Mitera named Michigan's new captain

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

The University of Michigan announced Friday that senior defenseman Mark Mitera will be the captain for the 2008-2009 season.

Mitera was an alternate captain for the Wolverines for the second half of the 2007-2008 season.

As U-M's top defenseman and its only upperclassman on the blue line, he averaged a team-high 24 minutes of ice time per game. The junior had his best statistical season by scoring two goals and contributing 21 assists to lead U-M defensemen with 23 points. He also led the defense corps in plus/minus (+30) and blocked shots (65) and racked up 60 penalty minutes.

The coaches of the CCHA voted Mitera to the All-CCHA Second Team and Inside College Hockey named him its Defenseman of the Year for 2007-2008.

Mitera was a first-round draft pick (19th overall) of the Anaheim Ducks in 2006.

The 6-foot-3, 213-pounder skated for the 2006 U.S. World Junior Championship squad. Prior to attending U-M, he played for the U.S. National Team Development Program (2003-2005).

The Wolverines graduate three players, each a forward, from their 2007-2008 roster - captain Kevin Porter, alternate captain Chad Kolarik and Chris Fragner. A total of 22 players from the 2007-2008 roster have remaining eligibility for the 2008-2009 season.

The alternate captains will be named in the fall.

Photo courtesy UM Photo Services

Coyotes sign Hobey winner Porter

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

The Phoenix Coyotes announced today that the Coyotes have signed forward Kevin Porter, winner of the 2008 Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player, to an entry-level contract.

As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed. Earlier today, Phoenix signed Porter's teammate, Chad Kolarik to an entry-level deal as well.

Porter, 22, recently completed his senior year at the University of Michigan and finished the season ranked second in Division I scoring with 33 goals and 30 assists for 63 points in 43 games. The Wolverines' captain finished his collegiate career with 85-98-183 and 115 penalty minutes in 162 games.

Porter, who was selected by the Coyotes in the fourth round (119th overall) of the 2004 Entry Draft, will join the Coyotes’ American Hockey League affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, as they begin their first round Calder Cup Playoff series against the Toronto Marlies.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound forward was named the CCHA Player of the Year and was a finalist for the league's Best Defensive Forward award. The Northville native was also a member of the RBK West All-American First Team and All-CCHA First Team and was named the Hockey Commissioners January National Player of the Month.

During the East Regional of this year’s NCAA Tournament, Porter scored an NCAA-record four goals in the Wolverines' 5-1 win against Niagara in the semifinal. He then added a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over Clarkson as Michigan advanced to the Frozen Four for the 23rd time in school history.

Porter was named to the 2007 CCHA Second Team following his junior season. He also captained Team USA at the 2006 World Junior Championship and represented the United States at the 2005 World Junior Championship. In addition, Porter played for Team USA at the 2003 and 2004 Under-18 World Championship.

Photo courtesy UM Photo Services

Porter wins Hobey Baker Award

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

The Hobey Baker Memorial Award announced Friday the 2008 recipient of college hockey's top individual prize is Kevin Porter from the University of Michigan.

The announcement came during the NCAA Frozen Four Tournament at Pepsi Center in Denver as part of the Friday at the Frozen Four festivities.

The senior captain of Michigan becomes only the second Wolverine to garner the award; Brendan Morrison was selected in 1997. Porter entered the Frozen Four after a phenomenal weekend at the East Regional in which he factored in six of the seven goals Michigan scored, bagging five goals and one assist, including a four-goal performance in a 5-1 win over Niagara.

The Hobey Baker Award, named for the legendary Princeton hockey player who died testing a repaired aircraft at the end of World War I, recognizes strength of character both on and off the ice. Porter was selected from a group of 10 finalists by the votes of a 25-member selection committee, along with the results of an online fan ballot.

Michigan entered the Frozen Four tournament as the No. 1 seed, an unlikely scenario in October when 24-year head coach Red Berenson greeted his largest freshman class ever - 12 brand-new faces. The outstanding leadership of Porter guided Michigan to the CCHA regular season and playoff championships. So superior were his efforts that Porter was named the leagues' Player of the Year and was a finalist for the CCHA's Best Defensive Forward. The First Team CCHA honoree was named the Hockey Commissioners January National Player of the Month.

Following Thursday's loss in the national semifinals, Porter finished second in the nation in scoring with 63 points in 43 games. He is presently tied for the lead in goals with 33 goals, including 15 power-play tallies (second in the nation.) The Phoenix draft pick scored points in all but six games this season and had a remarkable 18 multiple-point games.

Porter is a general studies major from Northville and finds time to make personal visits at Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor and volunteers for various Make-A-Wish Foundation events.

QUOTES

On how he feels being named the Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner ... "It's tough to describe. It's an amazing honor, and to be put in the category with the past players that have won (the Hobey Baker Award) and even (fellow Hobey Hat Trick finalists) Nathan Gerbe and Ryan Jones, both tremendous players, is a great feeling."

On what it means to his team and to his family to win the Hobey Baker Award ... "I think winning it is a testament to how well our team did this year. Without them I wouldn't have been in the top 10 or the final three (for the award). My linemates, Chad Kolarik and Max Pacioretty were unbelievable all year. I think those guys even should have been in the top 10, if not the top three. My family -- their support and encouragement has been amazing ever since I put on the skates when I was two years old. To win this, I think it means a lot to them as well."

On deciding to stay for four years and becoming a role model for other student-athletes ... "My four years at Michigan have been amazing -- the best four years of my life. And not just hockey-wise, but off the ice you meet some of your best friends, your life-long friends, you're graduating from the University of Michigan, one of the best universities in the country. I don't think it was a hard decision to make when I decided to come back for my senior season."

Photo courtesy Candace Horgan/USCHO

Michigan trio named All-Americans

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

Three Michigan college players earned All-American status yesterday.

Two players from the University of Michigan made the RBK Hockey All-American West Team as senior forward Kevin Porter, a Hobey Hat Trick' finalist, is on the First Team, and his linemate, Chad Kolarik is on the Second Team.

Junior Jeff Lerg became the eighth member of the Michigan State Spartans to earn All-America accolades as a goaltender when he was named to the Second Team.

Lerg is the first MSU player to be named All-America since Jim Slater and A.J. Thelen also earned Second Team honors in 2004.

Wolverines stunned in OT by Irish

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan Beat Writer

The unexpected successful season for Michigan ended last night at the Frozen Four in Denver as the Wolverines rallied from a 3-0 deficit only to lose 5-4 in overtime to Notre Dame.

Notre Dame will play Boston College, who dominated North Dakota in the first semifinal as Oxford native Nathan Gerbe had three goals and an assist in the 6-1 victory, Saturday night for all the marbles.

For top-ranked Michigan, though, it was a heartbreaking way to see their season come to a conclusion. Goaltender Billy Sauer was yanked by head coach Red Berenson after allowing three goals on nine shots in the first 20 minutes.

"He's been our bread and butter goalie all year, but I just didn't like the way that the game was going," Berenson said. "It looked like he was fighting the puck. There were two goals that he probably would have stopped any other night. We just watched the No. 1 goalie in the country (North Dakota's Jean-Philippe Lamoureux) give up six goals in the game before ours. That proves that it doesn't matter what you've done, it's what you do at this stage of the season. We had to change the momentum of the game and that helped our team a little bit. It was a tough decision, but you're trying to win the game anyway that you can."

Freshman Bryan Hogan came in and made 18 saves the rest of the way. Calle Ridderwall's second goal of the game ended it 5:44 into the extra session (pictured above).

"Notre Dame is a great team and I knew they were going to come out the way they did," UM senior captain Kevin Porter said. "They had a couple good bounces and they capitalized when they needed to. We just needed to regroup after the second and that's what we did. We came out and I thought we played well the rest of the game."

Chad Kolarik scored twice for the Wolverines (his 29th and 30th goals of the year) with his second coming just 2:16 into the third period to tie the game at 3-all. Hogan also drew an assist on Kolarik's first goal.

"That was huge," Berenson said of Kolarik's third-period snipe. "That goal got us back in the game again. Getting the puck into the net was the thing that we needed. We were trying to get power plays, but we're going up against the top penalty-killing team in the nation. They showed it tonight. They didn't give up much. We weren't able to capitalize for the majority of the game. I can't tell you that they were great plays, but second efforts around the net, rebounds. These games aren't won with good plays, they're won by ugly plays and second efforts. That's what we used and it definitely gave us the momentum we needed in the third period."

Matt Rust and Carl Hagelin also tallied for the Wolverines. Rust's goal came 15 seconds after Kolarik's first goal midway through the second period. Hagelin's marker at 14:39 of the third sent the game to overtime and set-up Ridderwall's heroics.

Aaron Palushaj added three assists for UM, who finished the season with a 33-6-4 record.

Captain Mark Van Guilder, Ryan Thang and Kevin Deeth scored the other goals for the Irish, now in their very first NCAA title game. Jordan Pearce stopped 29 shots for Notre Dame and Justin White (Traverse City) chipped in two assists.

Photo by Candace Horgan/USCHO

Porter named to Hobey Hat Trick

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation on Tuesday announced the three Hobey Hat Trick finalists for the 2008 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, honoring college hockey's top player. Alphabetically, they are Nathan Gerbe, junior forward from Boston College, Ryan Jones, senior forward from Miami University and Kevin Porter, senior forward from Michigan.

The three finalists were selected from the initial list of Top Ten candidates by the 25-member Selection Committee and an additional round of online fan balloting to determine this year's Hobey Baker winner. Criteria for the award includes: strength of character on and off the ice, displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements.

This year's Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced Friday, April 11, 2008 from Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo., during the NCAA Frozen Four. The announcement will be aired live on ESPNU at 5:30 pm MT.

Gerbe, an Oxford native, has helped guide his Eagles to their third straight NCAA Frozen Four. As one of the smallest players in college hockey (5-foot-5 and 165 pounds), Gerbe has frustrated opposing defenses continuously with his high-energy game that has produced 30 goals and 30 assists in 41 games to rank second in the nation in scoring. Down the stretch, he has chipped in with 12 points in six playoff games as BC seeks its third national title. Honored with a host of awards, Gerbe has already been named First Team Hockey East, was named the league's playoff MVP, the Dodge Holiday Classic MVP and was the Hockey Commissioners December National Player of the Month when he tallied 16 points in just four games. He is a Buffalo draft pick and is a communications major. He volunteers his time with visits to the Franciscan Hospital for Children, serves food at homeless shelters and donates time to a variety of YMCA events.

Porter almost single-handedly helped Michigan to their national record 23rd Frozen Four. Last weekend in two games at the East Regional, Porter had a hand in six of the seven Michigan goals, bagging five goals and one assist, including four goals in a 5-1 win over Niagara. He is the nation's scoring leader in points and goals with 33 goals, 29 assists for 62 points in 42 games. Porter sits second in the nation with 15 power-play goals; has recorded 18 multiple-point games and has a plus-minus of +33. His steady, consistent two-way play didn't go unnoticed as he was named the CCHA Player of the Year and was a finalist for the league's Best Defensive Forward. The First Team CCHA honoree was named the Hockey Commissioners January National Player of the Month. From Northville, Porter is a draft pick of Phoenix. A general studies major, he spends time with visits to Mott Children's Hospital and volunteers for various Make-A-Wish Foundation activities.

Wolverines advance to Frozen Four

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

Aaron Palushaj and Kevin Porter scored the goals and Billy Sauer made 32 saves as Michigan pitched a 2-0 shutout of Clarkson tonight in the NCAA East Regional final in Albany, N.Y. to advance to the Frozen Four for the first time since 2003.

When Porter scores a goal, U-M is 21-1-2 this year.

The Wolverines (33-5-4) will play either Notre Dame or Michigan State in the NCAA semifinal round Thursday, April 10, in Denver.

"It's been our goal all year to be the number one team in the nation," Michigan forward Chad Kolarik said. "So far, we've done a good job of protecting that spot. But it doesn't matter the rankings or anything like that, it's all about how we play in Denver."

Tonight was the first match-up between Michigan and Clarkson since 1962, when U-M lost in the NCAA Tournament semifinals. The only other two games took place in 1958 and 1959 and were both won by the Wolverines.

David Leggio finished with 30 saves for the Golden Knights, who ended the year 22-13-4.

Michigan bounces game Purple Eagles

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

Top-ranked Michigan started out slow, but cruised to a 5-1 win over Niagara on Friday at the Times Union Center in the first round of the NCAA East Regionals.

After a scoreless first period, Niagara was down a man to start the second period and Michigan capitalized on the man-advantage with Max Pacioretty scoring the Wolverines' first goal off a pass from Chad Kolarik from behind Niagara's goal line.

UM captain Kevin Porter, centering Michigan's first line, picked up the following three goals, one in the second period and two more consecutive goals in third period, including one on the power play.

Porter's career-high four goals broke the NCAA tournament record for goals in a game during the regional stage and marked the last time since 1990 that a player scored four times in a tournament game.

With less than five minutes to go in the game, NU co-captain Vince Rocco got the puck behind Michigan's net and sent a centering pass to co-captain Matt Caruana just above the crease for a wrist shot and a goal on Billy Sauer to spoil the shutout.

