The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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still thinks he should be on the first line come March, you're in trouble," Herr said. "At this point in the year, everyone should know what his role is, and be embracing that role. "Some guys are just out there for a "If your fourth-line right winger quick shift to give the first three lines a breather. Some guys are your goal scorers and some are your penalty killers. The last thing you want is to be unsure who is what, or to be fighting your role because the team comes first." And that is a mentality this year's Wolverines seem to understand. "It was a little bit hard in the begin- ning when you're used to scoring so many goals in juniors, but then you realize it's all about the team," said freshman Zach Hyman, a first-line talent playing on U-M's fourth line and penalty kill. "I'm at Michigan right now, one of the best programs in college hockey history, and what- ever I can do to help the team I'm going to do. "Right now, I don't care how much I score or who scores, and that's our team mentality. We just want to win games, and win the CCHA and then the national championship." a team's control, including luck and, most notably, refereeing. In both a 2003 NCAA semifinal and a 2010 Midwest Regional final, Michigan had game-winning goals waived off because referees lost sight of the puck (one could argue premature whistles) while in last year's national champi- onship, the Maize and Blue had to kill off nine penalties compared to Duluth's four in a game that Sandelin even admitted shouldn't have had such disparity. The equalizer can be goalkeep- THE DIFFERENCE-MAKER There are certainly factors outside GOALIE IS Led by junior forward Alex Chiasson (9), who paced the team with 43 points through March 11, Boston University will be a tough out in the postseason. Standing In Michigan's Way: NCAA Title Contenders Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin believes there are 12-15 teams capable of winning the national title this year, but a few have seemingly sepa- rated themselves from the pack. CBS Sports Network television analyst Dave Starman offers his top contenders. Minnesota: "They can go four lines deep, and they have the goaltending in Kent Patterson. With Nick Bjugstad, Kyle Rau and Zach Budish, they have as good of a first line as any team in the nation, and that gives them an edge because very few teams will be able to match their best. They also are guaranteed to play in the West Regional in St. Paul, as the host, and that's a huge advantage. Minnesota Duluth: "My only concern is whether their defense is mobile " enough to go up and down the ice with some of the best skating teams in the country, but I really like their team. Their top two lines — with guys like J.T. Brown, Jack Connolly and Travis Oleksuk — are special, and goalie Kenny Reiter has the experience of winning the national title last year. This team believes in itself. Boston College: "If Parker Milner can hold up to the pressure of being the Bos- " ton College goalie in the postseason, there is very little that can slow this team down. The defense is rock solid, their fourth line is effective and any one of their top three lines could be the No. 1 line, and that makes them almost impossible to match up with." Boston University: "They have an us-against-the-world mentality because there has been a lot of strife this year. Their two best centers — Corey Trivino [sexual assault] and Charlie Coyle [academics] — are no longer part of the pro- gram, and they've had to move a lot of guys around. They've really just been trying to hold themselves together, but I don't think anyone wants to play them in the tournament. ing. In his first two seasons as U-M's netminder, Hunwick went 13-3 with a 1.69 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage in 16 postseason games. A year ago, UMD's Kenny Reither was 4-0 in the NCAA Tourna- ment with a 2.00 goals-against aver- age and a .935 save percentage. In 2010, Boston College's John Muse allowed just 2.25 goals per game, stopping 91.5 percent of the shots he faced in leading the Eagles to the national title. nor Knapp or Cody Reichard always seem to step up when called upon. They're big, physical and talented up front and they have a really strong senior class. The back end is solid too — there is no hole defensively among their top six. The one concern I have is they're not a great scoring team, and if they get into a game where they need to score five goals they probably can't. Miami (Ohio): "They have two No. 1 goalies and it works for them because Con- " try, and they also have the best goalie, which is huge. With guys like Chris Brown now playing like the Chris Brown we always expected, and A.J. Treais, and Dave Wohlberg, and with a freshman like Alex Guptill, they've got the offense, the de- fense and the goalkeeping. And with Jon Merrill back on the blue line they push the pace of play. He and Shawn Hunwick are difference-makers. Michigan: "Top to bottom, they might be the most balanced team in the coun- " — Michael Spath " APRIL 2012 THE WOLVERINE 81 PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND