At first glance, it seems like the Michigan hockey team’s Friday night matchup against Northeastern will be a welcomed break from the tough CCHA play.

But Michigan coach Red Berenson knows better.

“I wouldn’t call it a break,” Berenson said. “I wish we were staying in the league so we could stay in the hunt in terms of trying to gain some ground back.”

That “ground” is a reference to the past two weeks, in which the Wolverines have only tallied one point in four games.

Michigan (3-5-2 CCHA, 7-5-2 overall) is one of the few CCHA teams that isn't playing a conference opponent this week. Instead, it'll play Northeastern and Union. Usually, Thanksgiving week was reserved for the College Hockey Showcase, when the Wolverines would face Minnesota and Wisconsin.

This year marks the first season without the Showcase since 1993. The absence of the Showcase made Fridays game with the Huskies a possibility.

Though Northeastern (3-7-2 Hockey East, 3-7-2 overall) doesn’t boast an impressive record, the weekend's opening game will be important for getting Michigan back on the track.

“I think it is a good game for us,” said senior captain forward Luke Glendening. “It's more (time) we get to play and get on the ice as a team.”

The Wolverines don’t know much about the Huskies. They haven’t played Northeastern since 2008. But Berenson has been paying attention to Northeastern's losses.

The Huskies have lost to Merrimack — currently the No. 1 team in the country — three times. One was an overtime loss, another a shootout.

“I know enough (about Northeastern) that I think they’re a lot better than their record,” Berenson said. “They played some of the top programs and they don’t have as good a record as they might, but neither do we really.

“I’m glad we’re playing. It won’t be a break, it will be a working week for our team. We hope to take a step forward.”

That step forward is a direct address to Michigan’s defense. Berenson has reiterated that the team can’t give up eight goals over the course of one weekend and expect to walk away with two wins.

Keeping the Huskies out of Michigan’s zone might fall on the defensemen’s shoulders. But the power play is one area where the whole team will have a chance to make a difference — if it can be opportunistic.

Northeastern’s opponents have converted on 22 percent of their power plays. Michigan scored twice on the power play last Saturday. Though last weekend shows that the units have the potential to be effective, Berenson said he isn’t always satisfied with the special teams’ performances.

“I think we’re getting a little bit of confidence but … we’ve got to do a better job no matter who we’re playing,” Berenson said.

Considering the Wolverines are in the midst of their longest losing streak since 2009, Berenson does not appear to be too concerned. He noted that it sometimes takes months before a team fully jells, but each player is working hard to get there.

Glendening reiterated this sentiment after Monday’s practice by noting that the team has entered this week “in good spirits.”

“We have to come out and make strides forward,” Glendening said. “We can’t take any steps backwards.”