Michigan Hockey – Laker Rewind / College Hockey Showcase Up Next
Posted at 6:00pm — 11/26/2010
Michigan Hockey – Laker Rewind / College Hockey Showcase Up Next
#8 MICHIGAN (8-3-3, 7-2-1-0) 2nd CCHA vs. #16 Wisconsin (6-6-2, 3-5-2) 6th WCHA
Friday 11/26 8:05 p.m. Kohl Center, Madison, Wisconsin
#8 Michigan vs. #15 Minnesota (7-4-1, 5-4-1) 5th WCHA
Sunday, 11/28 5:05 p.m. Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, Minn.
TV: Live Video-Friday & Sunday both on bigtennetwork.com
Rewinding Last Week’s Action:
The Wolverines routed LSSU 7-2 last Friday night, breaking a 0-3-1 string on Fridays. Michigan roared out to a 4-1 first period lead before allowing a Laker goal with .3 of a second left in the period. Michigan responded by scoring once in the second frame and twice in the third, including a Scooter Vaughn shortie while killing a Matt Rust five minute major, to ice the win. Shawn Hunwick collected his second win of the season.
Michigan expected a tighter game on Saturday and slipped past the Lakers, 3-2 to sweep the series. Kevin Lynch provided the offense, scoring twice to pace the Wolverines. Brandon Burlon added a goal. Bryan Hogan turned away 34 of 36 shots to preserve the victory.
AJ Treais, Kevin Lynch and Scooter Vaughn were my three stars on Friday. Treais picked up a goal and an assist, Lynch added a goal and two assists and Vaughn netted his first career shorthanded tally.
Lynch followed up Friday night by potting two goals on Saturday and was my #1 star. Bryan Hogan was #2, fighting off several scoring chances in the third period to lock down Michigan’s eight win of the season and his sixth. Louie Caporusso had a three point weekend, including two points Saturday and was my third star. Michigan kept pace with Notre Dame and Miami, who also swept their series. Michigan is second in the CCHA, one point behind the Irish and one point ahead of the Redhawks.
Wolverines Enter Big Ten Battles The Next Three Weekends:
The Maize and Blue now face a stretch of games against Big Ten foes starting this weekend in Wisconsin on Friday night and then against Minnesota on Sunday afternoon for the 18th and final College Hockey Showcase. Michigan stays on the road and travels to Ohio State for two games next weekend before returning home on December 11th for the much anticipated Big Chill At The Big House against archrival MSU.
Buckin’ The Trend:
Michigan enters the College Hockey Showcase with an overall record of 63-53-7 against the Badgers, including an 11-5-1 Showcase record versus Wisconsin. The Wolverines are 3-2-1 in Madison since the tournament went to having the teams alternate hosting the event on their campus sites. The first event was held at the Palace in 1993, where Wisconsin blitzed Michigan, 6-0. Since that time, Michigan leads the event in wins (20) and winning percentage (.603) and holds an overall 20-13-1 record against both Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Unfortunately, Wisconsin has decided to bail out of the event which was originally developed to maintain the rivalry amongst the four schools (including MSU) from when they were all part of the WCHA. Michigan and MSU left the WCHA in 1981 and moved to the fledgling CCHA along with Notre Dame and, at the time, Michigan Tech. Badger A.D. and former football coach Barry Alvarez decided to cut ties since his desire was to bring Ohio State into the Showcase, also- much to the chagrin of the Michigan schools. The idea was rejected, so he pulled the plug on Wisconsin’s participation. It is loosely suggested by Badger insiders that Alvarez is actually pushing the Badgers to host their own tournament over Thanksgiving in order to boost revenue instead of having to alternate travel for the Showcase. Minnesota and MSU have already decided to continue a scheduling relationship over the next couple of seasons. It would be speculation on my part, but somehow I also smell the Big Ten Network having something to do with the idea of rotating Ohio State into the mix- and with the rumored Big Ten Conference for hockey brewing, the CHS became an irrelevant tournament, at least in one school’s eyes. The fact is, this will be the last CHS which is a shame since Michigan fans will not get a chance to see Minnesota or Wisconsin unless a separate scheduling agreement is reached or unless they play each other in the national tournament. Ironically, Wisconsin holds the worst CHS record amongst the four teams at 11-21-2, followed by MSU’s 13-15-6.
