Backchecking needs to improve for Blue

By Arun Gopal

Daily Sports Writer

For anyone who has seen the Michigan hockey team in action, the following scene will be familiar: three Michigan forwards and a defenseman, zooming towards the opposing net at breakneck speed in the midst of yet another odd-man rush.

The Wolverines are known throughout the collegiate ranks for their fast-paced, attacking brand of hockey.

That style has proven exceedingly effective - Michigan has been one of the nation's premier programs for over a decade.

But with aggression comes a price. By constantly sending three or four men into the offensive zone, Michigan runs a huge risk. If the Wolverines turn the puck over, the opposition has a golden opportunity to counterattack.

Consequently, Michigan forwards have to become quite proficient at one of the more overlooked aspects of hockey - backchecking.

"Taking a bigger role defensively and playing well in our zone transitions into offensive chances," senior forward Scott Matzka said. "That's the biggest thing - two games out of three now we've given up five goals, and you're not going to win too many games like that."

In the two games Matzka is referring to - a defeat at Ferris State two Saturdays ago, and the home loss to Alaska Fairbanks this past Saturday - the Wolverines were victimized by widespread defensive breakdowns, and part of the problem can be traced to shoddy backchecking. Michigan's forwards were repeatedly caught flat-footed, which led to numerous counterattacking opportunities for the opposition.

The backchecking has "been spotty," Berenson said. "There have been times when we played well, but even in the Friday night game against Fairbanks, we gave up four or five glorious scoring chances on just poor coverage coming back.

"When you recruit highly-skilled players like we do, and then you have to teach them how to check, some of them just can't get the puck out of their heads. As soon as the puck turns over, they sleep."

In light of the injuries that the Wolverines have suffered on defense in this past week, this problem becomes even more alarming. MCL injuries have sidelined blueliners Dave Huntzicker and Brad Fraser for six weeks apiece, which leaves Michigan with only six healthy defensemen.

Heading into a pair of difficult games this weekend at Wisconsin and Minnesota in the College Hockey Showcase, the Wolverines are aware that their forwards must backcheck more effectively if they have any hopes of emerging with two wins.

"Our forwards have to do a good job in not isolating our defensemen so they're outnumbered all night," Berenson said. "They've got to be coming back."