The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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year holiday tournament played in Detroit — he is 2-1-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage. T h o s e n u m b e r s w o u l d r a n k Racine amongst the best goal- ies in college hockey, but the 6-3, 190-pounder is 21-13-3 in his other career appearances with a 2.72 goals-against average and a measly .896 save percentage. Zach Nagelvoort, meanwhile, en- dured a sophomore slump, seeing his goals-against average rise from 2.20 his rookie year to 2.63, while his save percentage dipped from .929 to .906. "If you ask me what was the big- gest issue, I'd say the same thing we saw last year and the year before that — goaltending," said Ruden, a for- mer netminder himself. "It puts un- believable stress on the five skaters in front of you when the goalie play is erratic, because the confidence in your goalie just disappears. "Now everyone is playing with a little less confidence, everyone is pressing maybe a little more and worried about making the mistake that will end up in the back of their net. You can't be at your best when there is doubt in your game. "That area has to get shorn up, but we've been saying that since the 2013 season and it's still an issue." Non-conference play: With the intro- duction of the Big Ten Hockey Con- ference in 2013-14, Michigan took an aggressive approach to its non- conference schedule, going after his- torically elite teams that would wow fans and attract top recruits. The non-conference slate has been decidedly pro-Hockey East, with matchups against New Hampshire (four games total, two each year), Boston College (two total games), Boston University (two) and UMass- Lowell (two). U-M does not want to water down its schedule, but it may want to look at the bigger-name schools from smaller hockey conferences, such as Atlantic Hockey, the ECAC and the WCHA, that would be open to two- for-one deals, playing two games in Ann Arbor for just one in return, giv- ing the Maize and Blue a decided advantage of home contests. Seizing momentum against Penn State: The Nittany Lions will continue to develop their program, but even in year four, they should not be able to match the physical on-ice skill the Maize and Blue possess. Still, this one is more mental than physical, and U-M has to develop the emo- tional toughness to best the Blue and White. Michigan could start by ignoring what has transpired already. There was a lot of talk this year of seeking revenge for a 2014 Big Ten Tourna- ment first-round matchup loss that held U-M out of the NCAA Tour- nament that year, and then about avenging a loss early in the 2014-15 season, but reflecting on the past only seemed to disrupt the Wolver- ines' focus. The key could be letting it go, and concentrating on beating the team in front of the Maize and Blue, and not the ghosts of years prior. Developing a defensive identity: Mich- igan led the nation in scoring with