The Wolverine

January 2012

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MICHIGAN HOCKEY Michigan Continues To Struggle In Shootouts the NHL, doesn't care for shootouts, believing they take away from a team effort. "I think the players like it and TV likes it, but in deciding the outcome of the game, it puts a lot of heat on your goalie and it takes most of your players out of the loop," he said. "And then the trouble is, when we lost that shootout at Michigan State [Dec. 10], you felt like you had a poor game. Well, we lost the point, but we played a good game. We could have easily won the game, even in overtime. "But the shootout, no checking, no defense, no offense. It's just a goalie and a lucky shot." The Wolverines have not been lucky with their shots, though. U-M has converted only 6.7 percent of its attempts the past four years, while its five opponents have made 33.3 percent of their 15 shots. The NHL average success rate for the first 1,000 shootouts (through Dec. 9) is 32.4 percent, with goalies holding a sur- prising advantage. "You have too much time to think," Berenson said. "It's not a game situ- ation and something you're used to. The goalie is in for all the shots, so if he stops one, he's into it and has some confidence so he is more apt to stop the next one. If he doesn't, he can give himself a kick. "But he's in there for every shot. You're a shooter, you get one shot, and it's either really good or really bad. "We haven't been in many shoot- Junior forward A.J. Treais is the only member of the Wolverines who has scored a goal in a shootout, netting one this season at Northern Michigan. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL son, on the heels of the NHL insti- tuting the game-deciding outcome in 2006, teams like Michigan, with high-end offensive talents, figured to benefit. However, in four seasons with the breakaway format in place, U-M is just 1-4 in shootouts, convert- ing only 1 of 15 shots. "I wish there was an 'easy' button," W said junior forward Chris Brown, 0 of 3 in his career. "Butterflies kick in, it's an intense moment in which you're one-on-one with a goalie. 52 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2012 hen the CCHA began using shootouts for the 2008-09 sea- "They're good for the fans, but not for the players. "The whole process is a mental thing. You're thinking too much or not enough, you get down there and you start second-guessing yourself. It's just a stressful situation. "Hopefully we don't put ourselves in that situation — we just win in regulation or overtime — but we should and will start winning some of those shootouts." Head coach Red Berenson, who be- lieves he was awarded only two pen- alty shots during his 17-year career in outs either. You watch the NHL, and this guy is 8 for 21. We've been in five in three years, so we don't have a lot of history. Even last year, Carl Hage- lin [0 of 2 in his career] was our best bet, but the guys that look good in practice don't necessarily look good in a game." The numbers are not readily avail- able, but there exists a potential that skaters are more successful during in-game breakaways, Brown noted. Player U-M Players In Shootouts A.J. Treais Carl Hagelin Louie Caporusso Chris Brown Phil Di Giuseppe Lindsay Sparks David Wohlberg 3 2 2 3 2 2 1 Pct. Shots Goals 33.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

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