Michigan head hockey coach Mel Pearson knew his young team was talented but didn’t know what to expect in its season-opening series against Arizona State.
The Wolverines signed the top-ranked freshman class in the country but also lost 37.8 percent of its scoring from last season. The team had more time to practice this preseason because the season was pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the extra preparation paid off this weekend.
The 12th-ranked Wolverines blanked the 15th-ranked Sun Devils 3-0 Sunday to complete the two-game sweep at Yost Ice Arena. Michigan won 8-1 Saturday night and outshot ASU 84-33 over the two games.
“One thing I’m probably more surprised than anything would be our offensive zone possession this weekend,” Pearson said postgame on a video conference call.
“We’ve seen some in practice, but quite frankly, we have not been very good in possession time in practice in the offensive zone. Now, maybe we’re so good defensively that when we’re on offense, we don’t possess it.”
Junior Strauss Mann, the 2019-20 Big Ten Goalie of the Year, needed just 15 saves Sunday for his seventh career shutout.
“Quite frankly, I think we’re ahead of where I thought we would be, especially depth defensively,” Pearson said of the first two games. “There were some days in practice where we looked a little lost defensively. But I think we elevated our play and our urgency in the game. And we had two real good scrimmages the weekend prior to this.”
Michigan’s nine-member freshman class also made an immediate impact. Freshmen combined for 11 points in Saturday’s opener and added four more Sunday. Forward Kent Johnson, a projected top-10 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, scored 2 minutes, 30 seconds in, burying a rebound. Last year’s British Columbia Hockey League scoring champion also had four assists in the opener.
“Right place, right time,” Pearson said of Johnson’s goal. "Came right to him and he made no mistake. Kent’s a hockey player. He’s a rink rat. He enjoys being at the rink, works on his game a lot. Very good hands, high hockey IQ.
“But I really like how he’s playing without the puck. He’s smart. You only have to tell him once. He’s got to clean some things up. I know he likes making that behind-the-back pass and maybe does that a little bit too much, but he’s a very creative player. You want players like him to be able to play their game, and you just have to refine some things with them but you don’t want to take that creativity away. Fun player, fun to watch. Probably not fun to play against.”
RELATED: Freshmen shine in Michigan hockey’s 8-1 season-opening win vs. Arizona State
Forward Matty Beniers, who also is a projected top-10 pick next year, added an assist Sunday after scoring twice in the opener. Forward Brendan Brisson, a 2020 first-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights, and Thomas Bordeleau, a 2020 second-round pick of the San Jose Sharks, each recorded an assist.
Mann said the team’s talent was on display in the first two games.
“You can just see the tape-to-tape passes out there,” he said. “Everything’s executed really well. Lots of skill. Every team gets a certain amount of opportunities a game, but when you have as much skill as we have offensively and also on the d-end, it’s pretty likely to go in the net. From my point of view, it’s just fun to watch.”
The Wolverines travel to face Wisconsin, which opened with a sweep against Notre Dame, on Thursday and Friday. Big Ten teams are playing a 24-game conference-only schedule in 2020-21. ASU has joined the Big Ten for this season.
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November 16, 2020 at 12:00PM
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Michigan hockey blanks Arizona State 3-0 to complete season-opening sweep - MLive.com
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