8A — Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Grading Michigan’s hockey season
By KEVIN SANTO
Daily Sports Writer
After
making
the
NCAA
Tournament for the first time since
2011, the Michigan hockey team
ended its season with a 5-2 loss to
North Dakota on March 26. Before
we turn the page to next season,
the Daily evaluates the Wolverines’
performance in 2015-16.
Offense: A+
The
Wolverines
boasted
a historic offense this year,
averaging 4.76 goals per game.
That mark was good for first
nationally, and no team has scored
at that clip since at least the 1999-
2000 season.
Michigan was held under three
goals just seven times in 40 games
— one of which came in the NCAA
Tournament
against
eventual
national champion North Dakota.
The CCM line — composed of
freshman forward Kyle Connor
and junior forwards JT Compher
and Tyler Motte — led the prolific
attack, combining for 83 of the
Wolverines’ 181 goals.
Connor notched 71 points,
while Compher and Motte tallied
63 and 57, respectively.
The trio was among the top four
nationally in points. Additionally,
Connor led the country in points
and Compher earned the No. 1
spot in assists.
The
power-play
unit
was
exceptional as well, ranking first
nationally
with
a
32-percent
conversion rate.
After losing Andrew Copp,
Dylan Larkin and Zach Hyman
last year, the expectations for
Michigan’s offense were on the
modest end. That trio accounted
for more than 25 percent of the
team’s points, but the Wolverines
made it look like they didn’t even
miss them this year.
Still, Michigan will be faced
with another retooling process
on the offensive end next season,
as Motte and Connor have
signed professional contracts
and Compher’s decision has yet
to be announced.
Defense: B-
It was essentially the same
story but a different season for
Michigan’s blueliners.
The
Wolverines
strung
together some stout defensive
performances
throughout
the
season,
but
those
stretches
didn’t come nearly often enough.
Frequently,
Michigan’s
potent
offense carried the team to
victories even after conceding
four to six goals.
The team tied for 38th in team
defense nationally — averaging
3.03 goals against per game. In
that category, Michigan regressed
a bit from last season, when it
conceded an average of 2.9 goals.
That’s not to say there weren’t
flashes of success. The Wolverines
ended the regular season with
a sweep of No. 14 Penn State, in
which the Nittany Lions mustered
just two goals. In November,
Michigan also held then-No. 11
Boston University to four goals in
two games.
But there were always hiccups,
such as the penultimate series
against an unranked Ohio State
team
when
the
Wolverines
conceded 13 goals.
Sophomore defenseman Zach
Werenski headlined the defense,
accumulating 35 points with 11
goals and 24 assists. His point total
was good for fourth on the team
behind the CCM line, and the next-
highest scoring defenseman was
junior Michael Downing with 20.
Now, Michigan is tasked with
finding answers in its defensive
zone, as both Werenski and
Downing left for the NHL. The
impacts that freshmen Nicholas
Boka and Joe Cecconi had, in
addition to the emergence of
Nolan De Jong, are encouraging
for future success.
But the Wolverines certainly
still have plenty of room left for
improvement.
Goaltending: A-
The goaltending situation was
shaky to begin the season, as
senior Steve Racine and junior
Zach Nagelvoort looked poised for
yet another position battle. Racine
picked up an injury early in the
year, and Nagelvoort took over the
starting duties.
But
Racine
returned
from
the injury in the Great Lakes
Invitational and firmly seized a
spot between the pipes for the
remainder of the season.
For the most part, the senior
netminder seemed to get better
with each weekend, culminating
with two exceptional games in the
NCAA Tournament. He played like
a man possessed, making sprawling
save after sprawling save.
Racine notched 28 saves against
Notre Dame and played with the
pressure of a 2-1 deficit on his
shoulders for nearly two whole
periods before the Wolverines
scored an equalizer and sent the
game to overtime.
Though the final score didn’t
indicate
it,
his
performance
against
eventual
national
champion North Dakota was even
more impressive.
Racine allowed five goals, but
that was largely due to the fact
that Michigan was outmatched
all over the ice. Without him,
the Wolverines could have found
themselves in a 5-0 hole as early
as the first period. The Fighting
Hawks peppered him with 49
shots, and two of their goals came
on the power play.
He finished the season with a
.914 save percentage and a 2.89
goals-against average, and given
his performances to end the
season, Michigan has a void to fill
in between the pipes next season.
The Daily hockey beat also voted
for Offensive MVP, Defensive MVP,
Most Improved Player, Unsung
Hero and Comeback of the Year:
Offensive MVP: Kyle Connor
Defensive MVP: Steve Racine
Most Improved Player: Nolan
De Jong
Unsung Hero: Cutler Martin
Comeback of the Year: Red
Berenson
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Junior Nolan De Jong is the Daily’s vote for Michigan’s most improved player.