Friday, December 4, 2015

#12 Michigan 6, Wisconsin 4

1st period

UM 0 UW 1 PPG 06:28 Kunin from Hughes & Davison

Wisconsin’s lucky this play even unfolds. Not only is the pass to the point almost picked, it bounces and almost rolls out of the zone. Hughes pulls it across the blue line just before it trickles over.

Nothing unconventional here; Michigan sends a defender up to cover the point, so Wisconsin passes to the wing. Meanwhile, Shuart starts to retreat, trailing a Wisconsin player toward the front of the net.

With Warren defending high and Shuart tracking a guy in the equivalent of man-to-man coverage, there’s a big seam across the ice that’s inviting a quick pass from wing to wing.

As Kunin receives the pass he sees two options; it looks like he wants to pass, but he wisely decides not to force the puck to the front of the net and instead shoots.

The pass fake delays Nagelvoort for a portion of a second, but he’s still able to lock down the nearside post. Kunin rips a perfect shot over his shoulder; Nagelvoort doesn’t have a chance at that, and the shot probably doesn’t happen if Shuart peels off the guy he’s decided to play press-man on.

[After THE JUMP: Someone needs to add a team-specific modifier to the COY’s “we want moooore goals” chant]

2nd period

UM 0 UW 2 EV 02:39 Davison from Wagner & Ford

Wisconsin has been passing from the corner to the back of the net and back to the corner before Wagner turns up the boards and passes to Davison at the blue line.

Davison fakes a slap shot, and this gets the high defender to attempt to block the shot he thinks is coming. As he slides out of the way, Davison takes a step in shoots. The important thing here isn’t how open the right third of the net is, but what’s just to the left of the arrow: heavy traffic in front of the net.

Here’s a better look at the front of the net as the puck goes in. Tough for Nagelvoort to stop a shot when he a.) can’t see it and b.) can’t get across to stop it.

UM 0 UW 3 EV 06:21 Johnson from Wagner & Ford

Cooper Marody loses an edge in the corner and falls, which allows the Wisconsin defender to steal the puck and quickly flick it ahead. Ford (#21) does the same, throwing the puck to the neutral zone for a breaking Wisconsin skater.

Downing is the lone defender back, and he sees that he has to cover the skater. What he may not realize at the time of this screen cap is that there’s another Wisconsin skater who is going to make this a 2-on-1.

Downing realizes that he has to take the pass away at this point, but he’s too deep to dive to take away the passing lane. He has to rely on using his stick to take it away, and that doesn’t work. As soon as Wagner’s pass gets through to Johnson, it’s over. Look at where Nagelvoort is; he has no chance.

UM 1 UW 3 EV 06:47 Dancs (1) from Allen (1) & Shuart (4)

Shuart carries the puck out of the defensive zone and into then neutral zone before he decides to lob the puck into Wisconsin’s zone on a dump and chase. Wisconsin secures control of the puck for a second, but Shuart does a nice job and skating hard on the forecheck and strips the puck from the Wisconsin skater behind the net.

As Shuart turns he’s met by the defender he bumped off the puck, the low nearside defender, and the defender covering above the faceoff circle (who has come down to help). They’re converging and he has a second to saucer a pass, which works nicely because Evan Allen has skated into the slot and the defender left with netfront duty has given him enough of a gap to get the puck and make a play.

In this instance, “make a play” means pass. Dexter Dancs, who is at the bottom of the faceoff circle in the screen cap above, has turned toward the net. Allen puts a nice touch pass on his tape; you can see that Jurusik is out of position, having had to defend against the threat of Allen shooting and now having to slide over to stop Dancs. He can’t do so before Dancs’ shot is in the net.

After the goal, Dancs is just trying to celebrate with his teammates and LOOK WHAT HAPPENED. Unreal. Maybe this conspiracy theory that the refs hate Michigan isn’t such a conspiracy now that they’re Downing-ing guys who’re just trying to have a good time. (In actuality, Dancs just didn’t see the ref after skating past the bench and the ref wasn’t looking in is direction, hence the collision.)

UM 2 UW 3 EV 08:31 Warren (4) from Calderone (5) & Marody (6)

Michigan wins a board battle as Calderone seals the boards (so the Wisconsin player can’t chip the puck ahead) and strips it from him, immediately passing to Marody in the corner.

Wisconsin has to quickly transition from flowing forward to support what looked like a breakout opportunity to staying back to defend; they aren’t in great position to stop a quick pass and shot. Marody passes back to Calderone, who fires a shot that Wisconsin’s Matt Jurusik stops.

The shot, though stopped, immediately ricochets off Jurusik’s body and lands in front of a virtually undefended Brendan Warren. The puck’s a chip shot, and it’s in the net before the netfront defender can turn and try to do anything.

UM 2 UW 4 EV 10:04 Ustaski from Zirbel

Wisconsin dumps the puck in off of a faceoff, but Michigan gains possession in the far corner. The puck bounces off of Dancs’ stick on a short outlet pass, and Wisconsin has a great opportunity to gain possession with Michigan’s skaters having to switch direction.

Wisconsin capitalizes on said opportunity, as Zirbel corrals the puck. Ustaski, who’s circled below, is the key; he’s in behind the defense and will go unnoticed due to a recently acquired puck and two defenders looking that direction.

Zirbel threads a perfect shot through that Ustaski gets his stick blade on and redirects past a helpless Nagelvoort.

UM 3 UW 4 EV 13:42 Compher (2) from Motte (3) & Connor (8)

Michigan digs the puck out near center ice and Kyle Connor carries it in, dishing to Compher and heading for the front of the net. Compher passes to Motte, but the puck bounces around (hence the squiggle) and might hit a Wisconsin stick and ends up dying.

The Wisconsin defender in the faceoff circle in the above screen cap tries to clear it, but he can’t get much on it thanks to simultaneously being hit by Motte. Compher, as you can see from where his stick is in the screen cap, is ready for this turnover.

Compher’s shot rises and goes in over Jurusik’s shoulder just as he’s attempting to raise his blocker.

UM 4 UW 4 EV 16:37 Selman (4) from Martin (3) & Boka (3)

Kile wins a battle in the corner and carries the puck behind the back of the net, passing to Nick Boka when he’s about halfway up the boards. Boka immediately sweeps the puck to the opposite side, where Cutler Martin awaits.

Martin takes a step forward, and as you can see from the last screen cap he shoots from about as far and wide as you can. It’s hard to tell whether he meant for this to be on net or whether he was looking for a redirection, but the puck hits Selman’s stick blade and deflects past Jurusik.

3rd period

UM 5 UW 4 EV 03:22 Motte (8) from Werenski (6)

Wisconsin tries to clear the puck from their zone and they do, but Werenski gets to it in the neutral zone. He flips the puck back into Wisconsin’s zone as he’s about to get crushed by a Wisconsin defender; Motte curls back and picks up the puck.

Motte carries in on his backhand for a second, and then…

…pulls the puck across to his forehand, shoveling a shot into the glove-side top corner before the goalie can read the move.

UM 6 UW 4 EN 19:59 Connor (6) from Compher (11)

Compher hacks at the puck on the faceoff, eventually connecting and sending it bouncing off a skate. From there, it slides to the side of the faceoff circle. Connor comes across the zone from where he started and picks up the puck.

Connor flips a backhanded shot into the air, and it hits in the crease before sliding into the net.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

#12 Michigan 6, Wisconsin 6 (M won a shootout, but it counts as a tie in PairWise/RPI)

1st period

UM 1 UW 0 EV 01:29 Nieves (3) from Selman (6) & Kile (7)

Nieves wins a battle along the boards and pushes the puck ahead to Selman, who passes to Kile. Kile then carries through the neural zone and into the offensive zone, spotting a big cross-ice lane and passing to Selman.

