MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

Michigan allegations just another disaster for college football

John Shipley / St. Paul Pioneer Press — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 23:42:34 GMT

If Jim Harbaugh and his University of Michigan football program were sending scouts to Minnesota games to steal their signs, you have to ask yourself why. It’s hard to believe he was worried about losing to Minnesota.

Now, while Harbaugh’s program is under NCAA investigation for an alleged system of in-person sign-stealing that breaks the NCAA’s competitive rules, it doesn’t mean the Wolverines actually bothered to steal the Gophers’ signs. To be fair, it seems like overkill. The U has beaten Michigan twice since 1987, and it usually isn’t close. The teams met Oct. 7, and the Wolverines won 52-10.

On the other hand, Harbaugh was suspended three games this season for violating NCAA recruiting rules, which seems impossible in the Age of Name, Image and Likeness. So, maybe there’s something to the whole thing. Maybe Harbaugh felt as though Michigan didn’t simply have to beat the Gophers, but humiliate them — because no matter what anyone else tells you, margin of victory counts.

Maybe in the NCAA’s revamped booster free-for-all unleashed by NIL collectives, the haves like Michigan feel they not only have to provide the highest cash bid for star players, but they have to do everything else within their power to earn a spot in the College Football Championship, a terrific bonus chit to the player already promised everything else.

That’s more national exposure, more NIL opportunities, more money.

This has created an existential crisis for programs like Minnesota’s, prompting Gophers coach P.J. Fleck to use his radio program to beg listeners to buy more beer and t-shirts that directly help Gophers student-athletes so that his star freshman running back doesn’t leave for greener pastures after this season. Coming from a coach making around $6 million a year, it’s rich.

Coach better. Buy the beer and the t-shirts. Grab an oar.

But while it’s existential for programs like Fleck’s, which got a peek at the big time with an 11-2 season in 2019, it’s different for the haves. They already have the boosters and exposure to make Blake Corum a millionaire and sure as hell aren’t going to cede conquered territory. Maybe, if any of this is true, Harbaugh and his program feel pressure to beat the Big Ten’s underclass by 50 points a game and enjoy whatever that helps them reap.

College athletics are off the rails. It’s great for athletes, which is good, but for a fan, it becomes more difficult to enjoy the games, at least at the highest level. We already have pro sports, we don’t need more — especially if they’re the same sports, primarily football and basketball, that already have our attention.

The NCAA, of course, made this mess, creating a lucrative eco-system that rewarded coaches and administrators but not student-athletes. When the players finally became confident enough to challenge the system in court, it crumbled, and the NCAA — facing its own existential crisis — typed up a few vague rules and said, “Go to town.”

And now we have the NIL gong show. While Fleck begs Gophers fans to Row the NIL Boat, coaches like Nick Saban and Kirk Ferentz are begging for an intervention. Again, it’s rich coming from coaches who make even more than Fleck, but they’re right.

Basketball, with its 68-team national tournament, still makes room for underdogs, and not surprisingly, when they’re successful, they’re the big stories of the NCAA’s biggest TV extravaganza. Football isn’t on that trajectory, moving instead to a sort of Rollerball, an exclusive, corporate-sponsored hellscape featuring the same six to eight teams every year.

One of the great joys of college football is watching App State beat Michigan and Boise State beat Oklahoma. Do you want to live in a world where that will never happen again? Do you want a college landscape where even Michigan’s coach feels he needs to steal your signs?

In its race to save the status quo without a map, college football is eating itself.

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Hobey 2023 is a B1G deal with Matthew Knies, Logan Cooley and Adam Fantilli named finalists

Jess Myers — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 18:12:14 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS – You’ve heard all of the talk about how, in a decade as the first multi-sport conference that sponsors men’s hockey, the Big Ten hasn’t measured up. But as two teams head to Tampa for the Frozen Four, seeking the first national title by a member of the conference since 2007, it is guaranteed that the highest individual honor in the game will be heading back up north, to Big Ten country, when the tournament is done.

