U-M's Porter wins national honor

University of Michigan senior forward Kevin Porter, who powered the Wolverines to an 8-1-0 record and their longest in-season winning streak in 16 years, is the Hockey Commissioners’ Association National Division I Player of the Month for November.

Porter, a 21-year old from Northville, leads the nation in goals (16) and overall points (26) while captaining a Wolverines squad that is ranked No. 2/No. 3 in the respective national polls. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound center produced 12 goals and 18 points while boasting a +12 rating for the Wolverines, who had a 12-game winning streak snapped on the month’s final night.

Porter, a fourth-round NHL draft pick by Phoenix in 2004, recorded points in eight of nine games in the month. He had five multi-point games including four in a row during a stretch from Nov. 16-24. The 87th captain in Michigan hockey history notched his third career hat trick in a 6-3 road victory over Nebraska-Omaha on Nov. 2 and tallied a season-high four points with two goals and two assists during a 5-1 win over Minnesota on Nov. 24 in the College Hockey Showcase. Porter, named the CCHA Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 19 and Nov. 26, contributed five power-play goals, one shorthanded marker and a game winner in November. He earned a plus rating eight times during the month and was even in the other contest.

Photo courtesy University of Michigan

MiCHO Power Poll 12.05.2007

The Michigan Wolverines stumbled last weekend, but once again are on top of the MiCHO Power Poll.

Chad Kolarik scored a pair of goals, but it wasn't enough as the Wolverines' 12-game winning streak was snapped by the Ohio State Buckeyes with a 3-2 win at Yost on Friday night.

Max Pacioretty scored twice and Aaron Palushaj notched three assists as the Maize and Blue rebounded with a 4-2 win in the finale.

Michigan State also bounced back from a four-game winless skid by going on the road and sweeping the Lake Superior State Lakers at Taffy Abel.

The Michigan Tech Huskies also had a nice weekend, splitting with the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Mariucci Arena.

Complete Poll

1) Michigan, 14-2-0 (split with OSU)
2) Michigan State, 10-3-2 (swept LSSU)
3) Michigan Tech, 6-7-1 (split w/ #15 Minnesota)
4) Ferris State, 7-6-1 (swept WMU)
5) Northern Michigan, 6-10-0 (split w/Alaska)
6) Western Michigan, 4-10-0 (swept by FSU)
7) Wayne State, 3-9-2 (swept by BGSU)
8) Lake Superior, 2-11-1 (swept by #5 MSU)

Each week, MichiganCollegeHockey.com editors Matt Mackinder and Tom Balog will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. The poll will comprise the eight Division I teams in the State of Michigan . (National rankings and rankings in parenthesis reflect the USCHO/CSTV Division I Men's Poll)

Two Wolverines earn monthly honors

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced that senior forward Kevin Porter of the University of Michigan has been named the RBC Financial Group CCHA Player of the Month for November.

Porter, a 21-year old from Northville, leads the nation in goals (16) and overall points (26) while captaining a Wolverines squad that is ranked No. 2/No. 3 in the respective national polls. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound center produced 12 goals and 18 points while boasting a +12 rating as Michigan posted an impressive 8-1-0 record during November.

Porter, a fourth-round NHL draft pick by Phoenix in 2004, recorded points in eight of nine games in the month. He had five multi-point games including four in a row during a stretch from Nov. 16-24. The 87th captain in Michigan hockey history notched his third career hat trick in a 6-3 road victory over Nebraska-Omaha on Nov. 2 and tallied a season-high four points with two goals and two assists during a 5-1 win over Minnesota on Nov. 24 in the College Hockey Showcase. Porter, named the CCHA Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 19 and Nov. 26, contributed five power-play goals, one shorthanded marker and a game winner in November. He earned a plus rating in eight of nine games during the month and was even in the other contest.

