Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

[streaker]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

While we are not the most talented team in the world, I do think this is a big issue. Maybe we can't be the best team in the country, but if they really mentally got into the game, they can beat most teams out there. They had dominat times against most teams- but those seemed to result in little, and once something bad happened, the wheels came off.

I'm now worried that the only way out of the hole they are digging will be to be the last team to lift the Mason Cup. other than that, even with a good second half, it will need a bad second from a lot of other teams to put us high enough to get in on merit.

I'd rather not be the most talented team if they dog it defensively like our team. I'd rather have a group of guys that places their priority on the defensive end, especially since our goaltenders are struggling. Pretty sad when your top line is in( -) territory, yet your captain is tied for the NCAA lead in goals. This is the first time I can remember a Michigan team that has given up more goals than they scored since... the late 80's. They have given up 20! goals in the past 5 games. Pathetic.

[DominicHennig]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

Michigan Series Video Preview:





Gameday Central: http://ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sport.../gameday/index

[UMICH]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

Remember when we were good and Ferris sucked? Those were the days...

[wolverineTrumpet]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

Well I'm in Big Rapids tonight so maybe they'll play better. Certainly it can't be any worse. Right? Right??!?

[UMICH]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

Let's hope this article, and Coach's decision to scratch AG, is right on...

http://www.michigandaily.com/node/69578

Liz Vukelich: Hockey can get back on track in December


By Liz Vukelich, Daily Sports Writer
Published December 2, 2012

BIG RAPIDS — It’s funny how much the Michigan hockey team likes December.

Go back to last season, when a Wolverine squad in the midst of a familiar fall slump trekked to Alaska during the first weekend of December. Friday night loss, then a Saturday night win. Commence a Michigan tear through the remainder of the month that culminated in a Great Lakes Invitational title.

Now back to the present day. Michigan, severely underperforming, visited Ferris State for a series that straddled November and December. Friday night loss, Saturday night shootout win.

November is like a time bomb. Michigan knows the number of games in the first half of the season is waning and that it has to get on better CCHA footing before a difficult second half kicks in.

Michigan coach Red Berenson is good at avoiding the panic zone when the team falters. The players? It’s trickier. It’s been clear to see how easily the team has gotten down on itself during games — how a one-goal deficit has turned into two, then three, then five, with the Wolverines rarely coming back to put a point on the board.

So when the calendar changed this weekend, it seemed Michigan’s game plan also changed from Friday to Saturday night.

“I thought we played harder and better,” Berenson said. “Even though they got some momentum at times in the game, our team hung in there.”

It started with putting together a full 60 minutes. Though walking away from Saturday night with two points instead of three wasn’t ideal, the players still celebrated like they had won the whole weekend. When things don’t go your way, everything gets magnified, and two points look a lot better than none.

Instead of having only one strong period on Saturday, Michigan had three — you don’t make it to a sudden-death shootout without everyone on the team pulling their weight.

The defense put in more effort to clear the zone and clear out the crease to assist freshman goalie Steve Racine when the Bulldogs swarmed the goal. The offense finally started firing on multiple cylinders, with the three goals each coming from different players.

Oh, and don’t discredit the magic of puck luck, either. Just ask Racine about the shot he stopped on the goal line between a post and a player’s skate. The Wolverines haven’t had that kind of luck lately.

“For us to come back and establish the weekend with a tie (and) shootout win is big for us,” said senior forward A.J. Treais. “I think that everyone’s just all in right now. Everyone’s playing defense … everyone’s bought into the system now.”

And then there’s mentality.

It’s not all about staying clear-headed, though that does have a lot to do with the Wolverines’ performance — off-ice mindsets have just as much to do with it.

Just look at sophomore Alex Guptill, one of Michigan’s staple forwards, who didn’t even make the trip to Big Rapids.

Berenson said he wasn’t happy with Guptill’s “day-to-day approach to the game, the team, his work ethic and his performance.” Is it hard scratching someone who should be a top scorer while less productive forwards see ice time? Yeah. But for a team that has lacked the mental conditioning to make it through a game, Berenson needed someone that was all in. His gamble of a better attitude trumping a less effective player didn’t hurt on Saturday.

