BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
Five takeaways from the Wisconsin men's hockey team following its non-conference series with Northern Michigan:
One: The UW power play looks like it has some horsepower and balance, but the series split with the Wildcats — a 3-2 loss and 6-5 victory — showed that the engine definitely needs some tuning up. Both units contributed multiple goals on the weekend with three coming from the top grouping (sophomore right winger Will Johnson had two conversions and sophomore center Luke Kunin one) and two from the second set (sophomore center Seamus Malone and freshman center Trent Frederic did the damage). But while the Badgers were 5-for-16 (.312) with the man-advantage in the series — the third-best conversion ratio in the nation — they also allowed a pair of short-handed goals in the series finale.
Two: Senior Corbin McGuire has played 67 career games for Wisconsin, but only 11 as a defenseman since being converted from wing last season. How's the switch going? Thanks to three goals in the season-opening series against the Wildcats — including the first two-conversion outing of his career — he is a combined 5-1-6 and is plus-4 as a blue-liner.
Three: As debuts go, it's hard not to like the way freshman defenseman JD Greenway went about his business. A third-round NHL draft pick of Toronto earlier this year, Greenway didn't have a shot on goal in the series, but he helped set up all three of McGuire's conversions — the primary assist on two — and was plus-3 in a series where only two UW players emerged with a plus rating.
Four: One of the most agonizing statistics from last season showed the Badgers were 1-10-7 in games in which they were tied at some point in the third period. One weekend into the Tony Granato coaching era they managed to equal that win total with a come-from-behind triumph Saturday.
Five: The split with Northern Michigan gives way to the home-opening series with Boston College at the Kohl Center Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. The coaching matchup is noteworthy on several fronts. Granato has one career win at the college level, which puts him 1,012 behind Jerry York, the BC legend who ranks No. 1 on the all-time list and the only member of the 1,000-victory club. But despite being at opposite ends of that spectrum, the 52-year-old Granato and 71-year-old York have similar backgrounds. Both coach at their alma maters. Both were born July 25. Both played center. Both totaled 67 points when they led their teams in scoring the first time. Both wound up pacing their teams in scoring twice. Both had two hat tricks in their careers. Both were captains as seniors.
