4B — November 2, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
Robert Morris blanks
Michigan at Yost, 4-0
Wolverines come
out flat, split
weekend series
after shutout
By JASON RUBINSTEIN
Daily Sports Editor
It has been the same old story
for the Michigan hockey team.
Not
the
one where
it
scores
five
goals
a game, but the one where it has
multiple defensive breakdowns.
And unlike previous games, the
offense couldn’t bail out its sloppy
defensive play.
Saturday, in their series finale
against
Robert
Morris,
the
10th-ranked Wolverines fell to
Robert Morris, 4-0. Most of the
Colonials’ chances stemmed from
defensive breakdowns that led
to multiple odd-man rushes and
grade-A scoring chances.
“You have to be just as hungry
coming into this game as we
were the game last night, or
you’re going to get this kind of
result,” said Michigan coach
Red Berenson. “You got to come
out hungry and desperate every
night, and anything short of that
isn’t good enough. The game is all
defense and goalkeeping, and if
you’re solid there, it’s going to be
a close game.”
Three minutes into the game,
Michigan failed to clear the puck
from the zone, which led to an
odd-man rush for the Colonials
(3-1-2). Robert Morris forward
Brandon Denham corralled a
rebound from junior netminder
Zach Nagelvoort, who made the
initial save, and beat the goalie via
the five hole.
And just like the Colonials’
first goal, an odd-man rush led to
another glorious opportunity, and
forward Daniel Leavens took full
advantage. Leavens received the
puck in the slot and sniped one
over Nagelvoort’s glove.
Robert
Morris
maintained
all the momentum throughout
the first period. With 57 seconds
left, the Colonials won a faceoff
in Michigan’s zone, distributed
the puck well and defenseman
Tyson Wilson skated through
the slot and backhanded one past
Nagelvoort. The Wolverines had
multiple opportunities to clear
the puck.
“You have to say the game
was decided in the first period,”
Berenson
said.
“I
told
my team this
morning
that
there would be
one team that
would
come
out
hungrier
than
the
other. In these
afternoon
games,
that’s
how it works. We thought we’d be
that team, but we weren’t.”
The three first-period goals
were all Berenson needed to see
before making a goalie change.
Berenson opted for senior Steve
Racine to finish the game. So for
now, the revolving door that is the
Wolverines’ goaltending situation
will remain spinning.
Racine looked better Saturday,
stopping 24 shots and allowing
only
one
goal.
It’s
a
vast
improvement for the senior who
allowed nine total goals in his first
two starts.
“We put Nagelvoort in after
he came off of his best game,”
Berenson said. “We all thought he
would just continue that. He’s in a
groove, had confidence, was into
it and then you saw tonight.
“The goalies all look at the
goals and say, ‘Is that something
I should save?’ And I think he
would tell you honestly, ‘that’s on
me.’ When you give them a goal
that you can save 95 percent of
the time, that just kills your team.
This is Division I hockey; this isn’t
Bantam hockey.”
Robert Morris’ fourth goal
came on yet another defensive
mistake. The Wolverines failed
to clear the puck from the crease
multiple times, which led to
forward Zac Lynch putting one
past Racine.
Michigan (4-1-1) had multiple
grade-A chances in the first
period,
including
one
by
sophomore
defenseman
Zach
Werenski,
whose
hard
shot
from
the blue line
found its way
through to the
net and rolled
through
the
crease before it
was cleared.
Werenski
nearly
scored
again in the third period when,
on a power play, he fired one at
Robert Morris netminder Dalton
Izyk, who made a sprawling pad
save.
Izyk
had
a
blemish-free
afternoon, stopping all 34 shots
he faced. It was the first time
Michigan had been shut out
since Feb. 14 when it played at
Minnesota.
A win over the Colonials on
Saturday would’ve given the
Wolverines their best start since
the 2000-01 season. Instead, the
Wolverines were left with their
first loss of the season from a
game that Berenson said had “no
positives.”
So for now, Michigan will
have to worry about fixing their
sloppy defensive play or outcomes
like Saturdays could become a
commonality.