Does this weekend mark the turning point in the Wolverines’ underachieving season? Perhaps. An upcoming bye week gives Michigan extra practice time to readjust before playing Western Michigan.

But the best thing about facing the Broncos? It will still be December. And maybe the Wolverines can hold on to that December magic that’s been so good to them before.

— Vukelich can be reached at elizavuk@umich.edu or on Twitter @LizVukelich

[streaker]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

Alex is an enigma, going from CCHA ROTY to being left home on an important road trip. BUT, if he is a locker room cancer, better for the team. I hope he snaps out of his immaturity. More importantly, the message that no one player is above the team has been sent. Now if it can only translate to execution for the rest of the roster. Ugh.

[wolverineTrumpet]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

I predict Michigan will allow zero goals against this weekend.

I also think we will continue our inability to score in more than one period per game.

[alnike]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

I also think we will continue our inability to score in more than one period per game.

Hopefully the team does not look past the bye week. Interesting point about scoring in multiple periods....Over the recent brutal 1-4-1 stretch, the team has gone six games without a powerplay goal, has allowed 2 SHG and yes, has gone scoreless two of the three periods in each game. No time like the present to reverse those trends.

[streaker]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

Hopefully the team does not look past the bye week. Interesting point about scoring in multiple periods....Over the recent brutal 1-4-1 stretch, the team has gone six games without a powerplay goal, has allowed 2 SHG and yes, has gone scoreless two of the three periods in each game. No time like the present to reverse those trends.

And it's not because they were overfocusing on defense. Including the MSU road debacle, this team has given up 28 goals while scoring 11 in going 1-5-1-1.

[bluevox]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

A series against Western this weekend.


Anybody?

Then on to the GLI where we play Tech and then the winner of MSU/WMU.

Anybody?

I realize the team isn't inspiring right now, but...

Anybody?

Maybe we need a need thread to turn around our fortunes.

[broncos24]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

A series against Western this weekend.


Anybody?

Then on to the GLI where we play Tech and then the winner of MSU/WMU.

Anybody?

I realize the team isn't inspiring right now, but...

Anybody?

Maybe we need a need thread to turn around our fortunes.

I'm making my first trip to Yost this Friday night. Bringing a few other Broncos with me

I'm fully expecting an absolute war this weekend. As with any year, you can't expect to come into Yost and take any points without a battle.

Couple of questions:
1) Are your students going to be here this weekend? I know WMU has finals this week so if the series was at Lawson, the students wouldn't be at full capacity.
2) Based on your website, there's free public parking in the "Blue lot" is that still the case?

Looking forward to seeing Yost and watching a hopeful preview of the GLI championship game.

Prediction:
Fri: 3-3 T (WMU wins shootout)
Sat: 4-1 Michigan

[streaker]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

I'm making my first trip to Yost this Friday night. Bringing a few other Broncos with me

I'm fully expecting an absolute war this weekend. As with any year, you can't expect to come into Yost and take any points without a battle.

Couple of questions:
1) Are your students going to be here this weekend? I know WMU has finals this week so if the series was at Lawson, the students wouldn't be at full capacity.
2) Based on your website, there's free public parking in the "Blue lot" is that still the case?

Looking forward to seeing Yost and watching a hopeful preview of the GLI championship game.

Prediction:
Fri: 3-3 T (WMU wins shootout)
Sat: 4-1 Michigan

Doubt that the students will be around unless they are locals.

Parking is always free at Crisler, btw as long as the bounceyball team isn't playing. They are on the road saturday, IIRC.
Blue lot, free? well- okay. Should be a ton of available parking.

