The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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win the GLI this year," Brown said. "It's a really tough challenge because the three teams are all playing well this year, but it's good that it's a chal- lenge because it will force us to play our best hockey. If we win, it can springboard us forward." U-M should have its entire team intact; Di Giuseppe did not make the Canadian team participating in the World Junior Championships, and he was the only member of this year's first-half roster eligible. Sophomore defenseman Jon Merrill could play for Team USA, but he has not been available this season due to an indefi- nite suspension. "We're starting to play better, snap Freshman forward Phil Di Giuseppe ranked second on the team with eight goals and produced six multiple-point efforts during U-M's 9-8-3 start. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ice, and were threats offensively, and strong defensively. Our juniors and seniors, and even some of the sopho- mores, have to wake up to the real- ization those guys are gone. This is not the NHL where we can make a trade. We have to step up as those same type of players, and we have to do it now because we don't have a choice." While the juniors find themselves in the spotlight, the four-man senior class is also expected to carry this team. Wohlberg has seven goals and eight assists, but disappeared in No- vember while U-M struggled, tally- ing a single point. Though his teammates often put him in unfair situations, Hunwick was not sharp in November, seeing his save percentage plunge from .949 in eight October contests to .890 in the eight games since. Finally, Pateryn had a plus/mi- nus of plus-6 in the first month, and formed one half of, arguably, the best blue-line paring in the CCHA. In the midst of U-M's hardship, he had a plus/minus of plus-1. Glendening, who is not a natural scorer and has only six points this season, has skated and led the best way he knows how, though he ac- knowledges he and his classmates have to be even better. "We need to be self-critical," he said. "We have to better find a way 50 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2012 to lead this team. I can't say I have it figured out. We just have to do the best job we can, in whatever facet that is. "For Dave, maybe that's lighting the lamp more often. For Pateryn, he has to be a stonewall, take the body, and set a tone defensively. Shawn has to stand on his head, and win games. "For me, it's playing my role. I want to help the team offensively; I'm a hockey player, and that's something I want to do, but I need to make sure I'm doing my job defensively, and setting the example for this team in practice, in the weight room and on game nights." GREAT LAKES INVITATIONAL After winning the Great Lakes IT STARTS WITH THE Invitational — a holiday four-team tournament played at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit — from 1988-96, Michigan went 10 seasons without a GLI crown, finally ending its streak in 2007. The Wolverines won it again in 2008 and then in 2010. This season, they will face No. 3 Boston College in the semifinals Dec. 29 and will meet either No. 15 Michigan State or unranked (but 9-8-1) Michigan Tech in the final if they advance past the Eagles. "These are the kind of teams we have to eventually play if we want to extend our season in March, and it would be a huge confidence boost to out of our funk, and we cannot afford to take any steps backwards," Glen- dening said. "We have to be going at full speed when we start the second half, and a great team effort at the GLI will help us do that." Michigan is eager to capitalize on the momentum it finished the first half of the season with, when U-M went 2-1-1 in December, beating Alaska 1-0 on the road and Michigan State 4-3 at Yost Ice Arena, before a two-week layoff. "We were starting to get a little traction in our team and in our game, and we'll regroup at the GLI," Beren- son said. "But at least we're going into the break with a little more posi- tive attitude." FOR DESPERATE MEASURES Though Michigan sits on the out- DESPERATE TIMES CALL side of the 16-team field, it can jump back into the mix quickly, according to Latham, who won't begin forecasting the NCAA Tournament until January because so much can change with one victory or one defeat. For instance, a Great Lakes Invitational sweep could catapult U-M six to 10 spots. And there will be plenty of oppor- tunity for even more movement, with the Wolverines facing Lake Superior State (No. 12 in the Pairwise), Ohio State (No. 1), Notre Dame (No. 6), Michigan State (No. 9) and North- ern Michigan (No. 11) among seven conference series during the season's final 14 regular-season contests. Five of U-M's seven opponents also rank higher in the CCHA standings. "We have some huge series in the second half, which could be to our advantage if we take advantage of