The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 12, 2001- 15 IRM, Young icers face tough early schedule NCAA games in doubt for this weekend By Naweed Sikora Daily Sports Writer If the Michigan hockey team wants to return to the Frozen Four this season, it will have to travel a long and difficult road. After the 2000-2001 campaign, Michigan was forced to say good- bye to 11 players. Junior Hobey Baker Award finalist Andy Hilbert and senior Jeff Jillson opted to leave school early for the chance to play in the National Hockey League, while the other nine graduated. This season, 10 brand new faces will attempt to fill the large void, But these freshmen will not have time on their side. I The Wolverines are staring down the barrel of one of the most unique and demanding schedules in team history. With the majority of their early season games being played away from Yost Arena, including the "Cold War" game at Michigan State, the Wolverines will be put to the test right off the bat. If a return trip to the NCAA Tournament is in the cards, the Wolverines will need to grow quickly. Only one week into the season, Michigan and Michigan State will compete in the first outdoor college hockey game in history. The game is set to be played at Spartan Stadi- um on Oct. 6. The event will draw over 70,000 spectators, the largest crowd to ever attend a hockey game. Also, the game opens up league play for the Wolverines against their biggest rival, the Spartans. Michi- gan coach Red Berenson is hoping to keep his team focused on the game so it won't be distracted by all the background noise surrounding the monumental affair. "It's a novel game," Berenson said. "There is going to be a lot of talk about the game during the week. I think its important that we go out and practice the day before and hopefully we can get all the wrinkles and distractions out of the way so that when we step on the ice the next day, we'll be focused to play. "There's no question that it's not going to be your average game. But it's a league game against Michigan State, and we're going to be putting a lot of importance on playing well." Following this battle, the Wolver- ines will play 10 out of their next 16 games away from home. Berenson feels that having the majority of its away games early in the season will be difficult for his young squad. The Wolverines will have to play four games in Nebraska and one at West- ern Michigan. Both schools have very loud arena's, and inexperience could be trouble for Michigan at these locations. But, Berenson also knows that in order to remain at the top of the CCHA, his team will have to per- form well on the road. "When you look at the schedule and the team we have here, there's no question that it is going to be a huge challenge," Berenson said. "In this league, playing well on the road is very difficult. But if you don't play well, you are really putting NEW YORK (AP)-- Two of tomor- row night's college football games were postponed and suspension of this week's entire schedule of Division I games was being considered following terrorist attacks in. New York and Washington. The Atlantic Coast Conference announced the postponement of all ath- letic events through tomorrow, includ- ing Penn State at Virginia and Ohio at North Carolina State. The Ohio-North Carolina State game was rescheduled for Nov. 24; a new date has yet to be set for Penn State- Virginia. Yesterday, the commissioners from all the I-A conferences, including the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac- 10 and Southeastern, discussed their options for staging this weekend's games in a conference call hours after the attacks. "We're going to monitor and careful- ly evaluate everything, and definitely make a decision (today) on our week- end football games," Big East commis- sioner Mike Tranghese said, speaking only for his own league's games. Ohio State, for example, plays at home Saturday against San Diego State. Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel is con- cerned about having a football team travel across the country for a game. "We sit here thinking that it puts a lot less importance on Saturday," he said. "You say to yourself, 'Who's going to be getting on airplanes to go play each other righi now?' All of that races through your mind." BRAD QUINN/Daily Michigan assistant captain John Shouneyia will play a large role in making sure his inexperienced teammates are focused and ready for each game this season. Tragic blasts turn schedules upside down yourself behind the eight-ball. It is important that we play at least .500 hockey on the road." Berenson also sees the first half of the season as an excellent oppor- tunity for the team to get to know each other. "Playing on the road really brings the team together. It is good for team building and chemistry, partic- ularly with a young- team. I have always enjoyed taking the team to Alaska during the season." If the Wolverines are able to play well on the road, they will have a chance to take full advantage of the second half of their schedule in which 11 out of the final 18 regular season games will be played at Yost Ice Arena. The stretch begins on Dec. 15 when the Wolverines play host to Harvard. This portion of the schedule could prove to be very beneficial for Michigan who is always tough to beat at home. Last season, only three of the team's 13 losses came at Yost. The final highlight of the sched- ule occurs in postseason play when Michigan hosts the NCAA West Regional Finals right here in Ann Arbor for the first time since 1998. The Wolverines went on to win the national championship in that sea- son. Although the schedule will put pressure on the players to perform at a high level early, Berenson said that the team should be mentally prepared and ready to play well in each game. "We know with a young team we will have to be patient, but every game is important throughout the season," Berenson said."If you're trying to make the (NCAA) tourna- ment, the first game of the season is just as important as the last game." The World of Sports is in chaos as it frantically re-arranges schedules to mourn yester- day's tragedy and ensure the safety of its athletes and fans. Here is the latest news on upcoming events. Major League Baseball: The 15 games on schedule for yesterday were cancelled. No decision has been made for tonight's games. College Football: Thursday's games - Penn State vs. Virginia, Ohio vs. North Carolina State and Texas Tech vs. Texas El-Paso - have been postponed along with Saturday's contest between Ohio State and San Diego State. This morning, each of the 10 Division I conference com- missioners will meet with their respective athletic directors. At 1 p.m., these commis- sioners will hold a teleconference to make a decision about this weekend's games. National Football League: No decision about Sunday's action is expected to be made until at least Thursday. Golf: The American Express Championship in St. Louis has been condensed to three days. Instead of playing the first round on Thursday, 36 Boles will be played on Friday. _I Welcome freshmen The Michigan hockey team welcomes 10 freshmen to the fold this season, and with a tough, early road schedule awaiting, their development will be cru- cial to the Wolverines' success. THE "CoLD WAR" (OcT. 6): Michigan opens its season in East Lansing against the Spartans and Hobey Baker Award winner their goalie, Ryan Miller. NEBRASKA-OMAHA MAVERICK STAMPEDE (OcT. 12-13): After Michigan State, the Wolverines travel across the country to meet Providence, an NCAA Tourna- ment qualifier from last season. NEBRASKA-OMAHA (Nov. 16-17): One month later, the team finds itself in Omaha once again. Last season, Michigan split the series against the Mavericks. This weekend will be vital to the Wolverines' early CCHA success. MIAMI (CCHA) (DEC. 7-8): The RedHawks surprised everyone last season by finishing second in the CCHA regular season standings, above Michigan. GREAT LAKES INVITATIONAL (DEC. 28-29): Detroit's Joe Louis Arena welcomes three of the four teams from the 2001 Frozen Four including Michigan State and North Dakota. Last season, Michigan finished in last place for the first time in over 15 years. 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