The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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80 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2017 BY ANDREW VAILLIENCOURT A fter a summer full of training and adjustments to a new coach- ing staff, the Michigan hockey team kicked off its season with a pair of games in New York Oct. 6-7. The Wolverines split matchups against St. Lawrence and Clarkson to open the season 1-1. U-M beat Western Ontario 10-1 in an exhibition game before making the trip east. Senior forward Tony Calderone, freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes and graduate transfer forward Alex Roos (from Colorado College) each scored in the Wolver- ine's 3-1 victory over St. Lawrence. No. 15 Clarkson proved to be too much, however, shutting out Michi- gan 3-0. "I'm happy with where things are at," U-M head coach Mel Pearson said. "It takes a little while to get to know the makeup of your team, and what they can do and the areas that we need to work on. Having played three games now [including the exhibition], we have a lot better idea of where we are at and where we need to go." One area that Michigan is already improving is shots on goal against. U-M is out-shooting opponents 28.0-21.5 on average — much better than last year's numbers where the team was outshot 35.8-26.7 per game. "One of our goals as a team is to make sure we play with the puck more," Pearson said. "Protect the puck, manage the puck more. I think to this point we're doing a good job. There's a lot of room to continue to get better there, and that will help take the pressure off us defensively. "Either you're going to play more in your defensive zone or you're go- ing to play in your offensive zone." Pearson has been pleased overall with the team's play but wants the for- wards to have a greater commitment to defense. He noted that forwards are often only judged on offensive statis- tics, which can cause players to think defense isn't as important. They can create better offensive opportunities by playing better defense, he said. He added that the team is working on its balance and depth, and that be- coming more consistent will be a focus. "That's hard to practice," Pear- son said. "You're going to run into a goalie that plays phenomenal like we did in Clarkson." Michigan has played two goalies so far, sophomores Jack LaFontaine and Hayden Lavigne. LaFontaine has better numbers with a save percentage of .958 compared to Lavigne's .842, but Pear- son said both netminders will continue to get chances over the next month or so. He wants more of a sample size be- fore leaning more heavily on one guy. "They're fairly comparable," Pear- son said. "I have trouble in practice telling who's who. With the mask and equipment it's hard — they look very similar. Jack's numbers are a little bit better right now, but I like them both." The players seem to have taken to the new coaching staff and Calde- rone said the difference in talent this year on the team is noticeable. "I think we're a lot more skilled than last year," Calderone said. "We've got a real fast, young skilled group and I think that's shown in our first couple games. I think what was really exciting about us is we could be that much better. We saw some good and saw some bad, but it's all fixable stuff, so I think that's really exciting going into this year." He said the key so far for the Wol- verines has been getting their timing back after not having games over the summer, but that it's coming along well. The coaching staff has been em- phasizing the importance of playing hard every minute of every game — something Calderone thinks the team did in New York. "I think we played a full 60 minutes," Calderone said. "It was something that we struggled with last year. Playing 60 minutes is extremely important in the college game today, and that's some- thing that we really improved on." Pearson said he's been impressed with how receptive the players are to him and his staff, and how eager they've been to get better and win for Michigan. "We've got a real good group here. They're really anxious and excited for the season and want to do well," Pearson said. He replaced longtime coach Red Berenson after last season, and the players have noticed changes within the program. "It's been different," Calderone said. "Coach Red was business first. With Mel, it's a little more laid back, but he still expects the best from us. It brings a new energy to the team." The team will play its home opener at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at Yost Ice Arena against Vermont, the first of a two- game series. The Wolverines are then scheduled to play Thursday-Friday or Friday-Saturday every week until Dec. 2, when they have one exhibi- tion against the U.S. National Team Development Program. "It's really exciting, especially for my senior year. It's my last home opener," Calderone said of the first game ver- sus Vermont. "It's exciting to see how MICHIGAN HOCKEY Mel Pearson Era Opens 1-1 Senior forward Tony Calderone leads the team with seven shots and has one of the Wolverines' three goals from the first two games. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL