Midweek Roundup: November 10, 2021
Michigan prepares for a Thursday-Friday set at Pegula Ice Arena against Penn State
On the heels of a stirring sweep over their in-state rivals, the University of Michigan men’s ice hockey team—now second-ranked in the country—travels to central Pennsylvania, where it will look to set the nineteenth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday and Friday. Join us here at Gulo Gulo for an abbreviated midweek roundup.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
The 21-22 season projected to pose problems for the Nittany Lions, who entered the year tasked with replacing their all-time leader in points-per-game, Alex Limoges. Perhaps more troublingly, PSU’s returning goaltender Oskar Autio posted an .894 save percentage.
As it’s happened, the Lions have been a pleasant surprise to date. Autio, now a senior, is up to a .917, and sophomore backup Liam Souliere has a .910. If Autio in particular can keep that number up, the Nittany Lions should find themselves with a fighting chance to win the Big Ten.
Though they were swept in Columbus at the hands of Ohio State, their prior result was a 6-4 win over number-six North Dakota.
The heart of Penn State’s team lies on its blue line, specifically in the form of Clayton Phillips. Phillips, a fifth-year senior from Edina, MN and Pittsburgh Penguin draft pick, transferred to Happy Valley after two seasons at the University of Minnesota.
In a recent College Hockey News profile, PSU coach Guy Gadowsky described him as having “elite” individual skills that “fit very well with what we do.” In the same profile, Phillips himself described the Lions as a “fast, north-south” team “playing simple but also making the fun, fancy plays whenever the opportunity is there.”
This will be another significant test on the road for the Wolverines, who have already one in hostile environments at Minnesota-Duluth, Western Michigan, and Michigan State.
We here at Gulo Gulo are looking for Michigan to set the tone for football’s noon kickoff at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
This Week in KJ Media
In what has become something of a recurring segment for the midweek roundup, we feel obligated to update you on the latest in the life of Michigan hockey’s sorcerer-in-residence, Kent Johnson.
This week, Johnson appeared on Everything College Hockey’s “Pucks in Deep” podcast to discuss a variety of topics ranging from life as a college freshman during COVID, BCHL team names (Johnson played for the incredibly named Trail Smoke Eaters), Big Ten hockey, and student sections.
More than anything, what stood out to me from the interview (which is about twenty-five minutes) is the remarkable calm with which KJ approaches the game. In some ways, that may seem at odds with his dazzling play, but, upon further reflection, it makes sense to me that such spectacular displays are possible because of an almost uncanny tranquility on the ice.
A discussion of the disappointment associated with last season’s conclusion (being knocked out of the NCAA Tournament not by a rival but instead by a COVID outbreak) drew that approach into stark relief.
When asked if that conclusion added to his team’s motivation, Johnson responded “It definitely doesn’t hurt, but you hope you don’t need to look for too many things for motivation to win a national championship.”
The interview’s other major revelation emerged when the ECH boys asked Johnson if smelling salt consumption on the Wolverine bench had dropped off with the return of fans. To this, Johnson said simply that he’d never tried one himself though they certainly remain in circulation.