Selman pulls the puck to his backhand and holds it for a while, eventually putting a slow, low shot on net.

Jurusik kicks the puck away, but he happens to kick it right to Nieves. Jurusik is falling backward, so all Nieves has to do is flick the puck in before the netfront defender (who lost Nieves in coverage) gets in the way.

UM 2 UW 0 SH 04:38 Selman (5) from Nieves (6)

Nieves steals a puck in the defensive zone and takes off with it, eventually finding himself in a 2-on-1 with Selman to his left. The Wisconsin defender reads the angle of Nieves’ body and thinks he’s going to pass, so he drops to a knee to take away the passing lane. Nieves reads this…

…and sees that he can pass around the defender.

Selman can’t settle the puck and he and the goalie tangle skates before getting a shot on net. The collision bumps the puck loose.

As Selman glides backward he finds  the puck in front of him, and he uses the goaltender’s pads to bounce the puck in.

UM 2 UW 1 PPG 05:39 Wagner from Schulze & Malone

We pick up the play after Wisconsin has already spent a year and a half in Michigan’s zone. They work the puck to the blue line, and the set up doesn’t have any massive red flags; the screener in front of the net is being checked, Michigan isn’t too far out on any of the Wisconsin skaters, and while there’s room to pass there isn’t a great shot available.

Well, at least there wasn’t a good shot for a second. Boka drifts to the player to his right, and now there’s an open screener in front of Nagelvoort. Schulze shoots it into traffic.

Nagelvoort makes the first stop, but Wagner slams in the rebound before either of the two netfront defenders take him down.

UM 2 UW 2 PPG 09:47 Wagner from Hughes & Davison

Welp, I’m confused. It looks to me like Michigan has eschewed their typical box for a 1-2-1 penalty kill, but then De Jong drifts up and it’s a 1-3, which I’ve never heard of as anything but a way to forecheck on the PK. I’m assuming that’s because it’s not really a thing since leaving a netfront guy unchecked seems like a bad strategy, but if I’m wrong let me know in the comments. The other problem here is that the 1-2-1 is supposed to take away the cross-ice pass, yet that’s exactly what’s executed here.

After a back and forth with the point man, Hughes sees that Nagelvoort is screened and realizes he should probably put a shot on net, because even if it doesn’t go in clean…

…there’s a good chance it gets tipped. And yeah, it does.

UM 3 UW 2 EV 15:45 Selman (6) from Nieves (6) & Cecconi (3)

Cecconi starts this with a nice pass that runs the length of the neutral zone and finds Selman. He skates with it a few strides before passing to Nieves lest he get crushed.

Nieves shoots into a diving defender and the puck is smothered. Selman follows up the play by looping behind the mass of bodies, and he gets the loose puck.

No one’s in position to make a play defensively after the seemingly blocked shot, and Selman lifts it over the diving goalie.

2nd period

UM 3 UW 3 EV 08:09 Davison from Besse & Hughes

The puck is a few inches from being cleared, but Wisconsin miraculously holds it in and gets it to the boards. Two Michigan defenders converge, and Besse throws a really nice pass across the zone.

Davison skates in and pulls back like he might shoot, which gets a defender to drop to block a shot that isn’t coming. Once that defender slides out of the way, Davison snaps one on net that beats Nagelvoort high. They reviewed the goal to see if Ustaski interfered with Nagelvoort, but he adhered to the rules of Arrested Development: there was no touching.

UM 3 UW 4 EV 10:13 Schulze from Linhart & Wagner

Michigan’s back in the box on the penalty kill, so that’s a nice start. Schulze takes a step forward before retreating and moving laterally in an attempt to adjust his shooting lane. He lets a shot go that’s wide, but it hits Cecconi’s stick blade and goes airborne.

