Quick, what’s the bigger surprise? Michigan sweeping Michigan State in Munn last weekend, or ABBA being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before Patsy Cline? Before KISS? Before Heart, for the love of all that’s holy?<\/p>\n
Let me make this clear: I am not anti-ABBA. In fact, I am very pro-ABBA. I just like to see the deserving get their due.<\/p>\n
You know what, CCHA fans? Last weekend, the Wolverines were very, very deserving.<\/p>\n
MSU coach Rick Comley knew. After UM completed the road sweep of the Spartans to advance to the CCHA championship tournament, Comley said, “We could have been at our best and maybe played our absolute best, and it may not have mattered, because Michigan played that well.”<\/p>\n
The Wolverines looked invincible in Friday’s 5-1 win. “We were ready, we were focused, and we got rewarded,” said UM coach Red Berenson.<\/p>\n
Saturday’s 5-3 game was a better contest, but the score is misleading. The Wolverines may have squandered an early two-goal lead in the first, but from the second period on, they were simply not going to lose. After that one, Berenson said that his team is peaking at the right time. <\/p>\n
“Whether it’s a commitment to backcheck or a commitment to playing in your own zone without the puck, then we’re doing a better job of it now than we were at Christmas,” said Berenson, who likened his players to spoiled brats in the first half of the season. “The team,” he said, “has bought into doing what we have to do to win.”<\/p>\n
With injuries to captain Chris Summers and starting goaltender Bryan Hogan, it’s possible that the Wolverines have finally found their rallying point very late in the season. The team I saw in Munn Arena is the team that I thought Michigan would be all season. They were incredibly fast, overwhelmingly physical, totally polished. <\/p>\n
They were, in short, Michigan hockey.<\/p>\n
Said Comley, “The only other team that we’ve seen that even comes close to that caliber — if they’re going to play like that — is Wisconsin. Even Miami, I don’t think, is as good as that team is playing right now.”<\/p>\n
What remains to be seen is whether last weekend was the culmination of the Wolverines’ season or just one scary, excellent series that will extend their season even further than they expected.<\/p>\n
Even though the UM coaches knew that their 19-year NCAA tournament appearance streak was on the line going into East Lansing last weekend — that probably their only shot to make the tourney is to win the Mason Cup — the coaching staff was completely focused on the CCHA tournament for its own sake.<\/p>\n
“We never talked about getting in the [NCAA] tournament,” said Berenson. “All we talked about was [that] this weekend, we have to find a way to get to Joe Louis. That’s our season. That was it. There was no PairWise, there was no, ‘We’ve got to win one or two,’ or somebody else has to lose. I haven’t looked at any of that and I didn’t talk about it. <\/p>\n
“This was not in our sights a month ago. We were fighting for seventh place.”<\/p>\n
And now they’re fighting for more.<\/p>\n
The CCHA tournament is becoming something of a predictable phenomenon. Sure, a few weeks ago it looked unlikely that Michigan would be playing in Detroit this weekend, but there couldn’t have been any doubt about Northern Michigan. <\/p>\n
Berenson may be made of something magical, but NMU coach Walt Kyle is Rasputin Jr.; the Wildcats have made an appearance in Detroit in all but one year (2007) since Kyle became coach in 2002-03.<\/p>\n
Miami should be in Detroit every year — not that missing the CCHA championship tournament last year hurt it in postseason. It’s quite something to lose your best-of-three home league playoff series, make the tournament, and play for a national championship. Given that they beat OSU in three games at home last weekend, I can think of only one possible outcome for the RedHawks in Detroit … in April.<\/p>\n
This year, the only semi-familiar face is Ferris State. This is the fourth CCHA championship tournament appearance for the Bulldogs, who last made an appearance at the end of the 2002-03 season, a campaign that culminated in their first-ever NCAA playoff berth.<\/p>\n
There are exciting times ahead this weekend. <\/p>\n
No. 1 Miami<\/b><\/p>\n
The top-seeded RedHawks won their passage to Detroit by beating Ohio State in three games last weekend, the only second-round series that went beyond two contests. This is Miami’s eighth attempt to capture a Mason Cup, a piece of hardware that has eluded the RedHawks in every one of their previous CCHA championship tournament appearances.<\/p>\n
• Record: 26-6-7 (21-2-5-2 CCHA)
\n• Last 11 games: 9-2-1
\n• Goals scored per game: 3.51\/9th nationally
\n• Goals allowed per game: 1.79\/first
\n• Power play percentage: 18.4\/33rd
\n• Penalty kill percentage: 87.3\/4th
\n• Top scorer: Jarod Palmer (17-27–44)
\n• Top goal scorer: Palmer
\n• Top goaltender: Cody Reichard (.930 SV%, 1.64 GAA)<\/p>\n
The RedHawks face a goaltending decision going into this weekend. While Reichard was their main guy for most of the season with an 18-3-3 record, Connor Knapp (8-3-4, .920 SV%, 1.96 GAA) won the deciding match against OSU Sunday to bring the RedHawks to Detroit.<\/p>\n