Porter added an empty-netter and Kolarik assisted on all five UM tallies. Pacioretty and Aaron Palushaj each had two helpers.

"Their defense played well," said Caruana. "We hung with them pretty good, but penalties hurt us."

"We just didn't have an answer for their top line," said Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder. "They have some special players and we didn't get anything going in our transition game."

Juliano Pagliero kept Niagara (22-11-4) in the game stopping 34 shots, including 19 in the second period.

Sauer made 16 saves for the Wolverines, who will face Clarkson in tonight's regional championship.

"I don't know what exactly we need to do, but I think our team knows that we'll have an even tougher game (against Clarkson)," UM head coach Red Berenson said. "The second game is always tougher. You're playing against a team that has played (Friday) afternoon and won a game and has a lot of confidence. I think Clarkson is a good team. From what we know of them, they're well coached, they're a good defensive and offensive team, and they're strong. And they have great goaltending. They're the real deal and they'll be a test for us."

Lerg, Porter up for Hobey Baker

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

Michigan senior captain Kevin Porter and Michigan State junior goaltender Jeff Lerg are among the top 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award.

The 10 finalists were selected by voting from all 59 Division I head coaches and by online fan balloting at hobeybaker.com. The 25-member Selection Committee and an additional round of fan balloting (at hobeybaker.com from March 20-30) will determine this year’s winner.

Criteria for the award include strength of character on and off the ice, outstanding skills in all phases of the game, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements. This year’s finalists include five seniors, four juniors and one sophomore. Seven forwards and three goaltenders are among the group.

The Hobey Hat Trick of three finalists will be announced on April 2 and the winner will be announced Friday, April 11 from Pepsi Center in Denver during the Frozen Four. The announcement will be aired live on ESPNU at 5:30 p.m. MT.

Jeff Lerg — Michigan State, junior goalie (Livonia)
With an NCAA national title and All-Tourney accolades already under his belt, Lerg has been the nation’s busiest goaltender this season as the Spartans prepare for another title run. Leading the CCHA in wins, save percentage and shutouts, Lerg was named to the league’s First Team and was a finalist for Player of the Year honors. The finance major was also named the CCHA Scholar Athlete of the Year with an overall grade-point average of 3.75.

Lerg has also been named one of five finalists for the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award and has been invited to the Sullivan Award Ceremony in New York on April 1 at the New York Athletic Club.

Kevin Porter — Michigan, senior forward (Northville)
Consistency defines the nation’s leading scorer as the Wolverine captain has produced points in all but six of the 38 games he’s played. Porter helped guide his team to the CCHA regular-season title and was named the CCHA Player of the Year. He was also named to the CCHA First Team.

Oxford native and Boston College junior forward Nate Gerbe is also a finalist.

This 5-foot-5 dynamo packs a powerful punch, entering the Hockey East championships as the nation’s second-leading scorer with 52 points. His 27 goals are tied for third in the country after bagging three in last weekend’s playoffs. Gerbe was named First-Team Hockey East and has helped the Eagles to the past two Frozen Fours.

Michigan takes both from Irish

By Karl Henkel/Special to MiCHO

Being the nation's top-ranked team and riding a seven game win streak, the Michigan Wolverines probably expected more of a fight from No. 8 Notre Dame than they got a week ago against Western Michigan.

While Friday night they got such a test, Michigan cruised in Saturday night's game at the Palace of Auburn Hills to extend their winning streak to nine games.

In the opener, the Fighting Irish led twice before the six-minute mark of the opening frame with tallies from Kevin Deeth and Justin White.

U-M got down to business in the second period, however, with Perani Cup leader and national scoring leader Kevin Porter notching a power-play goal 21 seconds in. Matt Rust tied the game at 12:05.

With regulation winding down, Louie Caporusso scored the game-winner, beating goalie Jordan Pearce with 21 seconds to go.

Billy Sauer stopped 24 shots in the victory.

Saturday's contest proved to be much easier as the Wolverines carried the play throughout, despite horrid ice conditions at the Palace.

“The ice was not good at all,” Michigan forward Tim Miller said after the game. “It was like playing pond hockey, but it was kind of fun."

Chad Kolarik got the scoring started, wristing a shot through the legs of goalie Brad Phillips for a shorthanded goal and the early lead.

After goals from Porter, Caporusso and Rust, Phillips was pulled in favor of Pearce, who shutout Michigan the rest of the way.

Travis Turnbull added an empty-net goal with three minutes remaining.

Sauer was a huge factor in the win, making 32 saves, many from point-blank range.

“I like the work, but at times we're giving up too many (scoring chances), and there are times we aren't giving up any,” Sauer said. “We just need to be a little more consistent.”

The sweep puts Michigan at 22-2-0 (13-1-0 CCHA), which is their best start since 1993-94 when they started 21-1-1.

“We're finding ways to win games and I can't tell you that it was a thing of beauty,” Michigan head coach Red Berenson said. “I can't tell you that we outplayed them, but we made our chances count.”

Next weekend, Michigan hosts Michigan State (16-5-4, 12-2-2 CCHA), coming off a sweep of the Ohio State Buckeyes. MSU is currently third in the CCHA, behind Miami and first-place Michigan.

GLI semis see U-M, MTU victorious

By Matt Mackinder/MiCHO Editor-In-Chief

It will be Michigan versus Michigan Tech for the Great Lakes Invitational championship after the Wolverines defeated Providence and the Huskies upended Michigan State in the other semifinal Friday at Joe Louis Arena.

In the first semifinal yesterday, Michigan scored early and often and Billy Sauer recorded a career-high 50 saves for the shutout in a 6-0 win.

Louie Caporusso (scoring on his first shift of the game after being out with a knee injury since Nov. 10), Aaron Palushaj, Anthony Ciraulo, captain Kevin Porter, Ben Winnett and Travis Turnbull scored for U-M.

Sauer made 16 saves in each of the first two periods and 18 in the final frame.

"We were talking about it the other day about how we won it like nine years straight or 10 out of 11 years and we haven't won it since," Sauer said of winning the GLI. "It's a big thing for us. A goal we had this year was to win the College Hockey Showcase, which we did. We're trying to check things off our list, so a win (Saturday night) will check another one off."

Tyler Shelast potted two goals to lead Michigan Tech to a 4-1 win over Michigan State.

Shelast scored the first goal of the game before Michigan State's Tim Kennedy answered back. Peter Rouleau netted the game winner for the Huskies in the second period. Shelast added an empty-net goal in the third period, with Jimmy Kerr scoring again late in the contest.

“For the seniors, this is our last chance to play for the championship,” said Shelast. “I don’t really have words to describe why I play so well here. I just go out and play hard and things seem to go my way in this building.”

Rob Nolan made 29 saves for MTU, while Jeff Lerg stopped 25 fpr the Spartans.

"Obviously, you need to play 60 minutes of hockey," MSU captain Bryan Lerg said. "Tonight, maybe we played 45 minutes of the 60. There were chances in the second period that should have buried, but they didn't go in - that's hockey."

Michigan State will play Providence in the third-place game at 4:35 p.m. The championship will be decided at 7:30 p.m.

Michigan wins BGSU home-and-home

The Michigan Wolverines maybe didn't play their best hockey this past weekend, but still managed to sweep Bowling Green in a home-and-home series.

Friday night in northern Ohio, the Wolverines overcame a 2-1 deficit with three goals in the final five minutes of play to pick up a 4-2 win.

Matt Rust tied the game on a deflection with 4:21 remaining and Chris Summers -- playing his first game of the season at forward -- tipped in a rebound for the game-winner with 1:23 to play. U-M then added an empty-net goal from Chad Kolarik.

Billy Sauer made 27 saves for the 50th win of his career.

Captain Kevin Porter started the scoring late in the first period.

"I think we knew that we started out the game a little sloppy, a little slow, but I think we knew we were going to get our chances," Sauer said. "It was kind of like last Friday night's game against Ohio State where we were getting our chances but not burying them. We just knew that if we kept playing well we were going to get (shots) in."

Back home Saturday night, freshman Bryan Hogan made 20 saves for U-M to lead the Wolverines to a 3-2 victory and first place in the CCHA standings.

Rust, Porter and Brandon Naurato scored for Michigan, with Naurato's game-winner coming with six seconds left in the second period.

Hogan also took a shot at an empty net at the end of the game, but his shot rang off the post.

"I was just thinking about clearing the puck and the only lane I saw was down the middle," Hogan said. "Well, (honestly), yeah, I was thinking, 'Oh my God, I have a chance (to score) here.' But it is what it is. I will remember that for the rest of my life."

The Wolverines (16-2-0, 11-1-0 CCHA) are idle for three weeks before facing Providence on Dec. 28 at the Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena. The game will begin at 4:30 p.m. The following night, Michigan is scheduled to take on the either Michigan State or Michigan Tech.

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

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.