'M' icers' Blue/White game previews season

After a week of official practice, the players on the Michigan hockey team are itching to play a game. In Saturday night's 7 p.m. Blue-White game, they'll get their chance - sort of.

The crowd will be there, the band will be there, and the score will be kept. The only thing that will be missing is an opponent.

"The only difference is that we'll be playing our own teammates so we're not going to be trying to hurt anybody," freshman Mark Kosick said. "The score's going to be up on the board and our team is going to want to win for bragging rights."

Even though they won't face their first real opponent for another week, the players are looking forward to getting the season started.

"It's kind of the kickoff to the season," senior Matt Herr said. "From this point on until hopefully April 1, you're going to be playing hockey every weekend. (The Blue-White game) is something that I look forward to as the official start to the season."

With the departure of nine seniors from last year's team, the Wolverines will be looking to get contributions from other places. For many players, the Blue-White game will be their first opportunity to prove that they're ready to fill the void.

"There are a lot of question marks on this team," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "And it's not just the freshmen, but a lot of returning upperclassmen. We need them to show us that they're ready to play a bigger role on this team than they have up until this point."

For freshmen on the team the game will also be their first chance to experience the atmosphere at Yost Ice Arena.

"I remember back when I was a freshman, the first time that I stepped on the ice - even though it was a Blue-White game, I don't know if I've ever been more excited," junior Bubba Bernzweig said. "For the 10 new guys stepping onto the ice listening to the band, it'll be a serious game because they're going to be pretty pumped up."

This year's game takes on added significance because it is Michigan's only chance to play in a game situation before playing Minnesota in the Hall of Fame game in Minneapolis. Typically, the Wolverines would play a Canadian team as a tune-up before their first game against an American team, but this year, Michigan won't play Toronto until after Minnesota.

"We're going to have to find out what's wrong, now in the blue-white game," Herr said. "Minnesota is a real big game for us. It'll be like mid-season prime tilt."

10-03-97