Michigan Hockey Notebook: Seniors Lead U-M To Split At Ohio State
While the results of the series were mixed, the Michigan hockey team celebrated nonetheless after Saturday’s 1-0 win over No. 12 Ohio State, and for good reason. The win snapped the Wolverines’ four-game losing streak, giving them just their third win in regulation during the conference season.
It also allowed Michigan (10-17-3 overall, 3-11-2 Big Ten) to gain some semblance of momentum heading into the final stretch of the season — the Wolverines are fully aware the only road leading back to the NCAA Tournament is through the Big Ten Tournament, where they’ll need to win three games in a row. And to both the players and head coach Red Berenson, Saturday’s result provided a brief moment of relief in a season where similar moments have been hard to come by.
“I thought our team played with more desperation tonight,” Berenson said after Saturday’s win. “I thought we showed up at the start of the game and played the way we thought we could. We got rewarded with a lucky goal, and who would’ve thought that that would stand up for 60 minutes? But our goalie played well, we didn’t take a lot of penalties, we didn’t have to kill a bunch of penalties against their great power play, and I thought we were lucky, but it was a good team effort.”
The win came one night after a 4-2 loss that left Berenson displeased with his team’s effort — especially late in periods. On Friday, the Wolverines surrendered a goal that came with just a tenth of a second left in the first period, before giving up another that came with 6.5 seconds left in the second. The last-second goals were the continuation of a trend that has taken place in the second half of the year, causing much consternation to Berenson and proving to be the difference on the scoreboard. But behind a first-period goal and 42 saves from senior goaltender Zach Nagelvoort, Michigan was able to bounce back the next night and nab a hard-earned split on the road.
Three Stars Of The Week
1st Star — Senior forward Evan Allen
Allen arrived in Ann Arbor as a highly touted recruit, but it took some time before the production matched the hype. With his career winding to a close, the senior has been perhaps the team’s most consistent producer, tallying ten points in the past 12 games. Allen has spent most of his time on the ice with the fourth line, yet playing with the checking line hasn’t precluded him from making an impact on the offensive end. In Friday’s loss, he scored both of his team’s goals, while in Saturday’s game, he moved up to the second line and played just as well.
“I think [Allen’s] whole career has been coming down to these last few weeks,” Berenson said after Friday’s game. “He knows it, and he’s putting his best foot forward. It’s coming together for him. He’s always had good hands. He’s always had a good shot. He’s always been a smart player. And now it’s showing up, and he’s producing. I’m not surprised, but I wish it would’ve happened three years ago. But good for him.”
2nd Star — Senior goaltender Zach Nagelvoort
Another player whose career will be coming to an end shortly, Nagelvoort turned in a magnificent performance in Saturday’s win, recording the fourth shutout of his career. He made 42 saves, keeping a dangerous Buckeye offense at bay. The Buckeyes easily could have won the game if not for some of the saves that Nagelvoort came up with, and while Michigan will surely want to limit those in the future, Nagelvoort made sure it didn’t affect the outcome Saturday.
“I thought [Nagelvoort] really looked solid right from the first shot, and that gives your team confidence, too,” Berenson said after the win. “Let’s face it — our confidence was fragile after last night’s game. Not because of our goalie, but just because of our team. And so when your goalie — and he’s a senior — shows that he’s ready, that’s contagious. So I think that helped everybody.”
3rd Star — Freshman forward Nick Pastujov
It seems Pastujov has simply had difficulty getting going all year. He dealt with an injured shoulder while on the USNTDP last year, curtailing the ice time he saw, and after scoring a goal in an exhibition game against Windsor on Oct. 2, he was held scoreless throughout the rest of the year. In Friday’s game, Pastujov took a couple penalties that could’ve been avoided. He would, however, atone for his mistakes the next day by scoring the first goal of his career — which would stand as the game-winner — and turning in an all-around performance that earned the praise of Berenson.
Quote Of The Week: “We don’t have enough dynamite to get this team to understand how desperate they have to play. We know we’re not that good. Maybe we didn’t know that two months ago, but I think we figured it out now. We’re just not going to overpower a team or out-finess a team or outscore them if we just play up-and-down hockey. We’ve got to play better defensively, and I think our team learned that, and we’ll see if we can keep that in the mix next week.” — Michigan coach Red Berenson after his team’s 1-0 win over No. 12 Ohio State on Feb. 25.
Stat Of The Week: 1
The Wolverines have just one player with double-digit goals scored (junior forward Tony Calderone, with 10) and one player with 20 or more points (freshman forward Jake Slaker, with exactly 20). Last year, Michigan had nine and 10 players record these feats, respectively.
Notes & Numbers: Senior forward Alex Kile made his return from injury against Ohio State … Kile had missed the previous six games while recovering from an ankle injury suffered in practice … Freshman forward Will Lockwood did not travel with the team to Columbus … Junior forward Sam Piazza was injured and did not play in the series … Junior forward Dexter Dancs suffered an upper-body injury in Friday’s game and sat out Saturday’s game … Dancs and Piazza are both day-to-day.
Up Next: Michigan returns to Ann Arbor for the first half of a four-game home stand that will end the regular season. The Wolverines will take on No. 4 Minnesota for the second series of the year between the two teams. The Golden Gophers got the best of the Wolverines in the first matchup, sweeping Michigan by a combined score of 9-4, and split a series against No. 19 Wisconsin this past. Minnesota is currently in first place in the Big Ten standings.
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