Michigan Hockey: Sweeps WMU With Last Second Heroics; At NMU For CCHA Regular Season Weekend Finale

Posted at 8:00am — 2/25/2011

Michigan Hockey: Sweeps WMU With Last Second Heroics; At NMU For CCHA Regular Season Weekend Finale

#10 MICHIGAN (21-9-4, 18-7-1-0) 2nd CCHA vs. Northern Michigan (14-15-5, 12-11-3-0) 5th CCHA
2/25/11 7:35 p.m. & 2/26 7:35 p.m. Berry Events Center, Marquette, Mi.
TV: None- Live PPV ($7.00) streaming available- MGoBlue.com

Rewinding Last Week’s Action:
Michigan took two from WMU, winning 6-3 on Friday night behind Greg Pateryn’s 1 G 3A game and miraculously came from behind Carl Hagelin’s late heroics to snatch a 5-4 OT victory on Saturday night. Scooter Vaughn opened the scoring for the second consecutive week for the Wolverines, taking a Pateryn clearing pass right out of the penalty box and launching a wrister on a 2×1 break to give Michigan a 1-0 lead. Kevin Lynch would score his first goal since before the GLI (three months) to extend the lead to 2-0. In the second period, Pateryn scored on a nice passing play that he started after intercepting a WMU clearing pass in the neutral zone. Chris Brown scored seconds later to give the Wolverines a commanding 4-0 lead. The Broncos changed their netminder and took over the momentum from that point. They barraged Michigan with eleven straight shots, potting two goals and narrowly missing another as the period ended. The momentum was stunted on the third period, though, as Lynch broke in and scored to extend the lead to 5-2. The Broncos responded a minute later to cut the lead to 5-3, but the game was sealed after a late ENG by Luke Glendening. Shawn Hunwick stopped 31 shots in the victory that saw zero PP chances for Michigan in opposed to three for the Broncos.

Senior Night is usually filled with emotion and drama. There is no better way to describe last Saturday’s game any better- befitting the legendary uniqueness of Yost arena. Michigan did not play well at all in this game, looking nervous and tentative from the start. WMU took advantage of that by scoring a goal within the first minute of the game to put the Wolverines on their heels. David Wohlberg broke a 0-22 PP goal less streak by tying the game in the first period. Michigan was afforded several more PP chances that worked against them- allowing two consecutive short handed breakaway goals to give WMU a 3-1 bulge midway through the first period. Chad Langlais responded with his 2nd goal of the season to cut the margin to 3-2 to end the period. Kevin Lynch scored the only goal of the second period striking with his own short handed tally to send both teams to the dressing room deadlocked at 3-3. Michigan was committing unforced errors, was sloppy in their own end and was giving up too many chances.

Western went to work on a PP chance and cashed in early in the third period to take a 4-3 lead. The lead appeared to hold up for the Broncos as they blanketed Michigan throughout the period. But, Michigan pulled Hunwick for the extra attacker with 1:30 left in the game, and desperately attacked the Western net. Jon Merill made a marvelous play at center ice to neutralize a clearing attempt and quickly transitioned Carl Hagelin into the Bronco zone. Hagelin, bracketed by defenders, got off a bouncing shot from the deep slot that deflected off of a defenseman and slithered between WMU goaltender Jerry Kuhn’s pads, off of the inside of the post, and into the net with :40 left. Clearly upset, the netminder slammed his stick to the ice as Hagelin was mobbed by his line mates.

Michigan went to work in OT, clearly buoyed by the sudden change in momentum. It was Shawn Hunwick, though, that saved Michigan, making two outstanding point blank saves halfway through OT to extend the extra session. Michigan’s best chance came in the first minute of the OT as Louie Caporusso’s bid to seal the game was blockered away by Kuhn, lunging to his right to preventing a shot labeled for the top corner.

