GBMW: Michigan Hockey -- College Hockey Showcase -- Preview

COLLEGE HOCKEY SHOWCASE PREVIEW

MICHIGAN (5-7-0, 3-5-0) (tied) 9th in the CCHA
Friday 11/27/09 7:05 p.m. Yost Ice Arena vs. Minnesota (5-7-1)
Saturday 11/28/09 7:35 p.m. Yost Ice Arena vs. Wisconsin (7-4-1)

CHS Facts:

Michigan and MSU play an annual weekend series against the Gophers and Badgers, alternating sites at each other’s arenas. Originally, the series was played at neutral sites in proximity to either a CCHA or WCHA location. Minnesota and Michigan are tied with the best winning percentage in the tourney at .578, with Michigan holding the most wins in the 16 year old series at 18-13-1, while the Gophers are 16-11-5. Minnesota has had the best recent success, sporting a 7-2-3 record in the past six seasons against MSU and Michigan. The Wolverines hold an 8-8 mark against Minnesota including a 2-4 record at Yost. Minnesota also holds the all time record against Michigan at 127-116-15. Michigan had lost six straight games (including NCAA tourney games) to the Gophers before securing the last two games in the CHS, 5-1 in 2008 at Yost, and 6-3 last season in Minneapolis.

The Badgers are 10-20-2 in the CHS, including a 5-10-1 record against Michigan. Wisconsin has rebounded in the past six seasons by skating to an 8-3-1 mark since the 2003 season. Michigan leads the all time series with the Badgers, 63-51-7.

Michigan lost last year’s tilt, 3-0 in Madison, which ended a 2 game CHS winning streak against the Badgers. Michigan is 4-2 against Wisconsin at Yost Arena.

This weekend’s games will feature three of the top winning coaches in the game, as Rick Comely, Red Berenson and Don Lucia have combined for 1,975 victories in their career. Comley ranks third in active coaching wins with 758, followed by Berenson with 678 and Lucia with 539 wins. Each coach has earned two National Championships.

Gopher Gossip:

Minnesota comes into the CHS fresh off of a sweep at the hands of Minnesota-Duluth, extending a losing string to three games. They share the same bug that has bitten Michigan the past few years, with several early departures and season ending injuries to key players.

The Gopher attack is led by Sr. Tony Lucia who has a 4-7-11 total on the season.
Jr. Mike Hoeffel follows with 6-3- 9 and So. Jordon Schroeder has added 3-6-9 to the Gopher offense. The defense is anchored by Jr. Cade Fairchild.
The goaltending is handled by Jr. Alex Kangas who is 4-5 this season with a .922 Sv. % and a 2.49 GAA. Kangas is a streaky goalie that can shut down opponents for long periods, then falter… similar to the goaltending that Michigan has received the past few seasons.

Minnesota has struggled this season on the PP, (8/54-15%) but is 8/29 in their last seven games and has scored PP goals in six of their last seven games. Their PK is equally challenging, 11/61 (82%) for the season, but has improved to 4/39 in the last two weeks.

The Gophers appear to play a wide open style and put up a sizable amount of SOG’s with an average of 28 per game. Similarly, the often get caught defensively and give up an average of 31 SOG per game.

Minnesota is also having penalty issues, averaging 7.4 penalties per game, good for 16 minutes.

Minnesota leads the NCAA in average attendance, with Wisconsin, North Dakota and Michigan trailing in that order.

Badger Bullets:

The Badgers come into Yost arena after a road split with St. Cloud State last weekend and are expected to be one of the challengers for the WCHA title.
Wisconsin is stocked with an experienced lineup featuring six seniors that figure prominently in their attack. Tri-captain Blake Geoffrion (Nashville draft choice) has a 7-3-10 line for the year. Tri-captain Ben Street has chipped in with 4-3-7, and Mike Davies has tallied 2-4-6 on the season. Ben Grotting, Adam Bendrickson and John Mitchell round out the experience up front.

The blueline is also stocked with veteran leadership, starting with Jr. Ryan McDonagh (Montreal) who has added 1-7-8 to the scoresheet, and Jr. Brandon Smith (Detroit) who is 3-10-13 to lead the attack from the back. Wisconsin boasts the second best scoring defense in the country.

