Well, I've returned from my trip to Michigan and I suppose I should comment on the games I watched this past weekend.
The Friday game between Michigan and Minnesota wasn't quite on the same level as some of recent meetings between the two teams. I think both teams have a long way to go before they can be considered a great team.
The deciding factor in the game was definitely special teams. Michigan chose to play very passive on the penalty kill and Minnesota did a great job executing on their powerplay. Bounces finally started going the Gophers way and they showed what they can do with all that talent.
When Michigan got the man advantage, they couldn't get Minnesota out of position, despite the Gophers chasing around and being very aggressive on the penalty kill. The Gophers also did a great job of taking away the middle of the ice and preventing Michigan from making the cross-ice passes that make their powerplay so effective.
The Wisconsin game was pretty much what I expected. I think Wisconsin proved that they are the best team in the country. Brian Elliott was even more impressive in person than when I saw him on TV. Elliott was always in position and in control of his body. At this point, I think Elliott is my pick for the Hobey Baker.
As much as I like what Wisconsin is doing right now, I'm still a little skeptical of how they'll do in the postseason. This year's team reminds me of the Ryan Miller-led Michigan State teams that played solid defense in front of a great goalie. The problem is that that hasn't been a recipe for success in the NCAA tournament. Wisconsin still needs to find more players that can put the puck in the net for them.
Obviously it was a frustrating weekend for Michigan. It really highlighted some weaknesses that they have, specifically a lack of depth, especially on defense. The only positive they can take away from this weekend is that it gives them plenty of time to work on the areas that need attention and get them fixed before tournament time in the spring.
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6 comments:
Totally agree with your comments on Wisconsin. I think they are a house of cards just waiting to tumble. Their good karma is likely going to run out somewhere in the 2nd half.
CCHA out of conf record out of conference 26-19-5
9th place Mich State 3 N.D. 0
Mich State 2 M.U. 2
5th place Alaska 3 M.U. 3
Alaska 4 M.U. 3
4th place Ohio State 4 C.C. 2
Hmmmmm. Western League Dominatingly Awesome !!!!!
St. Cloud.. MI Tech.. Man just thinking about playing them strikes deep fear into any CCHA teams heart...
WCHA out of conf record 25-22-3
Just plain dominating !!!!
Gee battle its just not healthy to live in the past.. Its ok you can ignore the current facts..
CCHA is weak once you get past Michigan and even the Wolverines have their flaws. The CCHA has been behind the WCHA and Hockey East for a while. This year is no different.
Michigan played like a team playing with 11 freshmen. Hopefully, by the time the tourney comes around..
And even though I am a big CCHA fan, I have to agree that the last couple of years they have not been on a par with the WCHA or Hockey East.
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