Season opens on home ice

Tryouts have ended. The lineup is set. The ice is prepared. All that's left now is the drop of the puck.\nAt 7:30 p.m. today at the Frank Southern Ice Center,1965 S. Henderson St., the Hoosiers open the 2001-2002 hockey season against longtime ACHA rival Central Michigan University.\n"I can't wait," coach Rich Holdeman, who is celebrating his 10th season behind the IU bench, said. "We've been practicing real hard, especially this past week, and I'm looking forward to finally seeing these guys in action."\nThe Hoosiers have reason for optimism as the team has more than 20 returning players from last year's group that finished sixth in ACHA Division II National rankings. Included among the returnees is the high-scoring trio of seniors Dan Hauck, Brandon Phillips and team MVP Bryan Grant. \nGeneral manager Alex Kyrias said he saw even more positive signs last weekend when the squad participated in their annual Indiana hockey red/white game. That is to say, he saw good things when he could see.\n"It was like 'Fog Bowl II,'" Kyrias said laughing about the conditions last weekend. "It was 75 degrees and humid outside. That shouldn't be a problem on Friday."\nBut through the fog, Kyrias noticed some significant contributions from a few of the team's newcomers Despite the veteran lineup, he said the new blood could establish themselves as impact players by season's end. \n"I think the two that stand out right now are (freshmen) Jamie Dillon and David Ravensberg," Kyrias said. "Dillon scored the first goal for the red team Saturday night. He came from one of the top two high school hockey programs in suburban Chicago, which has some pretty good high school hockey. As for Ravensberg, right now he's on our second line. He was the leading scorer at North Central High School, and is very fast. But he's trying to fit in around a lot of veterans so the important thing is that he knows the system right now."\nThe Hoosiers will need a big weekend from their goaltending as Central Michigan brings one of the biggest lineups in the ACHA. Having already played four games this season (3-1), the Chippewas could prove a tough opponent as the Frank's undersized ice surface is suited to their style of physical game.\n"We're going to see a real contrast in styles this weekend with Central Michigan," Holdeman said. "They're a team that likes to hit and forechecks real aggressively. They're a very different team than we are in some ways. We're going to need to use our strength well and move the puck quickly."\nKyrias agreed.\n"There's probably about 10 guys that are 200 lbs and 10 guys that are 6'0 and up. That's a bit of a contrast from our team. They're big and they like to hit. I'm expecting a very physical weekend."\nTo beat the Chippewas, IU will have to skate hard and take advantage of their team speed, an approach they'll likely take into most games this season. Last year, the teams split their season series (1-1), but IU had considerable success on special teams. Five of their 10 goals against the Central Michigan came on the power play.\n"We've got a pretty quick team this year, and we've got to use it," said Hauck. "It's our first game and we might seem a little rusty, but I expect us to come out skating hard. They're big and they like to hit, but we can skate through it"