Wisconsin @ Yost weekend

[alfadriver]

Might as well get a thread going for this weekend. I'm sure expectations are pretty low given that out team isn't playing all that well.

BTW, Saturday night is a good drive for Food Gatherers, so bring some canned food.

Watched Inside Michigan Hockey, and Red felt good about the goalies- which says a lot how badly the rest of the team played. Hope they are more ready this weekend.

 

[alnike]

Great start then fell off a cliff

Three straight games of getting their ass kicked. With this defense, last place in big ten is enevitable.

Max shuart should volunteer to not play on Saturday

 

[Puckhead]

Well at least that's over. Wisconsin 7, Michigan 4.

There isn't anything else I can say that doesn't involve a lot of swearing and ripping of players for dreadful play so I'll just leave it at, it's finally over.

 

[alfadriver]

I'm at a loss.

How can they have energy in the first and third but lay such an egg in the 2nd? I don't get it.

 

[Woodson53]

Well at least that's over. Wisconsin 7, Michigan 4.

There isn't anything else I can say that doesn't involve a lot of swearing and ripping of players for dreadful play so I'll just leave it at, it's finally over.

Can it get any worse?

 

[z_for_three]

Time to bench some of the defensive starters....we beat BU without a bunch of seniors...maybe we should do that again???

 

[wolverines74]

7-4 !! Gosh. "74

 

[Puckhead]

Game two tonight. Lavigne gets the start again. I think that's the first time a goalie has started back to back games all year. Let's hope he gets a bit more help tonight. Lines really shaken up after last night. I don't think this many players have been shifted around since the first couple weeks of the season.

After one period of play Michigan leads 2-0.

Pretty solid period tonight, physical, attacking, led to some good results.

Right around 8 minutes to play in the period a kerfuffle resulted in two Badger players in the box to one from Michigan leading to a Michigan power play. It didn't take long for Kile to bury a shot from the circle to put Michigan up 1-0.

A short time later Cutler Martin snapped off a wrist shot that was a rocket, getting behind the goalie before he could do anything.

Now the big question. Can they maintain this level of play for 40 more minutes. Let's just take it 20 minutes at a time. Play like that through the 2nd, then we'll get to the third.

 

[alfadriver]

It started to look questionable late in the period, especially with the penalty with 3 to go.

If they can keep this up, we should have a chance

Also, about Lavigne, when was then last time a goalie got a second game after giving up 6?

 

[Puckhead]

After two periods it's Michigan 2, Wisconsin 1.

Michigan spent a lot of time in the final 10 minutes of this period in the box, giving Wisconsin power play after power play. On their fifth of the night they put a rebound behind Lavigne to get on the board. This was setup by a blatant tripping call at the other end of the ice by the Wisconsin goalie, to setup a rush up the ice for Wisconsin. No call on that tripping but with just over a minute left to play they did call Lavigne for a penalty, I guess to make up for the massive miss at the other end of the ice.

So Wisconsin is going to start the third period with 39 seconds of their sixth power play still on the board, but for now Michigan still holds the lead.

 

[alfadriver]

Almost seems as if the refs want a fight out there.

 

[Puckhead]

The game is over. Michigan 4, Wisconsin 1.

No offense to speak of in this period for most of the period, but they managed to hold Wisconsin at bay for the period.

Some particularly awful officiating in the late minutes of the game. Lockwood got cross checked into the boards away from the puck and there was no penalty called. He went straight to the locker room holding his arm. Will have to see how bad that is.

After that Michigan sent to the box with around 4 to play giving Wisconsin yet another power play. Michigan killed it off. With about 2 minutes to play Wisconsin pulled their goalie. Calderone scored an empty net goal with roughly 50 seconds to play and Winborg found the empty net with just under 10 seconds to play leading to the final score of 4-1.

End of the half so no hockey until the GLI in about 2 1/2 weeks.

 

[Capt28]

And whaddaya know, we hold on to win despite being outshot like 15-3 in the third period, with 2 late ENGs. Looks like Hayden is the man! What a relief, I was starting to worry we could go winless in the B1G.

 

[Puckhead]

It started to look questionable late in the period, especially with the penalty with 3 to go.

If they can keep this up, we should have a chance

Also, about Lavigne, when was then last time a goalie got a second game after giving up 6?

I was surprised to see Lavigne get the start after last night, but he didn't get any help at all last night. Wisconsin just bombarded him all night long. I could be wrong, but I think this is the first weekend that a goalie started two nights in a row and he was good, maybe very good. He came up with some huge saves through the game, but a couple of clutch saves late in the game when Wisconsin was on the power play and still looking to tie the game at two.

I guess we'll see what they do in the GLI, but maybe they have settled on Lavigne as their guy going forward.

 

[alfadriver]

That finished with some horrible ref'ing. Holy cow.

Missed an obvious high stick to the head- could hear it. Missed the goalie trip that lead to Wisco's only goal. Missed other obvious trips. Missed a cross check/boarding that resulted in what I would bet is broken collar bone.

And we were called for every small thing all night. Not saying that we didn't commit the penalties, but the degree that was enforced was totally different for both teams.

Lavigne did look good. And I think a few really obvious misses by them really made him feel good. I'll wager he'll get the starts a few in a row.

 

[jz597]

Obviously, much better tonight. There's still lots that needs to be improved upon, for sure, but they played with purpose, intensity, and effort. I'd have to imagine that the 3rd period swoon had at least a little to do with spending half of the 2nd on the penalty kill. That said, I thought they dug down and found a way to ramp up the effort as the game wound down.

As others mentioned, I thought Lavigne was great and should be the guy going forward, unless we need him as a physical presence on the blue line

As others also mentioned, the officiating was unbelievable. If Wisconsin doesn't get a gift 4 on 2 and it stays 2-0, I think the 3rd would've looked different. Not penalizing the Lockwood hit is simply inexcusable. Those guys shouldn't be allowed near another game all year.

Good to have something positive going into a break. Hopefully we can improve on some things in practice and keep the effort from last night as the 2nd half begins.

 

[wolverines74]

What the heck is going on. One day we get drilled and the next day play like Contenders ! "74

 

[Capt28]

Obviously, much better tonight. There's still lots that needs to be improved upon, for sure, but they played with purpose, intensity, and effort. I'd have to imagine that the 3rd period swoon had at least a little to do with spending half of the 2nd on the penalty kill. That said, I thought they dug down and found a way to ramp up the effort as the game wound down.

As others mentioned, I thought Lavigne was great and should be the guy going forward, unless we need him as a physical presence on the blue line

As others also mentioned, the officiating was unbelievable. If Wisconsin doesn't get a gift 4 on 2 and it stays 2-0, I think the 3rd would've looked different. Not penalizing the Lockwood hit is simply inexcusable. Those guys shouldn't be allowed near another game all year.

Good to have something positive going into a break. Hopefully we can improve on some things in practice and keep the effort from last night as the 2nd half begins.

You know, this is one of the great things about playing hockey in the B1G now - as in all B1G sports, the officiating is always top-notch, consistent and impartial . . . Oh wait . . ..

 

[wolverines74]

You know, this is one of the great things about playing hockey in the B1G now - as in all B1G sports, the officiating is always top-notch, consistent and impartial . . . Oh wait . . ..

I want some of what your taking to kill my scare tightness in my chest. "74

 

[alfadriver]

Michigan.247 is reporting that Lockwood's injury is a separated shoulder and not a broken collar bone. 5-6 weeks.

No real confirmation except that "an insider"....