with the Big Dawgs, stay on the porch." This is theattitude of the intense, possibly insane fans that reverberate the boards at Ewigleben Arena - often getting into the heads of the opponents with their uncanny antics and vulgarity that make Yost's fans seem like they're rated "PG." "It's definitely a hard place to play," Michigan freshman Andy Burnes said. "You've got to drown them out and play your game." Much like many arenas of smaller schools in the CCHA, Ewigleben makes up for its lack of capacity (2,457) with the placement of the stands - literally putting them direct- ly into the action. "Its like they're right on top of you," Ferris State senior captain Jim Dube said. It's like they're breathing down your neck. I'm sure some teams get intimidated coming in here, with the noise of the boards shaking." But it wasn't always this way. The tradition started off in an unlikely setting -a football game. At a frigid and snowy football Saturday in 1995, Ferris State hockey coach Bob Daniels noticed five dichard Bulldog fans with their shirts off and faces painted - and some- thing clicked in his head. "I just went up to them and asked them if they could bring this same type of energy to the ice arena, Daniels said. In a brief meeting in his office, Daniels started the group off with Nov. 13 standings Team Record 1. Michigan State 7-1-1 2. Boston College 8-2-0 3. Minnesota 7-1-2 4. North Dakota 6-2-4 5. Michigan 7-2-2 6. St. Cloud 6-1-1 7. Colorado Coll. 6-2-0 8. Western Mich. 8-1-1 9. New Hampshire6-3-1 10. Northeastern 5-2-1 Pts 579 540 481 461 453 413 289 277 265 224 some season tickets and a couple jer- seys, and from there it grew into an actual student organization. "we just try to make it go nuts," Ferris State senior Joe Crawford said. "We want to make everyone go wild and have a good time" Crawford is the president of the Ferris State Sports Supporters, which entails about 35 "alcohol free" fans who raise money through fundraisers to follow the team and give the "Dawg Pound" national notoriety. With the help of an adviser, the group rented a 15-passenger van to make the trip on Friday night to Yost Ice Arena, comparing itself to arguably the best student section in the nation. "We were at Yost last night and we weren't very impressed with their stu- dent section," Crawford said. "They didn't have very good cheers and we think ours are better." Like Yost, the "Dawg Pound" fea- tures a pep band mixed in with the stu- dents, along with many similar chants to the Yost crazies. They even boast a By David Mosse Dally' Sports Writer Like a young child taking its first steps, the Michigan men's soccer team stumbled at times and just plain fell. on its face in others, but more often than not, played above expectations and set the course for a strong future. Michigan concluded its inaugural varsity season with a gut-wrenching double-overtime defeat to Penn State in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament. The game was in some ways a microcosm of a season in which Michigan fell just short in sev- eral contests but showed encouraging signs. "We had expectations of doing a lit- tle better in the win-loss department," Michigan coach Steve Burns said. "But we were in almost every game." The. Wolverines' final record of 6- 10 (1-5 Big Ten) was not indicative of how well the team played. Michigan suffered three overtime defeats, two of them at the hands of the nationally rated Nittany Lions. The other came to Michigan State in a hotly contested match that helped christen a new rivalry. "I thought we represented the school very well," Burns said. "We played to the best of our ability in every game and we did it for the most part with heart and guts." Michigan understandably sched- uled a fairly cushy nonconference slate in an effort to instill confidence in the young team' before embarking through the rugged Big Ten. The Wolverines won three of their first five games, highlighted by victo- ries over Depaul and Detroit. But as the Big Ten season kicked off, the losses began to mount for a tea comprised of mostly freshman at former club players. Michigan's lo conference win was a late season torv at Northwestern. Yet Michigan proved it belonged playing competitively in a number games, and in doing so, helped deve op players for the future. Freshman forwards Kevi Robinson and Tom Gritter proved strong combination up front ai sophomore goalkeeper Brad King w solid between the posts. Fiery ful back . Kevin Taylor anchore Michigan's defense and Hirschfield was a capable midfie distributor. The only truly humbling experiei of the season was a 7-0 loss at t hands of