Weekly Release #9
11/27/2000 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
#5 Michigan (10-3-2, 6-3-0 CCHA)
vs.
#14 Northern Michigan (7-4-4, 5-4-3 CCHA)
Friday, Dec. 1, 7:05 p.m., Berry Events Center, Marquette, Mich.
Saturday, Dec. 2, 7:05 p.m., Berry Events Center, Marquette, Mich.
This Week
The seventh-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team (10-3-2, 6-3-0 CCHA) travels to Marquette, Mich., to face Northern Michigan on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 1-2) in the first two of four games against the Wildcats this season. Both games are scheduled to start at 7:05 p.m. This will be the second time Michigan has visited NMU's new facility, the Berry Events Center. Last season, the weekend visit led to a pair of ties, with NMU coming back in the third period to force a 1-1 tie the first night (Feb. 18, 2000) and Michigan coming back in the third period of the second game (Feb. 19, 2000) for a 2-2 tie.
Catch the Game
• In Person -- Contact the Northern Michigan Athletic Ticket Office at 906-227-1032 for information on tickets.
• On Television -- The weekend's games are not scheduled to be televised in the Ann Arbor area. The games are scheduled to be broadcast by Charter Sports, Channel 35 throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
• On the Radio -- All Michigan hockey games are broadcast on WTKA (1050 AM), which can also be heard on the Internet at MGoBlue.com. Al Randall covers play-by-play, while Jim Hunt provides color commentary. Home games are also on WCBN Student Radio (88.3 FM).
To Get You Started
• In the seven games away from Yost Ice Arena this season, Michigan has posted a record of 6-1-0.
• On the road, the Wolverines have killed 34 of 38 power plays (89.4 percent).
• Saturday's game (Nov. 25) at Minnesota was the first time this season that the Wolverines have been outshot (34-26).
• Michigan's penalty kill units were nearly perfect last weekend, stopping nine of the opponent's 10 power plays in the set of games.
• Mike Cammalleri (Richmond Hill, Ontario) tied his career high in points (3) in each game last weekend. He recorded points on six of Michigan's seven goals, and won the faceoff which led to the empty-net goal on which he did not earn a point.
• Josh Blackburn (Choctaw, Okla.) led the defensive stand, stopping 64 of 67 shots faced. He allowed just three goals (two even-strength) on the weekend.
Series History vs. Northern Michigan
Friday's game will be the 25th meeting between the Wolverines and the Wildcats. Michigan leads the series 13-9-2. In Marquette, Michigan is 4-3-2, with both ties coming on the last trip to Northern Michigan. The Wolverines are unbeaten in the last five games against the Wildcats (3-0-2) and have won six of the last 10 (6-2-2).
Last Time vs. the Wildcats
The Wolverines found themselves down 2-0 minutes into the third period against Northern Michigan on Feb. 19, 2000, before coming back to tie the game at 2-2 on goals by Jeff Jillson (N. Smithfield, R.I.) and Jed Ortmeyer (Omaha, Neb.) midway through the final period. Josh Blackburn made 21 saves in the tie.
Last Weekend
Michigan traveled to Madison, Wis., and Minneapolis, Minn., to face Wisconsin and Minnesota in the eighth annual College Hockey Showcase. The Wolverines jumped out to a three-goal lead over the 12th-ranked Badgers on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23) before allowing two goals late in the third period to escape with a 3-2 win. On Saturday (Nov. 25), Michigan defeated the No. 2 Golden Gophers 4-1 at Marriucci Arena in Minneapolis. Trailing 1-0 after the first period, the Wolverines exploded for three goals in the second and added an empty-net goal late in the third for the win. Mike Cammalleri had a career weekend, scoring 1-2-3 at Wisconsin and 2-1-3 at Minnesota. In net, Josh Blackburn stopped 64 of 67 shots in the pair of games to earn two wins in the Showcase.
Michigan Head Coach Red Berenson
Red Berenson is in his 17th year as head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. Coach Berenson owns a career record of 431-210-42 and is the 15th winningest coach in NCAA history. Over his career, Berenson has 762 games associated with Michigan hockey (683 as a coach, 79 as a student-athlete). As the coach of the Wolverines, he has guided Michigan to two NCAA championships and total of nine CCHA regular-season and tournament championships. Under his direction, Michigan was the most successful program in the country during the 1990s, with 314 wins, and was the only school to qualify for all 10 NCAA championship tournaments in the decade.
Berenson vs. the Wildcats
Michigan head coach Red Berenson holds a record of 9-2-2 against Northern Michigan and the Wildcats' head coach, Rick Comley.
Northern Michigan Head Coach Rick Comley
Rick Comley is in his 25th season as head hockey coach. A former athletics director at NMU, Comley is returning to full-time coaching for the first time since 1986-87 after spending the past 13 years in a dual role as the school's AD and hockey coach. In 27 years as a college hockey head coach, Comley owns a 553-450-62 record. He currently holds down seventh place on the all-time college hockey coaches' win list. He is a two-time winner (1980 and 1991) of the Spencer Penrose Memorial Trophy as college hockey's national coach of the year and has twice been named CCHA Coach of the Year and WCHA Coach of the Year.
Road Warriors
In the seven games away from Yost Ice Arena this season, Michigan has posted a record of 6-1-0. The lone loss was a 5-4 defeat at Ferris State (Nov. 11).
At Northern
Michigan has played at Northern Michigan just five times since the Wildcats re-entered the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in 1997-98, posting a record of 2-1-2.
Very Special Teams
Michigan's power play scored three times on nine opportunities last weekend, including one power-play goal in two chances at Minnesota (Nov. 25). On the penalty kill, Michigan killed five of six Wisconsin power plays and all four of No. 2 Minnesota's power-play chances for a total of nine of 10 power plays killed on the weekend.
Don't Look Back
Despite the play of the special teams this season, Michigan has a history of struggling on the power-play against Northern Michigan. In the last eight games against the Wildcats, Michigan has gone just 3-for-46 (6.5 percent) on the power play.
Road Kill
Michigan's penalty killers have been deadly on the road. The Wolverines have stopped the opposition 34 times in 38 chances (89.4 percent) so far this season.
Cease Fire
Michigan was outshot for the first time this season last Saturday (Nov. 25) at Minnesota. Michigan took 26 shots while allowing 34. In the first 14 games of the season, Michigan had outshot the opposition. Overall, the Wolverines are averaging 35.9 shots per game compared to the opponents' 22.8 shots per game.
The Start is the Key ...
The Wolverines have a perfect record of 7-0-0 when leading after the first period. When tied or trailing after one period of play, Michigan's record is an even 3-3-2.
... But Finishing Strong Doesn't Hurt
Michigan has scored more goals in the second and third periods of games (41) than its opponents have scored the entire season (35). In just the second and third periods, Michigan has allowed only 19 goals.
Shutting the Door
In 10 of 15 games this year, Michigan has held the opposition to two or fewer goals in a game. Its record is 9-1-0 when that happens. The only loss is a 1-0 shutout against Michigan State (Nov. 4).
A Few Player Notes
• Mark Kosick (Victoria, B.C.) has entered U-M's top 50 in career scoring with 126 points (49-77-126). He is tied with Bill Thayer (1975-78) and Steve Richmond (1979-82) for 47th all-time at Michigan. Josh Langfeld (Coon Rapids, Minn.) needs just eight more points to join the same group. He has 56 goals and 59 assists for 115 points in his career.
• Mark Mink (Livonia, Mich.) has played in all 56 games of his career, the Wolverines' longest active consecutive games played streak.
• Andy Hilbert (Howell, Mich.) (2-11-13) and Mike Cammalleri (3-10-13) are tied for the team lead with 13 power-play points. They have scored 21 of the team's 47 power-play assists (45 percent).
• Defenseman Jeff Jillson was on ice for six of Michigan's seven goals forced and zero goals against last weekend. (He was not on for Michigan's short-handed goal.) Jillson was a team-high +3 and added three assists in the pair of games.
• Josh Blackburn stopped 64 of 67 shots faced in the pair of games last weekend. He allowed just two even-strength goals, one in each game, in addition to giving up a single power-play goal at Wisconsin.
• Mike Cammalleri has five goals and four assists for nine points in the last four games for the Wolverines. Andy Hilbert has four goals and five assists for nine points in the last five games. Jeff Jillson has five assists in his last four games.
CCHA Standings (Through 11/26/00)
|----CONFERENCE----| |----OVERALL----| W- L- T Pts GF GA W- L- T GF GA 1. Michigan State 7- 1- 1 15 28 11 10- 1- 2 43 20 2. Northern Mich. 5- 4- 3 13 33 32 7- 4- 4 51 39 3. MICHIGAN 6- 3- 0 12 37 20 10- 3- 2 59 35 Western Mich. 5- 0- 2 12 39 21 10- 1- 2 66 38 5. Ohio State 5- 3- 0 10 25 23 7- 4- 0 32 28 6. Miami (Ohio) 4- 3- 1 9 25 23 7- 5- 2 43 44 Alaska-Fairbanks 3- 4- 3 9 27 37 3- 6- 3 30 43 8. Bowling Green 2- 5- 3 7 27 31 2- 7- 3 27 36 9. Nebraska-Omaha 3- 5- 0 6 26 30 6- 8- 0 38 42 Lake Superior 3- 8- 0 6 24 44 6-10- 0 39 59 11. Notre Dame 1- 3- 2 4 13 17 3- 7- 3 34 46 12. Ferris State 1- 6- 1 3 22 37 3- 7- 2 34 48
U.S. College Hockey Online Poll (11/27/00)
Team (1st-Place Votes) Record Pts Last 1. Michigan State (38) 10-1-2 598 1 2. North Dakota (2) 10-2-4 527 3 3. Boston College 11-3-0 483 4 4. New Hampshire 10-3-1 448 5 5. MICHIGAN 10-3-2 424 7 6. Western Michigan 10-1-2 416 6 7. Minnesota 9-3-2 391 2 8. Providence 7-2-3 282 8 9. Colorado College 8-3-1 280 9 10. St. Cloud 8-3-1 267 10 11. Union 6-1-1 160 13 12. Maine 5-4-3 120 11 13. Harvard 4-2-1 92 NR 14. Northern Michigan 7-4-4 70 NR 15. Yale 5-3-0 66 14Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
