The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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michigan hockey goalie Luke Dwyer) and of those, like most of the rookies, that need a magnifying glass just to see the stubble below their noses. "Guptill and me have more facial hair than most guys, so that may have been why we were inclined, but we really did it to raise awareness and do something as a team to bond," Chiasson said. While the locker room quickly embraced the idea, the coaches were prepared to let the players go alone. However, in mid-October, captains Mac Bennett, Derek DeBlois and Andrew Copp walked into Berenson's office and impressed upon him the importance for the coaches and support staff to actively participate. The staff acquiesced, though Berenson will shave his mustache before being inducted into the St. Louis Hall of Fame Nov. 20. The response to the Wolverines' Movember movement has been so positive they expect to expand the program next year. "We started it to raise awareness for men's health, knowing with the Block M and how big of an iconic symbol it is, why not try to reach people," Chiasson said. "This year, we used it as a pilot program. We wanted to see how big of a following we could get — if we could spark some talk not only within our athletic community but also within Ann Arbor and within Michigan, and so far we've gotten a lot of feedback. "Next year, we'd like to officially team up with Movember and get an account and raise money for their organization." Michigan Rises To No. 2 In National Rankings Michigan began the season ranked 10th nationally, but after a 3-1 win over No. 3 Boston College, and victories over No. 13 New Hampshire and No. 14 Boston University — plus a pair of victories against Michigan Tech — the Wolverines rose to No. 2 in the country, earning 14 first-place votes between the media and coaches polls. The Maize and Blue are committed to keeping perspective, though. "I can tell you I've been looking to see where we stand up with other teams, but you have to realize that the polls don't mean anything right now, and we have to keep getting better," sophomore alternate captain Andrew Copp said. "Even though the polls say we're the No. 2 team in the country, I don't think we're the second-best team. "Last year, we were the preseason No. 3 team and just plummeted, so it doesn't matter what people think, only how we play as a team." A year ago, Michigan was 4-5-1 after 10 games and didn't win its sixth contest of the season until Dec. 15 — 17 games into the year. This season, the Wolverines stood 7-2-1 after 10 games through Nov. 16, and earned their sixth victory of the season Nov. 2 in game eight. "No one likes to lose, and winning … it took us to like Christmas last year to get this many," senior alternate captain Derek DeBlois said. "It's