the two-time defendin national champion Indiana, i Bloomington. Yet even that defe may serve as a positive down the roa "That showed us what we're u against," Burns said. "In terms their fighting power and spirit. It like every pass and every tackle wa the difference in the game. It is a me tality we have to teach our guys." Burns also realizes the importance increasing the talent level of the tea and is already working on his ne. recruiting class. Though unable to com ment on individual players, Burn promises he has signed some top note talent and believes he is capable of lum ing others to Ann Arbor. "We can offer playing time aci the board," Burns said. "Being a ne program, we don't have a lot o depth from position to position so w can promise guys they will star from day one, and that carries a fo of weight" DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Michigan goaltender Josh Blackburn was subject to the riggors of Ferris State's "Dawg Pound" in Saturday's 54 loss. separate rendition of "Hail to the Victors" - only in this altered and vulgar version, Michigan is certainly not the "leaders and best." "Its the best student section in this league for sure," Ferris State defense- man Christian Schroder said. "They might be the rudest, but every team hates them, and hates coming to play here." Those who especially regret comning into Ewigleben are opposing goalies, whom the "Dawg Pound" greets with taunts and chants. But Ferris States' ;goalie Vince Owen doesn't seem to mind, as it serves as redemption for what he is subjected to at Yost. With his frustration reaching a boil- ing point on Friday, Owen banged his stick against the Yost glass after being subjected to repeated chants of "Ugly Goalie." "From what I went through last night it was good to have a little pay- back," Owen said. "What comes around goes around." Vulgar or not, the "Dawg Pound" gives Ferris State an intimate home- ice advantage that other larger univer- sities can't offer. After the bench clearing brawl on Saturday night, the Bulldog cheering section shared plenty of high-fives and embraces with the team, who was triumphantly making its way into the locker room. "With our school being smaller, about 8,000 students, it's more inti- mate than other schools," Daniels said. "There's a lot more interaction between the athletes and the students on campus. Toronto trip brings back memories for Berenson By Ryan C. Moloney Daily SpoT-is \ritcr Those with a flare for the corny might call it "once in a blue moon." Michigan hockey's meticulous and intense coach Red Berenson misses games as often as Wayne Gretzky misses point-blank empty-netters. In light of HOCKEY such dedication, Berenson's absence from the Michigan Notebook bench to attend a ceremony at the Hockey Hall of Fame must have felt a little tedious. Quite the contrary. The celebration of the 1972 Canadian "Summit Series" team that defeated the Soviet team allowed Berenson to get back in touch with some long lost teammates. as well as to relive the spectacle of the team's impact on Canadian culture. "This was a recognition of the 'team of the centu- ry "' Berenson said. "We don't see each other very often" - during the series "we were only together for six weeks. "We got to know each other and there is a spark there when we get together again, everybody is real- ly enjoying it and each other." The 1972 Canadian team, made up of the NHI Ls best Canadian-born players, engaged in an eight- game epic battle, billed "the Summit Series" in a nod to the frosty relations between the two countries dur- ing the waning peak of the Cold War era. The Soviets took a 3-1 series lead over the Canadians after five games, with one game played to a tie. In order for Canada to win the series and sal- vage political and hockey pride in the free world - they had to run the table on a team that was far more skilled and conditioned than anyone had expected. And that's just what they did. With 34 seconds left in the third period of Game 8, Canada's Paul Henderson netted the tie-breaker to capture the series and one of Canada's proudest moments. "In Canada, it was an unbelievable series in terms ofthe interest in the series schools brought in TVs to watch it," Berenson said. The memory of the series has not faded from the Canadian conscience. H lundreds of people showed up in front of the hall of fame in Toronto, Friday to witness the unveiling of a statue commemorating the, team. 3erenson called the ceremony "really good, well done and well organized." "I was at the Hockey Hall of Fame from 8:30 in the mo-ning until 10:00 at night and then I drove home - there were a series of events. The media was unbe- Iievable, everybody from Toronto was there," he said. Berenson addressed the Wolverines on his absence last Tuesday, explaining the legacy and importance of the series in the recent history of North America. " It really shows how a sport can influence people," defenseman Mike Roemensky said. "It puts a good feeling in us to know that our coach was part of something that special." HI1:NnICKER APPEAL: Berenson said yesterday that a request has been sent to the CCHA to review the circumstances of defensman Dave Huntzicker's disqualification after an altercation with Ferris State's Chad McIver on Friday night. "The guy who came off the bench ended up being the guy who took Huntzicker out of the game," Berenson said. Michigan alleges that if McIver was not allowed to leave the bench during an on-ice serum on Friday night, Huntzicker would have been able to dress for the next night's game. Huntzicker did not appear to drop his gloves or retaliate to Melver's punches. JEFF HURViTZ/Daily Senior Ryan Yoder (10), a veteran of the men's soccer club, helped Michigan make the varsity transition in year one. He is one of five departing seniors. 0 Shed no tears: Stickers outplayed down south By David Roth Daily Sports Writer DAVID KATZ/Daily 'The Michigan fled hockey team was eliminated from the NCAA tournament Sunday by Wake Forest. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., -It's hard to cry when you lose a game you should have lost and got there by win- ning a game you never should have won. Sure, the FIELD HOCKEY Michigan field hockey team was- CommentaTy n't exactly doing "the hustle" after being defeated 3-2 in overtime Sunday, but the tears and sniffles were limited to just a select player or two. Most Michigan players expected nothing less than a second-straight trip to the Final Four this year. But after being denied it, especially in overtime, one would think they should be devas- tated, right? Wrong. Michigan's trip south proved that it was indeed one of the country's pre- miere teams. But it's not just how good you are, it's how good the other guys are. The other guys outplayed Michigan in both the Wolverines' win and loss. William & Mary outshot Michigan 27- 16 and had 12 penalty corners to the Wolverines' 2. But Michigan some- how ousted the, Tribe in double over- time. As tears streamed down the face of William & Mary's Kathy Deiong in the postgame press conference, she tersely explained her game analysis. "We dominated," she said. And her account is accurate. Hlow often will you hear a member of a losing team say that? With the ball on Michigan's defen- sive side of the field 95 percent of the time, it was only amazing defense and goalkeeping combined with once- every-blue-moon sporadic offensive spurts that gave the Wolverines the victory. Then came Sunday. The stats again swayed toward Michigan's opposition. Wake Forest had I1 penalty corners to Michigan's one, and 22 shots-on- goal to the Wolverines' nine. "Wake Forest played extraordinarily well on their home field, and their key players stepped up," Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. "They deserved tO will." Again, a more-than-fair account. On the weekend, Michigan's ability to create offense hit a new low. Even in the Wolverines' 2-0 loss to Wake Forest on Oct. 14, Michigan outshot the Demon Deacons 15-13. And in its worst loss all year, to North Carolina October 13 by a 4-0 margin, Michigan managed two more penalty corners than the Tar Heels with an 8-6 advan- tage. Yet as NCAA regional weekend rolled around, Michigan couldn't muster an absolute advantage in either. And somehow, after being dominated for a combined 154 minutes of field hockey, all Michigan needed was a single shot to erase its ills. Shots on goat Michigan 16, William & Mary 27 Michigan 9, Wake Forest 22 Penalty corners Michigan 2, William & Mary 12 Michigan 1. Wake Forest 11 Un-Stat-isfying effort Michigan was dominated by its weekend opponents in the NCE tournament - at least on the score sheet. I I But the winning shot went to Wal Forest's Jenny Everett on a penal stroke in Michigan's third overtime the weekend. As the Wolverines embarked upt their final post-game stretch of 200 faces were red, amazing senior pl ve careers' with much to be proud come to an end, but the player lacrimal glands held up, knowing th there was no reason to shed tears. SPRING TERM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE writing, camping, reading, hiking, music, canoeing, art --... L 4A TER '.U -' LSAT GRE GMAT MCAT DAT .. + There are those who shy away from ' I i .1__. . a G~1 _.::