The best, though, was saved for the Captain, again- after a fortuitous penalty call was made on WMU with: 28 left in the game. Scooter Vaughn was racing toward the WMU end after a Matt Rust dump-in and was clearly interfered with. The penalty helped Michigan set up in the WMU zone, but, after losing the faceoff, they were forced to clear the zone. Just as it looked like a shootout loomed, Lee Moffie drilled an opponent into the boards forcing a turnover. He took possession, raced into the WMU zone and, with time running out, dropped a pass back to Hagelin. The senior took two strides and launched a rocket from the top of the right circle that glanced off a defenseman and rose above Kuhn’s glove into the left corner of the net. Yost erupted, the team raced out to pile onto Hagelin (trapping the WMU player into the penalty box) and Michigan miraculously snatched victory from defeat with 2.9 seconds left on the clock. Not only had they skirted a Senior Night disappointment, but they kept themselves within a point of league leading Notre Dame entering the final weekend of the regular season. The usual Senior Night festivities took place afterward, honoring the seven players moving on after this season. Hagelin was given the giant Swedish flag that draped over the student section signed by over three hundred of his school mates as a souvenir of this magical evening.

Yostmeister’s Three Stars of the weekend:
1. Carl Hagelin – Michigan – the senior leader willed his team to victory on Saturday, and finished the series with 2G and 2A.
2. Kevin Lynch – Michigan – finally broke a pointless string with a 3G 1A weekend.
3. Dane Walters – WMU – the Bronco forward was a force all weekend, potting 3G and 1A.

NMU Poised To Spoil Michigan’s Title Bid:
Michigan concludes its regular season with a two game road journey to Marquette to face the NMU Wildcats. Northern has had an up and down year, rebuilding on the backs of a strong core of hard working upperclassmen. They lost key components of their 2009-10 CCHA tourney runner up team (losing to Michigan 2-1 in last year’s championship game) and first round OT ousters in the NCAA West Regional. Gone is an all CCHA defenseman, forward and goaltender from last season.

This season, the Cats have relied on less offense and more defensive structure to keep them close in many of their games. They have traditionally been a strong second half team and will be a formidable opponent in their home rink- especially since it will also be Senior Night on Saturday. The biggest concern involving this squad appears to be its health and its youth. The team is filled with lunch bucket type players that work hard, but lack offensive punch. They have made the best of their conference schedule, though, quietly moving into 5th place and hoping to secure points to challenge WMU for the coveted 4th place slot. (The race for the last home ice slot for the second round of the playoffs is very tight- six points separate 4th place from 9th place, with WMU, NMU, Ferris State, LSSU and Ohio State all vying for that position this weekend. Alaska has concluded their schedule and can only finish as high as 6th place, pending this weekend’s results.)

Michigan, on the other hand, is locked into no less than a 2nd place finish. Miami could tie them for 2nd place if the Wolverines get swept. The Redhawks will finish 3rd regardless because of the first tiebreaker: conference wins. Michigan could win the CCHA regular season title if they secure any combination of points that exceeds Notre Dame’s points this weekend. If Michigan ends up tied with Notre Dame, the Wolverines will win the title based on the first tiebreaker. If Notre Dame wins both of their games against WMU, they will secure the title outright.

Mild…Cats?
Do not be fooled by NMU’s record. They are not going to be an easy team to beat this weekend, especially with the stakes as high as they are for both teams. Michigan does lead the overall series with NMU, going 33-18-5, including a 10-6-3 mark in Marquette. The Cats play much better on their Olympic size ice, as they have traditionally stocked their roster with speed and skill. The top Cats so to speak fit that build pretty well. Junior forward Tyler Gron (16-15-31, -1) leads the NMU offense in scoring. There is a question as to whether he will play this weekend, as he has been out due to injury. Fellow junior Justin Florek has stepped up this season, adding 13-14-27 to the Cat offense. The one player Wolverine fans should be wary of is senior Gregor Hanson (5-15-20, -1) who always seems to play well against Michigan.

Junior forward Andrew Cherniwchan (7-12-19, -2) adds size and physicality to the lineup- as he holds the NMU honors in PIM’s also with 85 this season. Senior forward Phil Fox (11-7-18) and sophomore defenseman Scott Macaulay (1-15-16, +6) round out the bulk of the offensive threats for the Cats.

