February 8, 2007
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Difference Makers
Wolverines Lead the Nation in Goals, But the Defense and Goaltending Will Define the Season
by Courtney Lewis/CHN Reporter
To see the difference between Michigan in the first half of the season and Michigan so far in the second half, you could look at the Wolverines' two series against Western Michigan.
Back on Dec. 1-2, at the start of a dismal month, Michigan gave up 11 goals on the weekend and lost to the Broncos at Yost Ice Arena for the first time since 1995 before just squeaking past them Saturday in Kalamazoo. Fast forward to last weekend: the Wolverines allowed five goals and picked up two wins, which stretched their streak to six.
Michigan features a defensive unit full of NHL potential, so the coaches and players were surprised to find themselves lamenting over the team's goals against in the first half of the season. But in the New Year, the Wolverines have tightened things up, while the biggest star among those skilled defensemen, Jack Johnson, has heated up offensively.
"I think the whole team, we had to have a good look in the mirror and understand we had to play better defensively," coach Red Berenson said. "It was one goal here, one goal there, but it was one goal every game.
"And it was easy to share the blame. You could blame the goalie for about a third of the goals, the defense for about a third and the forwards a third. The onus was on everyone to tighten up in those areas. There's been a big difference."
Michigan sits second in the CCHA standings with 32 points, four behind Notre Dame, with six games left. And the Wolverines are 8-1 in 2007.
EMPHASIZING TEAM DEFENSE
Michigan leads the nation with 4.4 goals per game, and forwards T.J. Hensick (14-36-50) and Kevin Porter (18-30-48) are first and second, respectively, in the country in scoring. But in the first half, the Wolverines sometimes needed all the goals they could get because they were giving up plenty, too.
Berenson said he likes to have the team's goals against average under 2.0. In the first half, opponents were scoring 3.57 a night. Michigan had a hard time winning both games in a weekend, and it allowed five goals or more in six different games.
The coaches have worked to get the whole team playing better defense.
"I think it's something we focused on all season, but especially since the Alaska trip (Jan. 19-20), Coach really talked to the defensemen and emphasized defense," senior blueliner Matt Hunwick said.
And that renewed focus has yielded results. Berenson pointed out that Michigan had a five-game stretch in late November and early December when it gave up 35 goals, but in the first five games in January, the Wolverines let in just eight goals.
Berenson made sure everyone saw exactly what was happening and what needed to be fixed.
"It was showing them the goals that we all agreed were bad goals, goals that were preventable — they weren't goals the other team earned, they were goals we gave them— and saying, ‘There's the forward's role, there's the defenseman's role right there, there's the goalie's role. Let's do something about it.'
"It's not that simple, but really it is. So we're playing better without the puck."
Hunwick and Berenson both said Billy Sauer's solid goaltending this half has also been a big factor.
While everyone bore some responsibility for the defensive struggles, the play of the blueliners was especially disappointing considering their talent.
The defensive corps boasts five NHL draft picks, including first-round picks Johnson, Mark Mitera and Chris Summers.
"When you look at the numbers, three first-rounders on the blue line, three seniors ... we expected a lot from ourselves, and a lot of people around the country expected we'd be one of the best defensive corps in the country," Hunwick said. "And when we weren't meeting those expectations, it was a little frustrating."
Berenson said he thinks that with all of those high expectations, the defensemen were trying to do too much.
"I was surprised," Berenson said. "I thought we'd be a lot better defensively. We're starting to get there, but it took a lot longer than I thought it would."
Hunwick said the rear guards have gone back to the basics, and they're starting to play well with each other.
And the team GAA in 2007 is 2.1.
'PUCK LUCK'
While Michigan was trying to keep pucks out of its own net, Johnson couldn't get any shots to go in. He went 12 games without a goal, a stretch that was sandwiched around his trip to the IIHF World Junior Championship.
Both he and Berenson agreed that the big sophomore was playing well but just not scoring.
"Stuff like that happens, and my primary job as a defenseman is to keep other teams from scoring," Johnson said. "I wasn't really worried about it. I knew I was still playing well and the points would come."
They did start to come, and they haven't stopped since. He ended the drought Jan. 20 against Alaska and has eight goals in his last five games. He tallied his first career hat trick Jan. 26 against Ferris State.
Johnson said he hasn't been doing anything differently; he's just had some "puck luck" lately.
Berenson said a lot of players "have a moment to regroup and refocus" over the holidays and finish the season strong.
"I think that's happening to Jack," he said. "And he's putting it all together — he's a developing player. He works so hard in practice, and he comes so prepared for each game, it was just a matter of time."
Despite the dry spell, Johnson still has more goals (14) in 25 games than he scored all last season (10), and he is Michigan's highest scoring defenseman with 27 points. He also leads CCHA defensemen in goals and points.
Johnson was determined to be in Ann Arbor this season even though the Carolina Hurricanes, who drafted him third overall in 2005, made numerous attempts to persuade him to leave. He stayed, Carolina traded his rights to Los Angeles and Johnson said he has "never regretted my decision one bit."
Hunwick has often been paired with Johnson, and he said the most impressive part of the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Ann Arbor native's game is "his overall enthusiasm, how hard he plays."
"Whether he has the puck or he doesn't, you know he's out there going 100 percent, full speed," Hunwick added. "You always notice him out on the ice. He's so aggressive, and that's one of his biggest strengths. Without the puck, he's ready to make a good defensive play or a big hit, and when he has the puck, he always has something special."
Berenson agreed that Johnson has the complete package.
"He might be the best defenseman we've ever had at Michigan. And that's saying something," Berenson said. "He's the real deal. He's more than just an offensive defenseman. He's a physical defenseman. He's like a power forward playing defense. He's exciting to watch."
THE NEXT TEST
The Wolverines will need Johnson's scoring touch — and more importantly, continued solid defense from everybody — to finish better than they did last season, when they took third in the CCHA and lost in the first round of the NCAA playoffs.
Their improvement in goals against has occurred versus teams in the bottom half of the conference standings, and they've yet to face a ranked team in the second half.
The next challenge is keeping the puck out of their net when they start seeing tougher competition.
"That'll be the real test," Berenson said. "We've been winning games we should win; the first half we were losing games we should win. So we can't control who we play, but we can control a little bit how we play. The real test will be in the playoffs and against top teams. Hopefully we'll be ready for that. Right now at least we're making positive steps."
Johnson said it's simple: Michigan's defense must pass the test against high-caliber teams.
"It has to hold up," Johnson said. "We know our team can score goals, but you're not going to score a ton against great teams. So it's not really going to be a choice. It's something that has to happen."