Red & White Re-toolin’:
Wisconsin enters the tournament 6-6-2, which is a far cry from the top five team that rolled through teams last season and eventually lost in the national title game to Boston College. Still, the Badgers are a formidable foe that plays very well at home. They feature one of the best offenses in the country (after taking quite a roster hit from last season.) Like Michigan, Wisconsin utilizes a very aggressive defense that pushes up into the offense frequently. Currently, Wisconsin’s defense is ranked third overall in points per game, averaging 2.79 from the blueline and is #1 overall in total points generated by the defense, with 39.
Wisconsin is led by freshman forward Mark Zengerle (3-16-19) who is ranked 3rd in the country in assists and tops amongst college hockey rookies. Sophomore forward Craig Smith (6-10-16) and Junior forward Jordy Murray (10-3-13) also lead the Badger attack. Murray is ranked fifth in the country in goals (10) including the top spot amongst power play specialists with (6) markers. The top defensive players include Sophomore Justin Schultz (5-9-14) and Junior Jake Gardiner (2-10-12).
The Badgers capitalize on their special team’s opportunities, leading the country in PPG’s with 20 (tied with the ECACHL’s Union.)
Overall, Wisconsin is 9th in the country in goals scored (3.71 per game) and hold teams to 2.29 goals against (11th). Their PP sizzles at 28.2% (4th) and are a subpar 82.5% on their PK (29st) .They average about 15.4 minutes per game in the penalty box, 19th in the country. Don’t let their record fool you- they have lost to Boston U, Denver, North Dakota and Minnesota-Duluth this season- a gauntlet of ranked teams that they have either gone to OT with, or have lost tight games. The Badgers are young and talented and will make you play a full sixty minutes.
The goaltending is experienced and steady. The Badgers are led by two senior netminders: Brett Bennett (3-2-1, 2.09 GAA, .921 save %.) and Scott Gudmandson (3-4-1, 2.37 GAA, .920 save %.) Gudmandson was 1-1 against Michigan last season, losing 3-2 at the CHS at Yost and winning at the Camp Randall Outdoor Classic last February, 3-2.
Wisconsin is winless in their last five (0-4-1) and is looking to break this string against a Michigan team that has won three of the past four meetings.
Gopher Holes:
Michigan and Minnesota resume their rivalry Sunday afternoon in what will be one of the longest series between schools. Minnesota holds a 127-117-15 lead, but has dropped the last three games to Michigan, including last season’s 6-0 drubbing at Yost. In 2008, Michigan defeated the Gophers at Mariucci arena,
6-3. Michigan holds a narrow 9-8 edge over Minnesota in the CHS and is looking to continue its recent mastery over the Gophers.
Minnesota has had an up and down season to date, winning games against lesser opponents, including a road sweep last weekend at Michigan Tech, but also dropping games to Wisconsin and Saint Cloud State as well as a home ice sweep to the UNO Mavericks that caught the attention of college fans- prior to their successful split at Yost arena. They are seeking to turn around their lackluster home play, which is a substandard 3-4-1 so far.
The Gophers are an offensive minded squad that features an experienced lineup of upperclassmen. They are led by senior forwards Jay Bariball (9-6-15), Mike Hoeffel (7-5-12) and BGSU transfer Jacob Cepis (5-8-13). Bariball is 6th in the country in goals and #2 overall in PPG’s with five. Cepis is one of only four players on the Gopher roster that doesn’t hail from Minnesota. Freshman Erik Haula has chipped in with 2-12-14. On defense, which has been the real problem at Minnesota, Senior Cade Fairchild (1-6-7) anchors the blue line. Junior Aaron Ness (0-7-7) is another steady d-man.
The real mystery has been in goal, where senior Alex Kangas has absolutely been abandoned at times. Kangas (1-4-0, 4.64 GAA and a .878 save %) is a better goaltender than he has shown. His partner, Kent Patterson, (6-0-1, 2.46 GAA, .912) has been statistically better and may get the nod this weekend.
