Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Congrats on the series. I really expected this one to go three, and I really expected a better showing than what we delivered last night. At no point did we do anything to make it look like we were close out there. A few flurries here or there in each period where we managed to generate a forecheck, a handful of decent saves out of Summerhays, but by and large there wasn't much doubt for more than half the game that Michigan would prevail. I think Jackson summed it up when he said "We shouldn’t even have had to be at Yost." You think, Coach?

I think those outside the team may question Notre Dame fans who feel this way, but I get the sense many of us (me included) are putting the blame for this season squarely on Jackson. I think he and his staff added nothing to the team this time around. They solved zero issues, and made some worse. The team built the early season record on talent alone, and when it came time for a little coaching to take over, the cupboard was bare. Not that many (any?) UM fans need to be reminded, but you guys are lucky to have Berenson. As long as he is physically able to coach, I cannot imagine potholes in the road as deep as the ones I have seen in South Bend in two of the last three seasons.

Good luck down the stretch.

 

[wooderson]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Congrats on the series. I really expected this one to go three, and I really expected a better showing than what we delivered last night. At no point did we do anything to make it look like we were close out there. A few flurries here or there in each period where we managed to generate a forecheck, a handful of decent saves out of Summerhays, but by and large there wasn't much doubt for more than half the game that Michigan would prevail. I think Jackson summed it up when he said "We shouldn’t even have had to be at Yost." You think, Coach?

I think those outside the team may question Notre Dame fans who feel this way, but I get the sense many of us (me included) are putting the blame for this season squarely on Jackson. I think he and his staff added nothing to the team this time around. They solved zero issues, and made some worse. The team built the early season record on talent alone, and when it came time for a little coaching to take over, the cupboard was bare. Not that many (any?) UM fans need to be reminded, but you guys are lucky to have Berenson. As long as he is physically able to coach, I cannot imagine potholes in the road as deep as the ones I have seen in South Bend in two of the last three seasons.

Good luck down the stretch.

Classy post, thanks. I think seasons like the one Notre Dame had this year do put the run Michigan is on under Red into perspective. I (and many other Michigan fans I expect) consider Jackson one of the best coaches in college hockey, and even he can have a season go completely off the rails. Michigan has certainly underachieved some years, but obviously never to the point of missing the tournament, or even the Joe. You're right, we're very lucky to have Red.

 

[streaker]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Classy post, thanks. I think seasons like the one Notre Dame had this year do put the run Michigan is on under Red into perspective. I (and many other Michigan fans I expect) consider Jackson one of the best coaches in college hockey, and even he can have a season go completely off the rails. Michigan has certainly underachieved some years, but obviously never to the point of missing the tournament, or even the Joe. You're right, we're very lucky to have Red.

I second that, and thank you also IHF.

The Berenson should retire rumblings are few, but came out during the 1-7-1 stretch in November. Where are they now?

The only time (some) core Michigan fans vent blame at Berenson is in the national tournament where they feel Red gets outfoxed (or in our parlance, screwed by hockey east officials- good luck with them, Irish.) Both of our programs (and Miami too) has felt the sting of defeat in the NC game in recent years. The 2008 OT loss to your team in the FF (**** that Ridderwall) was especially sobering also, since that U-M team was considered an even stronger squad compared to last season's Michigan team. I would dare project that if we had Hunwick in net in 2008... but then again, he had his shot last season and the tale is still to be written this season.

Red will be here until he says he won't and chances are, even at 72 he is healthier than most of us.

 

[bluevox]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Red will be here until he says he won't and chances are, even at 72 he is healthier than most of us.

He is definitely healthier than I am, even though he is 30+ years older than I am.

As for the Irish and Coach Jackson, I don't know what to say about rumbles coming from South Bend. As far as I am concerned, he is one of the top two coaches in the CCHA.

 

[alfablue]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Thanks to an OT goal, we get the conference's hottest team, Bowling Green. Holy cow.

I have thoughts about us being blessed, but I'll post tomorrow from a real keyboard.

 

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Can't wait until Friday! Can Michigan who's usually a well desciplined team use that to negate BG's momentum?

 

[alfablue]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

I second that, and thank you also IHF.

The Berenson should retire rumblings are few, but came out during the 1-7-1 stretch in November. Where are they now?