It lands behind Nagelvoort because hockey is weird. This goal chases Nagelvoort, which, uh…I wouldn’t have done. That’s not an indictment of Catt, I just wouldn’t pull my goalie when the stuff that’s going in is coming off of defensive breakdowns or crazy skyscraping bouncing pucks.

UM 3 UW 5 EV 18:23 Freytag from Zirbel & Tischke

Marody wins a faceoff and the puck rolls into the neutral zone. Werenski goes to get it and gets hit, and the puck rolls back to Tischke. He sees Zirbel on the other side of the neural zone and puts a really nice pass on the tape of his stick.

Zirbel skates in and pulls off an insane spin move that finishes with a backhanded pass through the slot to Freytag, who’s circled in the screen cap below.

It’s hard to get mad about this. The D had good gap control on Zirbel; you don’t see a guy execute a spin move very often, and he did a nice job. Freytag one-times it, so even though Catt made an attempt to get across he’s at a huge disadvantage due to the speed with which he had to go from setting up outside his crease to challenge Zirbel to butterflying and moving laterally to getting the blocker up.

3rd period

UM 4 UW 5 EV 03:19 Motte (9) from Compher (12) & Connor (10)

Connor springs Motte with a nice outlet pass, but as Motte skates in the puck comes off his stick and then he gets shoved.

Compher cuts in from behind the play and grabs the loose puck, which draws two defenders. This frees Motte up on the far side.

Compher’s speed gives him a step on the defenders and he threads a pass between them and the goalie. Motte taps it in for a goal the netminder had zero chance at stopping. (At least, he has zero chance once Compher’s pass gets through. He could theoretically have put his stick down to try and take away the passing lane.)

UM 5 UW 5 EV 06:04 Compher (5) from De Jong (4) & Boka (4)

De Jong picks up a bouncing puck and fires through the neutral zone…

…placing it right on the blade of Compher’s stick. He glides in, puck on his forehand and wide.

Jurusik squares to that, so Compher pulls it across and backhands one up and over his blocker.

UM 6 UW 5 EV 10:45 Downing (2) unassisted

Michigan loses a faceoff, and as the puck rolls back to a Wisconsin skater he decides the best course of action is to try and fire it out of the zone rather than pass it out.

Downing picks off the clearing attempt and immediately puts a slap shot on net.

Jurusik doesn’t expect it, and the puck beats him blocker-side. To give you an idea how quickly this transpired, the reverse-angle camera man started to pan to Downing when he realized he had the puck, then realized he had shot and should pan to the net, then realized it was in and should pan back to Downing. Nothing ended up in frame and the camera sort of rocked back and forth before finding Downing celebrating.

UM 6 UW 6 PPG 15:31 Freytag from Malone & Schulze

The problems start when Motte’s guy cuts from the wing to the middle of the ice and he follows. The guy who fills in along the wing gets the puck, and Martin comes up to cover him, which leaves only one defenseman deep to cover the front of the net. There’s a seam to pass cross-ice that would be there regardless of Martin’s positioning.

Werenski steps up to cover Malone, which I get only because the guy who ends up in front of the net slipped behind Werenski as he was turning. If he sees him, obviously he ideally checks the netfront player and lets Catt play the shooter. Malone sees he has a guy all alone and snaps a shot toward his teammate.

He gets exactly what he hoped for, which was a deflection that Catt has no chance of stopping.

Overtime

No scoring

Notes:

• Penn State and upcoming opponent Minnesota are tied for first in the B1G with 6 points, while Michigan’s in second place with five points; though they won Saturday’s shootout, it counts as a tie in the league standings. You do get two points for a shootout win, though, so there’s that.
• Despite that, Michigan somehow moved up to ninth in PairWise/RPI.
• I don’t feel the need to write anything about playing better defense because even if you just scrolled to the bottom, you know from how long it took to get here that there’s a problem with a 22-goal post in which Michigan won a game by two (with one being an empty netter) and took the other to a shootout.