Re: Michigan Wolverines: 2012-2013 Season thread!!!!!!!
It feels like a month since I last walked into Yost. Oh...that's because it has been a month.
Questions for tonight/tomorrow:
Will all the students have already left for Spring Break?
Will we see the team that played last weekend at aOSU?
Will we go up 3 - 1 on Ferris only to let them tie the game? (Which was better than the 5-0 loss we had to them in the first game in Big Rapids.)
Has Ferris State decided if their school color is maroon or red?
Can anyone correctly pronounce "Ewigleben" and does anyone care?
And frighteningly: Will this be our last weekend playing at Yost for 2012-2013?
1. I would assume yes, since (I heard) these games were not part of the student ticket package. Don't know if that is true.
2. Hopefully we will see the same effort and offensive execution. Still too many mistakes defensively and goaltending is a game to game proposition. I think OSU, albeit with their top line still scoring, basically threw their sticks on the ice expecting Michigan to be an easy six points. Ferris won't allow Michigan the space through the neutral zone and will match our intensity. We basically manhandled the Buckeyes physically and to the puck and they hardly reacted.
Plus, their all-everything goaltender didn't show up.
3. Ferris doesn't quit, give them credit for coming back at home. I'd like to think we can protect a lead- but we didn't last weekend either. We simply outscore opponents, not necessarily defend our leads.
4. I would defer to our resident Bulldog, Hammer on that one.
5. Unless we have to go back to Gumbydome, I don't care.
6. I think our chances are brighter than this time last weekend. The destiny is mostly in our hands. Chances of sweeping Ferris are better at Yost, but I am thinking split. Can we get help from Notre Dame (BG) and NMU (LSSU)? maybe. Both of the teams ahead of us in the standings are on the road. A NMU sweep means that WE have to sweep also, though. We could end up tied with BG if they get swept and we split and NMU/LSSU splits. BUT, since they have the tiebreaker, that won't work either. We need help and need to help ourselves. I would rate the chance to host at about 50-50 right now. Let's see after friday's games. If we get swept, it won't matter what anyone else does.
Edit: And we can only blame ourselves if we do end up on the road. Losing home games to Miami (1), ND (2), Alaska (2), BG (1) and WMU (1) is the reason we are where we are. The WMU, Miami and ND games were hard fought losses that were decided by poor goaltending and poor defensive zone coverage. There was no excuse for losing to BG in the manner we did- most embarrassing loss of the season, and Alaska proved that they were just better that weekend. I'd say we wasted at least 6-9 points by playing uninspired, heartless hockey.
Edit II: Oh, and if that wasn't rosy enough, IF we earn home ice in the first round AND if we win that series, we have the prospect of going to 1. Miami as the 8th seed 2. ND/WMU as the 7th seed for the quarterfinal series.