Coach Enrico Blasi told the Dayton Daily News<\/I> this week that he’s unsure of who will play heading into the weekend. “Sometimes the good Lord works in mysterious ways, because now he’s making us think again about what we’re going to have to do going down the stretch,” he said.<\/p>\n
Having to reconsider who’s in net because both are so good is an enviable position. Miami has much else to make other teams jealous: five double-digit goalscorers, the top defensive corps in the country, a significant amount of passion. <\/p>\n
There are two things that can hurt the RedHawks in Detroit, and each is tied to Miami’s embarrassment of riches. First may be a bit of overconfidence. This isn’t a criticism. The RedHawks had a relatively easy time taking the regular season, and even though they had to play three games against OSU, the players may chalk that up in their minds to the teams’ intense rivalry and the end-of-season desperation with which the Buckeyes played.<\/p>\n
The second potential pitfall is that on-ice passion. Miami takes too many penalties. Period. Frankly, this may not be a problem in league play — but could be an issue in the NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n
Otherwise, the RedHawks have all the ingredients.<\/p>\n
No. 2 Ferris State<\/b><\/p>\n
The Bulldogs became the No. 2 seed in this field after Michigan State lost two games to Michigan last weekend. That is not to say that the Bulldogs don’t deserve to be No. 2; MSU finished one win ahead of FSU, and the two teams volleyed for position all season long. <\/p>\n
To get to Detroit, Ferris State swept Nebraska-Omaha in two games in Big Rapids last weekend. FSU led 3-0 in the first game until UNO’s John Kemp scored a late third-period goal to make it a 3-1 contest. Then the Bulldogs needed overtime Saturday to defeat the Mavericks. Casey Haines scored 23 seconds into OT to send FSU to JLA.<\/p>\n
• Record: 21-11-6 (13-9-6-4 CCHA)
\n• Last 10 games: 4-3-3
\n• Goals scored per game: 2.97\/27th nationally
\n• Goals allowed per game: 2.24\/5th
\n• Power play percentage: 19.4\/22nd
\n• Penalty kill percentage: 87.7\/3rd
\n• Top scorer: Blair Riley (18-19–37)
\n• Top goal scorer: Riley
\n• Top goaltender: Pat Nagle (.927 SV%, 2.01 GAA)<\/p>\n
Like the RedHawks, the Bulldogs have the luxury of two very good goaltenders. Nagle (12-8-3) had both wins last weekend, but Taylor Nelson (9-3-3, .915 SV%, 2.49 GAA) is equally capable.<\/p>\n
Like the RedHawks, the Bulldogs have yet to win a CCHA playoff championship. <\/p>\n
And, like the RedHawks, the Bulldogs have talent in every position … but perhaps FSU lacks Miami’s depth. The Bulldogs have three players who have netted more than 10 goals: Riley, Casey Haines (11-18–29) and Aaron Lewicki (12-11–23). FSU’s top five scorers — including Cody Chupp and Zach Redmond — have accounted for nearly half (48.7 percent) of the Bulldogs’ goals this season.<\/p>\n
One more RedHawks comparison: the Bulldogs are scrappers, too. Like Miami, FSU takes penalties. This can be a drawback in Detroit when Ferris plays Northern, as the Wildcats have one of the best power plays in the nation. <\/p>\n
FSU’s secret superpower going into the tournament is its defense, which has flown mostly under the radar this season. I’ve made no secret of my admiration of defenseman Matt Case, whose play this season portends a successful NHL career. A pair of sophomores, Brett Wysopal and Chad Billins, could become household names if FSU is successful in Detroit.<\/p>\n
There are two things that may deride the Bulldogs in Detroit, other than penalties. First is the second-half slump that FSU is experiencing. Of the four teams in this field, the Bulldogs are the ones with the least momentum; their sweep of UNO last weekend ended a three-game winless streak.<\/p>\n
Second is FSU’s play on the road. Fifteen of the Bulldogs’ 21 wins this season came in Ewigleben Arena.<\/p>\n
No. 3 Northern Michigan<\/b><\/p>\n
There’s something almost surreal about the Wildcats under the direction of Walt Kyle. They seem sleepy in the first half of the season and are just about to be counted out … and then they climb progressively through the second half, until they reach a peak at playoff time.<\/p>\n
Now all they have to do is keep peaking. That’s been the hardest part. <\/p>\n
Of the teams in this field, Northern Michigan is the hottest going into Detroit. Twelve of the Wildcats’ 19 overall wins have come since Jan. 1, and they’ve lost one game in their last 10. <\/p>\n
Why? I don’t know. Some things — like Cheap Trick’s absence from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and goaltender Brian Stewart’s emergence from hibernation in the second half of each of his last three seasons — remain a complete mystery to me.<\/p>\n
• Record: 21-11-6 (13-9-6-3 CCHA)
\n• Last 10 games: 8-1-1
\n• Goals scored per game: 3.03\/t23rd nationally
\n• Goals allowed per game: 2.47\/12th
\n• Power play percentage: 20.8\/9th
\n• Penalty kill percentage: 84.2\/16th
\n• Top scorer: Mark Olver (19-28–47)
\n• Top goal scorer: Olver
\n• Top goaltender: Brian Stewart (.927 SV%, 2.37 GAA)<\/p>\n
