The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 1, 2001- Icers hope to grow during Alaskan trip By Naweod Sikora Daily Sports Writer As the Michigan hockey team left Ann Arbor for its 12-hour flight to Alaska-Fairbanks yesterday, it was clear that the Wolverines had seen better days. After looking so strong in its season-opening tie against Michigan State, the team faltered, splitting its next four games and then getting swept at home by North- ern Michigan. The last thing the team needed was a weekend series in Alaska, against a team that, at 6-2, is off to its best start since 1992-93. Although Michigan holds a 20-2 all time record against Alaska-Fairbanks, this seems to be the season when past records can be thrown out the window. It is certain that winning both games will be diffi- cult for the Wolverines, but Michigan coach Red Berenson feels that the trip to Alaska could help the team in many ways. "I think the trip does a lot for team camaraderie and chemistry, Berenson said. "The players can really get to know each other better because they have the opportunity to spend more time together. "When we're home, they have their hours together at practice every day, but then they go home and they have busy schedules. But in Alaska, we'll be together literally 24 hours a day." "I think that the trip will be a good way for us to regroup and start over as a team;' Michigan freshman Michael Woodford said. "If you're not too close with a guy, then this is your chance to get closer. It is time to start putting it together. "We kind of dug ourselves a hole so far, and every game is much more important. This is a huge week- end for us to go up there and prove that we can play well on the road, and hopefully we will be able to come through." Once its flight landed in Alaska yesterday, the play- ers hit the ice for a short practice session before they went to sleep. After its weekend series, the team will depart Sunday morning and arrive in Ann Arbor at about 10 p.m. Coming out of this weekend with at least one win is crucial, if not necessary, for the Wolverines if they want to get back on track. But Berenson wants to make sure his team has the right mindset as it prepares for this weekend. "We're going up there with the idea of having to win," Berenson said. "But we can't put the weight of the world on our shoulders. We have to take it one Schilling pitches gem, but Yanks win in 10th GAME FOUR NEw YORK 4, ARiZONA 3 NEW YORK (AP) -' Baseball fans, meet the first Mr. November - Derek Jeter. Four minutes after midnight, Jeter earned that distinction by hitting a home run with two outs in the bottom of 10th inning to lift the New York Yan- kees over the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 and tie the World Series at two games each. Tino Martinez saved the Yankees on last night with a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth off Byung-Hyun Kim, who had relieved a gutsy Curt Schilling. Then Jeter, who usually shines in October, connected off Kim. The Yan- kees spilled out of the dugout to greet him at home plate, where he landed with a two-footed hop. Jeter said it was the first game-end- ing homer he could remember, and it, came shortly after the Yankee Stadium scoreboard flashed: "Welcome to November Baseball." "We always feel as though we have a chance to win a game," Jeter said. "When you get to the postseason, you can throw everything out that you've done in the regular season." Schilling, pitching on three days' rest, did everything Arizona could have asked. But when Kim relieved, the game turned spooky for the Diamond- backs on Halloween night. "We had a lead, we had six outs left to go in the ballgame," Arizona manag- er Bob Brenly said. "That's the way we hoped it would work out. Unfortunate- ly, it didn't." Now, the defending three-time cham- pion Yankees will send Mike Mussina against Miguel Batista in Game 5 tonight. Mariano Rivera broke three bats in a perfect 10th inning for the win. A crowd that included Mr. October - Reggie Jackson - had been crazy all night then turned quiet in the ninth inning with the Yankees in trouble. Kim, who struck out the side in the eighth, gave up a one-out single to Paul O'Neill before striking out Bernie Williams. But Martinez, who had been hitless in nine World Series at-bats, launched a drive over the center field fence to tie it. The sellout crowd of 55,863 roared, and several Yankees jumped over the railing in front of the dugout to celebrate. Kim set down the first two batters in the 10th. But Jeter, who had been only 1-for-15 in the Series, rose to the occa- sion. Jeter fouled three two-strike pitches and then sent an opposite-field drive into the seats in right. Making Brenly look like a genius, Schilling showed no ill effects in giving up three hits over seven innings. His bid for a record fifth win in a postseason, however, ended when the Yankees allied. Since 1999, starters working on three days' rest had been just 1-9 with a 9.73 ERA in postseason play. Everyone at Yankee Stadium was energized, a sharp contrast to the sub- dued crowd on hand for President Bush's visit for Game 3. And while Mayor Rudolph Giuliani hollered from the front row, Yankees starter Orlando Hernandez was the most excitable of all. El Duque shouted at plate umpire Ed Rapuano, firmly shook off catcher Jorge Posada and accidentally smacked into Arizona's Tony Womack. Hernandez made up with Rapuano when he was pulled in the seventh. He made a beeline to meet the umpire along the first-base line and