The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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HOCKEY PREVIEW BY MICHAEL SPATH I t would be understandable for hockey coach Red Berenson to be wary of the question, but for the first time since Shawn Hunwick last played a game for the Wolverines in 2011‑12, Berenson can feel confident in his goalie play and defense heading into the 2015‑16 campaign. "Last year, our challenge was on the defensive end right from the start, and we've been dealing with goalie problems for three years except for the playoffs when [senior] Steve Racine emerged his sophomore and junior seasons," Berenson said. "But this year, there is a real sense of urgency with Steve and our goalies, and I think our defense should be a strength." Michigan won with offense a year ago, leading the nation in goals with 3.86 per game. The Maize and Blue missed the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season because their defense just wasn't good enough, ranking 38th nationally in surrender‑ ing 2.89 goals per contest. The Wolverines' plus‑0.97 goal dif‑ ferential represented a third straight year U‑M failed to outscore its mis‑ takes by at least a full goal — just the fifth time that's happened in 24 sea‑ sons dating back to the start of Michi‑ gan's 21‑year NCAA streak in 1990‑91. "They always say defense wins championships, and I think it's pretty clear that we haven't played well de‑ fensively the past few years," junior defenseman Michael Downing said. "We didn't win a lot of low‑scoring games last year, and we even lost big games where we scored three or four goals. "If we don't do a better job keeping the goals down, it will the same thing." CONFIDENCE IN THE DEFENSE Michigan's defensive corps will not feature a senior this season, however juniors Kevin Lohan (53 games), Nolan De Jong (52) and Downing (70) have BLUE LINE SPECIAL Michigan's 2015-16 Season Rests On An Experienced Defense And Veteran Goalie