A pretty good article in the Lansing State Journal today (boy, is that ever
a contradiction in terms most days) by Neil Koepke (man, I have to find out
where Neil sits in Munn Arena, he always sees the Spartans play much better
than I do) about two ex-teammates, Harold Schock of Michigan and Chris Slater
of Michigan State.
Last year, Schock and Slater were teammates on the Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings and
helped them to the regular-season title in the North American Junior Hockey
Association. This year, they both guard the blue line at opposite ends of
one of the fiercest rivalries in college hockey.
Schock is much better known as a stay-at-home defenseman, which didn't garner
him too many offers. Even though his father is an engineering professor at
MSU, Schock decided to attend Michigan after graduating from Okemos High
School (just east of East Lansing).
"A lot of my dad's relatives were UM fans. One of my grandfathers played base-
ball at Michigan, the other taught at the UM Medical School. I went to Michiganbecause I thought I'd have a better chance to play and I like the academics
at Michigan. They were losing their top four defensemen so I knew I would get
a shot at playing." And play he has, tallying three goals and nine assists
in 30 games for UM this season.
Red Berenson: "We thought Harold could make the lineup as one of our six
defesemen. He's been among our top four from day one. He doesn't make many
mistakes. He's a hard-nosed kid who plays with a lot of bite and intensity.
But he's not going to make the flashy offensive plays. You don't notice him
because he does his job."
Slater, on the other hand, is known as an offensive defenseman. He comes from
Mattawan (I'm not sure if that's correct, someone a little more learned in
Michigan geography may want to check that) with a strong hockey background.
His father, Peter, played and coached in the pros while his uncle, Terry, playedand coached in the minors before coaching at Colgate.
After recovering from an early season broken ankle and returning to the lineup
in late December, Slater has scored one goal and six assists in 16 games for
the Green and White.
"I'm not satisfied with how I'm playing. But I think I'm improving and startingto see good things ahead. I'm starting to feel more comfortable moving the
puck and skating with it. The best defensemen in the game - the Paul Coffeys
or the Raymond Bourques - make about 10 mistakes a game. But then they come
right back and make a great play. No matter who you are, you're going to make
mistakes. I have to get a lot stronger to do the things I can do skillfully."
Ron Mason: "The only thing he lacks is the strength to do all the things he
wants to do. His puck movement is superb. He knows what to do with the puck.
He gives the nice outlet pass, he hits people on the fly, and he's going to
be an excellent power-play player. A good, solid defenseman who's good at the
offensive blue line is hard to find."
Slater wears No. 44, the same number he's worn since he was 12. He does it as
a tribute to his hero, Bobby Orr.
"I didn't think anyone deserved to wear No. 4. Bobby Orr was the ultimate to
me. So I decided to wear No. 44. I've had it bantam, midget, juniors."
Schock and Slater are still close friends and stay in touch about twice a month
on the phone. They talk about hockey, school, friends, and, of course, THE
rivalry.
Schock: "I called Chris after the GLI and he called me after they beat us in
Ann Arbor. We tease about the rivalry but we talk about a lot of other things."
Slater: "We both want to help our teams win but I don't look at it that I have
to outplay him. We don't see each other on the ice that much. Neither of us
are that good that we can carry a team. I'm happy that he's having success.
I thought he was underrated coming out of juniors."
The two will get to become reacquainted tomorrow night at Joe Louis Arena in
the latest installment of THE rivalry.
G. M. Finniss
Michigan State University
WVU '87, UTenn '92, MSU who the hell knows when?
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