Special mention for RBC Financial Group CCHA Player of the Month honors goes to Bowling Green senior forward Derek Whitmore, Ferris State junior forward Brendan Connolly, Miami junior forward Brian Kaufman, Notre Dame junior forward Erik Condra (Livonia) and Ohio State senior forward Tommy Goebel.

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced that Max Pacioretty of the University of Michigan has been named the CCHA Rookie of the Month for November.

Pacioretty, a 19-year old from New Canaan, Conn., tallied two goals and eight assists in nine games while earning a +12 rating and helping the Wolverines to an 8-1-0 record in November. The 6-foot-2, 203-pound forward ranks sixth in the nation among freshman scorers with 5-10-15.

Pacioretty, a first-round draft pick (22nd overall) of the Montreal Canadiens in 2007, recorded a point in eight of the Wolverines’ nine games in the month of November, including each of the first seven contests from Nov. 2 through Nov. 23. The rookie garnered a plus rating in eight of nine games and was even in the final game of November. Pacioretty boasted a four-point weekend against Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie with a goal and three assists on Nov. 16 and 17. He finished the weekend series with 11 shots on a goal to go with a +3 rating and was named CCHA Rookie of the Week on Nov. 19. Pacioretty scored his first game-winning goal against Wisconsin on Nov. 23. on the power play.

Bowling Green goaltender Nick Eno (Howell), Miami forward Pat Cannone and Nebraska-Omaha defenseman Alain Goulet earned special mention for CCHA Rookie of the Month.

Michigan's streak snapped Friday

By Matt Mackinder / Michigan Beat Writer

Michigan had their 12-game winning streak snapped Friday night at home as Ohio State and ex-Spartan Tommy Goebel came in and topped U-M, 3-2.

The Wolverines rebounded with a 4-2 win Saturday night.

Goebel recorded a shorthanded goal and a power-play marker as the Buckeyes topped Michigan despite being outshot, 30-16.

Chad Kolarik scored twice in the third period for Michigan, who got a 13-save outing from netminder Billy Sauer.

“If you do not have control of the puck, then you are on defense,” captain Kevin Porter said. “Especially when you are down in a game like this and you are trying to score goals, it is tough to lose the face-offs. You have to get the puck back first before you can go score a goal. So, it is definitely something we have to work on.”

Four freshmen scored Saturday night as Aaron Palushaj assisted on all three first-period goals for Michigan en route to the split.

Max Pacioretty scored twice for U-M and Matt Rust and Carl Hagelin added singles.

Freshman netminder Bryan Hogan stopped 26 shots in his first NCAA start and stopped a first-period penalty shot attempt by Goebel.

"The nerves got to me,” Hogan said. “I do not think I have played a game in about six months, so I was really nervous getting out there. I just tried to calm myself down (prior to the penalty shot). It was getting pretty crazy; I couldn't believe what was happening. I just had to calm myself down. I told myself that it was just a penalty shot, and I have taken them before."

Before Saturday night, the last time a penalty shot was attempted against the Maize and Blue was this past March 16, when U-M faced Michigan State in the CCHA playoffs. However, the last time an opponent scored on a penalty shot was March 2, 1997 – 451 games ago.

Michigan (14-2-0 , 9-1-0 CCHA) will travel this weekend to begin a home-and-home series with Bowling Green.

Spartans sweep aside Lakers

By Matt Mackinder / Michigan State Beat Writer

Michigan State journeyed up to Lake Superior State last weekend and took two straight from the game Lakers.

Friday night, captain Bryan Lerg and Chris Mueller each netted a power-play goal in the first period as Michigan State beat LSSU, 3-2. Nick Sucharski also scored and Matt Schepke and sophomore defenseman Mike Ratchuk each recorded a pair of helpers.

The Lakers rallied on a power-play goal by Nathan Perkovich in the second and a tally from Rick Schofield late in the third period.

Jeff Lerg stopped 25 shots to earn the win. Brian Mahoney-Wilson kicked out 19 for the Lakers.

Bryan Lerg scored two goals and Schepke tallied two assists to lead the Spartans to a 5-2 victory Saturday night.

Ratchuk put the Spartans on the board in the first period, but Lake Superior responded in the second period with goals from Schofield and Perkovich. Lerg added two third-period goals to put the game out of reach for the Lakers.

Tim Crowder and Tim Kennedy also scored for MSU, who extended its unbeaten streak against the Lakers to 12 games (10-0-2).

Lerg made 24 saves and Pat Inglis turned aside 36 at the other end.

LSSU ( 2-11-1 , 0-8-8 CCHA) travels to Nebraska-Omaha this weekend, while the Spartans ( 10-3-2 , 6-2-0 CCHA) have a home-and-home series with Ferris State.

FSU sweeps WMU in home-and home

By Andy Oliver / Ferris State Beat Writer
By Tom Morelli / Western Michigan Beat Writer

Ferris State earned two wins last weekend in a home-and-home set with Western Michigan .

Friday night at Ferris State, Mitch O'Keefe pitched his second shutout of the season in a 4-0 win.

Cody Chupp started the scoring just 53 seconds into the first period when he walked in from the right side blueline and beat Western goaltender Riley Gill over his glove. Assisting on Chupp's goal were Matt Case and Brendan Connolly. Late in the first, at the 17:55 mark, Ferris freshman Scott Wietecha scored his second goal of the season on a one-timer from the point. Chupp moved the puck to defenseman Zach Redmond, who sent a nice pass to Wietecha for the one-timer.

At 6:28 of the second period, Ferris defensemen Evan Case scored his first goal of the season. Mike Embach worked the puck down low to Adam Miller who hit a wide-open Case back door of the Western goal. Ferris’ final goal of the game came at the 7:56 mark of the third period while on the power play. Embach moved the puck to Aaron Lewicki who set up Evan Case at the point for a shot through traffic, scoring his second goal of the night.

O'Keefe made 29 saves and Gill stopped 33.

*******************************************************

For the fourth time this season, Western Michigan failed to win a weekend series.

Interestingly enough, three of these sweeps came at the hands of CCHA opponents. Ferris State added their name to the list last Friday and Saturday night, as the Broncos have now lost eight of their last 10 games.

After being shutout the previous night by the Bulldogs, 4-0, Western Michigan managed to generate some offense this time around.

Ferris State grabbed the lead less than eight minutes into the opening period, with Brendan Connolly getting the best of Broncos goaltender Riley Gill.

The Bulldogs carried that momentum into the second period, where they extended their lead at the 12:26 mark, thanks to a lamp-lighter by Justin Lewandowski.

Not to be outdone, Western Michigan’s Cam Watson took advantage of a Ferris State hooking penalty to score a power-play goal a mere two minutes later. Watson’s goal gave him a team-high six for the season, and came courtesy of forward Dave Krisky.

As the middle stanza came to a close, Zach Redmond of Ferris State added an insurance goal, giving the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead.

Freshman winger Travis Paeth chipped for the Broncos midway through the final period, scoring his first career goal at 10:02. Helping out on the play was Nathan Ansell and Mike Lesperance.

Despite a two-goal effort, Western Michigan continued their struggle with getting shots on net, managing 19 to Ferris State’s 37.

The Broncos’ special teams remained a bright spot in the game, as the power play converted once on four tries, and the penalty kill denied five scoring opportunities.

Gill kept busy in his work between the pipes, stopping 34 of 37 shots.

With the loss, Western Michigan drops to 4-10-0 overall (2-8-0 CCHA). The Broncos will have a chance to better their record next Friday and Saturday night when Wayne State University travels to Kalamazoo for a two game series.

Ferris State (7-6-1 , 6-4-0 CCHA) plays Michigan State in another home-and-home series this weekend starting Friday in Big Rapids.

Falcons ground Wayne State

by Tom Balog / Wayne State Beat Writer

Wayne State's three-game unbeaten streak came to an abrupt end over the weekend as the Warriors were swept in a home-and-home series by the surprising Bowling Green Falcons.

The penalty kill doomed the Warriors on Friday as the Falcons posted a 3-1 victory at the Coliseum in Detroit.

Mike Nesdill, Jacob Cepis and Derek Whitmore all put up power-play markers for BG, who won for the sixth time in eight games.

Jon Grabarek (pictured) scored the lone goal for Wayne State.

Kyle Funkenhauser 25 shots in net for WSU. Chesterfield’s Jimmy Spratt turned aside 21 of 22 shots for BG.

Saturday night the Falcons completed the sweep with a decisive 6-1 win at the BGSU Ice Arena.

Kai Kantola led the Falcons with a pair of goals and goaltender Nick Eno, a Howell native, stopped 17 shots.

Brett Bothwell turned aside 27 of 33 shots in the WSU net. Senior Stavros Paskaris scored the only goal for Wayne, his second of the season.

The Falcons special teams posted six power-play goals and a shorthanded marker in the two-game set versus WSU.

Wayne State will head west next weekend for a pair of games at the Lawson Ice Arena against Western Michigan. The Broncos are currently 4-10-0 on the year and were swept by Ferris State in a home-and-home last weekend.

NMU and Nanooks split in Alaska

By Kyle Whitney / Northern Michigan Beat Writer

In the Great White North for the weekend, the Northern Michigan University Wildcats split a pair of games with the Alaska Nanooks. The home team took Friday's matchup 4-1, before NMU bounced back on Saturday, 4-2.

On Friday night, the Wildcats (6-10-0 overall, 5-9-0 CCHA) fell behind 2-0 in the first period. Forward Andrew Sarauer put his team on the board at the end of the second period, but Northern failed to produce any more offense.

Freshman netminder Reid Ellingson got the start and allowed four goals on 24 shots. Ellingson is now 3-3 on the season.

The following night, sophomore Brian Stewart got the start in the Wildcat net. Stewart stopped 26 of 28 shots in the win over Alaska (1-8-1, 1-6-1).

After Nanook forward Braden Walls opened up Saturday's scoring in the second period, the Wildcats lit up the scoreboard, scoring three goals on nine shots in the middle stanza. Alaska goalie Wylie Rogers was pulled after the period and replaced with Chad Johnson. The change couldn't fire the Nanooks up, though, and each team netted another goal in the final period.

Greger Hanson and Nick Sirota each scored goals for NMU, while Mark Olver scored a pair. Olver now has five goals and five assists in 11 games played, while Sirota has collected a dozen goals in 16 contests.

After an off weekend, the Wildcats will hit the hockey trail once more when they face off against the in-state rival Michigan Tech Huskies in a home-and-home series on Dec. 14-15.

Michigan Tech splits on the road

By Andy Bourdeau / Michigan Tech Beat Writer

Michigan Tech (6-7-1, 5-6-1) travelled to Minnesota and came away with two points on the weekend. MTU won on Friday night, coming back from a 2-0 deficit and winning in overtime, 3-2. Saturday saw the home team win, 3-1.

The Huskies went down 2-0 in the first on Friday night, but were able to battle back with goals from three different players, each with the first goal of season for them. John Schwartz scored the first goal, the first of his career. Freshman Deron Cousens tied the game with his first of his career.

Then in overtime, Alex Gagne scored his first of the season on a play that started with a strange bounce.

Michael-Lee Teslak was in the net and ended the night making 26 saves.

Saturday appeared to start well for the Huskies, but they had a goal disallowed. A minute later, Minnesota turned the momentum around and put the puck in the back of the net. Peter Rouleau (right) tied the game later in the first, when he tapped in a rebound. That was the only goal MTU could get, as the Gophers added a goal in the second and in the third to post a 3-1 victory.

Teslak in goal again, for the fourth straight game, came up with 34 saves.

MTU will have a week off, then face UP rivals Northern Michigan in a home-and-home series, starting in Marquette on Dec. 14.