Michigan hockey debuts its 2019-20 team in the regular season this coming weekend with a pair of home games, Friday (7:30 p.m. on BTN+) and Saturday nights (7:30 p.m., BTN+) at Yost Ice Arena, against Clarkson, ranked No. 11 nationally in the weekly USCHO poll (U-M checks in at No. 24, under others receiving votes, in the rankings).
The Wolverines won their annual preseason Canadian University exhibition against Windsor last Sunday afternoon, 8-2, in preparation for the season-opening weekend.
In the victory over Windsor, Michigan sported seven different goal scorers, including three freshmen. Rookie defenseman Cam York scored a pair, including the game’s prettiest effort on a nifty stickhandling display.
Freshman forward Johnny Beecher and classmate defenseman Keaton Pehrson each had a goal apiece in the contest.
Clarkson represents a very significant increase in challenge for the Wolverines, who will be relying on quick adaptation to the college level of play from their five freshmen and significant improvements over last season by their nine-man sophomore class.
Clarkson finished tied for third in last season’s final ECAC standings and advanced to the 2019 NCAA Tournament, where they lost a first-round heartbreaker to Notre Dame, 3-2. The Golden Knights lost their leading point-getter, forward Nico Sturm, and their top goaltender, Jake Kielly, to early pro signings over the past summer.
Michigan Hockey Players To Watch
Senior forward captain Will Lockwood returns to Michigan for his senior campaign as Michigan’s main offensive threat. Lockwood led the Wolverines in goals scored (16) and finished second in total points (31) in 2018-19.
The Wolverines have two freshman that were first-round picks in last June’s NHL Draft in their starting lineup and will expect an infusion of offense from the pair in 2019-20. Defenseman Cam York (14th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers) and forward Johnny Beecher (30th overall, Boston Bruins) both make the short trip down M-14 to Yost from the Plymouth-based U.S. National Team Development Program to commence their college careers.
Last season’s goaltending tandem of senior Hayden Lavigne and sophomore Strauss Mann will reprise their battle for the top spot in net for Michigan again this season. Inconsistency in goal has plagued the Wolverines for several seasons. Head coach Mel Pearson needs one of the two netminders to take a step forward and claim the starting job this season.
Clarkson Hockey Players To Watch
Junior defenseman Connor McCarthy, a 6-7, 238-pound behemoth, and sophomore forward Adam Tisdale each scored a pair of goals in Clarkson’s season-opening 7-0 exhibition win over Royal Military College of Canada this past weekend.
The Golden Knights also return Latvian senior forward Haralds Egle and senior forward Devin Brosseau to head their offense. Egle led the team in goals (19) in 2018-19 and Brosseau added 14 of his own last season.
Graduate transfer goaltender Frank Marotte, from Robert Morris, will likely get the nod between the pipes for the Golden Knights, replacing the quality production they received from Kielly.
Other Big Ten Hockey Weekend Action
Fri./Sat. — Michigan State at Northern Michigan
Fri./Sat. — Minnesota at Colorado College
Fri./Sat. — Air Force at No. 8 Notre Dame
Fri. — No. 12 Ohio State vs. No. 14 Western Michigan (Ice Breaker Tourney in Toledo)
Sat. — No. 12 Ohio State vs. No. 17 Bowling Green or RIT (Ice Breaker Tourney in Toledo)
Fri./Sat. — Sacred Heart at No. 13 Penn State
Fri. — No. 16 Wisconsin at No. 10 Boston College
Sat. — No. 16 Wisconsin at Merrimack
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our newsletter, The Wolverine Now
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW, @AustinFox42, @JB_ Wolverine and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook
