The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN HOCKEY name you at least four games that those games cost us a tournament bid. "We can't lose those games to Penn State, at home with a two-goal lead, and at Michigan State with a two- goal lead. Another home game to Ohio State we lost in a shootout. Too many." After racing out to a 10-2-2 start that had U-M ranked third nationally going into its winter break Dec. 11, the Maize and Blue went 8-11-2 in the second half of the season, including a 5-7-2 mark since Feb. 1. During the year, Michigan beat three of the four NCAA No. 1 seeds — Boston College 3-1, Wisconsin 3-1 and 3-2, and Min- nesota 6-2 — but it went 5-5 against Michigan State and Penn State, teams that had a combined .298 winning percentage in contests not against U-M. "There's not an easy answer right now," sophomore alternate captain Andrew Copp said. "We were 10-2-2 at Christmastime, and then it goes down the drain in the second half. We could have beaten every single team we played. It's a matter of find- ing consistency and a constant des- peration where we don't come into games just thinking we'll win if we show up." A year ago, the Maize and Blue went 8-1-1 in their final 10 games, but lost in the CCHA Tournament final and saw their 22-year NCAA Tour- nament streak come to an end. This season, the Wolverines also fell one win shy, though they weren't playing well down the stretch, and Berenson said it is critical Michigan puts itself in a much healthier position in future seasons. "We never made [making the tour- nament] close for 20 years, and we have to start all over again, and we can't make it close," he said. "Every team plays to make the playoffs and win a championship, but you have to get in the tournament. You can't back in, and we just found that out. "I like our team. I think we'll take a step next year and one reason is the players we have. [Freshmen] J.T. Compher, Tyler Motte, Michael Downing, Kevin Lohan, all these kids will grow and get better. [Fresh- man goalie] Zach Nagelvoort as- serted himself. We had some good things going, and then some older players that didn't have a good sea- son should take a step next year. "[Ferris State coach] Bob Daniels once told me, 'People are really ex- pecting a lot from us' after they had a good year, and I told him, 'Bob, that's the way it is at Michigan every year' and that's the way it should be. With a good program, you should be there every year, and that's what we're try- ing to do." MICHIGAN LOSES TWO JUNIORS TO NHL DEALS With the departure of senior for- wards Luke Moffatt (13 goals) and Derek DeBlois (six goals), plus senior defensemen Mac Bennett (two mark- ers) and Kevin Clare (none), the Wol- verines knew they had some impor- tant pieces to replace next season. In a 24-hour span, two of the best bets