The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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68 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2018 BY ANDREW VAILLIENCOURT T he Michigan hockey team has a few weeks off for the holiday season after finishing the first half of the season 7-7-2. The break is much needed as the Wolverines went just 1-4-2 in their last seven games, spoil- ing the team's hot start. "We need to work on our sense of urgency," senior forward and captain Tony Calderone said. "We've come out flat in a few games, and if we just play 60 minutes of hockey that's re- ally going to help us." Michigan hasn't settled on a start- ing goalie, going back and forth be- tween sophomores Hayden Lavigne and Jack LaFontaine. LaFontaine had first crack at holding the job, but struggled to give Lavigne the chance to seize the starting spot for himself; however, he too was inconsistent. "Early in the year we wanted to rotate them so we could get a feel for who they are and how they play," Michigan head coach Mel Pearson said. "I think after eight games we had a pretty good idea of what they could do and what they're capable of. I think both can be the starting goalie and win on any given night." Each player has opened eight games, but has needed to be replaced at least once. Lavigne is 3-4-2 with a save percentage of .898 and a goals- against average of 2.90. LaFontaine is 4-3 with a save percentage of .884 and a goals-against average of 3.58. Both netminders have allowed 26 goals. "I think that's the biggest thing, they've been inconsistent," Pearson said. "At times, they've played ex- tremely well and at times there are nights where you'd like to have a cou- ple goals back and a key save here or there could've really helped our team. "They're a lot like our team. They mirror our team in the fact that we're inconsistent." He said he has full confidence in both guys and wants to see them work through the adversity. The starting job is still wide open. It's not the only area that he wants his team to improve, however. He wants to see special teams be more consistent. Michigan is scoring on 15.9 percent of its power plays, about five points less than where Pearson wants to be. It's also allowing opposing teams to score on 21.5 percent of their power- play opportunities. "Way too many goals against," Pearson said. "Against Michigan State the other night we had a pretty good game Thursday, we shut them out on the power play. Your goalie has to be your best penalty killer. On Friday, they scored three power-play goals and we didn't score any. "Special teams are so critical. We've got to be better there." ❏ MICHIGAN HOCKEY Wolverines Focused On Improvement Senior forward Tony Calderone's 13 goals in the first 16 games are six more than the next best Wolverine. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Hockey Rewind: Nov. 13-Dec. 15 Overall Record: 7-7-2 (3-5-2 in conference) Best Win — 4-0 over Michigan State, Dec. 7: Senior forward and captain Tony Calderone recorded a hat trick to lead the Wolverines past their rival Spartans. Sophomore goalie Hayden Lavigne posted a shutout, stopping all 21 shots he faced. Quote: "I think we bounce back from losses pretty good. I think the only real rut we got into was Ohio State [Nov. 24-25] — it's the only weekend where we didn't get any points in the Big Ten. Every other weekend we've been able to scratch some points out, whether it be [then-No. 15] Penn State or [then-No. 9] Wisconsin on the road, so that was a disappointment, but I think our team responds well to adversity and losses. "I think one of our issues is after we win a game. I don't want to use the word complacent, but we feel pretty good about ourselves and we're learning it doesn't matter what you do on night A." — Michigan head coach Mel Pearson MVP — Senior forward Tony Calderone: He just has a knack for finding the back of the net. He leads the team with 13 goals — six more than the next Michigan player. He's second in total points with 18, behind junior forward Cooper Marody (24). He also leads the team in shots (56) and power-play goals (3). Michigan needs someone else to step up and aid Calderone in the goal scoring. Freshman Impact — Freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes: He is tied for second on the team in plus/minus with a plus-7 and has shown he can do whatever Michigan needs on the ice. Hughes has gotten better each month and will continue to be a key player in the second half of the season. "We know what he can do offensively, but I think his defen- sive game is under-appreciated for what he does," Pearson said. "He's done a really good job there." Player To Watch — Sophomore forward Will Lockwood: He has four goals and seven assists through the first half of the season, but is being counted on to light the lamp more often. He has the talent — so watch out for him to breakout in the month of January and give Michigan the scoring boost it needs. Must-See Series — Jan. 5 vs. Notre Dame, Jan. 7 at Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation with a 16-3-1 record and will be a force to be reckoned with in Michigan's first games after the Great Lakes Invitational Jan. 1-2. — Andrew Vailliencourt