The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 7
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - 7
It's been far from an ideal season for the Wol- *
verinesthus far. At 12-10, Michigan is tied
for severin t fr he CCHA. With a slew of i c h c key
problems from the power play to the goaltending
plaguing the team from day one, the Wolverinesten din g
have dug themselves a deep hole as far as NCAA MI
Tournament hopes go. With an 18-year Tourna-
ment streak on the line, the Daily Hockey Beat R
evaluates Michigan's performance so far in 09-10. e P
Duo of Caporusso
and Hagelin help
ignite Blue offense
MAX COLL NS/Daily
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Michigan's power play has been suspect all year, failing at times to
generate any quality scoring opportunities or traffic in front opposing
net minders with the man-advantage. As of late, though, the unit is
improving, as the Wolverines scored five power play goals this past
weekend in their sweep of Western Michigan. It currently sits in
fourth in the CCHA at just over a 20 percent success rate.
On the other hand, the Wolverines' penalty kill is one of the best in
the country - third place tobe exact - at 90 percent. Junior forwards
Matt Rust and Carl Hagelin lead the aggressive unit on the front end
while senior Chris Summers spearheads the defense. And because
Michigan is shorthanded about 17 minutes every game - something
Berenson has voiced his disappointment in all season - having a stel-
lar penalty kill unit will be key for the second half of the season.
The offense has seen its share of ups and downs this season. Juniors Louie Caporusso,
Carl Hagelin and Matt Rust have provided somewhat of a scoring punch. And freshman
Chris Brown has been a solid contributor since day one. But the group as a whole has
been inconsistent all season. In Michigan's 12 wins, it scored 4.5 goals per game, and in
the Wolverines 10 losses they scored just 1.4 goals per game. The success that they have
had has come in large part against lesser teams. Michigan coach Red Berenson called
his team "average" in five-on-five hockey and that's what the offense has been. At times,
the unit has looked great, and against ranked teams it has struggled to score. This group
has improved lately, and if it can continue its recent success in the next few important
CCHA series, then this grade will be higher at the end of the season.
Junior Bryan Hogan has been the man between the pipes all season
for Michigan - for better and for worse. At times he has dazzled and
stood on his head for the Wolverines. But there have also been games
that got away because Hogan couldn't make the big saves. And even
though he isn't completely to blame, it will fall on him. Hogan's 2.31
goals against average is good enough for 19th in the country and, to his Defense. I
credit, faces only about 20 shots per game. So his 90 percent save per- teams coach
centage may not be anything to write home about, but he hasn't been allowed an
the whole reason Michigan is floating around .500. The Wolverines Michigan de
don't have an experienced option behind Hogan. And Berenson has Kampfer, Br
stuck with him throughout the season wilithe fily exception being W8s suppose
in Michigan's Great lakes Invitational loss to RPI. That should be the first half of t
trend for the rest of the season. From its tur:
the puck up t
to say the lea
ing weeks, it
MAAxCOL LINS/Daiy
Defense. Defense. It's been a hallmark of past Michigan
ed by Berenson, but this season the Wolverines have
average of 2.36 ~goals per game, which is too high for a
fense with four NHL draftees in Chris Summers, Steve
andon Burlon and Greg Pateryn. And to think, this corps
d to be Michig'af's best in recent his'to'ry.'Thrdugh6ut the
he season, different parts of the defense have been weak.
nover-prone play leading to odd-man rushes to throwing
he middle of the defensive zone, the defense has struggled
at. For the Wolverines to have any success in the uprom-
will need to elevate its defenisive play in front of Hogan.
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russo drove around the net and fed
a pass to wide-open senior defen-
By MARK BURNS seman Steve Kampfer. Kampfer
Daily Sports Editor deposited the puck in the far side
of the net. Caporusso received
o years ago, Kevin Porter FirstStar Honors for his two-point
had Kolarik combined for 119 performance in Kalamazoo.
in a surprising season for "He's a scorer, an All-Ameri-
:ichigan hockey team. The can," assistant coach Mel Pearson
rines played with 12 inexpe- said. "He hasn't quite played up
d freshmen, minimal expec- to that level but the last five or six
s and a steep learning curve. games we've seen an improvement
Porter and Kolarik - the 1-2 in his work ethic."
that posed matchup prob- It is certainly that type of hard
for nearly every opponent work and commitment on the ice
ason - led the Wolverines to that the Wolverines lacked ear-
lace in the CCHA and a Fro- lier in season, so it was definitely
our appearance, the team's a positive when the two quality
nce 2003. players puton good shows this past
following year, then-soph- weekend.
s Aaron Palushaj and Louie The following night against
usso filled the void left by Western Michigan, Hagelin stole
vo standout Michigan play- the spotlight, registering a career-
oth now play in the Phoenix high four points. According to
e system). Despite the Wol- Pearson, his strengths lie in his
s' early exit from the NCAA footwork and ability to beat oppos-
ament, both had breakout ing players to the net.
