Michigan Hockey The Magnificent Red & his Scoring Machines

Posted at 5:00pm — 1/30/2015

Michigan Wolverine Hockey: The Magnificent Red and his Scoring Machines

You’d think a hockey coach with 800 wins under his belt couldn’t sneak up on anybody.

But that’s exactly what Red Berenson and his Michigan Wolverine hockey team have been doing, to the B1G and to college hockey in general. Following an early- season death spiral that saw them plummet from #8 in the pre-season rankings right out of the USCHO Division I hockey poll, the Red Baron has regained control of the aircraft. To say the least.

It’s hard to imagine a more stark transformation. On November 1 the Wolverines found themselves with a 2-5 record, in the midst of a long bus ride home after being swept out of Houghton. Michigan Tech had beaten the maize and blue for the second time in as many nights, the latter a stinging 6-2 body blow buoyed by four Huskie power-play goals.

Michigan Wolverines

For the past month, Michigan’s most impressive outing has been its most recent. A 4-3 overtime thriller over #9 Minnesota inside a raucous Yost Ice Arena. The 7-5 runaway victory the following night that completed a rare weekend hockey- hoops-hockey sweep of the Gophers, and solidified Berenson’s status as a member of the 800-win club. Then the record-setting 10-6 rout in Columbus, with a double-digit explosion the maize and blue hadn’t delivered on the road since 1996. The 10-goal outburst also set a B1G mark for most goals scored in a conference game.

The stars were out and shining against the Buckeyes. Nine different players notched multiple-point performances, including the increasingly dazzling Zach Hyman, who netted a first-period hat trick only to have his third goal overturned due to goalie interference. Larkin, continuing his upward trajectory toward national freshman of the year honors, rang the bell five times with two tallies and three assists.

Goals are coming more effortlessly with each outing, as the nation’s top scoring offense widens its lead over #2 (the margin is already over half a goal). You can see the gleam in the eyes of the forward lines, carefully picking their moments to unleash barrage after relentless barrage. The Wolverines’ sustained pressure and puck possession made even simple line changes a challenge for Ohio State’s injury-depleted squad.

Last Friday in Madison, Michigan showed the defending conference champs that jumping to a three-goal lead is like kicking an active wasp nest. The Badgers shot out to an early 4-1 advantage, running Racine off the ice after one period. The Wolverines looked flat offensively and unresponsive on defense.

Traditionally speaking, these are the games they would always lose. But this year’s young upstarts don’t roll that way. They hit you in waves, and just when you think one is over the next is busy lighting the lamp behind you. Watching Hyman and Larkin and captain Andrew Copp throttle up is a sight to see. Not to mention worker bees like junior winger Justin Selman, who tallied his first career hat trick as Michigan’s six unanswered goals bucked the Badgers, 7-4.

By the end of the second period the Wolverines still trailed, 4-3. Yet one couldn’t help but feel that they would ultimately prevail, just watching them buzz around, their winged helmets circling the opposing netminder as if he had invaded their hive. As coach Red says, it’s easier to teach a guy how to play without the puck than to score with the puck. Hyman’s 35 points and 16 goals rank fourth and fifth in the nation, respectively, in each statistical category. Larkin is 12th in scoring and 7th in assists, and that’s among all Division 1 players, not just freshmen.

In contrast to Friday’s comeback story, Saturday’s 6-0 dismantling of Wisconsin was utter perfection from the drop of the puck. By the second intermission Michigan had a 5-0 lead and a 37-9 shot advantage. Zach Nagelvoort (a.k.a. The Other Starting Goalie) made the most of his light workout, stopping all 17 shots he faced, while Hyman and Werenski (who along with Larkin are far and away the conference’s top two scoring freshmen) netted a pair of goals apiece. For the most part, the Badgers played like the two-win team they were, but there was no denying the 60-minute chokehold applied by their merciless guests.

With a pair of games against Michigan State on the horizon—the latter of which will be played outdoors on the Lake Michigan shoreline of Chicago—followed by formidable trips to Minneapolis and Happy Valley, Red has his kids exactly where he wants them: underrated, gelling harmoniously and firing away at will. Whether fighting their way out of an early deficit or blowing a close game wide open in the blink of an eye.

The Red Baron’s flown long enough to know how to keep young gunners hungry for more.

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Written by GBMWolverine Writer — Chris Hill

Go Blue — Wear Maize!

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