A minor identity
crisis at Yost
T
he Michigan hockey
team split a pair of home
games this weekend
against an unheralded, but very
competitive, Robert Morris
squad. No, it’s not the end of the
Wolverines’
NCAA
tournament
hopes or an
indication
that
Michigan
doesn’t
deserve its
lofty top-10
ranking.
But the
loss does pose an unsettling
question — when the Wolverines
aren’t ‘The Comeback Kids,’ who
are they?
Michigan is 4-1-1 this season
and has scored as many goals in
the third period as the first and
second combined. It makes for
fun hockey, but relying on late
goals to win is not a recipe for
sustained success.
Saturday’s 4-0 drubbing
at the hands of the Colonials
seemed to sober the giddy
excitement of a previously
undefeated team.
It is fair to say that the
matchup was not ideal for the
Wolverines. Robert Morris is
a big, physical hockey team
loaded with seniors. Colonials
goaltender Dalton Izyk was
unflappable in net, shutting out
Michigan at Yost Ice Arena for
the first time since 2009 on 34
saves.
Still, the home team looked
altogether lost on Saturday.
The Wolverines had trouble
breaking out of the defensive
zone cleanly, and particularly
struggled getting to the net on
offense.
Michigan coach Red
Berenson attributed the loss to
a complete lack of preparation,
saying that he didn’t see any
positive takeaways from
the game. He complained of
underwhelming goaltending
from senior netminder Zach
Nagelvoort, who started, and a
lack of effort from the forwards.
“I didn’t think that we were as
hungry or as desperate or ready
to pay the price in front of their
net,” Berenson said. “We were
one-and-done, and we weren’t
stopping on loose pucks. We
were escaping. Sometimes you
get away with that and the puck
goes in, but it wasn’t going in.”
The Wolverines are a
versatile group of players full of
NHL draft picks and other top
talent, but a team’s identity is
a game plan that it can turn to
when nothing else is working.
Michigan’s problem is
pinpointing that identity.
“We just need to play fast,”
said junior
forward
Justin Selman.
“We’re a fast
team. We’re a
skilled team.
We need to
possess the
puck down
low, just be a little bit crisper.
Once everyone has that jump
in their stride, once everyone is
moving the puck with a little bit
of zip, we’re a much better team.
I think we were chasing the
puck a little too much tonight.”
Playing fast does help, but
it seems unlikely to be a cure-
all. The Wolverines looked
lethargic at times Saturday,
but more concerning was
the lack of team play. As the
game wore on and frustration
mounted, Michigan players
stopped looking to pass, instead
carrying the puck into multiple
defenders.
Robert Morris, content to
let the poor quality attacks
continue, turned away most of
the rushes easily.
This type of individual play
is the hallmark of a team that is
uncomfortable playing together.
But then again, why should
the Wolverines be comfortable
playing together just yet? This
is a team reliant on young talent
at both ends of the ice, just a few
weeks into the season. There
may be cause for concern, but
certainly not alarm.
Freshman forwards Cooper
Marody and Kyle Connor are
tied for the team lead in points
(7) and goals (3). On defense,
three of the top six contributors
are not yet 19 years old.
There were some bright
spots in the game for Michigan
as well. Selman, Marody and
senior forward JT Compher all
continued to crash the net on
offense, a kind
of hard-nosed
hockey perfect
for scoring
goals in tight
games.
To find a
way to win
consistently
this season, though, the
Wolverines need more. The
team must play to its strengths
— not just in the third period,
but all game. Michigan is a fast
team with deep talent. Puck
movement and a willingness
to sell out the body for a goal
is what can separate the
Wolverines from the pack of
teams trying to wrench away
their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Saturday’s loss should be
warning enough.
Meyer can be reached at
jfmeye@umich.edu or on
Twitter @Justinfmeyer.
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Senior forward Justin Selman thinks Michigan needs to come up with more bounce in its step than it did Saturday.
ICE HOCKEY
“You have to say
the game was
decided in the
first period.”
RMU
MICHIGAN
4
0
JUSTIN
MEYER
“We just need
to play fast.”