Michigan Hockey 16-17, Game #3: Michigan 2, Ferris State 1

Submitted by David on

Caveat: I, unfortunately, will not be able to cover every single game due to football season and other Blog-related responsibilities.  Also, as far as the statistical approach goes, I will be at the mercy of both the video availability of games and the creative ways to get shot charts from each game.  (Like for the Ferris State game, they apparently only gave out 1st and 2nd period shot charts).  Hopefully, I can make this work for the most part.

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(Paul Sherman) Quite a debut

 

OFFENSE

Like I stated previously, I was unable to see this game and only have two of the three shot charts.  However, through two periods, M only generated 16 attempts at the net in 5v5 play.  That is even worse than the first game against Union (the second game was a little better).  The offensive questions still abound.  Multiple people who did see the game told me that Ferris generally dominated play and M had trouble finding scoring opportunities.  The shooting charts seem to back that theory.  While they did manage to win this game, Ferris State is an 0-4 WCHA team.  If you are unable to control the puck against them, it does not bode well for upcoming weekends.

 

DEFENSE

I had the CORSI score at 22-16 in favor of Ferris State through two periods.  I can definitely live with giving up 22 attempts in two periods.  They did allow the Bulldogs to get seven chances in the lower slot, however.  I would hope to see more of those attempts come from the perimeter.  Again, the Wolverines got some steller goaltending, which again seemed to cover up a somewhat leaky defense.  

 

SPECIAL TEAMS

One of the bright sides for M has been their power play.  They tallied both of their goals in this game on the man advantage.  Jake Slaker got his first career goal as M took the lead midway through the second period.  Slaker would also tally an assist on the Wolverines second power play goal.  Sam Piazza's game-winner also came up a man in the third period.  It was Piazza's third goal of the season, giving him the team lead.  Michigan did draw five power plays on the night and definitely took advantage of their opportunities.

Unfortunately, Michigan's parade to the penalty box continued against Ferris State.  They took seven penalties in total.  That is still too many, especially from a defense that is struggling to keep puck away from the front of the night.  Fortunately, on Saturday, Michigan was able to kill six of the seven Bulldog power plays.

 

GOALTENDING

This has definitely been the brightest spot for the Wolverines...and they apparently are ridiculously deep.  M has started a different goalie in each game this season and all three goalies have performed very well.  Jack LaFontaine got his first career start and stopped 28 of the 29 shots that he saw.  He came into Michigan as a highly regarded recruit and, by all accounts, lived up to the billing in his first opportunity.  A knowledgeable friend said it was a "stand on his head" performance.  Even with a bit of a leaky defense and a lacking offense, Michigan's goaltending has put them in position to win every game this season.

 

ODD MAN RUSHES

n/a for tonight

 

FINAL CORSI SCORE (though 2 periods)

Ferris State 22, Michigan 16

Comments

Alton

October 17th, 2016 at 10:02 PM ^

Welcome to October college hockey.

Just like the NHL, the referees call games much tighter at the beginning of the season than they do at the end.  Every single year, there are "points of emphasis" that get over-called for a month or two before they go back to normal.