Wolverines Skate Into Boston

Terriers Go To Battle With #5 Michigan on Saturday Night

BU already faced the X-Men, and now they have to contend with The Wolverines.

There is no place for Hugh Jackman on this Blog

What will the Terriers be up against as they look to get in the win column for the first time in 09-10?  Well, let's take a peek shall we?

When discussing Michigan Hockey, there's one thing you need to get out of the way before you do any sort of serious analysis or discussion.  They have, by far, the coolest helmets in all of sports, collegiate or professional. 

Now that we got that out of the way, let's get to some hockey.

Michigan is currently ranked #5 in the nation, sitting at 2-1-0 in the tough CCHA.  They are coming off of a disappointing finish to an otherwise outstanding season in 2008-09.

The Wolverines marched into the NCAA tournament ranked at #3 overall.  In a complete shocker, #15 Air Force simply found a way to beat Michigan in the first round of the tournament.  Despite out-shooting Air Force 43-13 in the game, and assaulting goaltender Andrew Volkening, Michigan went 0-6 on the power play and surrendered two goals to Hobey Baker could-have-been-if-not-for-Gilroy-and-Wilson Jacques Lamoureux.

The loss in the tournament dropped them to 29-12 on the year.  Much like BU, they graduated some firepower, sending off six seniors, including Forwards Travis Turnbull and Tim Miller who combined to put up 49 points for the Maize and Blue.  Also departed from Michigan for a shot with the Peoria Rivermen is Aaron Palushaj, who lead the Wolverines with 50 points a year ago.

However, Michigan did get back their leading goal scorer, Louie Caporusso.  In two seasons at Michigan, Caporusso put up 36 goals and 34 assists in 76 games.  At the start of his junior year, it's safe to say that he is a threat to get on the score sheet.  As you can see on this highlight of Michigan vs. Notre Dame, the kid is tough and he has a nose for the back of the net.

Caporusso is a poised kid on the brink of becoming one of the biggest stars in college hockey, and as he told reporters in the pre-season, he is ready to win, saying "I expect us to win it all -- I would sell ourselves short if I didn't say that because we have a lot of talent on this team."

Fellow Junior Carl Hagelin will likely be right next to Caporusso in terms of offensive production this year.  Hagelin followed up a 22 point freshman campaign with 31 points as a sophomore.  The Swede is just another piece of a very explosive offense for Michigan.

Also returning for UM is stellar junior goaltender Bryan Hogan.

Hogan wrestled the starting job away from Billy Sauer during Sauer's senior year, and went on to post an insane 24-6 record, with a 1.97 GAA and a .914 SV%.  He came in to play the 3rd period of BU's 7-2 romp over Michigan almost a year ago to the day of this contest, and was clearly over-matched by the BU attack, surrendering 3 goals on 9 shots.

The newest threat for Michigan comes in the form of Freshman Right Winger Chris Brown (not the R&B singer).  Brown skated for the US Development team before shipping off to Ann Arbor, and is quickly showing why he has been scouted on a national level.  In just two games, the freshman already has two goals and an assist.

Brown's a freshman, so the Dog Pound should try to rattle him with some "You Beat Up Rihanna" hoopla.  You know, because he has the same name as the other Chris Brown? Clever, huh?


As for the team in general, they're off to a decent start.  The Wolverines had to travel to Alaska for the season-opening Kendall Hockey Classic Tournament.  They dropped the opener to Alaska, 2-0 and bounced back with a 6-1 blowout over Alaska-Anchorage.  Here is their travel log from the trip, chock full of exciting details like sleeping and a lack of sun.

Most recently, the Maize and Blue barely held on to beat conference opponent Niagra in Ann Arbor.  Despite letting in a late 3rd period goal, Hogan played a strong game in the win, stopping 32 of 34 shots he faced.

In case you want more, you can check out Michigan Athletics' Game Center for Saturday's Game, the Michigan Team Page on USCHO, and complete Michigan Hockey Stats.


More pre-game coverage to come tomorrow.



Articles in this story:


Michigan Athletics: Caporusso Hopes to Lead Team to Detroit
Michigan Athletics: Hagelin Poised for Breakout Year
AnnArbor.com: Hagelin, Rust and Brown Emerge as Top Offensive Threats
Michigan Athletics: Alaska Travel Log