Northern Michigan swept Alaska last weekend to advance to Detroit in a series that was only in question for a little bit in the first game. NMU went up 4-0 in that contest before UAF scored three to make it interesting, but Stewart had 32 saves in the game and 62 total on the weekend as the Wildcats outscored the Nanooks 9-4 while being outshot 66-44.<\/p>\n
While NMU placed two players — forward Mark Olver and defenseman Erik Gustafsson — on the CCHA’s first team this season, the Wildcats are more than the sum of a few players. Seven different ‘Cats registered goals last weekend against Alaska with Gregor Hanson and Tyler Gron each netting two.<\/p>\n
This is the third straight trip to the CCHA championship tournament for the Wildcats, and in each of their last two outings, the ‘Cats lost their semifinal contest and won the consolation game. Last year, they lost a tight 2-1 contest to Notre Dame. In 2007-08, they were up 3-2 over Michigan heading into the third but lost the game 6-4.<\/p>\n
The one thing that NMU hasn’t been able to do in Detroit — obviously — is seal the deal. Each of those last two semifinal games was very different, but each betrayed an inability to push past a certain, intangible plateau; you could feel it as the games progressed.<\/p>\n
This year, this Wildcats team is battle-tested. These juniors and seniors have been here twice before. That’s a real asset going into Friday’s match against Ferris State.<\/p>\n
No. 4 Michigan<\/b><\/p>\n
Last weekend, the Wolverines played like a team with nothing to lose, and they may have gained a second season by doing so. In UM’s two-game sweep of MSU, Michigan looked like the team with the better record, the better season — the better everything. The last part, certainly, was true enough.<\/p>\n
If Kyle’s ability to take his team to Joe Louis Arena on the strength of second halves of seasons is surreal, then what about Berenson’s refusal to sit out this league dance? Berenson has some powerful mojo, and somehow he managed to convey it to his team just in the nick of time this season.\t<\/p>\n
• Record: 23-17-1 (14-13-1-0 CCHA)
\n• Last 10 games: 6-4-0
\n• Goals scored per game: 3.27\/15th nationally
\n• Goals allowed per game: 2.32\/8th
\n• Power play percentage: 19.2\/24th
\n• Penalty kill percentage: 86.3\/7th
\n• Top scorer: Carl Hagelin (17-26–43)
\n• Top goal scorer: Louie Caporusso (18)
\n• Top goaltender: Shawn Hunwick (.908 SV%, 1.97 GAA)<\/p>\n
I’ve already said quite a bit about the Wolverines elsewhere in this column. There are a few more things that need to be said going into Detroit, however.<\/p>\n
Hunwick, a junior, took over in net when Bryan Hogan (18-15-1, 2.33, .901) was injured in the first period of UM’s 4-0 win over Notre Dame Feb. 25. Since then, he’s 4-1-0 (5-2-0 overall this season). His two wins last weekend were his fourth and fifth career starts. <\/p>\n
With Hunwick in net — including the remainder of that first game against the Irish — the Wolverines have scored 27 goals in six contests. To put this in better perspective, UM scored 25 goals in the month of February, in nine games; the Wolverines have netted 21 in four games in March.<\/p>\n
“I think once I got in there against Notre Dame, maybe they thought they had to make up for me a little bit because I didn’t have experience,” said Hunwick. “The guys started working hard — back-checking, blocking shots. It was quick for them to realize that, you know, you play D, you’re going to probably score more goals. The offensive output from our team in the last five or six games that I’ve been in has been great.”<\/p>\n
Another thing that cannot be overstated about Michigan is how the team is playing as a team. If they continue to do so, the Wolverines may just play themselves into the NCAA tournament this weekend.<\/p>\n
After the Spartans lost their home series against the Wolverines last weekend, Comley said, “I like this team and I think everybody likes the future.”<\/p>\n
I think that’s a fair assessment. The Spartans were rebuilding from the dismal 2008-09 season and were loaded with underclassmen achievers in 2009-10. MSU had a good first half of the season — full of the youthful enthusiasm that made them so much fun to watch — and then struggled since the start of the calendar year, with just five wins since Jan. 1. <\/p>\n
“What I want to go back and analyze is that we were 14-6-2 at one point, and then went 5-7 and something,” said Comley. “Was it difficulty of schedule, or what stopped? We scored more early than we did late. Those are things I need to answer.<\/p>\n
“I think in the end, we’re still missing a couple of pieces, especially offensively. We spent the first two weeks after Christmas and everything before Christmas just kind of playing, and then all of a sudden you’re playing with a purpose and for a reason and with a consequence, and that’s where I think young kids start to tighten up a little bit.”<\/p>\n
As tough as it was to lose two to end their season at home against the Wolverines, the Spartans — much like Captain Kirk — need their pain.<\/p>\n
“You have to suffer losing,” said Comley. “You have to have the pain of losing, but you also have to understand that there’s always something to build on.”<\/p>\n