Northern also has a seven man senior class consisting of the aforementioned Hanson and Fox as well as forward Jared Brown (2-6-8. -1), defenseman Andrew Fernandez (2-3-5, +7), forward Mike Maltese (3-6-9, +1), forward Nicholas Kosinski (3-2-5, -2) and defenseman Eric Spady (1-6-7, -3). The goaltending is split between junior Reid Ellingson who sports a 9-10-3 record with a 2.54 GAA and a .918 save % and freshman Jared Coreau (5-5-2, 3.64 GAA and .911 save %.) Neither is going to steal games, but, like Michigan’s goaltending, their success is mostly predicated on how well the team defense is performing in front of them. They have had their moments this season, including a 50 save performance by Coreau against Notre Dame.

NMU has not fared well against ranked teams this season, dropping a tough 3-2 home loss to top five ranked Minnesota-Duluth as well as losing and tying Denver on the road. Overall, the Cats are 5-9-3 against ranked opponents, including 1-3 against the Irish, 0-2 vs. Miami, 1-0-1 against Alaska, 2-0 against Ferris State and 1-2-1 against WMU.

Tale Of The Tape:
This weekend’s match-up with NMU will be compelling in how the Wolverines can take advantage of a few statistical areas. Neither team comes into the weekend rolling on all cylinders. Michigan is 7-3 in their last ten games, putting behind them a three game losing string several weeks ago. They have since rattled off four consecutive wins banking on the strength of a 14-2-1 home record. NMU on the other hand, is 5-4-1 in their past ten games, winning three of their past four, tying the other- all on the road-after dropping four straight games, including an embarrassing home ice sweep at the hands of their Yooper rivals from LSSU. The Cats are 7-7-1 at the BEC- not exactly an imposing record, although Michigan has been an underwhelming 5-6-3 on the road. No large advantage either way there.

Michigan improved to 17th overall in the country in offense, (3rd in the CCHA) at 3.35 GPG. NMU on the other hand, is 46th at 2.41GPG, sitting 8th in conference offense. Michigan is clearly more explosive but has not had the same production on the road. NMU is an opportunistic offensive team, countering off of turnovers and special team’s opportunities. The Wolverines can wheel and deal on the big ice, but are also prone to defensive lapses when pressing their luck. Advantage: Michigan.

Michigan’s defensive lapses have been a cause for concern, especially since Shawn Hunwick also struggled this past weekend. The Wolverines sit 10th nationally with a 2.38 GA average mark which retained 1st overall in conference. NMU allows an average of 3.00 GPG (T-34th), and also sits 10th in the CCHA. Even with NMU’s emphasis on defense, their results have not been that stellar. This appears to be a large mismatch- even with the recent hiccups in Michigan’s team defense-especially if Michigan’s offense continues to trend upward. Advantage: Michigan.

The Wolverines’ power play woke up against WMU, with the unit finally breaking a long drought going 2 for 4 on the weekend with the game winner being the second of the night last Saturday. Michigan’s average ticked up to 17.7% conversion (28th) and ranks 8th in the CCHA. If the PP contributes this weekend, it will absolutely kill the Wildcats- especially since it is my feeling that NMU will give Michigan plenty of practice. (More on that in a minute.) NMU, on the other hand, has a decent power play, at 18.8% conversion, good for 21st nationally and 2nd in the CCHA. No doubt that this is an area Michigan will have to limit, since NMU may have trouble scoring 5×5. Advantage: NMU.

Michigan’s penalty killing team continues to improve, limiting WMU to a 1/7 success rate. The Wolverines improved to an 81.5% average (34th) which is 3rd in the CCHA. NMU’s unit is probably their weakest link at 78.7% (50th) although their conference ranking is much better at 7th in the CCHA. Michigan’s PP is still not a thing of beauty, but more ice should provide more chances with the man advantage. Similarly, NMU’s strength is their PP versus a much improved Michigan PK. I like Michigan’s chances to gain more PP time versus NMU’s ability to capitalize on their chances, providing they are limited. One danger though- Michigan gave up their 3rd and 4th SHG’s of the season Saturday against WMU. Any other night that would have spelled disaster. Advantage: Michigan.

