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 A a mB 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. P SI: sin pas Twc and Cl points the M Wolve rience tations But punch lemsf that se first pl zen F first si The omore Capor the tw ers (b Coyote verine Tourn years. the A: play fc Capor Hobey hocke: Thi a gapi: The mary verine combi maybe junior "We team,I one ca Red B ticulai might the ga It mig Tho signifi were first-a Michi all), re Wit left in night, the V betwe 'air could serve wrist shot 10 feet inside the attack- ing zone, catching goaltender Riley nllar purpose to Gill off-guard on his glove side. Later in the third period, Capo- 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." WHY RENT WHEN you can Buy? Check out allsofethe available proper- ties for sale is the ares. www.tSellA2.com 734-476-9768 WWW.800FULLER.COM (734) 769-7520 1 & 2 bdrm., modern, clean, quiet 5 min. walk. Free Wi-Fi. SERVICES SIX WK YOGA I, 6-7:30pm & Yoga II, 6:30-8pm start Tues. Jan. 11 or Yoga tt, 6:30-8pm starts Thurs. Jan 13. Zen Buddhist Temple, 1214 Packard (734) 761-6520 or annarbor@ZenBuddhist- Temple.org HELP WANTED !!!BARTENDING!!!r$300 /day poten- tial. 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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.