Michigan Hockey

Submitted by VictorsValiant09 on

Man, does this team have some 'splainin to do. What a porous effort this past weekend. I think Red's post-game quotes said it all: "Unacceptable."

Also: 35 penalties combined in Saturday's game? WTF.

Sergott and the rest of CCHA refs are terrible. This is why they are (volunteer) firemen.

BigBlue02

November 9th, 2009 at 3:41 AM ^

The last period took what seemed like an hour to play. Both teams were very chirpy, but it got to be ridiculous. I can't remember which M player it was, but he got a 5 minute major and was kicked out of the game for a Redhawk tripping over his own skate and taking a dive into the boards. The Miami(OH) kid played it up, sat on the ice for 2 or 3 minutes while they escorted the M kid to the locker room, then he skated off under his own power. All in all, big Blue looked like a team without an identity (as my friend said during one of the numerous breaks in the 3rd period). They aren't great skaters, they aren't great passers, they aren't great puck handlers....although they did kill what had to have been a lot of penalties. Maybe that is their thing.

BigBlue02

November 9th, 2009 at 9:54 AM ^

I was actually sitting right above where it happened. I admit he might have given him a little shove (I definitely wouldn't say that he "nailed" him), it just looked worse because the guy was already on his way down and into the boards - it looked like he tripped on his own (although I am sure the M kid wasn't completely innocent).

hockeyguy9125

November 9th, 2009 at 10:10 AM ^

Look, it might not have been the worst hit ever, but hitting from behind in hockey is one of the worst things you can do. They make it a big penalty for a reason. Its dangerous and stupid and should not be done regardless of any situation.

Is it just me or does Llewellyn take a stupid penalty EVERY GAME?

hackattack13

November 9th, 2009 at 10:13 AM ^

I was first row right where the hit occurred. It definitely was a hard hit but the miami guy was falling down so when he got hit, he was bunched up in a ball and his head hit the boards. From what I saw, it was a good hard clean hit that looked a lot worse because he was falling and ended up hitting his head

MGoAndy

November 9th, 2009 at 3:42 AM ^

The moment of the night, down 5-1 or something truly terrible, was when Ben Winnett was turned away from the penalty box after coming back on the nice after having been throw out, tried to go to the bench, was turned back by the ref, then turned back by the penalty box guy again, and finally settled on the bench. There wasn't room for a 5th in our box.

Horribly undisciplined game from the Wolverines. It all stems from Miami being a very, very good team. Our passing was sloppy, we didn't take enough shots (the whole pass the puck around forever until you get a perfect chance doesn't work against not-Niagra), and Hogan wasn't very good (they capitalized on mistakes/chances). Our defense looked shaky, and Louie seriously misses Palushaj.

Positives to take away from the weekend are that AJ Treais and Chris Brown look like they are going to be very, very good players, Carl Hagelin is faster than anybody in the country (or Sweden, as it seems), and that we got our terrible series against a good team out of the way early.

Also, a little rant about the student section (I'm a student). SHUT THE FUCK UP with the "Ref You Suck" chant. Just stop it. Learn hockey, then you can have your cowbell back. Doing that chant while a Miami player is lying hurt along the end boards after Tristin boarded him from behind (and was rightly ejected) is simply unacceptable. Also, to those guys with the customized Maize jerseys - STOP FUCKING DANCING TO EVERY SINGLE SONG. Seriously, you guys are the worst.

The Wagon

November 9th, 2009 at 8:11 AM ^

The guys in the customized Maize jerseys, from what I can tell are grad students that are former band members. They have all of their own dances coordinated for every single song, which gets annoying when you try to sit between the first and second periods and get a face-full of them dancing in front of you.

And I still haven't decided what is worse, the "Ref you Suck" chant on blatant penalties or "You Suck" chant in football when we are losing by 10 and about to give up a field goal.

Wolverine318

November 9th, 2009 at 12:24 PM ^

and who made you the fucking king of the Children of Yost. I am one of those grad students with an authentic jersey that has been going to games since I was little and going to almost every fricken game since I started grad school at Michigan. I agree those morons who are chanting "Ref you suck" while the Miami player was prone on the ice should be taken back behind Yost and beaten with a hockey stick. However, lay off the dancing. The fun, party nature of the student section is what makes Yost special.

Secondly, you have to be completely ignorant of hockey to not know that Sergott and Hill do not have the mental and physical speed to correctly call a game with two fast teams such as Michigan and Miami. This crew reminded me of the Alamo bowl crew the football team got screwed with a few years ago. There is a reason Sergott and Hill are the lowest rated crew in the CCHA. I was surprised to see those two morons out there for the weekend series. With a game this high magnitude, I was hoping we would get Shegos' crew (top CCHA crew).

I completely agree with you that the team was completely undisciplined over the weekend. I took my friend from Purdue (one of my groomsmen at my wedding) to both of the games at Yost. I was completely embarrassed by the way the team acted Saturday night. I know Miami was playing like thugs for most of the night, but we need to be above it.

MGoAndy

November 9th, 2009 at 12:41 PM ^

I'm not a Children of Yost guy, I'm a guy who doesn't think it makes sense to be dancing when we're down 4 goals.

My biggest problem certainly isn't with your dancing. It's the Ref You Suck gone wild, which just shows a complete lack of knowledge about hockey. I really hate the kids that show up for a game every once in a while to scream profanities for a few hours.

Wolverine318

November 9th, 2009 at 4:47 PM ^

I am not one of the ref you suck at every penalty guys. I played hockey in high school (for a year with Justin Abdelkader) . Going to games just keeps me connected to the game. I am right with you on those guys. I see Tristan hooking and grabbing left and right. Yet these morons are somehow surprised when he gets thrown in the box...