Overall, the factor to consider is frequency > strength. NMU has a better PP than Michigan, but Michigan’s PK has been pretty solid, at least in the second half of the season. Michigan may gain more man advantages than NMU, so if they capitalize on a few chances, it may end up a wash, or better yet, a deciding factor in the weekend. I say that because….

Michigan only takes on the average 13.4 minutes in penalties per game-25th best in the country and 7th in the CCHA. The Cats take a whopping 18.6 minutes per game-3rd worst nationally and #1 in the CCHA. This is a huge advantage for Michigan IF they can capitalize and reduce their penalties as well. Michigan’s speed and skill should force NMU to play shorthanded more frequently. Advantage: Michigan.

Shawn Hunwick (14-7-4, 2.40 GAA, .919 save %) will take to the nets again. Bryan Hogan (7-2-0, 2.11GAA, .923 save %) continues to be ready if needed. Hunwick couldn’t be blamed much last Friday for yielding three goals, but had a self admitted awful outing last Saturday. (He tweeted that he was lucky that “Hagelin saved his butt.”) Expect Hunwick to perform better on the road this weekend-with the senior night distraction behind, and the focus on winning a CCHA title in their grasp.

Michigan’s Louie Caporusso (4-7-11, 10 games), Carl Hagelin (3-6-9, 10 games), Matt Rust (2-4-6, 10 games), Chad Langlais (1-4-5, 10 games) and Ben Winnett (3-0-3, 9 games) lead the Wolverines in scoring against Northern Michigan.

Keys To Victory:
-Focus on Friday night, first. The temptation is to scoreboard watch, but it won’t matter if Michigan doesn’t win- especially if Notre Dame DOES end up winning.

-Rally around your goaltender. NMU may want to make this series a 1-0, 2-1 type games. Michigan still should out chance, out score and out defend a Wildcat team that may be without their best offensive weapon.

-Use the special team’s confidence and roll with it.

– Thank you David Wohlberg and Kevin Lynch. You’re off the schneid now, it would be sweet to get on a roll and take some pressure off of guys like Hagelin and Brown. Next up: Louie Caporusso.

– Goaltending and defense will win this weekend. It’s time to play playoff hockey.

Prediction:
Michigan needs a stellar effort to take points in Marquette. Luckily, Winter Break is this week, so maybe the students will not be there to give their team an emotional lift (remember last year at MSU?) This has not been a particularly tough place to play, but it is still a road series- and anything can happen. Still, the ingredients are there for success this weekend- an average NMU team and a Michigan team on an emotional high from last weekend. In the end, this is a series they should win if they have any conference or national title aspirations. Michigan 4-2 Friday, Michigan 3-2 Saturday.

Yost Bits:
-Michigan has won twelve straight home games dating back to 11/13, including the Big Chill.

-Michigan has clinched no less than a second place finish for the 19th time in the past 21 seasons and is looking to clinch their 11th CCHA Regular Season Title- providing they take care of business and gain some help from WMU.

-Michigan also clinched their 24th straight season with 20 or more wins last Friday night.

-Carl Hagelin was named the CCHA Offensive Player of the week for the second time this season.

-Michigan scored eleven goals this past weekend, the most this season.
Michigan scoring update: Hagelin checks in at 15-27-42 (+17), Caporusso is next at 9-15-24 (+14), Rust (4-16-20, +9), Merrill (7-12-19, +7), Wohlberg (12-6-18, +1), Brown (7-11-18, +15), Burlon (5-13-18, +11), Vaughn (11-6-17, +9), and Treais (8-8-16, +2).

-Michigan has earned a first round CCHA tournament bye regardless of what the results are this weekend. Their next action will be at Yost Arena for a best of three Quarterfinal round CCHA tournament series against a team yet to be determined on March 11-13.

-Reports out of several publications indicate another top signing for the 2013 class.

-Michigan is currently 6th in the Pairwise rankings, which would make them a second seed, probably in one of the Eastern Regionals.

Stay tuned to the forum for the latest Michigan Hockey news… Go Blue!

Written by GBMWolverine Staff

Go Blue — Wear Maize!