Pairing together two players who tallied 60 combined points last season seemed like a brilliant idea this offseason to Red Berenson.
The Michigan coach knew it would come at a cost, though: Sophomore JT Compher would have to move from center — a position he has played his entire career — to right wing in order to skate alongside junior center Andrew Copp. But five games in to the season, that decision may not seem so flowery anymore.
Copp and Compher have yet to tally a goal. The line’s only score came from left wing Dexter Dancs. However, the freshman said he believes goals are due for his line and said it’s just “a matter of time.” His teammates agree.
“You have JT and Andrew, who are proven scorers,” said senior forward Zach Hyman. “You have Dexter, who scored his first goal on the weekend and is a good player as well. It’s a matter of time before they get going. They are doing all the right things.”
But Berenson was more blunt. The veteran coach said line changes are looming for the Wolverines and the first line may get shuffled. He said moving Compher back to center could be beneficial.
“We’ll see about that,” Berenson said of moving Compher away from the wing. “We’re going to talk about that; whether he gets to go back to go play a more familiar position or keep him out on the wing. … We’re not satisfied with our production.”
GOAL REVIEW FRUSTRATION: Berenson was uncharacteristically frustrated with the Hockey East officiating after Saturday’s 3-2 loss to then-No. 11 Boston University.
Four goals were reviewed in the game. All three Terrier goals were confirmed, while Dancs’ go-ahead, redirect goal was waived off due to goaltender interference. Two days removed, Berenson’s anger hadn’t subsided.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Berenson said, “I want to support getting it right. If they make a call on a goal that should’ve been decided the other way even after they review it, that’s when you say, ‘How can this be?’ It’s just ironic that every goal in that game had to be reviewed.
“It takes away from the game. I don’t know if the officials understand it. They’re trying to get it right, but in the meantime, they take all the momentum out of the game. They take the crowd out of the game or to a point while waiting for them to make a decision that should’ve been easily made in 20 or 30 seconds.
“There should be a time limit on it.”
Dancs echoed his coach’s sentiment.
“I thought it was a close call,” he said. “I thought I got pushed a bit. Obviously, I didn’t try to hit his glove. I think we just got unlucky, to be honest. I think I hit his glove after the puck was already behind him.”
JACK EICHEL IS GOOD: Michigan knew it had its hands full with Boston forward Jack Eichel — a 17-year-old sensation who is projected to be a top pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
The Wolverines, though, held him mostly in check. Eichel only tallied one point — an awkward, tip-in goal — which was his lowest output in a game this season.
“I was impressed with Eichel,” Berenson said, “and our ‘D’ had their hands full. Copp played against him a lot. I thought we did a pretty good job with him.”
Added freshman defenseman Zach Werenski, a fellow 17-year-old: “I mean, it’s kind of hard to explain. He’s in another gear out there. When he wants to, he can skate right by you like nothing. Yeah, we did a good job with him. He had a tip goal, but ultimately we did a good job shutting him down a bit.”
And that had the Wolverines energized, even after the loss.