Palushaj soon departed for On Saturday against the Bron-
merican Hockey League to cos, his quickness was apparent to
or the Peoria Rivermen and everyone at Yost Ice Arena.
usso was a finalist for the Hagelin, this week's CCHA
Baker Award, for college Offensive Player of the Week,
y's best player. credited Porter and Kolarik with
s year, so far, there has been teaching him the importance of
ng vacancy. being a player that brought his 'A'
re have been no prolific pri- game, day-in and day-out.
scorers on this year's Wol- "There's no easy games, there's
s. Michigan hasn't seen that no easy team that you're going to
nation this season - until score against just because they're
now with Caporusso and not a Miami (Ohio)," Hagelin
forward Carl Hagelin. said. "Every team plays good
e don't want to be a one-line defense. That's the bottom line
but on any given night, any- in the CCHA. ... Everyone prides
n explode," Michigan coach themselves on playing good 'D,' so
lerenson said. "That's par- definitely showing up every night
rly what Michigan does. It helps out."
be one shift, one minute of And Michigan's future success
me that can decide the game. could depend on the dynamic play-
ht be one player." ing styles between Caporusso and
)se players that exploded for Hagelin - this year's 1-2 combo.
cant points on the stat sheet The duo has the ability to put
Hagelin and Caporusso, the this team on its shoulders, at least
nd third-leading scorers for offensively, in hopes of leap-frog-
gan (7-7 CCHA, 12-10 over- ging a few teams in the conference
espectively. standings.
h just over five minutes "I like them both," Pearson said.
a the middle stanza Friday "Because when they get around
Caporusso weaved through the net, they like to score. Some
Western Michigan defense guys shoot, but those guys shoot to
en the blue lines and rifled a score."
B As hard as it is to evaluate coaching in college hockey,
it's even harder to discredit a coach as accomplished as
Red Berenson. Berenson has two national championships under his belt and has reached the Frozen Four
10 times. But this season isn't shaping up to be the 11th. The Wolverines take ill-advised penalties every
game and, at times, seem to lack a strong leadership presence. Berenson's team hasn't missed the 20-win
mark since the 1986-87 season, and though Michigan probably won't miss that mark this year, they might
inch the line. The coach has made a lot of adjustments, starting with line changes aplenty, all season long.
It's clearly a rough year so far for Berenson, so cut him some slack. But remember, this 12-10 team is still
his responsibility.
FINAL GRADE: B- C+
This year's team won't be
victim to a Big Ten collapse
ike the worst of night-
mares, last season's col-
lapse continues to haunt
the Wolverines.
The 2008-09 ALEX
Wolverines,
with four of HERMANN
their senior On Women'
starters com- Basketball
ing off the
program's first
postseason action in six years, had
high expectations.
The team went 7-4 in noncon-
ference play, including wins over
two top-15 opponents.
But upon entering Big Ten play,
the Wolverines teetered, tallying a
respectable 2-2 record early in the
conference season before crashing.
They lost 14 of their last 15 games.
This year, with a host of fresh
faces and a new attitude, Michigan
(2-4 Big Ten, 10-6 overall) is trying
to avoid following that same script.
The Wolverines won nine of
their first 11 games, including a
signature victory at then No. 8
Xavier. And now, after starting 2-3
in the Big Ten, Michigan hopes its
20-point loss on the road to the
Badgers won't serve as the catalyst
for another disastrous conference
campaign.
But this year is nothing like last
year. And the numbers support
that. Well, sort of.
Even after Sunday's 48-point
effort in Madison, the Wolverines
are averaging about 5 points per
game more in the Big Ten than
they did a year ago. It was the
first time this season Michigan
scored fewer than 50 points. Last
season, Michigan scored 50 points
or fewer ten times, including four
times through the first 16 games.
The scoring output has
increased significantly largely due
to the continued development of
junior guard Veronica Hicks and
the on-court energy of freshman
guard Dayeesha Hollins.