The Gophers play on Olympic sized home ice and boast the sixth best offense in the country at 3.83 goals per game. They also have a potent powerplay, hitting the mark at a 25% clip which is seventh in the country. Unfortunately, they are allowing 3.42 goals per game which is tied for 43rd in the country. Their penalty kill is even worse- 73.6%- 53rd overall. The good news for them is that they have been fairly disciplined only taking an average of 12.4 minutes per game in penalties or 39th in the country.
Overall, the Gophers will try to outskate and outscore opponents- but have been rather weak defensively and are prone to mental lapses. Minnesota holds down the second best CHS overall mark at 17-12-5 and look to build off of their successful road trip last weekend.
Wolverine Notes:
Michigan enters the weekend 2-3-1 on Fridays and 6-0-2 on Saturdays. Carl Hagelin is the team leader in points, holding steady at 6-9-15 (+9) including a 3-4-7 mark in the last five games. Louie Caporusso’s 4-9-13 (+12) was boosted by three assists last weekend and a +5 against the Lakers. Scooter Vaughn, David Wohlberg and Kevin Lynch are all tied with Hagelin for the team lead in goals with six. Lynch had a 3-2-5 string in his last three games. Matt Rust is beginning to warm up, adding three points in his last three games, and a 3-5-8 tally for the season. Wohlberg is the only player with a negative +/- rating at -1, and has disappeared offensively in the past couple of weekends. The blueline corps continues to contribute, as they maintained their 2nd overall rank in team points, now with 36. Brandon Burlon absolutely smoked a long slap shot goal Saturday, giving him 1-1-2 this past weekend and 4-5-9 (+4) on the season. Jon Merrill has continued his steady pace with 2-7-9 for his first campaign.
Overall the Wolverines got healthy against the Lakers. They moved up to 13th in national scoring average at 3.50 GPG. They moved up to 14th giving up an average of 2.43 GPG. The PP continues to be a problem as the Wolverines are now scoreless in their last 24 attempts, including a 0-3 showing last weekend against LSSU. They dropped to a 15% conversion, good for 39th overall. The PK has improved dramatically, thanks to a string of twelve straight penalty kills over four games going back to October 30th against Ferris State. Michigan now stands 21st overall at 85.5%. Michigan’s discipline also continues to improve, as their PM’s have dropped again to 15.4 minutes per game, 16th in the nation.
Bryan Hogan and Shawn Hunwick will continue their rotation in net. Hunwick is 2-2-3 with a 2.63 GAA and a .911 save%. Hogan checks in at 6-1 with a 2.14 GAA (17th overall) and a .924 save% (15th overall).
Hogan’s biggest problem is his mental game, as he has been sulking about losing his fulltime starting role. This weekend will go a long way in determining who will get the majority of starts the remainder of the season. Shawn Hunwick, on the other hand, has been fully supportive in the locker room and is happy to finally get a win again- which- by the way, was Michigan’s 500th career win at Yost arena.
Michigan is scoring by committee, as last weekend proved. Eight different players had goals with all twelve forwards earning a point as well as Hunwick, who earned an assist. Three defensemen chipped in points led by Burlon and Merrill.
Keys To The Weekend:
1. Wisconsin and Minnesota play up tempo games, so Michigan will not have any problem skating with them- but they have to stay disciplined. Both these teams thrive on special team’s opportunities.
2. First goals on the road really matter. Michigan has more balance than either of those two teams and has already played in a big time road setting this season.
3. Michigan must defend against Wisconsin’s tendencies to use the late man in the zone and the defense to jump into the play. Get caught up ice, or fail to come back into the zone and defend will result in scoring chances.
4. Do not be goaded into retaliation. Both teams play physical.
5. Michigan’s PP has to wake up sooner or later.
Yostmeister Prediction:
Friday – Wisconsin 3 Michigan 1
Sunday – Michigan 5 Minnesota 2
Written by GBMWolverine Staff
Go Blue — Wear Maize!