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?