Sunday marked freshman Phil Di Giuseppe’s first birthday as a Wolverine.
And he kicked off the celebrations a day early with a pair of goals in the series finale of the the Michigan hockey team’s weekend sweep of Bentley University.
Di Giuseppe’s goals on Saturday night were just two of the nine that No. 6 Michigan (3-0) scored over the course of two days. And though there were moments during both games when Bentley seemed to give the Wolverines a little more than they bargained for, the 5-1 and 4-1 outcomes silenced the Falcons.
“It was a good weekend overall,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “Bentley played really well, they played hard and they gave us everything that we could handle.”
But Di Giuseppe had no difficulty taming the Falcons on Saturday.
He tipped a loose puck in the net for his first career goal a little more than 10 minutes into the first period to give Michigan its first lead of the night. And after Bentley responded with a goal of its own midway through the second stanza, Di Giuseppe received a feed in the crease from sophomore forward Luke Moffatt on a power play to beat the goaltender and give Michigan a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
The puck found itself in the back of the Bentley net two more times after that — junior forward A.J. Treais capitalized on another Michigan power play in the third period and freshman forward Alex Guptill added an empty-netter.
It was Di Giuseppe, though, who set Michigan’s tone for the night. A Bentley goal that appeared to put the Falcons in the lead in the second period was waved off due to goaltender interference. That was the wake-up call the Wolverines needed in order to get their act together, and that was when Di Giuseppe answered with his second goal.
Di Giuseppe claims it was all a matter of being in the right place at the right time and gives full credit to his linemates. Whether it was opportunistic or not, Berenson recognized the improvement in DiGiuseppe’s play over the course of the weekend.
“I think (Di Giuseppe) played simpler and not as cute,” Berenson said. “We’re after him to use his speed, and then (we) can make our moves. If you’re not skating right then nothing happens.”
That cuteness is a reference back to Friday’s self-proclaimed slump. The Falcons’ early first goal on Friday night was unanswered by the Wolverines until the second stanza, when senior defenseman Greg Pateryn tipped in a shot deflected off Bentley netminder Kyle Rank.
And even though Michigan walked away with four more goals after that, it didn’t always play like the better team. The Wolverines knew nothing about Bentley going into the weekend’s series, but after Friday, they became first-hand witnesses to the Falcons’ unexpected speed. When Bentley picked up its pace in the second period, Michigan became sloppy.
Over-passing was a problem for the Wolverines, but the over-skating was an even bigger one. The players aren’t sure what exactly its origins are — Di Giuseppe attributed it to feeling too comfortable. Berenson just calls it laziness.
“There’s a loose puck and (the players) skate right over it and miss it,” Berenson said. “Instead of stopping and demanding that puck with some desperation, (they) just go for a skate. The puck doesn’t always follow you, you have to go back and get it.”
By Saturday, everyone had gotten the message, but Di Giuseppe especially took it to heart. And though he may not be ready to take full credit for his goals just yet, Berenson plans to make him as comfortable as possible with the rest of his line in the upcoming first full week of practices.
“He’s a strong kid, he’s got some good puck skills,” Berenson said. “It’s a matter of getting used to his linemates and playing off them well, but he’s off to a good start.”