The three finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award – named after a legendary player from Princeton who dazzled fans in the early 1900s before his tragic death in World War I – announced on Thursday are Minnesota forward Logan Cooley, Michigan forward Adam Fantilli and Minnesota forward Matthew Knies, all of whom have been honored by the Big Ten already this season for their on-ice work.

Cooley, who was one of the most highly-touted recruits in the history of the Gophers program, leads the team offensively heading into the Frozen Four with 20 goals and 37 assists. Picked third overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2022 NHL Draft, Cooley has been on a particular tear in March, and was named to the Fargo Regional’s all-tournament team after posting a goal and an assist in the Gophers’ 4-1 win over St. Cloud State in their most recent outing. He is originally from Pittsburgh and is looking to become the Gophers’ fifth Hobey winner. Neal Broten won the inaugural award in 1981, followed by Robb Stauber in 1988, Brian Bonin in 1996 and Jordan Leopold in 2002.

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Fantilli, who is from a small town outside Toronto, burst onto the college hockey scene this season and has been a prolific scorer for the Wolverines when healthy. He was named the Big Ten freshman of the year and scored the tying goal late in Michigan’s come-from-behind win over Penn State in their regional title game. Fantilli began his college career on a seven-game point streak, and heads into the Frozen Four leading the nation offensively. Many draft analysts predict he will be one of the first three selections in the 2023 NHL Draft. He would be Michigan’s third Hobey winner following Brendan Morrison in 1997 and Kevin Porter in 2008.

Knies, from suburban Phoenix, followed his breakout freshman season by taking his game up a notch as a sophomore. Named the most valuable player in the Big Ten, he leads the nation with seven game-winning goals and has repeatedly brought fans to their feet at home and on the road with a combination of size and skill that is rare in the college game. Picked by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Knies is already getting hype as a possible addition to their roster for the coming playoffs, if he chooses to forgo his remaining college eligibility and sign a professional contract. Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas has been in attendance at several Gophers games this season, most recently at the Fargo Regional final.

The winner will be revealed on Friday, April 7 at Sparkman Wharf, near Amalie Arena on the Tampa waterfront. It will be an outdoor event that is open to the public, during the off day of the Frozen Four weekend.

Created in 1981 by the since-closed Decathlon Athletic Club in Bloomington, Minn., the award's eventual winner is decided by a panel of coaches, media and scouts via a secret ballot. Envisioned as a tribute to Baker, who was known for gentlemanly play as much as for his skill, the criteria for the award includes things like strength of character, outstanding skills, scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.

The skater depicted on the trophy was modeled after former Gopher and 1980 Olympic standout Steve Christoff. Minnesota State Mankato goaltender Dryden McKay won the trophy in 2022.

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Denver advances to Frozen Four title game after Carter Savoie's OT goal against Michigan

Jess Myers — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 01:57:52 GMT

BOSTON – Prior to taking on top-seeded Michigan in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals, Denver coach Matt Carle joked that he wanted a 9-8 win in a festival of offense. The reality was the Pioneers would need stout defense if they were to slow the high-powered Wolverines.

Then the Pioneers went out and played the game they needed to win.

Denver left winger Carter Savoie scored on his own rebound late in the first overtime, lifting the Pioneers to a 3-2 upset victory and a trip to Saturday’s national championship game.

"I thought we handled them very well. I loved our team defense. Everyone, to a man, was up, angling, taking away time and space, making life hard on them," Carle said.

Denver never trailed in the game, playing precisely the style needed to keep the dangerous Wolverines offense from doing many of the things that got them to the Frozen Four.

Star forward Bobby Brink dug the puck out of the corner and found Savoie in front of the net. Michigan goalie Erik Portillo stopped Savoie’s initial shot, but the rebound found the back of the net.

Savoie joked that on the list of goals he has scored, this one jumped to the top.

Goalie Magnus Chrona needed to make 19 saves for Denver (30-9-1), moving the Pioneers into the national championship game for the first time since 2017 when they beat Minnesota Duluth in Chicago for the most recent of their eight previous college hockey crowns.

Brett Stapley and Cameron Wright scored in the first and third periods, respectively, for Denver, which won a share of the NCHA regular season title.

Michigan, which finished the season 31-10-1, got goals from Jimmy Lambert and Thomas Bordeleau, and killed three penalties in the game, but saw their season end two wins shy of their ultimate goal. Their coach, Mel Person, wrestled with some emotion at the postgame podium, saying it was the most fun he had had in his 40 years of college hockey. The future is uncertain for Michigan, with several players likely to depart for the NHL, and Pearson with an expiring contract that has not yet been renewed.

In a game where they were predicted to run their offensive show, Denver’s defenders had other plans.

"When it comes down to it, we got a late start," said Michigan defenseman Garrett Van Wyhe. "Mel harped on us all week that it was all about the start...In that aspect we kind of have to take accountability."

Coming into the Frozen Four, much was made about whether Denver could stay with Michigan offensively, or if the Pioneers would use the opening 20 minutes to establish defense to slow the high-powered Wolverines offense. Portillo had 30 saves in the loss.

The first 17 minutes went about as well as Pioneers fans could dream of, as they held Michigan without so much as a shot on goal for much of the period, and took the early lead when Stapley used a pretty backhand shot to clean up the rebound of a long-range puck by Justin Lee that got through to the goalmouth.

After Lambert tied it in the second, Denver took a lead into the final 10 minutes of regulation when Wright deflected a Mike Benning shot past Portillo and just inside the left goal post. But a blocked shot in one end of the rink sparked a 2-on-1 rush by the Wolverines in the other end, and Bordeleau’s goal forced the extra session.

The Pioneers will face Minnesota State Mankato, 5-1 winners over Minnesota in the late semifinal game, in Saturday's championship game.

Savoie had eight shots on goal in the game, including the final two.

"That's what he does. He scores big goals, as we all know so far," said Pioneers winger Ryan Barrow. "Just an unbelievable play by that top line to get her done and moving us on to Saturday."

Denver 3, Michigan 2, OT Michigan 0-1-1-0—2 Denver 1-0-1-1—3 First period — 1. DU, Brett Stapley 17 (Justin Lee, Jack Devine), 11:22. Penalties — None. Second period — 2. UM, Jimmy Lambert 6 (Nolan Moyle, Garrett Van Wyhe), 4:03. Penalties — Moyle, UM (holding), 6:09. Third period — 3. DU, Cameron Wright 22 (Mike Benning, Massimo Rizzo), 5:36. 4. UM, Thomas Bordeleau 12 (Michael Pastujov, Mark Estapa), 9:09. Penalties — Brendan Brisson, UM (boarding), 9:56; Mackie Samoskevich, UM (holding), 14:29. Overtime — 5. DU, Carter Savoie 23 (Bobby Brink, Benning), 14:53. Penalties — None. Shots on goal — UM 4-5-5-7—21; DU 7-9-10-7—33. Goalies — Erik Portillo, UM (33 shots-30 saves); Magnus Chrona, DU (21-19). Power plays — UM 0-of-0, DU 0-of-3. Referees — Joe Carusone, CJ Hanafin. Linesmen — Ryan Knapp, Brian Oliver. Att. — NA.

2022 Frozen Four: Denver Pioneers vs Michigan Wolverines

Players from the Michigan Wolverines and Denver Pioneers wait for the start of a 2022 Division I Men’s Frozen Four semifinal game Thursday, April 7, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston, MA.

The Michigan Wolverines huddle around goalie Erik Portillo prior to starting a 2022 Division I Men’s Frozen Four semifinal game Thursday, April 7, 2022, against the Denver Pioneers at TD Garden in Boston, MA.

