Last time the Michigan hockey team skated into the Joyce Center in South Bend, it banged seven pucks past Irish goaltender David Brown. And just for good measure, the Wolverines tapped in an empty-netter to make it an even eight-goal night.
But that was more than a year ago.
And oh, how the times have changed.
With a home-and-home series against Notre Dame this weekend, don’t expect either game to be like they were in years past, especially when it comes to putting pucks into Notre Dame’s net.
Sure, it’ll be the same goaltender between the pipes for the Irish. Heck, it’ll even be a lot of the same players on the ice.
But don’t you dare think it will be the same Notre Dame team.
It may be just a couple months into the season, but the Irish are still stunning everyone around the NCAA.
Early in the season, they delivered a 7-1 thumping to then-No. 1 Boston College. From there, the wins kept coming, including one over then-No. 4 Michigan State.
Now Notre Dame is No. 5, and suddenly, the once non-threatening conference opponent is the foe in a crucial weekend series for the seventh-ranked Wolverines.
“They totally changed, as everybody can see,” Michigan forward Danny Fardig said. “They’re taking the country by surprise, but hopefully we know what to expect.”
The Wolverines (8-3-0 CCHA, 12-5-1 overall) are riding an eight-game winning streak against the Irish. In that span, they have outscored Notre Dame 52-14, including 10-1, 8-0 and 9-2 decisions.
But now the new-look Irish (7-2-1, 12-3-1), sparked by second-year coach Jeff Jackson, have the nation’s best defense, allowing a measly 1.38 goals per game. On top of that, Brown, now a senior, boasts the NCAA’s second-best goals against average (1.45) and the third-best save percentage (.939).
“It’s been amazing how well they’ve played defensively,” Michigan coach Red Berenson said. “Obviously the team has bought into Jackson’s systems or ideas about how they need to play to be successful. They’re a hard team to beat, that’s what’s showing up.”
Pit the staunch Irish defense with Michigan’s No. 3 scoring offense (4.35 goals scored per game), and you’ve got a marquee matchup.
The Wolverines have four of the nation’s top-20 scorers – senior T.J. Hensick, juniors Chad Kolarik and Kevin Porter, and sophomore Andrew Cogliano – crashing opponents’ nets each night.
But move back to Michigan’s defense, and you won’t find such a steady group. The Wolverine defensive corps is hurting, with senior Jason Dest out for about a month after dislocating his shoulder against Western Michigan last weekend.
Berenson doesn’t plan on dressing star back liner Jack Johnson, who also suffered a shoulder injury. But the sophomore, listed as day-to-day, did some skating at yesterday’s practice, making him a possibility for Sunday’s contest in South Bend.
Fellow sophomore Mark Mitera will continue to play with a cast on his right wrist.
“I’m not feeling great about it, but we’ll have to wait and see,” Berenson said. “We’ll make the best of it. We have some depth.”
Senior Tim Cook will return to his natural position on the defense. He has dressed as a forward for most of the games this season due to the overwhelming number of defensemen. Junior walk-on Jon Montville might also see his first playing time of the season because of the depleted defense.
As for the forwards, Kolarik, who is tied with Hensick for the team-high of career points against Notre Dame (14), knows that the days of high-scoring affairs against the Irish are now just memories. The battle between the Notre Dame defense and Michigan offense will be a close clash.
“It’ll be a one-goal game, either way,” Kolarik said. “It should be a good test for both of us.”
Notre Dame at Michigan
Matchup: No. 7 Michigan (8-3-0 CCHA, 12-5-1); No. 5 Notre Dame (7-2-1, 12-3-1)
When: Tonight, 7:35 pm