The Worst Seasons in the Past 25 Years Part 32: Michigan
Welcome to the Worst Season in the Past 25 Years, a series in which r/CollegeHockey reviews the worst season for all 60 Division I teams over the summer to alleviate the crushing boredom known as the off-season and take a horrific tour down memory lane.
If you are interested in writing an entry for your team, please let me know via PM. I’ll be posting entries on weekdays at approximately at 6 pm Eastern time and will be going in alphabetical order. If an entry is not posted at that time, assume that “real life” has gotten in the way and that I am not able to post. If I am aware in advance that I will not post at 6 pm on a particular day, I will announce it in prior posts as a heads up.
And now.../r/CollegeHockey presents the Michigan Wolverines! Michigan started their program in the 1920s, operating throughout the Great Depression and the Second World War. In the beginning of the NCAA era, the Wolverines were one of the most successful programs, amassing ten consecutive appearances (1948-1957) and getting six titles. Joining the WCHA in 1959, Michigan had brief flashes of success obtaining another national title in 1964. The Wolverines moved to the CCHA in 1981, which led to their golden age in the 1990s. Michigan had many NCAA appearances and secured two more titles in 1996 and 1998. That success had a slight decline but continued to challenge for titles and were runners-up in 2011. Michigan are now part of the B1G, where they have a conference title. Due to their success, one can argue that the Wolverines are a blue blood.
As noted before, blue bloods can have periods of decline or blips in their seasonal form. For the Wolverines, this is…
2016-2017 Record: 13-3-19 (W-D-L); B1G: 6-2-12 (W-D-L; 5th/6th)
Wins: Union, @Ferris Wheel State, Michigan Tech, @Arizona State, Boston, Lake Superior St., Wisconsin, Michigan State*, Ohio State, @OSU, Minnesota, Penn State (x2)
Ties: Michigan Tech, @MSU, MSU^
Losses: Union, @Vermont, @Dartmouth, Boston, LSSU, @Penn State (x2), Wisconsin, Michigan Tech*, @Minnesota (x2), MSU, OSU, MSU, @Wisconsin (x2), @OSU, Minnesota, Penn State-
*Great Lakes Invitational
^Game at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit
-B1G tournament play-in, played at Joe Louis Arena
Biggest Beatdown: Penn State 6 - Michigan 1
Head Coach: Red Berenson
In Berenson’s final season as Michigan’s head coach, the Wolverines nearly halved their wins from the previous season. Tony Calderone had the most goals (15) and Jake Slaker had the most assists (14). In goal, Zach Nagelvoort (.921 save percentage, 2.87 GAA), Hayden Lavigne (.912 save percentage, 2.92 GAA), and Jack Fontaine (.911 save percentage, 3.34 GAA) shared the duties of netminder nearly equally (14, 13 and 11 games played, respectively).
Michigan warmed up with a game against Windsor, winning 2-0. The Wolverines’ season officially began with a home series against Union, splitting the series. Three games against in-state teams (Ferris State and Michigan Tech) led to two wins and a tie. A trip to New England was fruitless, losing to Vermont and Dartmouth.
An away game to Arizona State was won by the Wolverines; this was followed by a split series with Boston Univ. An exhibition with the US U18s was won. November ended with a split series with LSSU. A trip to Penn State followed up, in which the Nittany Lions won both games. A home series with Wisconsin was split in preparation for the Great Lakes Invitational. At the GLI, Michigan lost to Michigan Tech before beating State.
The new year began with an away series to Minnesota, dropping both to the Golden Gophers. A home-and-home with Michigan State led to only one tie. A home series with Ohio State was split. Two more games with Michigan State saw another tie. A road series with Wisconsin saw a Badgers sweep. An away series against OSU was split, temporarily lifting Wolverine spirits, as did a home series against Minnesota. The regular season concluded with a sweeping of the Penn State Nittany Lions...who Michigan faced off in the B1G play-in. PSU wins, 4-1.
The Wolverines’ long time coach retired at the end of the 2016-2017 season. For weeks into the off-season, speculation was high on who would replace Red at the helm of one of the most historical teams in college hockey. That answer came in the form of Mel Pearson, previously head of the Michigan Tech program. Will Pearson be able to return Michigan to their glory days or will he come short in doing so?
For Week 7 of this series, we will look at the worst seasons in recent memory for the following school: Michigan State, and Michigan Tech. Once again, if you are interested in doing the entry for your favorite school, shoot me a PM. Your school, name, and date will be added at the end of each post to serve as a reminder. So far, the following people have inquired about a spot:
| School | Username | Tentative Date |
|---|---|---|
| Northeastern | u/therevengeance | 8/2 |
| Penn State | u/saucysalesman | 8/8 |
| RPI | u/Nicholas1227 | 8/16 |
| Union | u/azurearmor | 8/22 |
| Vermont | u/LocksTheFox | 8/23 |
Finally, a shoutout to u/saucysalesman who inspired the idea of this series for doing one for football over at r/cfb. Additionally, thanks to r/CollegeBasketball for the idea of the sub-par MS Paint logos for each school.
Previous Entries in the Worst Seasons Series:
Posted Jul 19, 2017, 10:54 PM UTC