Mackie Samoskevich (11) of the Michigan Wolverines attempts to fire a shot against goalie Magnus Chrona of the Denver Pioneers in a 2022 Division I Men’s Frozen Four semifinal game Thursday, April 7, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston, MA.

Mark Estapa (94) of the Michigan Wolverines is swarmed by the Denver Pioneers in front of goalie Magnus Chrona during a 2022 Division I Men’s Frozen Four semifinal game Thursday, April 7, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston, MA.

Brett Stapley (7) of Denver celebrates after scoring a first-period goal against the Michigan Wolverines in a 2022 Division I Men’s Frozen Four semifinal game Thursday, April 7, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston.

Jack Devine (4) of the Denver Pioneers celebrates Brett Stapley's first-period goal against the Michigan Wolverines in a 2022 Division I Men’s Frozen Four semifinal game Thursday, April 7, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston.

Carter Mazur (34) and Massimo Rizzo (13) of Denver celebrate a goal against the Michigan Wolverines play against the Denver University Pioneers in a 2022 Division I Men’s Frozen Four semifinal game Thursday, April 7, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston.

Michigan Wolverines forward Mark Estapa unloads a hit on Denver Pioneers defenseman Sean Behrens in a 2022 Division I Men’s Frozen Four semifinal game Thursday, April 7, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston.

Jimmy Lambert (23) of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates a goal to tie the game against the Denver Pioneers in the second period of a 2022 Division I Men’s Frozen Four semifinal game Thursday, April 7, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston, MA.

The Denver Pioneers celebrate against the Michigan Wolverines in a 2022 Division I Men’s Frozen Four semifinal game Thursday, April 7, 2022, at TD Garden in Boston, MA.

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Frozen Four Notebook: Motzko drawing on past NCAA triumphs and failures as Mavericks showdown looms

Jess Myers — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 22:05:39 GMT

BOSTON – The Minnesota Gophers have a unique resource at hand as they prep to face Minnesota State Mankato in their NCAA Frozen Four semifinal game on Thursday at TD Garden. They faced the Mavericks roughly 53 weeks ago in a regional final. But Gophers coach Bob Motzko’s review of that video from the 2021 Loveland Regional – a 4-0 MSU win – didn’t last long.

“I got through 10 minutes of it, and then the two goals we gave up were just dumb mistakes on our part and then I didn’t need to see any more, because we’re not playing like that right now,” Motzko said on Wednesday in a press conference held after his team had skated on the rink where they will play on Thursday. “They can do that to you. When we got down, we got discouraged.”

MSU held Minnesota to just nine shots on goal through the first 40 minutes that night last season in Colorado. Twenty years after he won a NCAA title as Don Lucia’s assistant coach at Minnesota, and nine years after he took St. Cloud State to the Frozen Four as a head coach, Motzko’s Gophers will be playing their third NCAA tournament game in the state of Massachusetts on Thursday, having beaten UMass and Western Michigan to win the Worcester Regional two weeks ago. The coach wants to draw more on that experience than on the failure from a year ago, or even the big win from two decades ago.

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“In Worcester, there’s no question that was a heavyweight bracket that we got thrown into,” Motzko said. “I’m more (focused) on that right now than looking back to 2013 and 2002. What these guys have gone through and what we went up against in UMass and Western Michigan, I think that helps us going up against Mankato.”

That’s not to say that the loss to the Mavericks hasn’t been on their minds and the chance for revenge isn’t a consideration in Boston.

“We were so close a year ago, to get to the regional final and Mankato knocked us off. This is a burning hole in all of us,” Motzko said. “You draw on that, on how it felt and what happened in that game and what you did leading up to that game. I think there are some things that we can draw on them. The only thing is that Mankato can draw on them too."

Gopher roots strong for Denver’s Brink

Denver star forward Bobby Brink’s father Andy, who went to the University of Minnesota on a golf scholarship and ended up playing hockey for Doug Woog’s Gophers for four years, will be at the Frozen Four semifinals on Thursday decked out in the Pioneers’ colors. Bobby joked that he’s pretty sure his father did not bring his old Gophers jersey along to Boston for the second semifinal game.

“I think my dad’s all Pioneers this weekend,” Brink said on Wednesday after Denver had their team practice at TD Garden. Denver’s coach followed up with a thinly veiled threat of his own.

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“He’d better be,” joked David Carle to a round of laughs in the media room.

Growing up as the son of a former Gopher, and living in the Twin Cities suburbs, Bobby spent plenty of weekend nights inside 3M Arena at Mariucci.

“Since my dad played there, growing up I went to a lot of those games,” Bobby Brink said. “They were always super exciting but I haven’t been there a lot in the recent years, being away from home. But growing up they were my favorite team.”

Wolverines looking to entertain

When teams tried to match Michigan’s offense stride for stride this season, they generally failed. The Wolverines got into the most trouble on-ice when they faced defense-first teams like Notre Dame, which beat Michigan four times in the regular season, before the Wolverines won their head-to-head meeting in the playoffs.

Still, Denver coach David Carle joked that he would be fine with a 9-8 Pioneers win on Thursday. Asked on Wednesday, Wolverines players Jimmy Lambert and Michael Pastujov admitted they would prefer a 1-0 win with their gargantuan goalie, Erik Portillo, getting the shutout, and they could not envision him surrendering eight goals in a game. Maybe it is an innate confidence in his team’s offensive abilities, but Michigan’s coach would be fine with a back-and-forth shootout with the Pioneers.

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“I’m not saying this against anybody else, but I really like the style they play. They play the game how I envision it,” Mel Pearson said of the Pioneers. “If I was a player on his team, I’d be so happy because they play the game a certain way, they like to play with skill, they like to get up and down the ice. I’ll say it – we’re in the entertainment business.”

Mavericks work to play their own game

In the frantic final 10 minutes of his masterpiece win over the Soviets in the 1980 Winter Olympics, Team USA coach Herb Brooks notoriously and repeatedly implored his team to, “play your game.”

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Minnesota State Mankato coach Mike Hastings played for Brooks at St. Cloud State, and looks to take a lesson from the Miracle on Ice when the Mavericks face in-state rival Minnesota in the second Frozen Four semifinal on Thursday.

“What I’m expecting is two teams are going to go out and try to get to their own game as quickly as they can,” Hastings said, looking ahead to the first Mavericks-Gophers game since a 4-0 MSU win in the Loveland Regional final last season. “With a team with the amount of draft picks they have and the talent they have, we don’t want to create their offense for them. So puck management is going to be very important to us.”

That likely means that if the Mavericks are to play their game, it will be a more lock-it-down defensive style, and leaning heavily on star goalie Dryden McKay, who shut out Notre Dame in the Albany Regional final, earning MSU a second consecutive Frozen Four trip.

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Michigan coach Mel Pearson talks about his freshmen class, this season, shoveling the roof, picking up pucks in Edina and more

Jess Myers — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 12:00:00 GMT

University of Michigan head men's hockey coach Mel Pearson played high school hockey in Edina for iconic coach Willard Ikola, then at Michigan Tech for legendary coach John MacInnes and then began a coaching career that included being a long-time assistant for Wolverines Red Berenson. Berenson coached the Wolverines for 33 seasons and led them to two national titles. MacInnes led the Huskies to three national titles. Ikola led Edina to a record eight state titles.

So Pearson had some good coaching mentors. He talks about leaving Michigan to be the head coach at Michigan Tech, returning to Michigan to replace Berenson, his playing career, why you should not climb on the roof to shovel snow off it, picking up pucks beneath the stands at Braemar Arena and more with The Rink Live's Jess Myers and Mick Hatten.

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