The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN HOCKEY and we have to get by that. If we give up the first goal against, we have to say, 'Don't worry about it, we'll get it back.'" Hunwick surrendered 16 goals in consecutive losses to Ohio State (6-5) Nov. 19, Northeastern (4-1) Nov. 25 and Union (6-3) Nov. 27, stopping just 83.2 percent of the 95 shots he faced. But he is not the sole culprit. U-M's defensemen and the defensive aware- ness by Michigan's forwards have been abysmal, while the Wolverines' scoring is down from 4.88 goals per game in October, in going 6-1-1, to 2.63 goals per game in November, when U-M went 1-6-1. "I need to be better, the defense needs to be better, we all need to step up," Hunwick said. "You hope we can all start playing better, but hopefully I can step up and make some saves. "Every time you make a mistake you don't want to see it end up in the back of the net. So if I could cover up some mistakes I think it will go a long way towards building up the confidence of our team." Media and fans have pointed to the plethora of freshmen playing every night — six regulars in the lineup — but U-M's rookies have not slowed their pace since October. The veterans, on the other hand, are not leading like Berenson demands. "In our last five games, we scored 11 goals, which is not enough, but six of them by the freshmen," he said. "We had one by a senior, one by a junior. Come on. "We have to get our whole team go- ing. I think using the freshmen as an excuse … it's not an excuse." Senior captain Luke Glendening is not a natural scorer — he has 30 career goals in 150 games — but acknowl- edges he may have to change his game to be a more effective leader. "I may not be putting in goals, but my work ethic has to be there every day in practice. My attitude has to be good," he said. "If I have to jump start our team with a big hit … or maybe I need to start scoring. I have to figure that out, but there are other guys on this team as well, seniors and juniors, and we have to start doing our part to help this team. "At this point, talk is pretty cheap. We're on a six-game skid, and we need to see results instead of hearing people talk about what they're going to do to help us snap out of it." Goalie Shawn Hunwick had a save percentage of .916 and a goals-against average of 2.48 through Nov. 30. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL DECEMBER 2011 THE WOLVERINE 81 Michigan Hockey Rewind: November Overall Record: 7-7-2 Record In November: 1-6-1 National Ranking: No. 19 Best Win — 5-2 over Western Michigan: In a month in which U-M lost six games, this early battle between top-five teams promised a bright November for the Wolverines. After losing 3-2 a night earlier, surrendering the game-winning goal with 57 seconds remaining in the contest, Michigan showed the resolve to bounce back from a tough defeat, taking a first-period lead before putting the Broncos away with three unanswered markers in the third period. Like they had throughout October, the Maize and Blue utilized balanced scor- ing — five different skaters had a goal and 10 had a point — with solid defensive hockey and stalwart goaltending, fifth-year senior netminder Shawn Hunwick turning aside 30 of 32 shots. Worst Loss — 4-1 to Northeastern: Mired in a slump, winless in four straight (0-3-1), Michigan needed something to go its way. Fortunately, the Wolverines welcomed a Huskies team to Ann Arbor just 3-7-2 overall. Northeastern had won two in a row after dropping six of seven, but still should have provided the relief U-M needed. Instead, Michigan's winless streak reached five after Northeastern thumped the Maize and Blue in front of 6,637 shocked fans at Yost Ice Arena. The Huskies scored four unanswered goals on just 13 shots in the second and third periods, stunning the Wolverines. MVP — None: Michigan had a fundamental breakdown offensively, defen- sively and in net during the month of November. Impact Freshman — Alex Guptill: One of U-M's most heralded rookie arriv- als, the 2010 third-round NHL Draft pick had some early success, scoring three goals with two assists in eight October games. He continued to produce in eight November contests, tallying a team-high four goals and two assists. Series To Watch — vs. Michigan State Dec. 9-10: Michigan will play only one more series (U-M was in Alaska Dec. 2-3) before taking a two-week holiday break, and the stakes will amp up for these rivals both struggling through the 2011-12 campaign; the teams were tied for seventh place in the CCHA standings with 12 points as of Dec. 1. Michigan will host Michigan State on opening night, looking to end a four- game losing streak at Yost Ice Arena, and will then travel to East Lansing, looking for its first regular-season win at MSU since Dec. 6, 2008. — Michael Spath