"I think Hollins makes them a
lot better," Northwestern coach
Joe McKeown said after a win
against the Wildcats at Crisler
Arena. "Her and Hicks really cre-
ate some havoc, both defensively
and offensively. They can both
penetrate and attack ... They're a
lot more solid as a team. They seem
to play better together this year."
This team certainly has the
ability to score points. But as one
might expect with a young squad,
the Wolverines consistency could
be better.
These inconsistencies, inexcus-
able for last year's veteran team,
are simply part of the learning pro-
cess for ateam that won at then-
ranked No. 8 Xavier one week, but
got pounded by Wisconsin and
Northwestern soon after.
Perhaps the biggest indicator
of change is how the Wolverines
have managed against the best in
the conference, even in defeat.
A year ago, Michigan aver-
aged fewer than 40 points a game
against Ohio State and Michigan
State, including a 27-point game
at the Breslin Center. This year,
the Wolverines scored 71 against
the Spartans and 56 against the
Buckeyes and lost by just three
points in Columbus.
Michigan's name won't be
flaunted regularly as a conference
contender until the team prove
itself regularly against top-tier
Big Ten competition.
That said, the team is certainly
making strides.
But even with an improved
offensive attack, the influx of new
talent and the maturation of some
established players, the Wolver-
ines still face the challenge of
overcoming a treacherous past.
And results will always speak
louder than excuses, however
plausible or relevant they are.
"We want to think about last
year because it's something we
don't want to repeat," Hicks said
after Michigan's loss to the Wild-
cats. "Saying that it didn't happen
would be a lie, and we don't want
to lie to ourselves."
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THESIS EDITING- LANGUAGE,
organization, format. 25 yrs. U-M exp.
For Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010'
ARIES
(March 21 to April 19)
A romantic relationship with someone
older, richer or more established might
begin today. People in authority will sur-
prise you today.
TAURUS
(April 20 to May 20)
Today you are genuinely curious about
sodden opportunities to travel some-
where orto explore farther education or
training somehow. Romance with some-
one from a different background is
likely.
GEMINI
(My2tNto June 20)
Gifts, goodies and favors from others
will continue to come your way today.
This is also an excellent day for
fundraising or for getting others to help a
third party in need.
CANCER
(June 21to July 22)
An entirely new way of relating to
someone close to you might occur today.
Or perhaps your tantner or close friend
decides to take anew approach with you.
Just go with the flow.
LEO
(July 23 to Aug. 22)
Nrw technology might he introduced
at work toduy. Alternatively, you might
feel so independent that you're tempted
to quit your day job. Think twice about
this.
VIRGO
(Aug. 23 to Sept. 22)
You feel playful and prankish today.
Because of this, you spontaneously want
to do things that you might not normally
do. You feel like a child again!
LIBRA
(Sept. 23 to Oct. 22)
New technology might be introduced
to where you live. A family member
might surprise you in some way.
Something unexpected definitely will
occur in your private life.
SCORPIO
(Oct. 23 toNov. 21)
Today's full of surprises. Most likely,
you will encounter new groups or new
friends. Things will not go as expected
today, bat it wilt be fun!
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 22 to Dec. 21)
Keep an eye on your money today.
Yost might find money; you might lose
money. Spontaneous purchases, espe-
cially of electronics and tehnalogical
equipment, will please you.
CAPRICORN
(Dec. 22 to Jan. 19)
You feel playful, restless and highly
independent today! In fact, you're in a
teasing mood. Anything might happen,
especially if you get your way!
AQUARIUS
(Jan. 2010o Feb. 18)
You might discover a way to have a
few moments of privacy today, possibly
in a hidden little place, in an unexpected
way. One of life's brief little joys.
PISCES
(Feb. 19 to March 20)
Your involvement with others, espe-
cially groups, will be exciting today.
People are interested in your input, and
you're interested in theirs! New friends
will make you feel younger and more
knowledgeable.
YOU BORN TODAY Not only do you
like the good things in life, but you also
want the respect of others. Therefore,
status pleases you, which is not to say
you're superficial; it's just what it is. You
are proud of your achievements, and
you're goal-oriented! You're also popu-
lar and fun-loving. People love your
company. Your year ahead could be one
of the best years of your life! Enjoy.
Birthdate of: Orlando Bloom, actor;
Frances Sternhagen, actress; Patrick
Dempsey, actor.
2010 King Features Syndicate, Inc.