The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/106890
michigan hockey Hockey Rewind: dec. 29-jan.20 Overall Record: 8-14-2 (5-11-2 CCHA) Record Dec. 29-Jan. 20: 2-5-0 (1-4 CCHA) National Ranking: NR Pairwise Ranking: NR Best Win — 5-2 vs. Michigan State: Michigan entered the Great Lakes Invitational Dec. 29-30 fresh off its best win of the year — a 2-0 shutout of Western Michigan — and expecting to continue its momentum. Instead, the Maize and Blue fell to Michigan Tech, but they wouldn't go home from the holiday tournament empty-handed, knocking off rival Michigan State 3-2 to improve to 2-1 in three games against the Spartans this season. U‑M scored four unanswered goals in the third period to prove victorious, with senior Kevin Lynch netting his first game-winning marker of the year. Worst Loss — 5-1 vs. Bowling Green: There have been too many bad losses this year — U‑M has lost eight games moffatt this season by three goals or more — and Michigan's 5‑1 defeat at home to the Falcons ranked among the worst. The Wolverines fell behind 2-0 after one period and were down 4‑1 after 40 minutes, sending many of the 4,854 fans to the exits early. BGSU outshot Michigan 32‑20, including a 13-3 third-period advantage that left many questioning the Maize and Blue's heart and wondering if their spirit had been completely broken. On The Rise — Junior Luke Moffatt: October, November and December were lonely months for Moffatt. Expected to be a strong offensive contributor this season, the junior had not scored a goal when the new year began, chipping in with eight assists in 18 contests. He's been on fire (comparatively speaking) the past few weeks, though, netting three goals and an assist in five January contests — his four points second only to Jacob Trouba's five. Top Freshman — Jacob Trouba: With five weekends left to play in the CCHA regular season, frontrunners for conference awards are beginning to emerge, and Trouba is a good bet to win the CCHA Rookie of the Year distinction. He leads all first-year players in scoring with 16 points, and he's second among defensemen regardless of class in scoring. His eight goals, of which he has scored three in January, also lead the league's blue-line defenders. Series To Watch — Feb. 8-9 at Notre Dame: On the surface, this matchup looks like a nightmare for the Maize and Blue — Notre Dame is the conference's first-place team with 33 points while Michigan sits in 10th place with only 19 points. However, the Fighting Irish are struggling terribly, losers of four straight games. Their vaunted defense, which had been allowing 1.65 goals per game, surrendered an average of 3.75 during their skid.