The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 57 MICHIGAN HOCKEY ued the pattern of elite offensive pro- duction established in his freshman season. He totaled a team-leading 20 points on three goals and 17 assists. Two of the three goals were game- winners for Michigan. U-M and Pearson's reality, though, is that their overall play in the first half has again put them in a hole lead- ing into the back half of the schedule. "We've really been inconsistent," Pearson said. "You see some flashes of really good play, both as individu- als and as a team. And there's been some times where we've been really average as individuals and as a team. I would say it's been an average and inconsistent first half. "Having said that, we have 10 freshmen. We lost some pretty good players. There are a lot of new roles for some guys. We just haven't de- fined ourselves as a team yet. "I think we're still molding and shaping and sculpting what we're going to be as a team. There are a lot of similarities to the year before. A slow start, but as we get going, we should be pretty good." Last season's second half success gives hope that similar achievements can be realized in 2018-19. "I really like this team," Pearson offered. "We have all the ingredients. But right now, it's like the ingredients are laid out on the counter. "We haven't put them together and made the final product. We're still in the process of doing that." ❏ Hockey Rewind: Nov. 16-Dec. 8 Year-to-date record: 6-7-4 overall, 2-4-4 Big Ten National ranking: Unranked by USCHO (as of Dec. 11) Best Win: 6-4 over No. 5 Penn State Nov. 16 Michigan opened the road portion of its 2018-19 Big Ten campaign in State Col- lege, Pa., scoring four unanswered goals in the third period of a 6-4 win. Junior forwards Will Lockwood and Jake Slaker led the Wolverine offense. Lockwood had a career-high four assists in the game. Slaker supplied half of the third-pe- riod quartet of Michigan goals and assisted on sophomore forward Josh Norris' early third-period goal that started the Wolverine rally. Freshman goaltender Strauss Mann made 31 saves to backstop the victory. Senior defenseman Joe Cecconi and junior forward Nick Pastujov recorded the other Michigan goals in the victory. MVP: Sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes Hughes narrowly edged Josh Norris' breakout sophomore season to get the nod for MVP of this segment of the schedule. Hughes dominates play in all three zones when he's on the ice. He plays as though he has the puck on a string — it seems to follow him around the ice. From his position on the blue line, Hughes leads the Wolverines with 20 points (three goals and 17 assists) through 17 games and is being mentioned as a Hobey Baker Award candidate, the award given to college hockey's top player each season. Freshman Impact: Defenseman Nick Blankenburg Blankenburg's skate tool has earned him a place in Michigan's defensive pairing rotation. Steadily improving in the other facets of the game, he displays a skating ability that has allowed him to compensate for his slight 5-9, 160-pound frame. Blankenburg recorded his first collegiate assist in Michigan's Nov. 3 win against Lake Superior State and followed that up with his first goal on Nov. 10 against Notre Dame. He added another assist in game two against Penn State Nov. 17. Arriving at Michigan after a preparatory year with Okotoks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, Blankenburg was a two-time all-state selection and scored at nearly a goal-per-game pace over his three years with Romeo (Mich.) High School. His high school career concluded with a team state championship in 2016. Player to Watch: Senior defenseman Nick Boka Boka has been a steady defenseman for the Wolverines. The Plymouth, Mich., native was recognized for his leadership attributes and named an assistant cap- tain for the 2018-19 season. While Boka never will be a scoring leader, he can contribute offensively, nab- bing his first goal of the season against Notre Dame Dec. 1. On the year, he has also chipped in four assists. Must-See Game: Michigan at Notre Dame (outdoors) at Notre Dame (foot- ball) Stadium Jan. 5 Ordinarily the holiday Great Lakes Invitational Tournament at Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit would headline this category. That traditional four-team tourney was trumped Oct. 29 last fall when Notre Dame announced that they were shifting one of their regular-season home games against Michigan to Notre Dame Stadium The football venue is being used four days earlier for the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks. The game will be the eighth outdoor contest for Michigan. NBCSN will televise the game nationally with a 3:30 p.m. puck drop scheduled. Future Wolverine Watch: Defenseman Cam York Michigan received a surprise commitment for the fall of 2019 when Cam York announced that he would join the hockey program after spending this season with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. York is an elite two- way blue liner with the ability to quarterback a power play. He'll likely serve as Hughes' replacement in that role. He's a pass-first defense- man rather than being an elite puck carrier like Hughes. With his commitment, the 5-11, 180-pound native of Anaheim Hills, Calif., becomes the headline recruit in next fall's incoming freshman class. York is an odds-on favorite to be drafted in the top half of the first round in next June's 2019 NHL Draft. — Bob Miller Sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes led the team with 20 points, which included three goals (two game-winners) and 17 assists, through 17 games. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL