MINNEAPOLIS
—
The
zamboni swept around the rink
Friday morning, slowly clearing
any shreds of ice that had been
loosened by the skates of a
hockey team minutes before. The
machine’s unmistakable droning
filled the arena, bouncing off the
maroon and gold colored seats
and rising to the rafters where
countless banners hung from the
ceiling, detailing the program’s
history.
After a while, the zamboni
disappeared, entering the bowels
of the stadium, and it was quiet in
Mariucci Arena.
Everything in Mariucci, it
seems, is bigger. Mariucci is a
modern-day coliseum without the
gladiator games. This is the type
of facility where children, playing
pond hockey in the biting cold
while holding onto their dreams
as tightly as they grip their sticks,
aspire to play one day.
The rink is Olympic-sized,
which means it’s wider than
the majority of college arenas.
Opposing
teams
have
been
overcome by the speed and pace of
the game on this ice in particular.
Those same banners in the rafters
are evidence of that. The arena
practically comes with a script
to be followed: the opposing
team tires out from having to
cover more ice or fails to cover its
defensive zone assignments, the
home team pounces, and the fans
go home happy.
And the fans — they show up in
droves. Mariucci, opened in 1993,
is cavernous. The seats start at
rink level and flow approximately
two to three stories upward. The
arena is one of the largest in the
nation, seating 10,000 people
— almost 3,500 more than the
venerable Yost Ice Arena can hold.
For a beleaguered Michigan
hockey team, this is where it
found itself over the course of one
January weekend as it sought to
rekindle the embers of a dying
season.
The Wolverines began the
weekend — and the second
half of their season — with an
unremarkable 8-9-1 record, sitting
at No. 34 in the PairWise Rankings.
It was a hole that they had dug
themselves into, slowly but surely,
over the course of several months.
Their fading hopes of returning
to the NCAA Tournament this
spring lay with the pair of games
against the Golden Gophers, who
were tied atop the conference
standings with Penn State — a
team that had already dismantled
the Wolverines earlier this season.
The dimensions of the rink,
the size of the crowd and the skill
level of the home team are all
reasons why Mariucci is a difficult
place for any team to exorcise its
demons. It just happens that this is
especially true for Michigan.
The Wolverines entered the
series having won only once over
their past six games at Mariucci.
A 6-2 win last year — thanks to an
explosive offense long gone to the
NHL — broke a winless streak that
had dated back to 2008.
Nine years ago, the roles were
reversed. The Golden Gophers
were just beginning a three-year
stretch of missing the postseason,
while Michigan was still in the
midst of its record-setting 22-year
NCAA Tournament streak. But
Minnesota corrected its course —
it has made the tournament in four
of the past five seasons and has
won the Big Ten every year since
its formation. The Wolverines, on
the other hand, have faltered.
The NCAA Tournament streak
ended in 2013, and what was once
the expectation every year has
now become an uphill climb, as
Michigan has made it only once in
the past four years.
A win or two against No. 9
Minnesota would have provided
the Wolverines with some much-
needed
momentum
as
they
entered the final stretch. Both the
players and coaches recognized
this. After all, opportunities to hit
a partial reset on your season don’t
come around very often.
“I’m hoping that we take some
steps toward that,” said Michigan
coach Red Berenson two days
before the opener. “I think our
team is right there, but there’s
got to be a galvanizing moment
or event or game or something
happens with our group.”
Winning the games so that
Berenson’s hope would come to
fruition — that was the challenge
they faced Friday and Saturday.
But this wouldn’t have been the
first Michigan team in recent
memory to have turned things
around with one series.
***
The streak began on the road
against an old CCHA rival. Miami
(Ohio) won two close games
against the Wolverines, the first
in regulation and the second by
shootout. Then it spiraled out
of control, as they suffered four
straight losses at home over the
course of nine days.
After six consecutive losses,
the 2011-12 Michigan team — once
ranked No. 1 in the nation — was
staring at a .500 record near the
midway point of the season.
A trip to Alaska awaited, and
after that, uncertainty. Prior to the
series against the Nanooks, seven
of the nine teams remaining on
the Wolverines’ regular-season
schedule were ranked in the top-
20.
Michigan needed a win in the
worst way before it entered the
meat of its schedule. But that was
easier said than done.
The
Wolverines,
according
to
former
goaltender
Shawn
Hunwick, had tried everything
to end the losing streak. They
had
changed
their
pre-game
rituals, from not listening to music
before the game to switching up
their stretches. The coaching
staff had tried mixing up the
lines and making other strategic
adjustments.
Still,
the
team
continued to lose and plummet in
the rankings.
“At that point, you’re like,
‘There’s nothing else to change.’
We were going to go out there
and throw everything up against
(Alaska) because we were the
30th-ranked team in the country
at that point in time,” Hunwick
said. “What do we have to lose?”
