LISTEN: Michigan hockey v. Western CCHA Championship

LISTEN LIVE as Michigan takes on Western for the CCHA title.

USTREAM Link

LIVE: Michigan hockey v. Northern Michigan

LISTEN LIVE at 5:05 as Michigan looks to complete the weekend sweep against Northern Michigan.

USTREAM LINK

Andrew Goddeeris and Mike Lewandowski on the call.

LIVE: Michigan hockey v. Michigan State

LISTEN LIVE at 7:35 as Michigan looks to bounce back from a 3-2 defeat in East Lansing against Michigan State at Joe Louis Arena.

USTREAM LINK

Andrew Goddeeris and Mike Lewandowski on the call.

LIVE: Michigan hockey v. FYS

LISTEN LIVE as Michigan takes on Little Brother at 7:35 at Yost. Michigan looks to get back on track in CCHA play and derail an upstart FYS squad.

USTREAM LINK

Michael Lewandowski and Andrew Goddeeris on the call.

LISTEN: Hockey v. Ferris State

LISTEN LIVE at 7:35 as Michigan gets set to take on #19 Ferris State in front of a sold out Yost crowd!

Andrew Goddeeris, John Zaccardelli, Kevin Carpenter, and Michael Lewandowski with the call.

LISTEN LIVE: Hockey v. Colorado College in GLI Championship!

LISTEN LIVE at 7:35 as Michigan looks to capture its 14th GLI title versus the Tigers of Colorado College at Joe Louis Arena.

Andrew Goddeeris, Adam Brewster, and Michael Lewandowski on the call.

LISTEN LIVE: Hockey v. Michigan Tech @ Great Lakes Invitational!

LISTEN LIVE at 7:35 as the Wolverines look to take down the Huskies from MTU in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena!

Andrew Goddeeris, Adam Brewster, and Michael Lewandowski on the call.

LISTEN LIVE: The BIG CHILL at the BIG HOUSE!

LISTEN LIVE at 3 pm to the Big Chill at the Big House as Michigan hockey takes on Michigan State in front of a world record crowd in Ann Arbor.

Andrew Goddeeris, John Zaccardelli, Bill Rothwell, and Chris LaFreniere in the booth.

LISTEN: Hockey v. LSSU

LISTEN LIVE at 7:35 as Michigan looks to sweep the Lakers out of Yost.

John Zaccardelli, Michael Lewandowski, Adam Brewster, and Jeff Turner on the call.

Michigan hockey v. Ferris State

LISTEN LIVE Saturday night at 7:35 as the Wolverines take on the Bulldogs of Ferris State University!

Michael Lewandowski, Jordan Rochelson, and Kevin Carpenter on the call!

2010 CCHA Tournament Finals

LISTEN HERE to WCBN's call of the CCHA Tournament Finals, as Michigan seeks an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Hockey Tournament against Northern Michigan. With a win, the Wolverines would extend their streak to 20 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and become the first team with a seed worse than #4 to win the CCHA Tournament.

Michigan Hockey Begins Push Towards CCHA Title

It begins tonight. Michigan Hockey has one more shot at lengthening its streak of 19 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances -- the longest in the sport. We are still one week away from raising the curtains on the 2010 CCHA Tournament, which represents Michigan's lone opportunity to qualify for a tournament that will surely not afford an at-large bid to this year's group of Wolverines. But it begins tonight. Michigan welcomes Notre Dame to Yost Ice Arena in the first of a two-game, three-day home-and-home to finish the regular season. In order to receive a bye in the first round of the CCHA Tournament and a home series in the Quarterfinals, Michigan will need to win twice and get some help...

Current Standings

1. Miami: 26 GP, 66 Pts., 20 W

2. Ferris St.: 26 GP, 46 Pts., 13 W

2. Michigan St.: 26 GP, 46 Pts., 13 W

4. Alaska: 28 GP, 45 Pts., 11 W

5. Nebraska-Omaha: 28 GP, 44 Pts., 13 W

6. Northern Michigan: 26 GP, 42 Pts., 11 W

7. Michigan: 26 GP, 40 Pts., 13 W

8. Ohio State

9. Lake Superior

10. Notre Dame

11. Bowling Green

12. Western Michigan

Tiebreakers: 1. Conference Wins; 2. Head-to-Head Record; 3. Head-to-Head Goal Differential

CCHA Series' This Weekend: Notre Dame vs. Michigan, Bowling Green vs. Michigan State, Western Michigan vs. Ferris State, Lake Superior at Northern Michigan, Ohio State vs. Miami

So, what does this mean for everyone else?

1. Miami has the top spot locked up

2. Michigan State and Ferris State are playing this weekend for the number two seed. If their respective series' this weekend don't settle things, Ferris State will get the number two seed by virtue of a 6-4 goal differential in the teams' only series (played last weekend).

3. Alaska and UNO are done playing CCHA games - UNO cannot get a first-round bye, and Alaska would be the beneficiary of failures from Northern Michigan and Michigan

4. Northern Michigan can clinch the #4 seed with five points this weekend at home against the Lakers

What does Michigan need for the #4 seed?

1. Two wins - In order to jump Alaska and UNO, Michigan needs five points. Michigan would win a tiebreaker over Alaska by virtue of Michigan's 13 conference wins, so Michigan could receive the #4 seed with one regulation win and one shootout win

2. NMU must lose at least one game - if Michigan picks up all six points available to them against Notre Dame, NMU would be forced to gain at least five points against Lake Superior, as Michigan owns the conference-wins tiebreaker over the Wildcats. If Michigan wins once in regulation and once in a shootout (five points), NMU would need four points (one regulation win and one shootout loss or two shootout losses).

And then we're in?

Not even close. But, in order to have a chance at making a run in the CCHA Tournament, Michigan would be greatly aided by a first-round bye and a home series in the Quarterfinals. If Michigan can get to the Semis, they'll need two wins in front of a favorable crowd at Joe Louis Arena in order to extend their streak of consecutive tournament appearances to 20.

It won't be easy, and it's far from likely. Miami is one of the best teams in the country, and Michigan has been tremendously inconsistent this season. But this is a talented team with the best coach in the country, and our job, as fans, is to keep hope alive.

Listen: Highlights of Last Night's Classic at the Joe

A new chapter was added to college hockey's fiercest rivalry last night, as Michigan and Michigan State fought to the finish at Joe Louis Arena. After State took a 4-3 lead with four unanswered goals, Michigan had six minutes to save their season...

Listen to the highlights from WCBN Sports!

Great Lakes Invitational Preview

By John Zaccardelli

9 and 9!? 10^th 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 3^rd consecutive season. Taking place December 29^th and 30^th, 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 2^nd 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.

Listen: Michigan Hockey vs. #1 Miami

Tune-in to WCBN Sports tonight as the #4 Michigan Wolverines look for redemption against the top-ranked Miami University RedHawks.

Game: Miami RedHawks at Michigan Wolverines

Time: 7:35 P.M.

Venue: Yost Ice Arena (Ann Arbor, MI)

Broadcast Link: YouCastr

Highlights: Michigan Hockey Home Opener

Check out highlights of WCBN's call of Michigan Hockey's home opening victory over the Niagara Purple Eagles.

Final Score: Michigan 3 - Niagara 2

Next Home Game: Nov 6 vs. #1 Miami

Highlights Link: YouCastr

The Mixer: Finals Edition

It's Finals Week!!! That means a real lull in blogging and everyone too busy to celebrate the end of school/college. I'm sick of seeing the old baseball post remain at the top, so it's time for another edition of The Mixer!

I don't know how much longer I'll be blogging on this site (my next blogging site is in the works), but I just want to thank everyone who has visited our site regularly. I always enjoy hearing feedback from our listeners on MGoBlue or from our weekly shows. You guys have been awesome and it has been a great ride.

OK, put the tissues away. Time for The Mixer!

The week that was....: Hash Bash is a huge "tradition" at U of M, and I would be remiss not to acknowledge this. Now, in full disclosure, I DO NOT smoke weed. But I will never forget the first time I saw 60 year-old men in rainbow t-shirts walking down State Street my freshmen year. Only in Ann Arbor. I'll miss it. Anyways, here is the Family Guy song from last weekend (one of their best):



Cavs Playoff Proposal: I'll be at the Pistons game this Friday to watch LeBron complete Leg 3 of a first round sweep. It's so depressing to watch the shell of a championship team limp into the off-season. However, I'm still amazed at how loose the Cavs are right now. So much pressure to win the first professional title in their city going back to the 60's, yet they still have the sense of humor to do this...



Shameless Self-Promotion: Two new stories up from me this week. I told you guys about the Captain's Corner story I was working on, and that just got put up on MGoBlue. The video is in the Multimedia player in the right margin of the page.

The other story is about Michigan Soccer Captain Katie Miler and her college career. I really enjoyed doing both stories, and it took me a long time. Enjoy!

Good-Bye, College: Can anyone think of a more over-used song in heart-warming slide shows than "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)" by Green Day? I really feel like it was a good song that was killed by radio over-play...but then people just kept on drilling it into every emotional class video project and MTV reality show finale. Well, you won't get that from me. But I did have some of the best times in Ann Arbor in my last two years among friends at the Ann Arbor bars and restaurants. Here's a good example:



One of the greatest bar scenes from a movie ever created. We had plenty of these types of nights while I was here, too.

As for those staying behind, make sure you get your Ann Arbor Bucket Lists finished before it's too late. Here's one example:



The video quality is low, but that's what you get when you use iMovie to edit a project.

Hopefully, I'll post one more time before the year is over. Also, baseball coverage this weekend.

Until Then,

MB

MIchigan Hockey vs. Air Force: Live from Bridgeport, CT

2:35 pm - We arrived in Bridgeport, CT at about 12:30 after a wonder, 11 hour drive in former sports director Tony Bolton's Saturn. The game is set to start in about 25 minutes and both teams are currently warming up on the ice. While we will be calling the game (see the link in the post below), we will also blogging the game live. Due to NCAA blogging restrictions, we can only post so much, but we will do our best without getting our credentials revoked.

FIRST PERIOD

20:00 - The puck has dropped in Bridgeport, with Carl Hagelin, Matt Rust, and Aaron Palushaj getting the start up front, captains Mark Mitera and Chris Summers starting on the blue line, and Brian Hogan getting the nod in goal. Hogan and the Michigan D are looking to rebound from a dreadful third period in the CCHA Championship vs. Notre Dame, where the Wolverines gave up 5 unanswered goals. Early in this game, the puck has gone back and forth with Michigan failing to capitalize on a great scoring chance. With 16:48 left in the period, Air Force winger took the game's first penalty (contanct to the head/elbowing) and Michgian will get an early chance on the power play.

6:22 - After failing to put the puck in the net with over a minute of 5 on 3 hockey, the Wolverines have taken 3 penalties. They got lucky when the referee Michigan is dominating the shot counts 12 to 2, but have been unable
to get a good flow going with all the penalties against them.

4:42 - Air Force 1, Michigan 0 - Air Force has scored the first goal of the game, a power play goal scored by Derrick Burnett. Air Force was starting to get something going on the multiple shot opportunities from the power plays. Michigan's defense will need to clamp down on against the speedy Falcons so that the offensive opportunities can develop.

0:00 - The first period is done with Michigan down to Air Force 1-0. Despite spending the last 4 minutes of the period in the Falcons zone, the Blue could not find the back on the net (on 16 shots). Michigan has also taken 4 penalties in the period, with 3 on Air Force, showing that the refs are calling a tight game (with questionable calls on both teams). Michigan definitely looks like the more talented team, but they seem to have a block of some sort, with iffy turnovers and lack of shot taking. The Falcons are definitely a dangerous team with some offensive power.

SECOND PERIOD

12:58 - Air Force 2, Michigan 0 - Air has just notched their second goal of the afternoon on just 4 shots on goal. Jacques Lamoureux, the nation's leading scorer, put in the puck on a 2 on 1. The period has been dominated by sloppy play on Michigan's part. A bad play by Mark Mitera in Michigan's zone led to Air Force's second goal. The energy show by Air Force is far eclipsing any urgency from the Wolverines. Michigan has shown that they can pass in the Falcon's zone and win battles in the corners, but a lack of shots has led to few scoring opportunities, as well as great goaltending from the Falcon's Andrew Volkening.

5:59 - Not much to say except that the incredibly poor and sloppy play is continuing from the Wolverines. They can't seem to get any breaks from the boards or refs (Wohlberg was called for embellishment) . If they want any hope for a comeback, they need to focus and get their last 3 periods of hockey out of their heads. At 4:51, Michigan will go on the power play, so the Maize and Blue faithful will look for their boys to get back on track.

0:00 - I don't really want to write any more on this period, which was one of Michigan's worst all year. No one on the team is immune to the sloppy play. Michigan will start the third period with the man advantage. UAF 2, UM 0.

THIRD PERIOD

20:00 - The puck has dropped on the most important period of Michigan hockey of the year. They will begin on the power play, which has started with not 1 but 2 icing calls on the Blue. Air Force has blown 2 leads in recent tournament history and every Michigan hockey fan hopes for more of the same.

13:20 - Desperation has begun to set for the Wolverines. Michigan has slowed the sloppy play, but still is playing with a less than desirable energy level. Great goalie play from Volkening continues. Michigan has tried many times to set up long break out passes, but those have frequently led to turnovers by the Blue. Carl Hagelin looks to be the only one playing with some passion. Even with multiple man advantages, it just seems to be one of those night where nothing goes Michigan's way.

6:02 - The situation has gone from bad to worse as the Wolverine's most dangerous penalty killer Carl Hagelin takes a holding call in the Falcons' zone. The Michigan bench and fan section look stunned and completely out of options.

0:00 - The Michigan Wolverines hockey season has come to an end with a 2-0 loss to the Air Force Falcons. Offensively Michigan could really have done nothing more, as they put 43 shots on Andrew Volkening with no success. Almost everything, from the bounces to the questionable officiating, went against the Wolverines. It just seemed like the hockey gods wanted Air Force to move on in this tournament. The player of the game has to be Volkening, whose 43 saves anchored the Falcons. The Air Force defense seemed to know exactly what players to shut down, as Palushaj and Caparusso got roughed up for most of the game. While the season ends in a very disappointing fashion, Michigan fans can just shake their heads and laugh about this. The Wolverines were just not meant to win this one.

Signing off from the Arena at Harbor Yard in Brigdeport, CT, this is Kevin Gregus saying Go Blue.

NCAA Hockey Tournament: #1 Michigan vs #4 Air Force

Michigan Hockey's march towards a second straight Frozen Four begins today in Bridgeport, Conn. LIVE coverage of Michigan-Air Force can be heard beginning at 3pm on YouCastr with Andrew Seid and Christian Montgomery on-hand for the call.  The game will be re-aired at 7pm on WCBN tonight for Game of the Week. GO BLUE!!!

LISTEN HERE!!!

Maize and Blog Mixer

We are almost a month into 2009, but here is something that will hopefully catch on here at Maize & Blog. It's called "The Mixer." Every week, we will bring you a grab bag of stories and links from the recent days and weeks, much of it pretaining to U of M Sports... and some just for fun. Anyways, if you have anything you wanted posted, e-mail us at goblue232@gmail.com.

The Mixer:

I'm not really in the mood to discuss Michigan's play against OSU just yet. I'll save that for tomorrow with our Purdue preview. In the meantime, here is a great Fab Five package done by ESPN and posted by none other than Jalen Rose. Little known fact about Rose: He posts EVERYTHING he does on TV to YouTube. Seriously. Everytime that guy is on TV, he cuts the footage and posts it. I'm sure we haven't seen our last clip from Jalen TV.

Even LeBron loves himself some Fab Five.

How many tries does it take for MSU's Alyssa Dehaan (6'9) to dunk a basketball? Apparently more than a digital camera is able to showcase on one memory card....

(...sigh) Oh, Little Brother. Obviously, she's got a long way to go to hit Candace Parker territory.

Behind the Scenes at Yost: The Detroit News gives readers a great look inside a day at Yost. This is a great photo journalistic piece by John Greilick and is worth watching if you've ever been to Yost.

MGoBlue Clip of the Week: Doug Karsch interviews new Defenisve Coordinator Greg Robinson. I wasn't sold on him coming in, but he's gotten good reviews from people in football. Here's his first interview as a Wolverine.

Featured Guest: Later this week on "Game of the Week," Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch will be in to talk with us. He covers Olympic sports, as well as is the main writer detailing what goes on in the sports media world. Here is a little background to get you set for Friday.