Michigan Hockey Notebook: U-M Swept At No. 9 Minnesota
The Michigan hockey team started the second half of its season on the wrong foot, as it was swept at No. 9 Minnesota over the weekend. The two losses by the Wolverines (8-11-1 overall, 1-5-1 Big Ten) dropped their record at Mariucci Arena to just 1-7 over the past eight games there.
Michigan lost the first night, 5-2, after giving up three unanswered goals in the first period, including one with just 1.7 seconds left. A short-handed goal from Brendan Warren in the second period gave the Wolverines some life, but Minnesota scored two more goals to clinch the victory.
On Saturday night, Michigan played much better in the first period, but coughed up another last-minute goal to enter the first intermission down 1-0. The Golden Gophers dominated the second period, spending much of it in the Wolverines’ defensive zone, and tacked on two more goals. Once again, Michigan made a late comeback effort, but it was too little, too late in a 4-2 loss.
Three Stars Of The Week
1st Star — Senior forward Max Shuart
Before this weekend’s series, Shuart had sat out two of Michigan’s previous three games. In his return to the lineup, the senior made a case for consistent ice time going forward. He played what Michigan coach Red Berenson called “second-effort hockey” both nights. Friday, he scored his first goal of the season while serving as the catalyst for Warren’s short-handed goal, chasing the puck down the ice while on the penalty-kill unit. He moved up to the first line for Saturday’s game and had a similarly impressive performance.
“(Shuart) played with some desperation,” Berenson said after Friday’s game. “So what happens? He has a good game. He separates himself from the rest of the team — we need the whole team playing like that. … He knew how tough it was going to be in here. ... We need our whole team playing as hard as Max Shuart played.”
2nd Star — The goaltenders
Giving up eight goals (the ninth was an empty-netter) may seem ugly, but senior Zach Nagelvoort and freshman Hayden Lavigne did everything they could to keep their team in the game both nights. Facing an explosive Minnesota offense on Olympic-sized ice, the defense surrendered too many opportunities. Nagelvoort, who started the opener, made 40 saves on 45 shots, while Lavigne made 24 saves on 27 shots.
“There’s only so much [Nagelvoort] can do,” Berenson said Friday. "He can’t score goals. He’s got to stop the first shot — that’s his job. ...He’s seeing screen shots through traffic. He’s got to make the save — [and] there’s gonna be rebounds, and rebounds are on our team to get rid of and to pick up men, and that’s where we didn’t do a good enough job.”
3rd Star — Sophomore forward Brendan Warren
Warren hasn’t had the season many expected of him thus far, but he played well over the weekend — perhaps a sign of him turning things around. His effort on the penalty-kill unit was evident in the second period of Friday’s game. Warren forced a turnover deep in Minnesota’s zone, then beat Golden Gopher goaltender Eric Schierhorn for a short-handed goal that cut Michigan’s deficit to just one. In Saturday’s game, he was credited for an assist to give him a multi-point weekend.
Quote Of The Week
“... I think it definitely gives us a gauge of where we’re at. … It’s an opportunity that maybe we missed, but at the same time, we were right there with them and it’s a top-10 team and a team that we’re going to beat at some point this season. We know they’re a good team, but I think it definitely gives us a gauge and an idea of where we’re at so far.” — Senior defenseman Nolan De Jong after his team’s 4-2 loss to Minnesota on Jan. 14.
Stat Of The Week: 0%
Michigan’s power-play unit is especially important for a team that struggles to score goals in 5-on-5 play. But the power play was unsuccessful against the Golden Gophers — the Wolverines were 0-2 in Friday’s game and 0-4 on Saturday.
Notes & Numbers
Freshman forward Will Lockwood missed the Minnesota series after reaggravating an upper-body injury against Michigan State in the Great Lakes Invitational … Lockwood still leads the team in points (13) … Freshman forward Steven Merl scored the first goal of his season in the third period of Saturday’s game … Sophomore defenseman Joseph Cecconi returned from the World Junior Championship, where he played for the gold-medal winning USA team.
Up Next
Michigan has two games against the Spartans next weekend. The first game will be played at Yost Ice Arena on Friday, before the Wolverines will travel to East Lansing for the second. Michigan beat Michigan State in overtime, 5-4, when the two teams met in the third-place game of the GLI. The two in-state rivals are currently the last two teams in the Big Ten standings.
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