The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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emphasis on being a strong defensive forward that even the best scorers are up against a system that is geared more towards keeping the puck out of the net and not necessarily putting it in the net. "That's why we don't see the big numbers that we used to see in the 1980s and 1990s when teams in the NHL and in college, and down through all the leagues, were winning 6-5 or 5-4. "Now everyone is trying to win games 3-2 or 2-1 because it's easier to build a team on defense than on offense, especially in college hockey where maybe only a handful of teams can get the real high-end skill play- ers, but everyone can build a roster of older, veteran, physical defensemen." Michigan, Minnesota, Boston Col- lege, Boston University and North Dakota operate in a different recruit- ing sphere than the rest of college hockey, capable of signing the elite talents that allow their programs to play an aggressive, attacking style. However, U-M head coach Red Berenson has always also subscribed to the theory that defense helps win championships, and in that regard, the Wolverines have to be better, rank- ing third in the Big Ten for allowing 3.00 goals per game through Feb. 15. "We have to be a legitimately good defensive team in addition to being an exceptional offensive team," Berenson said. "That is our goal — to be better defensively and it has been our goal all year. "The big test remains to be seen. We've always been a team that has been better in the second half, and we're starting to be, but we have [three] tough conference road games that we have to take advantage of, and if we do that, we'll be ready." IT'S FUN TO WATCH When the season began, there were questions about whether the Maize and Blue would be able to score con- sistently enough. The Wolverines had lost their top three point pro- ducers from 2014-15, a trio of Zach Hyman, Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp that had combined for 51 goals and 81 assists, or roughly 33 percent of Michigan's total team point pro- duction. U-M opened the season with an 8-1 exhibition win over Toronto, with six different Wolverines lighting the red lamp. A week later, Michigan scored nine goals in a sweep of Mercyhurst, and the early offensive success gave rise to a confidence that has remained with the Maize and Blue all year. "We never doubted we'd be able to Alum Billy Muckalt on U-M's high-scoring offense "I'm sure the fans are loving it, the players love to score and even the coaches enjoy it. It makes for better viewing when it's up and down the ice, but it's also the kind of hockey that usually doesn't win in the postseason."