The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530730
JANUARY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 37 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE T he 11-6-1 Michigan hockey team is going through a rocky stretch. After notching six straight victories, the Wol- verines dropped four of their next six tilts, splitting with Western Michigan Nov. 29-30, getting swept at Minnesota Dec. 6-7 and taking one of two against Wisconsin Dec. 13-14. The Wolverines now have nearly three weeks off before taking on Ohio State at Wrigley Field — the home of Major League Baseball's Cubs — in Chicago Jan. 3. Splitting with Western Michigan, which was ranked No. 6 in the nation as of mid-December, was one thing. But being outscored 8-0 in two games at now-No. 1 Minnesota was worrisome. The Wolverines lost 6-0 and 2-0 in Minneapolis — shut out in consecu- tive games for the first time since the 1942-43 season. The Maize and Blue finished 1-10-2 under head coach Ed- wards Lowrey that season, with no- where near the expectations that this group has for itself. "[Against Minnesota] Friday, I think from the start, we just didn't play to our identity," U-M head coach Bran- don Naurato told The Michigan Daily. "We weren't hard, we weren't riding races and battles, we just got away from everything. "We were cheating the game, and they absolutely dominated us. And then Saturday, I thought we were harder. I mean, we were outshooting them 13-2 12 minutes into the first [period], and then I thought lack of discipline crushed that game." Matters were made worse with a 4-0 loss to Wisconsin Dec. 13 at Yost Ice Arena. Following that one, U-M had gone 215 minutes without scoring a goal — brutal for a team that was averaging 3.64 per game, eighth in the nation, en- tering the two-game set in Minneapolis. In the four recent losses, U-M was outscored 7-0 in first periods, with a common theme being starting slow and letting the discouragement seep in. "I think that's one of our problems, that the frustration is snowballing," junior forward Jackson Hallum said. "We can't have that happen. We get too low, our team gets too low. And when we're high, we're really high. We just need to stay kind of even-keeled. … It really kills us when we get frustrated. It's just a snowball effect, and that's just frustrating." Michigan got the bad taste out of its mouth with a 3-2 overtime win over the Badgers to close out the 2024 calendar year, though, with freshman forward Michael Hage — the team's leading scorer with 10 goals — going top shelf in the extra session. Hage is also the team's leader with 8 assists for a total of 18 points, and he ranks 14th in the nation with 1.2 points per game. "That's what he does," Naurato said of the game-winner just over a minute into overtime. Hage had missed Michigan's series at Minnesota with an ankle injury but was back in action against the Badgers, and he was crucial in the second game, with 4 shots and the aforementioned goal. The goal that broke the scoreless streak actually came from freshman defenseman Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen, the first of his college career, with the assists to Truscott and junior forward T.J. Hughes. "When you're in a three-game slump without scoring, I just have to throw it on the net for chaos," Rhéaume-Mullen said. Michigan's chaotic couple weeks without a win had come to an end, and the Wolverines now look to start the new year off strong against archrival Ohio State at Wrigley Field. ❑ ❱ MICHIGAN HOCKEY Wolverines Hit Rough Patch Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time Oct. 4 Minnesota State L, 5-2 Oct. 5 Minnesota State W, 4-1 Oct. 11 at Arizona State W, 4-1 Oct. 12 at Arizona State T, 3-3 Oct. 18 St. Cloud State W, 3-0 Oct. 19 St. Cloud State L, 4-0 Oct. 25 USNTDP U-18 Team (Exh.) W, 5-4 (OT) Nov. 1 at Boston University W, 5-1 Nov. 2 at Boston University W, 5-4 (OT) Nov. 8 Notre Dame W, 2-1 Nov. 9 Notre Dame W, 4-2 Nov. 22 at Penn State W, 6-5 Nov. 23 at Penn State W, 10-6 Nov. 29 at Western Michigan L, 4-1 Nov. 30 at Western Michigan W, 2-1 Dec. 6 at Minnesota L, 6-0 Dec. 7 at Minnesota L, 2-0 Dec. 13 Wisconsin L, 4-0 Dec. 14 Wisconsin W, 3-2 (OT) Jan. 3 vs. Ohio State^ (BTN) 5 p.m. Jan. 5 Ohio State 5 p.m. Jan. 10 at Notre Dame 7 p.m. Jan. 11 at Notre Dame 6 p.m. Jan. 17 Michigan State 7 p.m. Jan. 18 at Michigan State 6 p.m. Jan. 24 at Wisconsin 8 p.m. Jan. 25 at Wisconsin 8:30 p.m. Jan. 31 Penn State 7 p.m. Feb. 1 Penn State 6 p.m. Feb. 7 at Michigan State 7 p.m. Feb. 8 vs. Michigan State* 8 p.m. Feb. 14 Minnesota 7 p.m. Feb. 15 Minnesota 6 p.m. Feb. 27 at Ohio State 8 p.m. Feb. 28 at Ohio State 6 p.m. Mar. 7-9 Big Ten Quarterfinals TBA Mar. 15 Big Ten Semifinal TBA Mar. 22 Big Ten Championship TBA All times Eastern ^ at Wrigley Field in Chicago * at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit 2024-25 MICHIGAN HOCKEY SCHEDULE Freshman forward Michael Hage was the team's leading scorer through Dec. 14 with 18 points (10 goals and 8 assists). Previously, he was named Hockey Commissioner's Association Rookie of the Month after averag- ing 1.43 points per game in November. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS