The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 57 HOCKEY PREVIEW "… We think it's going to be a re- ally solid group with some high-end players back there." In hockey, the final result often comes down to the last line of de- fense, the goaltending. Pearson was cautiously optimistic about the Wol- verine netminders. "In goal, [senior] Hayden Lavigne took us to the Frozen Four a couple of years ago," Pearson said. "[Sopho- more] Strauss Mann has won a USHL championship. [Sophomore] Jack Leavy really made good progress, so he's going to push, too. "I really like them as a group. That's going to be a key to our team. There's a lot potential, I'm cautiously optimistic, but in the Big Ten every- body is going to be good, so every- one has to play up to their capability. "Strauss Mann is a very talented goaltender. The sky's the limit for him. He's won everywhere he's played. At times last year, he showed us he's very capable, but inconsis- tency plagued him as it did our team overall. We went as our goalies went last year, and, not to lay it all on them but that's where it all starts." ❏ Michigan Hockey Schedule 2019-20 Date Opponent Oct. 6 Windsor# Oct. 11 Clarkson Oct. 12 Clarkson Oct. 18 Lake Superior State Oct. 19 Lake Superior State Oct. 25 Western Michigan Oct. 26 at Western Michigan Nov. 1 at Ohio State* Nov. 2 at Ohio State* Nov. 8 Minnesota* Nov. 9 Minnesota* Nov. 14 Michigan State* Nov. 16 at Michigan State* Nov. 22 at New Hampshire Nov. 23 at New Hampshire Nov. 30 at Wisconsin* Dec. 1 at Wisconsin* Dec. 6 Penn State* Dec. 7 Penn State* Dec. 30 vs. Ferris State^ Dec. 31 vs. Michigan State or Michigan Tech^ Jan. 10 at Notre Dame* Jan. 11 at Notre Dame* Jan. 17 at Penn State* Jan. 18 at Penn State* Jan. 25 USNTDP U-18 Team# Jan. 31 Ohio State* Feb. 1 Ohio State* Feb. 7 Wisconsin* Feb. 8 Wisconsin* Feb. 14 at Michigan State* Feb. 17 vs. Michigan State*% Feb. 21 Notre Dame* Feb. 22 Notre Dame* Feb. 28 at Minnesota* Feb. 29 at Minnesota* March 6-8 Big Ten Quarterfinals& March 14 Big Ten Semifinals@ March 21 Big Ten Final@ # Exhibition; * Big Ten Conference game; ^ Great Lakes Invitational at Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit; % Duel in the D at Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit; & Best-of-three series hosted by higher seed; @ Single elimi- nation game hosted by higher seed and U-18 Teams, Beecher was always the ultra-talented guy who played both specialty teams because of his skill level, but never seemed to find the back of the net as often as that ability would suggest. Beecher started to show signs of breaking out offensively when he scored three goals in seven games at the World Under-18 Championships in 2019. He then compounded that with a flurry of goal scoring at the World Junior Summer Showcase last July in Plymouth, Mich., a gathering of the top junior-age talent in the world. The NHL's Boston Bruins thought enough of his play to make him their first-round draft choice in last June's 2019 NHL Draft. Pearson: "Johnny Beecher got overshadowed by some really good players in the [U.S. National Team] program last year, but he's very good in his own right. I think he has a chance to play from the get-go here. He's a very good player." FRESHMAN DEFENSEMAN KEATON PEHRSON Shoots right, 6-2, 194 2018-19 stats with Tri-City of United States Hockey League (USHL): 62 games, eight goals, 22 assists and 10 penalty minutes Pehrson is almost the forgotten man of the incoming class but brings a wealth of experience on the blue line in high-level junior competition. He is a solid skater with good size, has filled a team leadership role in the past and is capable of kick- ing in a little offense. Pearson: "I've known Keaton for a long time. He is really smart and makes a great first pass. He's one of those defensemen that you're not going to remember if he played or not because he doesn't make mistakes. He makes the simple plays in his own zone, and he's very effective." FRESHMAN FORWARD EMIL OHRWALL Shoots left, 5-11, 170 2018-19 stats with Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL: 59 games, 31 goals, 32 assists and 52 penalty minutes Ohrwall returned to his former USHL team after spending one season with RPI. The redshirt sophomore will have three seasons at Michigan in what effectively amounts to as a transfer. The good news for Michigan fans is that the Swedish import re-discovered his scoring touch with Waterloo. A forward with solid all-round skills, Ohrwall fea- tures a wicked wrist shot. Pearson: "He can really shoot it and was a top scorer in the USHL. He's a sniper. He has a chance to really help us offensively." FRESHMAN FORWARD NICK GRANOWICZ Shoots right, 6-1, 174 2018-19 stats with Merritt of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL): 58 games, 32 goals, 27 assists and 59 penalty minutes His 32 goals in 2018-19 represent a true breakout season offensively. In addi- tion, he's not afraid to go to the dirty spots in the corner and at the front of the net. The Macomb, Mich., native will be coming home to play his college hockey. Pearson: "Grano was one of the top scorers in the BCHL. He's got a nose for the net. He knows how to score. He's just got to get a little stronger, but he gives us some good offensive capability." — Bob Miller