The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN HOCKEY it better or worse than last year? I couldn't tell you." After Michigan lost to Penn State, the Maize and Blue sat around for two days knowing a lot of breaks had to go their way to sneak into the NCAA Tournament. They didn't, and U-M ended up at home for the postseason. "Let's face it, you have to win your way into the tournament, not lose your way in, and once we lost that game against Penn State — that was our last hope, and then two or three things had to happen for us to make it," head coach Red Berenson said. "We didn't deserve it and obviously it didn't happen. "We lost games you can't lose, and that starts with the coaches. I could MORE DEALS Upon the end of their senior seasons, both defenseman Mac Bennett and forward Luke Moffatt signed professional contracts. Bennett inked a two-year entry-level deal with the Montreal Canadiens, who had selected the Narragansett, R.I., native with the 19th pick of the third round in the 2009 NHL Draft. The deal begins in 2014-15, allowing Bennett to com- plete school and graduate. Moffatt, a business major, signed an amateur tryout contract with the Lake Erie Monsters. However, he did not play in a game and was released from the team five days later. Moffat was a seventh-round selection by the Colorado Avalanche in 2010. FIRST IMPRESSION Minnesota was the first Big Ten regular-season champion and Wisconsin the first Big Ten Tournament champion in this inaugural year of Big Ten hockey. "It's going to be a hockey super conference," Bennett said. "The Big Ten has done an amazing job of setting up a league that allows its players to play against the best competition." RETURNING Despite the aggravation of a bitter defeat to end the season, and two years in a row of frustrating absences from the NCAA Tournament, head coach Red Berenson said he will return for the second year of a three-year contract exten- sion he signed in 2013. "I'm back. I have two more years. One year at a time," said Berenson, who admitted the struggles are taking their toll. "I can't handle losing. I can't handle our team underachieving. That's the most disappointing part, and our team really underachieved." Berenson, 74, completed his 30th year on the bench for Michigan. HOCKEY NOTEBOOK