The Wolverine

February 2013

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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  michigan hockey son since 1987, going 14-25-1 in head coach Red Berenson's third year at U‑M. In 1988, he led the Maize and Blue to a 22-19-0 mark, and in 1991 the Wolverines began this more than two-decade postseason run. He understands the streak matters to many, but he also knows it's too great a burden for his team to carry presently, attempting to deflect its stranglehold on his players. "The streak is over, if it's over," he said. "It was good while it was going. There was a year we had no business making the tournament and we made it. If this year's team makes it, good for them. They'll have done it the hard way, and if they don't, then it wasn't in the cards. But they're going to give it their best the rest of the season." When Michigan bested Western Michigan 2-0 Dec. 15, closing the first half of the season with a 6‑9‑2 mark, Berenson was hopeful his team had figured out what it needed to do to be successful, but since then the Maize and Blue went just 2‑5‑0 and surrendered 3.86 goals per game while scoring just 2.43, and time is running out on them. "That was the first really solid team game from start to finish," Berenson said. "Our goalie doesn't give up a goal. Our power play, our penalty killing, our team played hard, played physical. We generated chances and we hardly gave them a chance. "At that point we had a good feeling, and we need to get back to that. It took us 15 games to get there and we need to get back quicker." Berenson has always run his program like a professional organization, believing criticism and interacting with the media is an important part of a player 's career development. When he heard his players had gone on the offensive, he bristled with discontent. "They're worrying about the wrong things," he said. "I'm not worried about those things. I'm just worried about our team playing better, and working harder, and anything they get is something they deserve. "The only thing our players can go on is what they've done, and it's pretty clear it's not good enough. It's not good enough for Michigan, for the CCHA. We're sitting in 10th place. We have the [second] most losses in the conference. I can't remember when that happened. This team has to suck it up and take the heat." Michigan Still Searching For A No. 1 Goalie When Michigan met the U.S. Under-18 team in an exhibition Jan.  4, head coach Red Berenson gave freshman Jared Rutledge a chance to prove himself. Rutledge, 1-4-0 with a 4.57 goals-against average and an .847 save percentage, hadn't started in net since Nov. 30, and the coaching staff was hopeful the lone scholarship goalie on the roster would seize an opportunity and potentially solve one of U-M's problems. Instead, Rutledge allowed five

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