johnny beecher

The Irish are slain, just in time for St. Patrick's Day [James Coller]

3/12/2022 – Michigan 2, Notre Dame 1 – 28-9-1 (16-0-5-3 B1G) 

Hockey is a sport where the flow of the game hinges on energy level. Brian called basketball "a game of runs" in a column last year, and I don't think hockey is dissimilar. The only twist is that because hockey is such a low scoring sport, the best way you can tell who is in the midst of a "run" is through watching the game. That, or tracking shot attempts on a minute by minute basis. One team will start racking up the chances, then they commit a penalty, and suddenly the other team gets a power play, and they also get the opportunity to go on a run after it ends, even if they don't score on it.

Those runs are driven by energy level, when one team's skaters just have a little more jump in their step than those on the opposing team. They start winning more puck battles, look more tenacious on the walls, and seem a bit faster on the rush. When the other team is strangling your team, it's up to your skaters to pick up the energy level to try and match them. I've been writing about hockey strategy on this site for over a year now, and have studied it for far longer, but one thing I've learned is this: you can study the strategic and systematic component to the sport all you want, but the X's and O's only matter so much if your energy level as a team isn't matching your opponent's. That's why if you ever watch clips of hockey coaches mic'd up behind the bench during a game, they rarely are saying "you know what guys, we need to adjust our neutral zone forecheck to have F1 go a little lower towards the goal line" with a whiteboard out. Instead they're barking things like "we're dragging now! They're kicking our ass! Wake the fuck up and COMPETE." Energy level, baby. 

Michigan rose their energy level on Saturday night. They came out guns blazing in the Friday game against ND back in late February, but that game saw ND quickly tie it and then things went sideways. In the second game of that series, Michigan's energy level was middling as they were committed to playing a tight, mistake-free game. That worked okay for awhile, until they made a mistake in the second period. Neither of those formulas were the right one to crack the Irish code, and so Saturday they came up with a new plan: just outwork Notre Dame for nearly the entire 60 minutes. Right out of the gate, Michigan was competing at a higher level than they had at any point previously in the season against the Irish.

[James Coller]

The Wolverines were winning nearly every puck battle in their own zone throughout the entire first 25 minutes of the game. They disrupted Notre Dame's flow through the neutral zone, won the battles when the dump ins came, and were able to force play in the Notre Dame half of the ice. They seemed much more prepared for this sort of game than the last time around, knowing that they had to shoot more often, even if many were going to be blocked by Notre Dame's defensive positioning. Michigan was willing to do so, because they had the jump in their step to win a good amount of the ensuing puck retrieval battles. Energy level. 

The result was a 1st period that saw Michigan dominate the shot attempts tally. Notre Dame got one good look on net, and Portillo made the save. Otherwise, it was all Michigan. They did the same thing early in the second, looking faster and more determined than their opposition, like they wanted it more. The Wolverines finally got the goal to go up 1-0 off a brilliant rush chance finished by Matty Beniers and Brendan Brisson. But that's when the energy level shifted, as it often does. Notre Dame picked their level up, and started battling. They got some generous help from the Puck Luck Gods and were able to cash in a chance off a long cycle possession that was extended by Michigan's clearing effort going off the referee and staying in the zone. 

But Michigan came right back. Notre Dame had found a way to match the Wolverines' energy level, and Michigan responded by finding a way to want the victory more. Their play and compete level found a new notch, and pummeled Notre Dame in the third period. Shot attempts were as lopsided as the first period, Michigan got the go-ahead goal, and then the Irish got nothing the entire rest of the way. Needing to put away a game, the Wolverines continued to skate circles around Notre Dame and suffocated the Irish offense until there was no time left. Shot attempts in the third period were something like 20-4 in favor of Michigan, and for the game they were 84-37 at even strength. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: More narrative, HockeyBullets, and PWR]

Get Out The Brooms (James Coller)

CLICK HERE for Game Recap from Kristy McNeil and other pertinent information and HERE for current Pairwise Rankings.

 

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

 

Total Attempts

Even Strength

Power Play

Close (within 1)

Even Strength %

Michigan State

49

40

9

2

38%

Michigan

84

64

20

7

62%

Forward Notes.

-This game was never close. Both Michigan State goalies gifted the Wolverines soft goals in the opening eleven minutes and before one could utter "Little Brother," it was 4-0. Thomas Bordeleau, Mike Pastujov, and Kent Johnson all tallied in the early going. That was pretty much it. The truth is that Michigan is just a very good hockey team and Michigan State is not. The Wolverines overwhelmed the Spartans in every way, shape, form, and part of a hockey game. We're running out of ways to describe the differences between these two teams.

-Johnny Beecher was the man of note on Saturday evening. He finally broke his 2022 scoring drought on a 2v1 deposit...breaking his stick in celebration. Beecher has been having quite a second half, especially since lining up with Mackie Samoskevich and Dylan Duke. While Duke and Samo have been scoring, that is the one area of Johnny's game that hasn't clicked. He also tallied a power play goal during Michigan's Five Minute Rampage in the second period. Don't be surprised if Beecher takes this line to even higher heights now that he's gotten the monkey off of his back.

[SO MANY GOALS after THE JUMP]

A little too much of this (Zoey Holmstrom)

CLICK HERE for Game Recap from Kristy McNeil and other pertinent information and HERE for current Pairwise Rankings.

 

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

 

Total Attempts

Even Strength

Power Play

Close (within 1)

Even Strength %

Notre Dame

71

57

14

35

57%

Michigan

56

43

13

29

43%

Forward Notes.

-If you’ve watched Michigan play Notre Dame in the last 5-10 years, you probably know how this goes. The Irish play very sound in-zone defense. They don’t generally stray from responsibilities. They also can physically win battles in the corner and the front of the net. Friday night was no different. When Michigan was able to gain the zone, Notre Dame kept them to the edges and close down their space and time pretty easily. Once the game got later, they shrunk back further, and dared the Wolverines to pick the lock. They could not.  

-Mel Pearson opted to go with the Hero Line of KJ/Beniers/Brisson. They started January very well before being broken up in Minneapolis. Tonight, they were mostly contained by the Irish defensive lockdown. The issue with that line is they tend to play for the highly skilled goal, making extra passes and getting the very open look. They got almost none of those. At some point, its time to get the blue collar goal and get to the net, win a physical battle, and outwork the opponent. That did not happen enough on Friday in South Bend.

-Once again, a major penalty dooms the Wolverines. Johnny Beecher cross-checked a guy in the head/neck after a faceoff. There was absolutely no reason to do that…just like many previous Wolverines majors. While Michigan probably kills the major if Portillo doesn’t make his mistake, it doesn’t really matter. Taking these penalties has become a representation of this team. Sometimes, they are talented enough to overcome them and win anyway. However, it doomed them against Notre Dame in November and Minnesota in January. The only thing to do is just don’t make stupid mistakes. At this point, though, it’s not exactly unexpected. Last thing about Beecher being leaving the game: he’s been one of Michigan’s best players in the second half AND he’s the lynch-pin of that line…a line that has a tendency to get greasy goals. That was exactly what Michigan needed in the final two periods.

[Writeup after THE JUMP]

Michigan played well. Minnesota played well. Michigan made one too many big mistakes. 

Touchdown, Michigan! Safety, School State! 7>2

The 2021-22 Hockey season preview kicks off in STYLE 

The previous week Michigan blew a chance to sweep a rival. They didn't this past week. Oh and one more is coming up this weekend. I guess we have a lot of rivals. 

What do Michigan Hockey and prehistoric mammals have in common? Both got stuck in the muck.

giddyup

Come for the insane recruiting class, stay for the late 1990s NHL references.

be nice, self isolate

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Beecher_WJSS

The WJSS is the unofficial start to the hockey calendar each year. Beecher and York participated for the United States and 2020 recruit Erik Portillo represented Sweden.