The team traveled to Alaska
early that week. It would have to
find a way to win away from the
friendly confines of Yost — though
Hunwick believes leaving Ann
Arbor actually helped.
“I do think there’s something
about going on the road, getting
away from the pressures of
playing at home (and) the grind
of going to school,” Hunwick said.
“These guys are going to class on
Fridays and stuff. When you get on
the road, sometimes you just (say),
‘We’re all going to come together
here and we’re going to battle.’ ”
Hunwick’s theory was on its way
to becoming true when Michigan
scored a little over two minutes
into the series opener. But then
disaster struck — Alaska responded
10 minutes later to tie the game,
before scoring two more goals in
the span of just seven seconds to
take a commanding two-goal lead
en route to a 4-3 win.
The losing streak had reached
seven. Salvation would have to
wait.
Meanwhile,
the
Wolverines
regrouped. The team was led
by a quartet of seniors that
year: Hunwick, who was the
assistant captain, forwards Luke
Glendening and David Wohlberg
and defenseman Greg Pateryn.
Younger players like Mike
Chiasson, a freshman defenseman
that season, looked up to those
four
during
this
particularly
trying stretch.
“... Those guys had been through
a lot in their time here,” Chiasson
said. “We leaned on those guys a
lot, and I don’t remember exactly
who got the goals or who made
the big plays at times, but it was
probably a bunch of different guys
who stepped up, whether it was
a freshman or a big save by the
goalie or one of the leaders on the
team.”
Hunwick thought of himself as
the least vocal leader out of the
four seniors. But while he may
not have been the loudest in the
locker room, his play that year
spoke for itself. Hunwick turned
in a historic season, posting a 2.00
goals-against-average with a .932
save percentage to earn a spot as a
Hobey Baker finalist.
And in the second game of
the series, he turned in a gutsy
performance
when
his
team
needed it most, tallying a 25-save
shutout.
Unfortunately for Michigan,
Alaska’s
Scott
Greenham
happened to be just as good as
Hunwick
during
regulation,
saving all 41 shots he faced to force
the game into overtime.
But less than a minute into the
extra period, Michigan freshman
forward Alex Guptill threw a
bouncing puck to the net and
Greenway could not make his 42nd
save. The Wolverines had ended
their losing streak, thanks to the
efforts of their senior goaltender
and Guptill’s dose of luck.
“... It was a fluky goal,”
Hunwick
said.
“I
remember
getting a shutout thinking I could
have given up five or six goals that
game. I was fortunate to get out
(of) that game without giving up
a goal. I didn’t feel particularly
comfortable, probably due to a
seven-game losing streak and the
pressure that goes with that. I
think we were just fortunate to
get out (with a win). It was just a
battle.”
However fluky the win may
have been, it was the cure
Michigan needed. The Wolverines
went on to win 16 of their next 21
games, resuscitating what had
once seemed like a lost season,
before
falling
to
Cornell
in
overtime of the NCAA Midwest
Regional.
Chiasson and Hunwick have
kept up with this year’s team
and both felt it could pull off a
turnaround similar to their own.
And
both
also
felt
that
turnaround started with the series
at Minnesota.
“... Minnesota’s going to be
a tough task,” Hunwick said.
“That’s a tough place to go just like
Alaska was, but games like that, in
situations like this, it can change
your whole season.”
Added Chiasson: “... It could
just take one weekend for them.
It doesn’t have to be a sweep, it
could just be a good weekend for
them to get their game and their
feet underneath them. That’s
the special crazy thing about
this sport — you look at what the
Columbus Blue Jackets have done
with their win streak.
“It
happens
quick,
and
sometimes all it takes is just a
couple wins to get going and to
find your legs and to find your
game.”
***
For a short time, it seemed
like the Wolverines had a chance
in the series opener against the
Golden Gophers to capture a win
like that of their predecessors
against Alaska.
The game started quickly, with
Minnesota firing several shots at
senior goaltender Zach Nagelvoort
in the first few minutes.
But Nagelvoort and Michigan
were up to the task early, stopping
whatever the Golden Gophers
threw at them, and nearly nine
minutes into the first period, the
Wolverines took the lead.
Senior forward Evan Allen
found the puck along the boards
and passed it to senior forward
Max Shuart, whose one-timer
beat Minnesota goaltender Eric
Schierhorn.
It felt like the moment Michigan
had been waiting for. Then things
fell apart in the span of just six
minutes.
The
Wolverines’
defense
continued
to
surrender
opportunity after opportunity,
and Nagelvoort could only stop so
many chances.
The first goal beat him short side
to tie things up. The second was a
perfectly-placed deflection that
he didn’t have much of a chance
on. And the third — the true
backbreaker — came with just 1.7
seconds left in the opening period,
when Michael Szmatula struck
home a rebound that seemed to
visibly deflate the visitors.
A short-handed goal in the
second period briefly cut the deficit
to one, but Michigan still could not
generate any consistent offense,
while the defense struggled to stay
with Minnesota’s explosive top
line — especially forward Tyler
Sheehy, who slammed home a juicy
rebound before sniping one past
Nagelvoort late for the final score.
All the problems the Wolverines
dealt with throughout the year,
from leaving the goaltender out
to dry, suffering breakdowns
on defense and taking too many
penalties, were present in Friday’s
performance.
“We’re giving up too many
goals — it was just about the same
old story,” Berenson said after
Friday’s game. “Too many shots,
too many chances against, and
we weren’t good enough with the
puck and we weren’t good enough
without the puck. … We have to
be better. Do I think we can play
better? Yeah. That’s our job, and
it’s our players’ job to figure this
out and to get ourselves playing at
a better level, with or without the
puck.”
Whatever
post-game
talk
Berenson gave his team appeared
to work the following night — at
least for the first period.
Michigan
was
aggressive
on both ends of the ice, forcing
turnovers and creating chances
of its own. The Wolverines’
newfound intensity and effort
were making the Golden Gophers
look sluggish — until another last-
minute calamity befell Michigan.
With
just
seconds
left,
Minnesota’s Vinni Lettieri carried
the puck down the ice before
unleashing a shot at a partially
screened
Hayden
Lavigne.
Obstructed
or
not,
Lavigne
couldn’t find the puck, and the
Golden Gophers took the lead with
just 2.3 seconds left in a period in
which they had been outplayed.
The Wolverines seemed dazed
as they skated to the locker room,
and it showed when they came
back out for the next period.
It took Michigan nearly 12
minutes just to register a shot on
goal. The Golden Gophers scored
again in the waning seconds,
entering the third period with a
two-goal lead.
Then things turned from bad to
worse.
A late cross-checking penalty
gave the Wolverines a power play
heading into the final period,
but just 30 seconds in, Michigan
coughed up the puck.
Senior forward Alex Kile was
forced to pull down Minnesota’s
Lettieri
on
the
short-handed
breakaway, and Lettieri calmly
converted the ensuing penalty
shot.
The Wolverines added two
goals later in the period, but the
damage had already been done.
“Those are tough goals to give
up,” Berenson said. “I’ve said all
along, first-minute goals or last-
minute goals (are tough to give
up), and I think we gave up four
of them this weekend. Whether
it was just coincidence or it was a
breakdown or letdown, I couldn’t
tell you. But those goals are
backbreakers.
“... We finally got back in the
game late, but too little, too
late. They had a penalty shot
opportunity — we had a power
play and sure enough, they get
a breakaway against it, and the
game turns that quickly.”
***
Michigan arrived in Minnesota
looking for redemption and found
none. An already low PairWise
Ranking — often just the top-16
make the NCAA Tournament —
dropped three more spots to No. 37.
Glimpses of the team that had
beaten No. 5 Boston University
and No. 11 Union had appeared
at times against the Golden
Gophers. But glimpses aren’t
enough, especially with just 14
games left in the regular season.
For every few minutes Michigan
played Minnesota tough, there
were still long stretches of play
when the Golden Gophers had
their way with the Wolverines.
Michigan, it would appear, still
lacks the consistency of an NCAA
Tournament team.
Berenson and senior captain
Nolan
De
Jong
remained
optimistic
about
the
team’s
trajectory after the sweep. The
Wolverines’ effort the second
night, in comparison to the
opener, was something they hoped
to build on.
“We talked (last night) about
a commitment to playing team
defense
and
playing
harder
without the puck and not giving
them so much time and space in
our zone,” Berenson said Saturday.
“And I thought we did that. I
thought we played better most of
the game. Let’s face it, we only had
one shot most of the way through
the second period. We killed two
penalties but they had us on our
heels. But I thought we started the
game stronger and we competed
harder all night.”
Added De Jong: “Obviously
we didn’t get the win, but I liked
the way our team came out in the
third and at least showed some
grit, showed some character. That
pushback is something that we
haven’t had enough this year.”
When asked how he thought
the
team
could
improve
its
consistency, De Jong spoke about
the work Michigan would have
to put in this week at practice to
limit the type of letdowns they
suffered against Minnesota. He
spoke about the need for the
Wolverines to believe that they
could play with full intensity for
all 60 minutes. He mentioned that
a sweep of Michigan State would
be “huge” for the Wolverines.
And yet whether he wants to
admit it or not, De Jong and his
team already had a chance to
reignite their season.
But like so many in recent years,
they fell prey to Mariucci.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsTuesday
January 17, 2017 — 3B
Wolverines struggle in Mariucci Arena
ORION SANG
Daily Sports Editor
ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
Senior defenseman Nolan De Jong believes the Wolverines still have an opportunity to revive their season with a matchup against Michigan State.