Maybe the Michigan hockey team is too good.
The Wolverines can make this complicated game of hockey look so easy. Twice in the last two weeks, they have annihilated opponents by 10 goals or more.
But they have followed these games with disappointing efforts marred with focus problems and overconfidence.
After an 11-1 slaughter of Ferris State on New Year's Eve, Michigan was lucky to tie Cornell, 3-3, in a game they almost won in overtime but easily could have lost in regulation.
"We had a lot of spectators (on our team) against Cornell," assistant captain Jason Botterill said.
With the strong senior leadership and experience on this team, it won't come out flat two games in a row.
Friday night, the Wolverines preyed on CCHA bottom-feeder Alaska-Fairbanks, 13-1. Bill Muckalt put Michigan on the board in its first shift, and the pillage of the Nanooks' igloo village never let up.
Michigan appeared to be repeating its New Year's thumping of Ferris State on Saturday, taking a 5-0 lead into the first intermission.
Everyone in Yost Ice Arena thought the game was over, including Michigan. The Wolverines played a sloppy and uninspired second period, giving up four goals to the Bulldogs, including only the second shorthanded goal scored against Michigan this season.
"I can't remember us having such a good part of a game and then having such a bad part of the game all year," Michigan coach Red Berenson said.
And for good reason. The Wolverines had not allowed four goals against them in a period since their 7-3 loss at Lake Superior on Feb. 24, 1996, 32 games ago.
However, Michigan pulled a similar second period disappearing act at Notre Dame on Nov. 1, 1996, when it gave up three goals in the second after leading 5-0 at the end of the first. It won the game 6-3 after neither team could score in the third.
Fortunately for Michigan on Saturday, Mike Legg singlehandedly equaled the Bulldogs' offensive output, and Michigan returned to form in the third period behind Gregg Malicke's efforts in goal.
But what has become obvious is that the Wolverines are more likely to beat themselves than to be beaten. When they're on their game, it might be tough for some NHL teams to keep up.
"The challenges are often mental as well as physical," Berenson said.
Berenson also indicated that games which are supposed to be easy wins, like this weekend's games, are the hardest to prepare for and coach.
"Any time you think it's easy, it's tough," he said. "And any time you know it's going to be tough, it might be easy."
With the Wolverines' high-powered offense and tenacious defense, it's hard to blame them for occasionally getting bored and relaxed. Malicke admitted that Michigan's dominating play makes it hard for the goalies to stay awake when the puck spends most of the game at the other end of the rink.
"I feel a lot of sympathy for Marty (Turco) at times because we only see like seven shots," he said. "And even though that's great defensive play, and that's what we take pride in, it's still really hard for us goaltenders to stay mentally focused."
But focus problems have not been unique to the goal crease. The entire Michigan squad suffered from them Tuesday night and in the second period Saturday.
With a home-and-home series with Western Michigan - which played tough at Michigan on Dec. 4 in a 3-1 losing effort - this weekend, and a two-game series with CCHA-frontrunner Miami (Ohio) at Yost next weekend, Michigan cannot afford more mental lapses.
Michigan has enough talent to overcome one bad period against Ferris State, but a bad 60 minutes against Western Michigan or Miami (Ohio) could cost the Wolverines in the CCHA title run.
With the Wolverines' experience and senior leadership, it's hard to believe they will let it happen again.