The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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48 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2024 BY CHRIS BALAS B eing the Michigan hockey coach comes with high ex- pectations, thanks mainly to legendary coach Red Be- renson. The Hall-of-Famer was al- ways going to be a tough act to follow, and while experienced former U-M assistant Mel Pearson had some suc- cess in the wake of his former boss's retirement, former Wolverine Bran- don Naurato has been tasked with keeping it going. Now in his third season, the young (39) U-M head coach has already ex- perienced a level of success many coaches around the nation would envy. He's led the Wolverines to back-to- back Frozen Fours in his first two sea- sons, rallying his team last year in the final several weeks just to make the tournament, and continues to recruit at a high level. Sometimes, that comes with a cost, evidenced by a plethora of early NHL entries a year ago. "We need guys to step up with all the turnover year after year," Nau- rato said during his preseason meet- ing with the media. "Seventeen NHL contracts and guys that have gradu- ated in the last three years … it feels like every year when you're at this point, you're like, 'Who's that going to be?''' The good news, he noted — they're off to a fresh start with a hungry team with several guys having relished an oppor- tunity to see more playing time. "There were a lot of injuries last year. [This year], guys are healthy," Naurato continued. "Guys have something to prove. Guys are looking for elevated roles. New guys are in, and they've got something to prove. "It's been awesome. The team's click- ing; they've been working really hard. We aren't expecting to be perfect for Day 1, but [I'm] just really excited to see where we're at." VETERAN BLUELINE PRESENCE RETURNS WITH HIGH HOPES Michigan got a bit of a wake-up call in Game 1 when Minnesota State came to Yost and handled the No. 7 Wolverines in the opener, 5-2. The Wolverines, picked to finish third in the Big Ten behind Michigan State and Minnesota, outshot their opponent 34-23, but way too many turnovers led to scoring chances, including three odd-man rushes that led to goals. "The beginning of the season, there are going to be mistakes," Naurato said in his postgame interview. "I'm sure their coaching staff will look at the game and see that they weren't perfect either. "But it's like I always say, the game just comes down to winning your races and battles. And throughout the chaos, we're trying to be predictable to each other with our spots, and guys need to be in spots, and then we need to make plays to those areas." They have the talent to do it, and U-M rebounded the next night with a much better defensive performance in a 4-1 win to split the series with the Mavericks. Freshman Michael Hage was the star of the weekend for Nau- rato's team, notching 2 assists in his first college game and following up with a goal and an assist in Game 2. He continued that success in a 1-0-1 weekend at Arizona State, adding 2 goals and an assist in two games. The Wolverines won 4-1 Oct. 11 against the Sun Devils before giving up two late goals and settling for a 3-3 tie the following night. To reach their goals, though, the Wolverines are going to need their vet- erans to lead the way. It starts with de- fenseman Jacob Truscott, a graduate student and team captain for the sec- ond consecutive year. A steadying pres- ence on the blue line, the defenseman blocked 28 shots a year ago and notched 2 goals and 14 assists, but he only has one real goal in 2024-25. "Most importantly, I just want to win," Truscott said. "I want to win a national championship here. That's the expecta- Graduate student defenseman Jacob Truscott will wear the captain's 'C' on his sweater for the second straight season. He tallied 2 goals and 14 assists a year ago. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS REVAMPED AND READY Head Coach Brandon Naurato Has High Hopes For His Third U-M Hockey Team