VictorsValiant09

November 9th, 2009 at 4:02 AM ^

Glad to see Yost is still getting policed correctly. Behavior like that is why we created the FB group "Children of Yost" to enlighten new students about chants.

You can't just yell anything, Yost is all about subtlety.

MGoAndy

November 9th, 2009 at 4:18 AM ^

I'd really like to see Brian post something about proper student section behavior. Yost isn't something you just show up and do. It is something that is inherited, taught, and cherished.

bklein09

November 9th, 2009 at 5:33 AM ^

Totally agree on the student section comments. I inadvertently got stuck on the newcomers end of the student section my senior year (last season), and I was appalled by the actions of some students that I am assuming were freshman and sophomores. One kid right next to me enjoyed using the gay slur that begins with "F" repeatedly. At one point the ref had his hand in the air and he deployed the "Raise your hand if you're a..." with said word as loud as he could. The last time I had heard that word used was sometime in high school IIRC. I was not pleased to say the least.

holtod07

November 9th, 2009 at 9:10 AM ^

I totally agree that some of the actions at Yost are getting out of hand. However, just like at football or basketball games, there will always be students who don't understand how the game is played. Students will not understand what boarding is, or whether a charge was called instead of a blocking foul. Instead of lashing out and cursing an entire group of students, simply correct them or ignore it.
As much as it might annoy everyone (including me) at the end of the day they are Michigan fans too. Ignorance is not a crime even if we'd like it to be.

hockeyguy9125

November 9th, 2009 at 10:21 AM ^

I think there is one thing to take from this weekend if you are a serious Michigan Hockey fan. Miami is miles ahead of Michigan and its not even close. I hate admitting this, but this weekend did not seem like a fluke. In the second game, Miami put on a defensive clinic. Michigan had issues breaking out of their own zone again. If you don't believe it was that bad, think back to the times Michigan controlled it in Miami's zone. The puck was always along the board and rarely got to the middle of the ice. Miami is an outstanding team and Michigan looked like they did not belong.

Things that must be a priority for the team: Power Play...no explanation is needed here, but offense in general. This team lacks a Kevin Porter, TJ Hensick, or Brendan Morrison. Louie Caporusso need to show up for every game. He either gets 3 goals in a weekend or disappears and you can't tell hes on the ice. They need some sort of scoring threat to emerge to have a successful year.

Also, cannot agree more with the student section. I am a student and to hear the ref you suck chant after every freaking call (even if it is after an obvious take down) really gets annoying. Learn the damn game.

oldblue

November 9th, 2009 at 11:09 AM ^

Last November, we looked really sluggish in two games at Miami, but we learned and came on strong. Let's hope that happens again. Too bad we don't get to play them again later. They sure are better now.

Yostal

November 9th, 2009 at 11:13 AM ^

Because it's the student section and for every thoughtful intense hockey fan in there, there's two or three idiots who believe that any penalty on Michigan is a sin against nature and that Michigan should win every game 6-0.

I think that hockeyguy was dead on, Miami looked fantastic in every phase of the game (trying to think of the last time I saw two 4 v 4 goals in a game.) They used space, they got on their assignments, and they blew Michigan out of its own building. It's frustrating because the talent should be there, but it has yet to meaningfully come together. I know it's only November, it's a long season, I'm probably projecting some of my Saturday afternoon frustration on to Saturday evening, but they've got to get it together and soon.

This article makes me hopeful as a start (http://www.annarbor.com/sports/red-berenson-michigan-hockey-team-played…), but we need to see results, particularly with a pair against Sparty this weekend. Time will tell, but they need to get the ship righted, and quick.

steve sharik

November 9th, 2009 at 11:53 AM ^

My roommate started the "C-Ya" cheer back on December 8, 1990. On a Saturday afternoon, the basketball team went down to Duke in Cameron Indoor. In that game, Eric Riley fouled out, and was serenaded with the cheer upon his fanny hitting the bench after his fifth foul. We loved it, and that night Michigan played WMU at Yost. The first opponent penalty, my roommate busted it out, we all (there were about 10 of us in a group) laughed our ass off and high-fived him and all that, and then we all did it the next penalty. People around us began to catch on and started doing it. By the end of the game, most of the bench side of Yost was doing it, and the rest is history.

By the way, that season marked the first trip to the NCAA tourney by a Red Bereson-coached team.

steve sharik

November 9th, 2009 at 2:49 PM ^

took it back to Ithaca, and then claimed it was their own. While it is true that we stole it from the Cameron Crazies, we (at least those of us that started it) never claimed it as our own.

Interestingly, we first got season hockey tix in the 1988-89 season b/c Denny Felsner, Ted Kramer, Tim Keough, and Doug Evans lived in West Quad Adams house w/us our freshmen year. We went down to the ticket office, asked for season tickets, and the reply was, "Where do you want to sit?" A different time. Yost would be about 1/2 to 2/3 full except for the MSU game, where the remainder would be filled by Sparties, especially in the "end zone" seats.

After the 90-91 season and NCAA 2nd round appearance, the following season the athletic department decided to have a 1st come/1st serve season ticket event in the basement of the union. Some frat guy showed up 1st...with all 50 or so of his brothers' IDs and the brilliant athletic department LET HIM GET ALL 50 SETS OF SEASON TICKETS! In the end, we had worse seats for our junior and senior years than we did for our freshmen and sophomore years. Woo athletic department marketing.

The same ploy happened for men's basketball, and after 3 years of working our way toward the best seats for seniors, we had to fight, scratch and claw for good seats with all the other students, some of whom didn't have an earned credit to their names.