Goaltending duties have been split between two Jr. players- Scott Gudmandson ranks 4th nationally with a 3-1-1 record and totes a 1.58 GAA and a .929 Sv.%. Brett Bennett also sees time between the pipes and is 4-3 on the year, with a 2.01 GAA, a .905 Sv% and one shutout on the year.

Special teams have also helped the Badgers to a good start. Wisconsin ranks 3rd in the nation in penalty killing at 91.5% (54/59). Wisconsin has outscored their opponents 43-24 this season and have posted a whopping 35-8 advantage in their seven wins. They typically outshoot their opponents, averaging a 39-22 shot advantage. The Badgers enjoyed marquee wins over UNH in Madison earlier this season, and opened the season with a tie and a loss at top ten ranked Colorado College.

Wolverine Notes:

Michigan’s woes continue to mount as they split last weekend with Bowling Green. The Wolverines dropped their fourth straight game at Yost, worst effort since the period from November, 1988 through January, 1989. They have been outscored at Yost now, 17-9 by their opponents.

Michigan is averaging just 2.67 goals per game which ranks them 32nd in the country, a significant drop from being a top five offense the last five seasons.

Carl Hagelin has been the Wolverine’s most consistent offensive threat, notching at least one point the last six weekends and is tied for second on the team in scoring with five goals and nine points. Freshman Chris Brown leads the team in scoring with six goals and four assists, including the final marker in last week’s 4-1 victory.

Michigan’s PP continues to suffer, clicking at a 14.1% rate for the season, converting 9/64 chances, 44th in the country.

Conversely, the team is allowing an average of 2.5 goals per game, tied for 18th in the country and holds the 6th best PK at 89.6%.

The Maize and Blue are a glaring 0-5 against ranked teams this season and 0-8 in the past two seasons.

Bryan Hogan has the distinction of being 1-4 with a 3.43 GAA with a .860 Sv. % at Yost this season.

Michigan will also visit Madison later this season in the Camp Randall Hockey Classic, the second outdoor venue that Michigan will have played in.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly:

Robbie Czarnik decided to part ways with the Wolverines right after Saturday’s win against BG. Robbie apparently was not happy since joining the Wolverines and decided to jump to the Plymouth Whalers who obtains his rights from Oshawa. Not real good news considering he finally was starting to find his offense, something Michigan sorely needs and considering the lack of depth Michigan has up front. We wish him well, but it’s likely that walking out on the team in the middle of the season is not going to impart very much goodwill to his character, and that is ugly in a circle that is very tight.

It’ll be tough to find any good, unless one of the other lesser regarded Wolverines steps up and contributes. It may also open the door for a 2011 recruit to jump into Michigan sooner (in 2010) if ready.

Keys to the match ups:

1. Stay out of the penalty box. I made this the top priority this weekend, considering how awful the offense has been. Minnesota has seemingly found their powerplay and Wisconsin’s is deadly.

2. Minnesota is a team mirrored in Michigan’s image: big on the wings, fast and talented- albeit a bit thinner than most years. They move the puck well, but also turn it over. Capitalize on their mistakes and limit the turnovers in front of Hogan, and it may lead to more offensive chances. This one may be a comedy of errors, or a really good up and down game to watch.
Wisconsin, on the other hand, is big and experienced- maybe not as quick but definitely more patient and less prone to beating themselves. They will force errors, be physical and score when given the opportunity. Take what they give you and play solid defense. A 1-0 or 2-1 game is fine as long as Michigan is winning. Put Wisconsin in that position and they may as well put the sleeper hold on.

3. Get back the Yost advantage. By this I mean, get the crowd into the game and keep them there. Don’t fall in to the mental lapses that have cost them games against MSU, Miami and BG. Unfortunately, these games typically are void of our students, so it is not the most intimidating atmosphere.
4. Bryan Hogan needs to realize that the team needs his best play, especially in big rivalry games. The reins are his, and probably next season also now that Jack Campbell has reneged. It’s time he plays like the goaltender he was recruited to be.

Prediction:

Friday -- Michigan 4 Minnesota 3
Saturday -- Wisconsin 3 Michigan 1

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Written by Yostmeister