Wolverines to Host Merrimack in Midweek Showdown at Yost

Tuesday, January 8

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:30 PM

Michigan

Merrimack

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Wolverines to Host Merrimack in Midweek Showdown at Yost

1/7/2019 2:19:00 PM | Ice Hockey

By: TJ Garske

• Complete Game Notes (PDF)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan ice hockey team (7-7-6, 3-4-4-2 B1G) returns to Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena to host Merrimack (5-15-1, 3-9-0 Hockey East) in a non-conference tilt on Tuesday (Jan. 8). Puck drop is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Michigan will return to conference play this weekend (Jan. 11-12) when it travels to Columbus to take on No. 4-ranked Ohio State for two games.

The Merrimack Series

Michigan and Merrimack will meet for the fifth time in program history, with the series dating back to 2000. The Wolverines lead the overall series 4-0-0. The two teams last played each other Oct. 16, 2006, at Yost, with the Wolverines coming away with a 9-2 victory. The last three matchups have been in Ann Arbor, while the first time the two programs met was in Anchorage, Alaska, for the Johnson Nissan Classic.

Scouting the Warriors

The Warriors come to Ann Arbor with a 5-15-1 overall record and are coming off a 1-1 weekend in Hockey East play. Merrimack fell to New Hampshire, 2-1, in overtime on Friday night, before defeating No. 11 Northeastern, 1-0, Saturday night in Boston. The win for the Warriors snapped a nine-game winless streak, with their last victory coming on Nov. 10 at Bemidji State.

Merrimack is led by first-year head coach Scott Borek, who came to North Andover after serving as associate head coach at Providence since 2015. Providence qualified for the NCAA Tournament all three seasons Borek was on staff. Prior to Providence, Borek spent 13 seasons as associate head coach at New Hampshire. Borek previously spent time in Michigan as head coach of Lake Superior State from 1996-2001. He was named CCHA Coach of the Year in 2000.

Leading Merrimack

Junior forward Tyler Irvine leads the Warriors in points (14), goals (5) and assists (9). Junior Jonathan Kovacevic and freshman Chase Gresock have also chipped in with 10 points each.

Senior Craig Pantano has seen the bulk of the action between the pipes with 16 starts and a 5-10-1 record, while recording one shutout with a 3.26 goals-against average and .893 save percentage.

Taking it Outside Recap

Michigan is coming off a 4-2 victory over No. 6-ranked Notre Dame last Saturday (Jan. 5) outside at Notre Dame Stadium. The Wolverines were propelled by three first-period goals by Joseph Cecconi, Will Lockwood and Nolan Moyle. The Irish would not go down without a fight, finding the back of the net in the second and third periods before Dakota Raabe put the nail in the coffin with an empty-netter with 12 seconds left in regulation. Michigan is now 4-3-1 all-time in outdoor games and has played in an NCAA-leading eight outdoor games.

Red, White and Go Blue

U-M's Quinn Hughes and Josh Norris earned a silver medal with Team USA at the IIHF World Juniors Championships in British Columbia (Dec. 26-Jan. 5). U-M players have brought home 28 medals (12 gold, six silver, 10 bronze), with the duo winning back-to-back medals (bronze in 2018).

Quinn-tessential Blue-liner

Hughes has tallied 20 points (3G, 17A) this season, tied for third highest point total of any defenseman in the NCAA. He leads all blue-liners in assists and ranks fourth amongst all skaters in the country and third in the B1G.

Breakin' out the Pasta

Nick Pastujov has scored 10 goals this season, which puts him tied for 21st in the NCAA, alongside teammate Josh Norris. Four of Pastujov's 10 goals have come on the power play this season, which ranks him tied for fourth in the B1G and tied for a team high with Slaker.

The 'SNL' Line

Michigan's top line of Jake Slaker, Norris and Lockwood has accounted for 37.7 percent (23/61) of the team's goals thus far and has recorded a combined 44 points.

Offensive Defensemen

The defensive duo of Hughes and Cecconi has a combined 35 points, which is the third-highest point total of any defensive pairings in the country behind Quinnipiac's Chase Priskie and Brandon Fortunato (43) and Ferris State's Cooper Zech and Nate Kallen (39).

Scoring Touch

Michigan has had 18 goal scorers thus far in the season, which includes five first-time scorers for the Maize and Blue.

Creating Chances

Michigan has taken 755 shots on goal, which is the second most in the country behind Penn State (798), and ranks second behind the Nittany Lions with 37.75 shots on goal per game. The Wolverines are outshooting opponents by an average of 10.10 shots per game and have taken 202 more shots than they have allowed this season -- the fourth-best margin in the country.