I have a thing for senior night at Yost. My husband and I are Michigan hockey season ticket holders and I am a bit of a hockey geek. We sit in a section near the band among the same set of season ticket holders we have for some time. Yost is easily one of my favorite places on the planet. And senior night is a can't miss game. A chance to thank the seniors for four years of hard work and effort. A chance to say goodbye to players you've watched grow and develop over four years from rookie players to seasoned senior veterans.
This season has been a little different than recent seasons. The team has struggled to find success despite a roster of super-talented players and one of the greatest coaches college hockey has ever known.
I am always amazed at pre-season college sports polls for both hockey and football ranking a team that had great success in the prior year very highly in the current year after a superstar senior goalie or quarterback, respectively, has graduated. Such was the case with Michigan's hockey team, which lost one of the most spectacular college hockey goalies of all time in Shaun Hunwick, to graduation this spring.
And the team struggled, falling out of NCAA polls. Two of the top five defensemen battled injuries as the team rotated between three goaltenders in the search to find its goalie, sometimes losing both games in a weekend series and eventually falling into the bottom half of the CCHA standings.
Then something changed. After months of switching up goalies, Michigan put Steve Racine in net against Ohio State and swept the series in Columbus, only to return home to a two-game home stand against Ferris State. These games would be the final regular season games for Michigan ever in the CCHA and by winning these games, Michigan had a chance to win home-ice advantage in the first round of the CCHA tournament. Winning the CCHA tournament being Michigan's only change to continue its streak of NCAA tournament appearances, home ice advantage, especially at Yost,is crucial.
Racine rose to the occasion as Michigan won 4-1 Friday night and again in a shoot out on Saturday night, at a Yost Ice Arena which was without the student section, due to a conflict with spring break. Making save after sometimes spectacular save, Racine stole the game from Ferris State on Saturday night, and saved senior night for the five Michigan seniors honored that night.
Because of the effort and heart of the team, Saturday's game will not be the last game the Class of 2013 plays at Yost. They will return to the ice next weekend to host Northern Michigan in the first round of CCHA Tournament play. And with Steve Racine as the backstop, Michigan has a chance. Let's Go Blue, boys. Way to battle back, fight through the tough stuff, and win the hard ones. And thank you, seniors, for leading the way.