Yost renovations are really nice, unless you are an elitist WCHA fan that thinks that college arenas have to have comfy seats and beer stands and can seat over 10,000 people like an NHL arena. Of course, that is how you get regionals every season, too, by filling buildings. At least those people show up for their games- 4 of the top 6 programs for attendance (not % of capacity) right now are in the W. Believe it or not, MSU leads the CCHA in actual attendance, but adjusted for % ratio to capacity, Lawson ranks third so far, averaging at 93.9% of their capacity. (Notre Dame is #1, Miami is #2.) Keep in mind, though, that some of these rinks are small- WMU and Miami's capacity is under 3,700. ND's is 5,000. Michigan's average attendance is 5,208 through 9 games and is a meager 78.5% of their 6,637 capacity. MSU's capacity is 6,470 and is at 85% (5,510.)

Either way there will be tickets to be had this weekend.

Optimism this weekend? They have to give me a reason. WMU is built much like Notre Dame is- big on the wings, big on defense, good goaltending, enough offensive skill to be dangerous, but mostly a team that will frustrate and smother opponents into mistakes. Just the kind of team Michigan has struggled against all season. This isn't your brother's Michigan team- it resembles the ones I saw back in the 80's when Red was building the program, which may not be fair considering this team still has decent talent.

GLI championship game? Really? The way this season is going, Michigan will be happy to beat Tech and get into the final. MSU is playing better than they started and should be a good challenge in the opener for Western.

Should be plenty of seats at Yost on Friday and on Saturday we are having the annual teddy bear toss for charity.

[wolverineTrumpet]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

Couple of questions:
1) Are your students going to be here this weekend? I know WMU has finals this week so if the series was at Lawson, the students wouldn't be at full capacity.
2) Based on your website, there's free public parking in the "Blue lot" is that still the case?

1) I think so, but I could be wrong. I know the alumni band will be playing instead of the hockey band on Friday.
2) There are lots of "blue lot"s on campus. Parking in the lot near Yost is $10. If you don't mind walking a bit further, there is usually free parking to be found.

I hope you enjoy your trip to Yost.

I think we can split this weekend. I'm also depressed that my prediction of a split at home is considered to be an optimistic prediction this season.

[alfablue]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

Kinda numb right now. Since we've been all over the place, there's no real player who catches my interest to really keep an eye on- some guys score, but the same guys are not playing D, and we get scored upon.

Didn't think about an early finish to the Fall semester, until I see that this isn't that early, in fact. Oops. The last time the students were not there, the entire student side was PACKED. Quiet, but packed. This was the BG game prior to Thanksgiving. It will be interesting to see if the same will happen this weekend- with the eggs being laid- I kind of doubt it.

As for the teddy bear toss- I know the bear we have this year won't clear the netting.... to big and too much drag.

[streaker]

Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!

Kinda numb right now. Since we've been all over the place, there's no real player who catches my interest to really keep an eye on- some guys score, but the same guys are not playing D, and we get scored upon.

Didn't think about an early finish to the Fall semester, until I see that this isn't that early, in fact. Oops. The last time the students were not there, the entire student side was PACKED. Quiet, but packed. This was the BG game prior to Thanksgiving. It will be interesting to see if the same will happen this weekend- with the eggs being laid- I kind of doubt it.

As for the teddy bear toss- I know the bear we have this year won't clear the netting.... to big and too much drag.

I only brought up the attendance thing for a couple of reasons: 1) This has not been a good stretch of years for Michigan hockey, save 2007-08 & 2010-11. Interest seems to be waning.The general consensus is, the talent level is still good, but the execution and performance nationally has been slipping. Maybe the move to the B1G will change both fan interest and ratchet the expectations. Teams seem to be able to come into Yost and win handily now. The intimidation factor is lower than I can remember.

2) Seems to be an undercurrent of discontent among the fanbase as far as ticket prices (especially the students) and the indication that PSL's are coming. Brandon was quick to point out that PSL's are only affecting the luxury seats at Yost (so far.) 3) The sudden good fortune of the basketball program has cut into the casual Michigan fan's choice.4) It's not just hockey. Football attendance, especially by the students was down.

MSU addressed their concerns at Munn. I think it's time someone at Michigan got to the heart of this issue (apparently there are student-relations/fan relations meetings being held by the athletic department) before things become as dispassionate and apathetic as it was when I was a student.

As far as the Teddy Bear Toss... you and the wife are big softies, anyway.