The only time (some) core Michigan fans vent blame at Berenson is in the national tournament where they feel Red gets outfoxed (or in our parlance, screwed by hockey east officials- good luck with them, Irish.) Both of our programs (and Miami too) has felt the sting of defeat in the NC game in recent years. The 2008 OT loss to your team in the FF (**** that Ridderwall) was especially sobering also, since that U-M team was considered an even stronger squad compared to last season's Michigan team. I would dare project that if we had Hunwick in net in 2008... but then again, he had his shot last season and the tale is still to be written this season.

Red will be here until he says he won't and chances are, even at 72 he is healthier than most of us.

So, how blessed are we that we have Red as the head coach? So blessed that we are spoiled. Very spoiled.

This will be the 24th consecutive time that Michigan has played at the Joe. Incredible. It will also be the 22nd consectutive time we will be in the NCAA tournament. And that is incredible. Red got UM into the tournament in 1991, where we beat Cornell and then lost to BU, and have been part of the tournament ever since.

Let me put that in perspective- of ALL of the teams that have won a National Championship in Hockey the last 21 seasons, here's the tournament appearences:

Michigan- 21
Boston U- 15
Minnesota- 15
North Dakota- 14
Michigan State- 14
Maine- 13
Wisconsin- 13
Boston College- 13
Denver- 10
Lake State- 6
Northern Michigan- 5
UM-Duluth- 4

Inside that, the longest streak is 9, shared by Maine, Michigan State, and North Dakota, but North Dakota will extend that to 10 this year. At least should.

That's just incredible. Those are some great teams led by great coaches- and all of them, except for Red, had off years where the team didn't even make the tournament. Sure, we have only won two Championships, but only BC has won 3 in the same time period- the rest were one or two.

We are very, very blessed to have Red Berenson as our head coach, and the level of play that he's been able to keep going for more than the last two decades. I admit that I'm more spoiled than some here, as I started watching Michigan hockey back in 1990-'91, when the streak first started happening- so I have not seen a team coached by Red stay home after the conference tournaments have been decided.

BTW, I didn't know the numbers until I looked it up, and may have missed one or two participations of champions.

 

[CarrIsMyHomeboy]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Hey alfablue, just to let you know the credit you're getting: You should show up at mgoblog.

 

[Caustic Undertow]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

So, how blessed are we that we have Red as the head coach? So blessed that we are spoiled. Very spoiled.

This will be the 24th consecutive time that Michigan has played at the Joe. Incredible. It will also be the 22nd consectutive time we will be in the NCAA tournament. And that is incredible. Red got UM into the tournament in 1991, where we beat Cornell and then lost to BU, and have been part of the tournament ever since.

Let me put that in perspective- of ALL of the teams that have won a National Championship in Hockey the last 21 seasons, here's the tournament appearences:

Michigan- 21
Boston U- 15
Minnesota- 15
North Dakota- 14
Michigan State- 14
Maine- 13
Wisconsin- 13
Boston College- 13
Denver- 10
Lake State- 6
Northern Michigan- 5
UM-Duluth- 4

Inside that, the longest streak is 9, shared by Maine, Michigan State, and North Dakota, but North Dakota will extend that to 10 this year. At least should.

That's just incredible. Those are some great teams led by great coaches- and all of them, except for Red, had off years where the team didn't even make the tournament. Sure, we have only won two Championships, but only BC has won 3 in the same time period- the rest were one or two.

We are very, very blessed to have Red Berenson as our head coach, and the level of play that he's been able to keep going for more than the last two decades. I admit that I'm more spoiled than some here, as I started watching Michigan hockey back in 1990-'91, when the streak first started happening- so I have not seen a team coached by Red stay home after the conference tournaments have been decided.

BTW, I didn't know the numbers until I looked it up, and may have missed one or two participations of champions.

+1.

Red's run has been remarkable. Perhaps Michigan has slightly underperformed in the tournament, but then, perhaps not. Two titles are nothing to sneeze at, and the excitement of having Michigan in the running every season is priceless. Keep in mind that, for the major conferences, the hockey tournament is far harder to make than in other major sports. In basketball a top-half finish in the Big Ten will pretty much guarantee you a tournament berth every year. In football better than half of the teams in the Big Ten receive bowl berths. But in hockey it is brutally hard; a few losses by other teams out of conference can condemn your conference to 3 or fewer teams in the tournament at best. And for half of this streak the field was 12, and good teams were left out every year.

