By Matt Mackinder/Michigan Beat WriterIt was a battle of two national and CCHA powerhouses last weekend and the top-ranked Miami RedHawks showed why they're atop the national polls by taking both from the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines at Yost Ice Arena.
Michigan managed just two goals all weekend, losing by scores of 3-1 Friday night and 5-1 Saturday night.
"We're giving up goals too easily and they are so hard to come by," noted U of M head coach Red Berenson.
Saturday night, David Wohlberg (pictured) staked the Wolverines to an early 1-0 lead before Miami stormed back with five unanswered tallies.
"There is not much you can say," Michigan senior captain Chris Summers said. "The outcome of the game says everything. It's a tough loss and a tough game to play in. We didn't show up to play."
Bryan Hogan finished with 24 saves for Michigan in a game that featured 34 total penalties for 95 minutes as the rivals recorded a combined 147 PIMs over the weekend series.
"[The puck] was like a hot potato tonight," added Berenson. "I can tell you that this is the worst game of our season. We have played eight games and this is by far our worst game. It was like we were skating in sand. I don't know whether it was preparation, I don't know if it was distractions, I don't know, but that's what it was. It wasn't just one player. I go around the locker room at the end of the game. When we win, I have a hard time finding someone who didn't have a good game. When we lose, I have a hard time finding someone who did have a good game. That was a fact tonight.
"Our team really has to refocus and rethink their commitment to this team and what they're going to do to help the team. We need to regroup on Monday and get back to work because this was unacceptable."
In Friday night's game, Chris Brown was the lone goal-scorer and Hogan made just 10 saves.
"I didn't know if the whistle blew or not so I put it in anyway," said Brown describing his goal. "It was a good power-play shift by my line: Louie [Caporusso] and Carl [Hagelin] and our defensive pairing Chad [Langlais] and [Steve] Kampfer. We just cycled the puck well and Carl put the puck toward the net. We started whacking at it and the ref let the puck go. It was sitting on the goal line and it was an easy one so I tapped it in. It was a big goal and we just have to make sure we capitalize on the power play from here on out."
Miami also became the first team to sweep Michigan in Ann Arbor in more than eight years since Northern Michigan did it back on Oct. 26-27, 2001.
The Wolverines (4-4-0 overall, 2-2-0 CCHA) now gear up for a home-and-home series with Michigan State starting Friday night at home and finishing Saturday night at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing.
Photo courtesy UM Photo Services
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