Page 10-The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, February 12,1991
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Teamwork keeps
swimmers on crest
HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
Injury-
by Adam Miller
Daily Sports Writer
I
Do you remember 1985?
Ronald Reagan was in the
midst of his second term. And the
men's swimming team came in
second place in the Big Ten.
Things sure have changed. In
1991, not only do we now have
Bush, but the Wolverines are at
the pinnacle of college swimming,
ranked No. 3 in the nation and
undefeated in the Big Ten, with
only Saturday's meet at Ohio State
left in the conference schedule.
Michigan's consistency proves
that it truly is a team, and not an
individual show. Before the season
began, many thought that the
losses of All-American Rick
Wilkening and Olympic gold-
medalist Brent Lang would
severely hamper this year's squad.
True, stars are important, and
Michigan never has a shortage of
them. But no one person can carry
an entire team, and coach Jon
Urbanchek's pre-season comments
were right on target when he said
the squad's key would be "getting
some outstanding individuals (to
work) together as a team."
Consider Michigan's 27-point
victory over Hawaii last Decem-
ber, when stars Mike Barrowman,
Eric Namesnik and Eric Wunder-
lich were in Perth, Australia for
the World Championships. Or the
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team's perfect 5-0 record last
semester and rise in the national
ranks from No. 6 to No. 3, all while
team captain Barrowman was
home in Rockville, Md. training
for the World Championships.
But the less heralded swimmers
have excelled as well. Sophomore
Brian Gunn has been strong in the
butterfly and was named Big Ten
Swimmer-of-the-Month for his per-
formance in Hawaii. Fellow
sophomore Steve Bigelow, while
hampered with a mid-season ankle
injury, has led all Michigan back-
strokers and should compete at the
NCAA Championships in March in
that event.
Senior Scott Van Appledorn
was an instrumental captain in
Barrowman's absence, and contin-
ues to spark the team as the 800-
yard freestyle relay sprinter.
Credit the coaching staff for
keeping the team in top form. Ur-
banchek, last year's U.S. Coach-of-
the-Year, is one of the sport's best,
and made the trip to Perth last
month as an assistant for the U.S.
National Team.
Lest we forget, Michigan has
an Olympic caliber diving coach
in Dick Kimball, and his divers
play a significant role in the
team's perennial success. Senior
Steve Hamerski and sophomore
Eric Lesser have both shined in
this year's competition.
icers hunt
for title
by Dan Zoch
Daily Hockey Writer
'
February 11-14, 1991
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any single rose
at Louise Flowers and Gifts
334 S. State Street
on Valentine's Day!!!
igan Union Bookst,
530 S. State Street
Ground Floor of the Michigan Union
0
Mich
r
ore
JOSE JUAI
Senior forward Kent Brothers has assumed an important role as
substitute for several injured Michigan hockey players.
open 7 days a week
.
t-
After Saturday's game in
Kalamazoo, the immediate future
of the Michigan hockey team
seemed bleak. CCHA leading
scorer Denny Felsner was out with
a mild knee sprain and the
league's second-highest scorer,
David Roberts, was down with a
mild AC separation. To further
complicate matters, starting goal-
tender Steve Shields and rookie
forwards David Oliver, David
Wright, and Cam Stewart are also
sidelined with injuries.
The good news is that Michigan
is riding the longest winning streak
in school history, currently at 14
games.
The continued good news is
that Felsner, Roberts, Shields,
Wright, and Stewart should retur*
this week. Only Oliver is out for
the remainder of the season.
"Both Roberts and Wright will
skate this week," said Michigan
coach Red Berenson. "We'll see
about contact and whether they're
ready for a game situation."
Berenson added that Shields
and Stewart will be back on the
ice this afternoon and that Felsner
whose injury he described a*
"nothing serious," will attempt to
skate Wednesday.
Because of Michigan's exten-
sive list of injuries through this
past weekend, the team basically
played with only three offensive
lines, as opposed to four. Two
Wolverine defenders, Mark Soren-
son and Doug Evans, had an oppor-
tunity to play forward.
"The most important thing is*
that we got through (Saturday's)
game" said Berenson. "I thought
our lines played well. Western
might have thought that with Fel-
sner and Roberts out, they'd have
it easy."
SHOWDOWN AT THE JOE:
Michigan is ending its CCHA reg-
ular season by facing off against
Michigan State this weekend at.
Joe Louis Arena. Despite the fact
that Michigan has already
clinched second place in the con-
ference, and home ice in the play-
offs, Berenson expects a competi-
tive series.
"It's a big deal," said Berenson.
"Any time we play at the Joe it's
for something important. I expect a
good Michigan contingent.
"We wanted to expose our fans*
to this type of game. For so long
I've heard, 'Gee, we wanted to see
Michigan State play Michigan, but
we couldn't get a ticket.' And,
hopefully, we'll be back at the Joe
this year (for the CCHA finals)."
The importance of this series
should not be overlooked. Though
Michigan's position is firmly ce-
mented for the CCHA playoffs, a
top four NCAA ranking is needed
for the team to clinch home ice
advantage for early rounds of the
NCAAs.
Michigan State needs to win
this weekend to finish higher than
fifth place in the CCHA and earn
first-round home ice. Both third-
place Ferris State and fourth-place
Western Michigan are within the
Spartan's reach entering the final
two weeks of the regular season.
And, of course, any series with
Michigan State is always intense
because of the in-state rivalry.
"Wanting to beat Michigan
State is part of going to Michi-
gan," Berenson said.
DON'T COUNT THEM OUT
YET: Michigan still hasn't given
up hope of overtaking CCHA-lead-
ing Lake Superior State. Both thee
Wolverines and the Lakers have
only two regular season CCHA
games left.
Because Michigan is three
points behind Lake Superior, it
needs to sweep Michigan State
this weekend and hope for Western
Michigan to take at least three
points from the Lakers when the
two meet in two weeks.
"We're still in the hunt forO
b
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