There have been times where the streak was in Jeopardy. Twice Michigan has gone into Detroit with no hope of an at-large bid, and both times they won the conference tournament (that win two years ago, with some shrimpy walk-on in net, was one of my most satisfying experiences ever as a Michigan hockey fan, and I didn't even get to watch the MSU series). In 2002 Michigan dropped a home game to Bowling Green, found itself outside the top 12, and then found out its best player would miss the rest of the regular season with Mono. They made it to the Frozen Four. This season Michigan was a rotting septic tank in November, its best player was rumored to be gone for good after a suspension, and they're almost assured of a #1 seed. Awesome.

By the way, I think it has to say something good about Red that a pro prospect like Merrill could get suspended for half the year, have every option to leave the team available, and yet he is still somehow playing for the team. How Red balanced discipline with keeping Merrill on board is a fabulous mystery. But then, how he managed to turn a lifeless hockey program into a soul-crushing NHL-factory juggernaut, and an outdated ill-suited field house into the best home advantage in indoor sports is a bit of a mystery, too.

 

[Caustic Undertow]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

So, if you had told me last week that a top-2 CCHA seed got taken to overtime on Sunday and eventually lost, I would have had no problem believing you. After all, Notre Dame is a talented team, and Jeff Jackson has singlehandedly destroyed Michigan dreams before (where would the '94 and '08 teams rank on Red's all-time best list? Pretty high, I think).

Instead it's BG over Ferris and somebody named Dan Desalvo is the hottest player in the country.

I am still amazed that a #1 seed is practically a done deal. The really interesting scenario is one that could see Minnesota jump into #1 seed territory--and thus puts us in Green Bay with a winnable region. The two teams I most want to avoid are BC and Minnesota in St. Paul, and if both are #1 seeds with us that challenge is averted.

I followed the ND series the old fashioned way, on radio. Sounded like Yost was in top form. I have zero regrets regarding where God has brought me, but I do miss Yost. Watching Michigan twice at year at Mariucci will be nice, but it's just not the same. I already know how to spell "Minnesota."

 

[alfablue]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Hey alfablue, just to let you know the credit you're getting: You should show up at mgoblog.

Cool. Didn't expect it to get out like that. I may post something similar at the rivals site- I, too, lay some complaints on Red- just like here. It's pretty clear that he knows what he is doing.

Have to ask FS23 to do some research to see what the longest NCAA streaks are...

 

[Wol4ine]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Just to add to the remarkability of the streak. I posted in the Bracketology thread about UM's opponents in the NCAA's. Almost half of their games played in the NCAA's the past 20 years have been vs WCHA teams. And those are not MTU, they're the top schools by evidence of getting into the tourney. Red's record in that span is over .667 vs the top WCHA teams in the NCAA's. But the problem with winning 2 out of 3 games is losing the third game. Or like last year, the fourth game.

 

[alnike]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Cool. Didn't expect it to get out like that. I may post something similar at the rivals site- I, too, lay some complaints on Red- just like here. It's pretty clear that he knows what he is doing.

Have to ask FS23 to do some research to see what the longest NCAA streaks are...

From a quick review of USCHO

Can't say enough about Red and Michigan's NCAA streak...
NoDak will extend its NCAA streak to 10 years this season, making it 15 of the past 16 years.
UNH will have its 10 year NCAA streak end this month.
Next on the list is Miami going to 7 this year, and Denver is at 5 this year.

 

[alnike]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

I am still amazed that a #1 seed is practically a done deal. The really interesting scenario is one that could see Minnesota jump into #1 seed territory--and thus puts us in Green Bay with a winnable region. The two teams I most want to avoid are BC and Minnesota in St. Paul, and if both are #1 seeds with us that challenge is averted.

I followed the ND series the old fashioned way, on radio. Sounded like Yost was in top form. I have zero regrets regarding where God has brought me, but I do miss Yost. Watching Michigan twice at year at Mariucci will be nice, but it's just not the same. I already know how to spell "Minnesota."

I agree on BC and Minnesota. I think BC, MN and UMD is how I would rank the top three favorites, then followed by a group with the likes of BU, Michigan, Miami and North Dakota and possibly Denver. This could be a year though where some of the four seeds are as good as a one seed in a one-game elimination.

On the subject of Yost, any time I consider relocating for work, one of my first thoughts is giving up the 5-7 games we attend at Yost each year.

