9 and 9!? 10th in the CCHA?? Toto, were not in Kansas anymore. The Michigan hockey team has struggled this season which has put their NCAA appearance in jeopardy. An appearance streak running for 19 straight years. First, they need to win the Great Lakes Invitational for a 3rd consecutive season. Taking place December 29th and 30th, the Great Lakes Invitational will feature Michigan versus Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Michigan State versus Michigan Tech in the opening games.
Michigan’s first opponent R.P.I. is 9-9-1 and has lost 4 of the last 5 games coming into the tournament. The engineers score 2.89 per game, but give up about the same amount at 2.79 GAA. They are led by junior Chase Polacek their top scorer in goals (12) and points (26) along with Freshmen Brandon Pirri and Jerry D’Amigo chipping in 18 and 14 points respectively. Sophomore Goaltender Allen York has played majority of the games and will have to play magnificent to win the tournament. Rensselaer has played in the G.L.I. once before in 1985 finishing 2nd to Michigan State, so they have some hope but they’ll have to do it without D’Amigo because he’ll be at the World Juniors.
Surprisingly and luckily in some sense, Chris Brown was the last cut from U.S.A.’s World Junior team. Red Berenson will not have to make too many adjustments with the top line intact. The second line will have to play more consistent and get David Wohlberg, also cut from team U.S.A., to break his 4 game pointless streak. Brain Lebler, Ben Winnett and Luke Glendening will be counted on to make hits, forecheck hard and pop in that timely goal. Freshmen forwards A.J. Treais and Kevin Lynch will play their first games at the Joe Louis Arena where they could gain some magic like Tim Miller did in his career. Michigan’s defense with captain Chris Summers and improving Lee Moffie need to keep the puck out of the net and lead the offensive charge. They need to make the smart play and crisp pass to create a smooth transition game. Bryan Hogan will have to play like he did in the College Hockey Showcase. He has improved his game in the past couple weeks but rebound control is still a must. Michigan’s objective is to score at least 3 goals. They have only lost one game when scoring at least that amount this season. They can take advantage of R.P.I.’s weak penalty kill at 79% with their power play unit that has much improved since the start of the season. Look for Michigan to play comfortably at Joe Louis Arena and defeat Rensselaer to play MSU/MTU in the championship game (most likely State). Michigan can get their revenge for two tough losses to the Spartans earlier this season.
Lauren: Did you attend the Ohio State game Saturday? How do you feel about the loss? Did you think we were going to win?
Kenny: Yes I was at the game, and I feel like it was the best we’ve played all year. We made some mistakes on offense, but of course I thought we had a really good chance of winning. I feel like you can never doubt a team’s abilities. There’s always a chance you can win a game. Plus it was their senior show so spirits were high, I honestly thought we had a chance.
L: How did your season go on a personal note? What areas of your game did you improve upon and which areas do you see yourself needing to improve in the future?
K: Our record this season was 6/5. We made the play offs, but we lost in the first round. I was really sick so I wasn’t able to finish out the season, or play in the playoff game. On a personal note I had a disappointing season. We expected more of ourselves. We expected to win more games, but I did have fun playing my last year of high school football. [As far as improvements go] I know I have to get bigger, faster, and stronger. I need to improve on all levels to compete with the best players in college football.
L: Are you planning on enrolling early?
K: Actually I can’t [enroll early] because I have to take another math class so I’ll just be coming to campus in June, but I’m definitely excited to come.
L: What made you choose Michigan, especially after the struggles of last year?
K: Going to Michigan has been kind of a dream for me. I’ve wanted to play there since I was six. The coaches are really nice too, and the program’s just a good program overall.
L: You're a pretty versatile defensive player. Where have the Michigan coaches talked to you about playing? Do you think you’ll be stepping in right away and contributing as a freshman?
K: The coaches told me that most likely I’ll be playing defensive end. I played liner backer and defensive in high school. I’m unsure about redshirting. The coaches told me to be ready to play because there is space for me to play if I show them that I’m good enough. I guess it all depends on how well I do this summer and at camp.
L: Do Michigan's struggles this year have any impact on your recruitment? What kind of season are you hoping for next year?
K: Michigan’s struggles haven’t had a negative impact on my recruiting because I’ve always wanted to go there. I think kids go where they feel comfortable. I think it has little to do with how well the team is doing, especially if it’s a school with an established program. I think next year will be great. Each year coach Rod keeps improving, and it takes time to take a team to the next level like he’s trying to do.
L: Are there any other recruits that you talk to that Michigan is trying to secure a commitment from? How much of a recruiting role do you personally play?
K: I’ve talked to kids like Cullen Christian. I think me talking to him kinda helps because it’s always good to look at things from another person’s perspective.
L: For Michigan fans concerned about the defensive recruiting this year i.e. fewer high rated players than usual, what do you think of the recruiting services? Do you think too much attention is paid to the star rankings in general?
K: I don’t really worry about rankings. For some kids it is a big deal to be ranked highly, but not for me because I know what I can do and I know no matter what I do I’m gonna work hard.
What do you, as a fan, expect from Rich Rodriguez and the Wolverines in the final two weeks of the season? Is playing a close game with Ohio St. enough for you to feel comfortable with missing a Bowl game for the second consecutive year? Does Michigan have to win one of their final two games for you to consider the 2009 year a success? If you've given up on 2009, what are your expectations for 2010 and what do you feel are the proper repercussions for not meeting those expectations? 
Tune-in to WCBN Sports tonight as the #4 Michigan Wolverines look for redemption against the top-ranked Miami University RedHawks.
Tune in to WCBN Sports today as Michigan hopes to return to Bowl eligibility against Purdue at noon from Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.
Tune in to WCBN Sports today as Michigan seeks their second win over a ranked opponent this season and their first Big Ten victory since Indiana in Week Four.
It is that time of the year again; October skies, leaves changing and Michigan Hockey! Red Berenson’s team will start the new season with two exhibition games against the United States National Developmental Program Under-18 Team and University of Windsor. The game to watch should be the one against the Under-18 team because not only is it against top college recruits, but five of them are currently committed to Michigan’s 2010 class. Jack Campbell (1) is a stud waiting to be Michigan’s starting goaltender and could challenge Hogan for playing time as soon as next year. Defensemen Jon Merrill (15) and Kevin Clare (4) will be replacing seniors Chris Summers (4) and Steve Kampfer (5) with their size and skill. Jacob Fallon (8) and Luke Moffatt (7) will be adding more scoring potential to an already potent Michigan offense.
There will be a couple of lineup battles going into the season. The top two centers will be Louie Caprousso (29) and Matt Rust (19), and David Wolberg (25) along with Carl Hagelin (12) will be wingers on the top two lines. Robbie Czarnik(27), Chris Brown(10), Kevin Lynch(11), Ben Winnett(16), and Brian Lebler (14) will fight it out for the final two wing positions. Freshman Lindsay Sparks (39) (Yes it can be a guy’s name) and Jeff Rohrkemper (22) will try show Coach Berenson they have the defensive reliability to be on the 3rd or 4th line. On the backend, Greg Pateryn(2), Scooter Vaughan(3), and Lee Moffie(13) will battle it out for the final defensive pairing and not end up in the 7th defenseman role.
The Wolverines will be challenged by America’s top junior program as the USDP has the talent and speed to keep up with Michigan for the first two periods. The third period will show Michigan experience and superior scoring skills. It will be a good test for this Michigan with high expectations. Prediction: 5-2 Michigan over U.S. under-18.
-JZ
Maize and Blog is delighted to bring you a special interview with Inkster High School QB Devin Gardner, the number 1 ranked QB prospect in the country, and current Michigan commit. Special Recruiting Correspondent and Rivals.com contributor (and current Michigan sophomore) Lauren Winfrey talked to Devin about his game, his season, recruiting rankings, and playing right away at Michigan.
Answer: “I would like to improve not only as a quarterback, but as a football player overall. I also want to win a state championship.”
What are you looking forward to most this season?
Answer: “I am looking forward to playing all of the out of state teams this season, while proving that Inkster is a really good team by winning a state championship.”
The list of out of state teams that the Inkster Vikings will face off against this season includes:
St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)
St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio)
Steubenville (Steubenville, Ohio)
What do you still need to improve on as a player?
Answer: “Everything. I want to be perfect and since perfection is impossible to achieve, I will work everyday as hard as I can to improve on everything until I am as close to perfection as possible.”
What’s your record so far this season?
Answer: “1-2. So far we’ve played Pioneer (L) ,East Kentwood (L), and St. Edwards (W).”
What are you doing to prepare for your next game? Who’s the game against?
Answer: “I’m practicing, watching film, and studying my opponent. Our next game is against Highland Park (Friday September 25 at Highland Park High).”
Do you feel slighted by Ohio State’s lack of an early offer?
Answer: “I don’t feel slighted at all.”
Did that play a role in your commitment to Michigan, or were you always leaning more toward Michigan?
Rivals.com has you pegged as the number 1 quarterback of any style in the country. Do you feel any added pressure to go out and prove you deserve that ranking?
Answer: “No. I just wanna win football games and whether I’m ranked number one or not I’m still gonna be the same football player, but it is nice to be so highly ranked.”
Do you think recruits in general pay too much attention to rankings?
Answer: “Definitely, because whether you’re highly ranked or not you still have to believe in yourself and your abilities to be the best player you can be—the rankings alone don’t make the player.”
There's a perception that "dual-threat" quarterbacks don't have as good a chance making it to the NFL and that "pro-style" quarterbacks do. You've obviously committed to Rich Rodriguez's spread offense - do you feel it gives you just as good a shot to make the NFL than any other offense?
Answer: “Yes, because I’m going to be the same player, no matter what style of offense I have to run, and I’ll always work on my game.”
Obviously it's early, but Tate Forcier has done pretty well for Michigan so far in the 2009 season. Does his performance have any impact on your commitment?
Answer: “No. I knew Tate was a good quarterback before he started playing for Michigan, and I expected him to do well.”
How do you feel about possibly ‘red-shirting’?
Answer: “I’m gonna do my best to prevent it by showing the coaches that I am too good of a player to sit out.”
What do you think about claims that Michigan State has dominated in-state recruiting in recent years?
Answer: “I don’t think they have dominated ‘in-state’ recruiting. Some people gauge recruiting statistics based off of how highly ranked a player is (on various websites, in the media, etc.), as a result the players that aren’t ranked as high don’t receive as much attention, but they’re still very good players who are being recruited just the same.”
Lastly, what keeps you motivated?
Answer: “The nay sayers—the people who count me out of the QB race at Michigan when I haven’t even stepped foot on the field.”
Listen to WCBN Sports as Michigan looks to improve to 2-0 in 2009 against the Notre Dame Fightin' Irish. Since teaching the Irish how to play football, Michigan and Notre Dame have become bitter rivals as the two most winningest programs in college football history. Michigan holds a 20-15-1 edge in the history of the rivalry.
Listen to WCBN Sports as the Rich Rodriguez era at the University of Michigan enters its second season against the Western Michigan Broncos out of the Mid-American Conference. 
accuracy, and confidence many expect Tate to win the job. I agree with that assessment. However, Forcier still does not have the knowledge of the playbook that Sheridan has. This is evident in practice in that Smith still has to criticize Forcier of not going through his progressions in walk-throughs while Sheridan is often correcting his teammates throughout. In Forcier's final year of high school, his completion percentage went down from 77% to 63% and interceptions went up from 5 as a junior to 15 as a senior. He did lose a lot of talent around him, but those still are somewhat alarming to me. It seemed that his final year of high school saw him with an increased likelihood of taking risks through the air. If Forcier struggles with decision-making and starts to turn the ball over, do not be surprised to see Sheridan get increased playing time.
passing to just 1300 yards rushing in 3 years as a starter. His senior year, Robinson threw for over 1800 yards while rushing for just over 500 yards. The main concern with his passing is accuracy with a senior year completion percentage of just 43%. My opinion on Denard is he will play in every game (barring-injury) but probably not as the full time starter. His speed and talent is just too great to keep off the field. As far as managing the game at the QB slot, I do not believe he could do as great a job as Tate just yet. It is just my opinion, but the fact that Forcier has been here 4-5 months longer, has the most accurate arm, and still can run the ball a bit just makes him the better game-manager at this point in time. Rich Rod insists that Robinson is taking reps as any other quarterback and is learning to run the offense. I do not doubt that he is. However, with Forcier as the leader as "game-manager" Rodriguez and the staff are not going to let Robinson stand idly on the sidelines throughout each game. From Robinson's high school numbers, I'm actually a bit concerned that he may try to pass too much even when he has a chance to break a big run. Hopefully he trusts his instincts and the coaches ensure that he uses that speed. Since Rich Rod asserts that all three QBs will play against Western, I expect Robinson will have a few drives as "the guy" as well. But, Forcier's mix of physical abilities and knowledge of the offense will win him the job. Robinson will still play every game and the coaches have a chance to create a great dynamic between the two, IMO. I believe Sheridan will end up being like another coach on the sidelines and waiting in the wings just in case Forcier goes down.
to be the starter this year. He is a fifth year senior who was shaky last season, but came along and was decent as the season progressed. Huyge is a bit of a flier as a third year sophomore. Most people expected redshirt freshman and Rodriguez recruit #65 Patrick Omameh to win the job for RT. But Huyge really came along throughout camp and appears to have earned the job, at least for now. That means one of two things. Either Huyge has really stepped up his game and will be a solid option at RT or Omameh is not as good as we expected him to be. The coaches have praised Omameh and his development though making the latter unlikely. So, the optimist in me is saying Huyge will be solid and I am going with the optimist in me. Omameh should play plenty this year and provide very solid depth. If Huyge struggles at all then Omameh will be able to fill in his shoes. At LT, #79 Perry Dorrestein is the backup to Ortmann. Dorrestein started four games at the spot last year and was not very terrible in relation to last year's line (he was still pretty bad). He is big and was pretty slow a year ago. While he looks to be in better shape now, he probably will only play extensively if Ortmann gets hurt. The tackle spots seem alot more certain this year, but again they are not great. There will be times where they get beat, but those times should be less numerous than last season.
Out of all the lineman last year though, Moosman struck me as perhaps the least erratic along with Schilling. Moosman was for the most part a solid but not great player on the O-line last year. With that year of experience he may take a step up into "good" status. He had some trouble getting to the second level last year and that will have to improve if Michigan is to make the most of their great backfield. Moosman is pretty versatile on the line and if Molk gets injured, chances are he could slide to center with one of the freshman taking his guard spot. Hopefully this does not come to pass, though as guard is Moosman's more natural position. Listed behind Moosman is #74 John Ferrara. Ferrara switched from DT to O-line last year due to the scarcity of depth. Of course, now Michigan lacks depth on the D-line but the coaches have elected to keep Ferrara on offense. Ferrara was not good last year, but for a guy who had never played O-line even in high school, he showed some promise in his five starts. He will see limited action this year, but will probably not see extensive playing time unless the team has injuries. I also would not be surprised to see Mealer and Barnum get some time at right guard in relief of Moosman.
man, but he has been consistent. And last year, you cannot blame Mathews for the terrible QB play. Matthews ended up as the team's 2nd leading receiver with 409 yards on 35 receptions in 11 games. Now, he has an accurate quarterback, albeit a freshman one in Forcier. Forcier will have at least some time to throw. Mathews will see more balls and will have a chance to establish himself as a top tier receiver. I am not sure that he is at that level, but he is a solid receiver and will have chances to show he is more. On the other side, #21 Junior Hemingway has taken the starting job over #22 Darryl Stonum. Hemingway received a medical redshirt last season after coming down with mono for the remaining 8 games of the season. However, remember in the Utah game Hemingway had 6 catches for 79 yards and a score. If Hemingway was healthy last year maybe there would be no question that he should be a starter. It appears that it is still a close competition between Hemingway and Stonum though for the starting job and I expect both to get starts at the position. At practice on Wednesday, Stonum was playfully talking trash to Hemingway during the receivers' drills. Coach Dews heard him and jokingly said something along the lines
of, "Keep talking Darryl. Get in his head. You're going to take his job right?" So it seems they are still battling. In Mathews, Hemingway, and Stonum, Michigan has three legitimate outside receivers who can all play for possession or go long for the deep ball. Having those three experienced guys should really help the development of Forcier and Robinson as they should be reliable targets in the ten to fifteen yard range. #12 Roy Roundtree is listed as a slot receiver, but coaches have stated he plays both outside and inside. Roundtree will probably get a few reps at outside receiver this season given his success in the spring and the depth at slot. #82 LaTerryal Savoy is listed as Hemingway's backup, but does anyone really expect him to get significant time? He is now a fifth year senior who has never cracked the starting lineup except for one game last year in which he did not play too much throughout. His career has been a disappointment. With his 6'3" size coming out of high school he was at least expected to become a decent outside target. It never really materialized. #18 James Rogers played a little bit last season making his first career reception against Illinois. He should not play too much if Hemingway, Stonum, and Mathews are healthy. One guy to watch out for is true freshman #6 Je'ron Stokes. The coaches have praised the high school All-American throughout camp and he is currently listed at third on the depth chart at X receiver (Mathews spot). My guess is that the coaches would actually like to redshirt him, but will play him if they see it necessary. We will find out more about the coaches' plans if he plays on Saturday. So there is quite a bit of depth at this spot. Again, nobody has asserted themselves as a go-to guy just yet. But there are a bunch of solid options and chances are that one or two guys will at least step up and prove to have great seasons. I expect one of Mathews, Hemingway, or Stonum to emerge as a great deep threat this year.
year, opponents will be more prepared for Odoms and expect them to get defenders to him much quicker thereby preventing him from making plays in the open field. I expect Odoms to have another good year and be able to go down field a little more with Forcier at the helm. He had pretty good hands a year ago (on offense; on special teams his hands turned to rock) and being a reliable target will help the freshman QBs. The execution needs to get much better on the bubble screens though. It will help having Forcier throwing the ball since he throws much more accurate screen passes than Threet. But Michigan needs to cut down on the negative yardage plays and alot of that was from those passes to Odoms. A good QB will really help fix those problems. Behind Odoms is a big surprise with former basketball player #19 Kelvin Grady moving up to 2nd on the depth chart. He made a splash early in fall camp with the mgoblue.com play of the day with a one-handed grab. Rodriguez really loves his speed and insists Grady is going to play alot this year. Grady played running back at East Grand Rapids a few years ago. As a senior he rushed for over 2000 yards and 28 TDs. Grady is fast. Michigan will look to get him the ball on screens or slants and let him run really really fast after that. And there's more good talent at slot still with #7 Terrence Robinson next on the depth chart. Robinson was actually slated to start ahead of Odoms last season until a leg injury sustained in fall camp kept him out for the entire year. As a senior in high school, Robinson played quarterback in a wildcat type system rushing for over 2100 yards and 29 TDs. It is yet to be seen if he has the same agility and speed as he did before the injury. He will see some action, but not as much as Grady and Odoms early on. If one of them struggles or if he proves to be better than expected when he gets reps, Robinson could work his way up the depth chart. As mentioned above, #12 Roy Roundtree will play both slot and outside receiver. After his excellent spring game it should be fun to watch Roundtree and he provides yet another legitimate dangerous target for the Wolverines. Some of Michigan's backs will also get some action at the slot in different formations for the Wolverines. I especially expect to see this with Shaw and Vincent Smith. Both are smaller backs with quickness that is ideal for the slot. We saw Shaw there last season and he was temporarily shifted there in the offseason. With Stonum, Hemingway, Mathews and the four guys on the depth chart at slot, we are already at seven solid options in the passing attack not including the running backs.
