Relief from the frozen front at Yost.

One of the greatest goals in Michigan history was scored by Aaron Palushaj this past weekend. I was in the stand watching it instead of looking at it from a media perspective as i could have been but i saw it nonetheless and it was glorious. Taking on three defenders is dangerous in hockey and he got mugged on the way to the goal, so much so that the ref was going to call a penalty before the puck went into the net, by which time he had waved it off. It could be a season changing moment for the winged helmets on ice.

After Fridays game there were undoubtedly a group of bloggers who would be willing to write off Michigan as unable to compete without Mark Mitera in a tougher more physical CCHA compared to years past. However the St. Lawrence Saints came out with the same game plan that NMU came into Yost with last year and got out played at their own game by the maize and blue. Palushaj's goal aside this game was determined in the corners, by the hits who was tough who could endure more of the beating, clearly by the end of the game the answer was overwhelmingly clear. This year's Michigan hockey team is incredibly well conditioned and is ready for a hard hitting season this year.

Goaltending looked good, the team as a whole was imperfect, but perfection is a hard thing to ask for, especially so early in the season. The first line looked good with Hagelin, Rust and Palushaj. It seems clear to me that Carl Hagelin has been lifting some weights this past summer because he was not merely toughing it out in the corners and in front of the net, he was giving it back to the opposing defenders. Watching this team play last weekend makes one wonder if the hockey conditioning coach could work with Barwis on the football team.

The only things in the immediate future that i am regretful of is that Michigan's next two games will not be televised from Marquette, and that WOLV will not be able to present anything to you hockey related until November.

Stay tuned for a preview of Northern Michigan.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

c-ya

Kevin Quick: Why??????

The way Kevin Quick played was really helpful to the Michigan hockey team. Hanging back at the point, and when the offense couldn't hold it in and the opponents thought they had a chance at a rush for the goal Kevin Quick could be depended to hang back and stop it.

When Red Berenson announced that Kevin Quick was suspended from the team for "A gross violation of team trust..." that apparently, "hadn't been the first time that it happened." The first thing i thought was, "i wonder what Red means."

My initial assumption was drugs, either steroids or narcotics. But it was wrong, completely wrong as it turns out. The reason he was kicked off the team was because he stole his roommate's credit card to pay off his own debts. His roommate: Carl Hagelin.

http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2008/02/former_um_hockey_player_charge.html

I can only imagine the scene after Hagelin after he found out.

setting: Yost locker room after practice, Hagelin recieves a phone call from the credit card company that his credit card has been used without his permission.

Hagelin: Hey roomie did you use my credit card
Quick: yeah, man we talked about that right?
Hagelin: yeah and i specifically told you, no.
Quick: yeah well i needed to do it anyways.
Hagelin: Kevin, Why do you feel the need to do this? Why don't you ask your mom for money? You know Sweden's just like any other place in the world, money doesn't grow on trees, just cause we got free health care doesn't mean we've all got a million bucks to lend out.
Quick: sorry man, i just thought we had an understanding.
Red: something going on fellas?
Hagelin: yeah, Kevin just stole my credit card again.
Red: Whaddya mean again?
Hagelin: he's always bagging on me for money, talking about how cause i'm Swedish i automatically get free stuff at Ikea, which i don't. And then he goes off and uses my card to pay off stuff anyways.
Red: Kevin, what the hell do ya think you're doing? Carl works just as hard as you do, but you feel the need to take from him? There's no need to have that attitude here at Michigan, pack your bags you're coming w/ me!

Like i said i can only imagine what happened. I'd be surprised if the two didn't go at it and Hagelin didn't try any of those super-secret Swedish army techniques on an unsuspecting Kevin Quick, not a good guy to mess with.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

C-ya