 

[streaker]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

So, how blessed are we that we have Red as the head coach? So blessed that we are spoiled. Very spoiled.

This will be the 24th consecutive time that Michigan has played at the Joe. Incredible. It will also be the 22nd consectutive time we will be in the NCAA tournament. And that is incredible. Red got UM into the tournament in 1991, where we beat Cornell and then lost to BU, and have been part of the tournament ever since.

Let me put that in perspective- of ALL of the teams that have won a National Championship in Hockey the last 21 seasons, here's the tournament appearences:

Michigan- 21
Boston U- 15
Minnesota- 15
North Dakota- 14
Michigan State- 14
Maine- 13
Wisconsin- 13
Boston College- 13
Denver- 10
Lake State- 6
Northern Michigan- 5
UM-Duluth- 4

Inside that, the longest streak is 9, shared by Maine, Michigan State, and North Dakota, but North Dakota will extend that to 10 this year. At least should.

That's just incredible. Those are some great teams led by great coaches- and all of them, except for Red, had off years where the team didn't even make the tournament. Sure, we have only won two Championships, but only BC has won 3 in the same time period- the rest were one or two.

We are very, very blessed to have Red Berenson as our head coach, and the level of play that he's been able to keep going for more than the last two decades. I admit that I'm more spoiled than some here, as I started watching Michigan hockey back in 1990-'91, when the streak first started happening- so I have not seen a team coached by Red stay home after the conference tournaments have been decided.

BTW, I didn't know the numbers until I looked it up, and may have missed one or two participations of champions.

Nice post, Eric. BTW- where were you last weekend??

 

[wolverineTrumpet]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Hey alfa,
As the usual defender of Detroit in USCHO threads...any suggestions for things to do downtown? Bf and I are staying at Greektown Casino this weekend. Not sure what we're going to do Saturday morning....other than navigate around drunken St. Patty's Day celebrations.

 

[wolverine318]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Hey alfa,
As the usual defender of Detroit in USCHO threads...any suggestions for things to do downtown? Bf and I are staying at Greektown Casino this weekend. Not sure what we're going to do Saturday morning....other than navigate around drunken St. Patty's Day celebrations.

drink?

 

[UMICH]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Sounded like Yost was in top form.

It wasn't bad but in no way was it "top form". Remember back in the hey-day? The entire West-side-line was full of students, not so much these days. The COY (section 17) still does a valiant job though but it's not the same as 2,500 students....

 

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Do you think Michigan will ever replace Yost? As far as Michigan fans feel, are you guys firmly set that Yost should always be home to Michigan hockey?

 

[alfablue]

Re: Michigan Wolverines 2011-2012 hockey thread

Nice post, Eric. BTW- where were you last weekend??

Thanks- Puerto Rico- my In-Laws 50th anniversary party. As a side note, I was almost stunned to see that there is an ice show coming to San Juan. Maybe we can have a Frozen Four down there someday....

Hey alfa,
As the usual defender of Detroit in USCHO threads...any suggestions for things to do downtown? Bf and I are staying at Greektown Casino this weekend. Not sure what we're going to do Saturday morning....other than navigate around drunken St. Patty's Day celebrations.

If you want to stay in the walking area- stroll around downtown- there are some really interesting shops all over the place. And with the lack of economic developement for the past 40 years, Detroit still has some incredible '20-'40's architecture. If you are ok with driving, it's a very short spin up Woodward to get to the DIA- totally worth it if you like art- but there are some other museums up by Wayne State, too. Very cool.

Food wise- Vicente's Cuban Cuisine is always on our list of favorites- for people who have not had Spanish Carribbean food- it's quite different, and really tasty. We also like high end places like Roast (although, I'll suggest the 1924 Grill on the other side of the lobby- it's better, and cheaper), and if you've never had the coneys- trying one American and comparing to one Lafayette Coney is actually more iteresting than one might think. Good Girls Go to Paris crepes are very, very good- there's a place up on the Wayne State campus- used to be a window right downtown.

Wander around- it's pretty nice.

Walk the river front- weather is supposed to be incredible. Very much unlike that blizzard we got a few years ago that you had to drive home in.

Do you think Michigan will ever replace Yost? As far as Michigan fans feel, are you guys firmly set that Yost should always be home to Michigan hockey?

I seriously doubt it. Especially with the work that is currently starting on the building. If you ever come up again, the most obvious change will be there will be real windows.