patted him on the chest, and both men smiled. With Hernandez gone, the Diamond- backs scored twice in the eighth for a 3- 1 lead. Reliever Mike Stanton had retired 22 straight batters in Series play before Luis Gonzalez singled to start the inning and Erubiel Durazo followed with a go-ahead double. DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Michigan's Jason Ryzner will return to his home state of Alaska this weekend. But the freshman will be nowhere near his home town of Anchorage, a six hour drive from Fairbanks. game at a time. "I wouldn't be surprised if we came back with two wins, but on the other hand, I think we could come back with two losses." Coming back with two losses would not be the best thing for Michigan (1-3-1 CCHA, 2-4-1 overall) con- sidering that the team is currently tied for eighth in the CCHA and has gotten off to its worst start in 15 years. Plus, the schedule is not going to get any easier for the Wolverines. Two weeks after the Alaska trip, the Wolverines will travel to Nebraska-Omaha for two games against a Mavericks team that is coming off a sweep over No. 1 Michigan State. Still, Berenson said that he's been pleased with what the Alaska trip has done for his team in the past, and hopes that this year will be no different. "I usually feel pretty good about the team after the Alaska trip," Berenson said. "But every year we have a different team. This year we have a young team, and we have a tough schedule after the trip, but hopefully we'll start doing better. "I think last weekend was a huge wake-up call for us, not because we played terrible, but because it showed us how important all the little things are in winning games. It's not the skill or the talent with us, it's just awareness." ICERS INK TWO EARLY RECRUITS:The Michigan hock- ey team recently received commitments from two recruits: Jeff Tambellini, a 5-foot-11, 183-pound for- ward from Moody Port, British Columbia, and Danny Richmond, a 6-foot-1 175-pound defenseman from Buffalo Grove, Ill. Tambellini is currently in his second season with the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hock- ey League. He has tallied 29 points on 10 goals and 19 assists through 15 games. His father, Steve, is Vice President of Player Per- sonnel for the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL. Richmond is currently competing with the Chica- go Steel of the United States Hockey League. He leads his team in scoring with 9 points after 10 games. He has also posted a team-high 26 penalty minutes. FIELD HOCKEY TOURNAMENT Lakeside Field - Evanston, Illinois Nov.2 - Nov. 4 2. Ohio State 1. Michigan St. Tomorrow 10 a.m. 7. Indiana Saturday Sunday, Saturday, 11:30 a.m. 1 p.m. 2 p.m. 4. Iowa 3. Michigan Tomorrow, Noon Tomorrow, 2 p.m. 5. Penn State 6. Northwestern Stickers gun for third.straight title Swimmers face difficult task finding depth By Kyle O'Neill Daily Sports Writer In this young season, the Michigan women's swimming and diving team's two meet losses can't be attributed to its inability to be victorious in individual races. In an exhibition match against Har- vard and a dual meet versus Florida, it has placed first in 19 of the 28 events, including 11 of 12 versus the Crimson. Yet, the Wolverines still managed to lose both meets. The inability to finish with more than one swimmer in the top three of an event has led to the Wolverines being outscored in races that they have won. MINNEAPOLIS Who: Michigan (0-1) at Minnesota Invitational When: 7 p.m. tomorrow, 10 a.m. Saturday Latest: Michigan will be competing in the Min- nesota Invitational for the fourth time in the last five years. Michigan had five cases against Florida where two of the Gators' two swim- mers were in the top three. A reason for this has been the depar- ture of last year's top swimmers and the injuries hurting the development of those to fill their spots. "We lost three Big Ten finalists from last season, two who were NCAA scor- ers," swimming coach Jim Richardson said. "Jenay Karlson (freestyle) has been out for three weeks with a virus, Tracy Egnatuk was too sick to take with us last Friday and Traci Valasco (breast- stroke/one meter board) is now out for the rest of the season as we are looking for someone to graph her knee. "So yeah, our depth has been impact- ed. We're not at 100 percent, but we don't plan to be all season." While Richardson is adjusting to the losses from last year, diving coach Dick Kimball is right on the pace he wants to be with his group. Sophomore Tealin Kelemen is unde- feated this season and is the team's best chance against the two top individuals that Minnesota and North Carolina will bring with them. Minnesota's Kim Bah- mer has already qualified for the NCAA Diving Zones in the one-meter competition while North Carolina's Ashley Benner will provide a challenge in the three-meter, an event Benner has yet to lose in this season. The other three looking to continue their success this weekend are senior Lindsay McElroy, junior Kelly Vander Kuyl and the rising star Alexis Goolik. "Alexis is just a freshman and she's already come a long way," Kimball said. "As a team I just want them to compete well. We never concentrate much on dual meets, but they help us get ready for championships." The Wolverines will have to compete this weekend without Kimball as he will be coaching the men's divers for their weekend meets in Ann Arbor, meaning that it will be tougher to get the scores they want, or perhaps deserve. "In a subjective sport like diving, not having a