Mailbag question: What do you think of the Michigan Hockey team right now

Posted at 12:00pm -- 1/20/2010


Mailbag question: What do you think of the Michigan Hockey team right now

Hey guys,

What do you think of the hockey team right now? It seems they cannot get on a roll. They win one game and then they come out flat or do not play well the next game.

Can this team keep playing like this or will past troubles come back to bite them in the butt come tournament time, at least in the CCHA, because right now I am not that confident about this team getting into the NCAA tournament? What do you guys think?

Sara T.

------------------------

Sara:

Thanks for the question.

It is always great to have our lady hockey fans ask questions. Let me speak for myself, since the rest of the staff handles the other sports, but may have their own opinions.

This season's edition of Wolverine Hockey boils down to one word: frustrating. I doubt that it has anything to do with the struggles of the other Michigan sports teams. The expectations for this team were really high, even though Michigan lost a top forward early to the NHL. They have a roster full of experience, especially on defense and in net, and were adding other pieces to help the offensive losses they suffered to defection and graduation. It just appears that the chemistry on this team was disrupted and it affected their play. Prior to the holiday break, Michigan also had one of their forwards leave to go to the OHL. That seemed to settle the team down, making it appear that he was a major distraction.

Still, Michigan has too much talent on this team for the inconsistent performances the team gives us. So- let me break it down by position:

Goaltending:

Jr. Bryan Hogan was handed the reins after the graduation of Billy Sauer. He was counted on to perform as well or better than his recent predecessor, and he hasn't. He can flash brilliance at times- and is a competent goaltender- but early on lacked confidence. This tends to lead to indecision on playing the puck, cutting down angles or positioning in general. It has cost us several times this season, none more revealing than in the game against RPI at the GLI. He has played much better as of late, but needs to steal games against our better competition to give the team a boost. I also think that he did not handle the pressure very well, especially in our early marquee games against BU, Miami and MSU. Add to that the whispers of "uber-goalie" recruit Jack Campbell, who was supposed to sign with Michigan for next season and reneged. Hogan seemed to relax since that announcement, basically guaranteeing that he will be the starter for his senior season next year. If Michigan is to make the NCAA tourney, it starts with Hogan.

Defense:

Let's face it; the early publications touted the defensive core as being one of the best in the country. Frankly, they haven't even played on par with the better defensive pairings in the conference. Sr. Captain Chris Summers has been steady, but unspectacular- and that is good for the stay-at-home type play he provides- unless he is coughing the puck up, which happens frequently. Sr. Tristin Llewellyn has been one of my favorite antagonists- consistent in being undisciplined and costing this team because of it. Sr. Steve Kampfer was supposed to supply offensive punch and hasn't, but has a bit of an edge to his play. Jr. Chad Langlais also is an offensive minded blueliner that is just now starting to cut his mistakes and add much needed points. Steady Sophomore Brandon Burlon has matured nicely, and adds a nice shot from the point to go with his rugged play. So. Greg Pateryn has had a tough time with his consistency and alternates in the lineup with Llewellyn. Freshman Lee Moffie is also maturing into one of the better blueliners Red Berenson will have for next season. Sr. Eric Elmblad hasn't played this season and, unless injuries occur, probably won't. Overall, the defense has improved, but still takes too many penalties, hasn't contributed offensively enough, and turns the puck over more frequently than our coaches would like.

Offense:

Alternate Captain (Jr.) Carl Hagelin is the core strength of our forwards. He will garner some consideration for the Hobey Baker award, but all eyes will be on him next season. He is dynamite every shift on the ice, and also is a key penalty killer. Without Hagelin, Michigan's offense would suffer.

Coach Berenson has paired him with Jr. Matt Rust, who is also having a good season. Freshman Chris Brown has been the strong force he was expected to be with decent numbers for his first season. Fellow freshmen Lindsay Sparks, AJ Treais, and Kevin Lynch have finally started to contribute to the offense. Other than that, Michigan has not gotten the production from 2008-09 Hobey Baker candidate (Jr.) Louie Caporusso (major disappointment) or Sr. Brian Lebler, who was also supposed to provide toughness and size. Instead, he (along with Llewellyn) currently leads the team in penalty minutes.

So. David Wohlberg has struggled with a chronic injury, but was also counted on for more production than he has given. Juniors Ben Winnett, (Alternate Captain) Luke Glendening, Jeff Rohrkemper and Scooter Vaughn are all grinder type players valuable for shutting down an opponent's top scorer and on special teams. Senior Anthony Ciraulo has seen little action this season, but plays bigger than his size when he does.

In general, Michigan had better expectations for its offensive output- being shut out three times this season and going long stretches without scoring. Overall, the output of the offense is average, and that, combined with the failure at times to backcheck and relieve the pressure from the defense has cost them games. There is no pure goalscorer as in the past, and that lack of NHL type ultraskilled player is really showing.

Consistency is not something we can put a finger on. This past weekend was the perfect example- they jumped a good team on Friday, and then probably expected Alaska to roll over on Saturday. The Wolverines have to put 60 minutes together against every team, every game and they haven't. They don't have the offense to bail them out, and, they frankly haven't had sound goaltending and defense, which has led to "easy" or weak goals.

All that said my expectation is that this team will find a way to compete for a top four finish in the conference. Looking ahead, their schedule isn't easy. They have to solve the issue with finishing as strong as they start each weekend. They are currently sitting on the outside fringe looking in for an NCAA spot.

My estimation is that this team, at worst, will finish with 20 wins, and finish 5th. If the Wolverines get some breaks and beat teams like Ferris, MSU and Notre Dame, and not lose to the other teams they should beat (NMU, BG, UNO), they could sneak into a top four spot. UM will absolutely need to beat all of those teams to improve their Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), which is the main determinant as to an at large NCAA bid. Otherwise they will have to win the CCHA tourney to gain the autobid. No team outside of the top four seeds has ever done that.

The prognosis is challenging, but like Winston Churchill once said:

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." Let's hope our young men will choose the latter and play as they are capable.

Thanks again and Go Blue!

Written by Yostmeister

Go Blue -- Wear Maize!