representative (talking) with the judges can be a disadvantage," Kimball said. On the other side of the pool, breast- stroke swimmer Kelli Stein will also face a huge task this weekend as she will go up against two of the nation's best in North Carolina's Katie Hath- away and Minnesota's Keri Hehn. Since an all-Wolverine top three in the two breaststroke events is unlikely, it will be necessary for others to dominate the second-tier of swimmers for the remaining possible points. "Katie Peterson, Lisbeth Goebel, Kera Drake and Andrea Kurrle will have some good competition at the sec- ond level," Richardson said. "Hathaway and Hehn are elite and it will be a good challenge for Stein, who is in their league. "I don't think Kelli knows how good of a swimmer she is. She's discovering a lot about work this year and is not the physically mature swimmer she will be in a year." Richardson hopes that the rest of his team can rebound from last weekend's performance where some of the indi- vidual successes against Harvard and Brown were overshadowed by the team adjusting to the harsh workouts it endures every week. "We swam tired last weekend. We had a couple people that performed will despite the team. A couple people real- ly crashed," said Richardson. By Bob Hunt Daily Sports Writer With five of the nation's top 20 teams descending on Evanston this weekend for the Big Ten Tourna- ment, the Michigan Field Hockey team has a lot to handle. But such a challenge is exactly what this team is looking for. "You have to go in with the men- tality that each game could be your last," said forward April Fronzoni. "It's not like playing one of the other non-ranked teams in that everyone is at the same level, and it's the one that comes that day to play that's going to win." The quest for Michigan's third straight Big Ten Tournament title begins tomor- row afternoon EVANS Who: Michigan (13-4 over at the Big Ten Tournamen When: Tomorrow through Latest: The fifth ranked W rally from the third seed in ment to grab a champions Buckeyes are heavily favored in their games on Friday, a rematch looks imminent; Michigan should have the chance this weekend to avenge its previous loss. . "Wheng we played Ohio State we definitely didn't have a good game. A lot of us had a really off day, we didn't put in the pressure we needed," said defender and Michigan all-time assist leader Catherine Foreman. "Northwest- ern is going to be tough. They think they can take us. So, we got to go hard against them. Then if we happen to get Ohio State the next day we'll J really be bring- TON ing it because we're ready to rall, 4-2 conference) prove to them Sunday that they Volverines will look to shouldn't have n the Big Ten Tourna- got us the first ship. time." This tourna- ment is not only important because it is for the Big Ten title, but also because it will severely affect the Wolverines' seeding when the NCAA Tournament brackets are announced next Tues- day night. Currently, Michigan is No. 5 in the country and the nation's top four teams get to host a regional. If Michigan wins the Big Ten title, it will have a shot of being a regional host because No. 3 Wake Forest and No. 4 North Carolina look to face each other in the ACC Tournament. But the Wolverines don't have time to worry about their NCAA nrns+etc ih the tnc1k at hand. DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Sophomore Traci Valasco will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Health a concern as tennis heads toOhio* when the Wolverines take on host Northwestern at 2 p.m. at North- western's Lakeside Field. Michigan defeated Northwestern last Satur- day in Evanston 2-0, extending the Wildcats' losing streak to five games. If Michigan wins tomor- row, it will take on the winner of the Ohio State-Indiana quarterfinal for the right to play for the confer- ence title on Sunday. While Michigan is ranked high- er than any other Big Ten team in the STX/NFHCA coaches poll, it will be seeded third in this week- end's tournament. This is because Michigan lost against both No. 9 Ohio State and No.13 Penn State A; th aie - ep cnn Mrhi By Melanie Kebler Daily Sports Writer For Michigan's men's tennis team, the fall season has been filled with opportu- nities for individual improvement. The Wolverines fared well at large tournaments like the ITA All-American Championships and last weekend's Rolex Region- als. But for junior Chris TOLEDO Shaya, the past few INVITA months have also been Who: Michiga part of a struggle to return when: tomorrc to form after a wrist injury Sunday last season.Latest: Three Shaya has been playing top Midwest t strictly doubles matches nois and Notre this fall as he works on w.--iT 8 R Ti n r row var tean eD< the summer, when Shaya made the deci- sion to undergo surgery. Doctors repaired the cartilage dam- age in his left wrist and also removed loose particles. The right-handed Shaya could still hit forehand shots, but his backhand was severely impaired. "It's kind of hard to play without a backhand," Shaya said. "It's a long grueling LOCKET process to come back from ONAL an injury." men's tennis The junior saw his first through action last weekend in East Lansing at the Rolex rsity mem Regionals. Michigan ms like ll coach Mark Mess is confi- lame this dent in Shaya's return to 41, both doubles and singles Doubles pair Chris Shaya and Henry Beam shake hands after winning a point. Shaya said. "Every day it's feeling a lit- tle better." running hills and sprints on the court at the very beginning of the season.