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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 11:47 PM Wednesday, March 17, 2010

OXFORD — The University of Michigan hockey team’s goaltending situation seems about as unsettled as Miami University’s.

The Wolverines’ starting goalie, junior Bryan Hogan, suffered a groin injury late in the regular season after making 41 starts and hasn’t played in the last five games.

Michigan coach Red Berenson spoke Tuesday, March 16, as if Hogan would not play against Miami in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association tournament semifinals on Friday, but didn’t actually say Hogan is out.

“It’s been challenging for everyone,” Berenson said of Hogan’s injury. “Now Miami has two No. 1 goalies and we don’t have one ... We’re getting by game by game.”

Michigan has been getting by, alright. In its four CCHA tourney games, the Wolverines have outscored Lake Superior State and Michigan State by a combined total of 21-5.

Junior goalie Shawn Hunwick, who had played a total of 18 minutes before Hogan’s injury, has filled in well, posting a 1.90 goals-against average in the last six games.

Knapp or Reichard?

Miami coach Enrico Blasi continued to stay silent about whether Connor Knapp or Cody Reichard would start in goal against Michigan. That’s standard operating procedure for the RedHawks.

“Right now, like always, we go week to week,” Blasi said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if you saw Connor Knapp in goal and it wouldn’t surprise me if you saw Cody.”

Reichard leads the nation with a goals-against average of 1.64, and Knapp ranks fourth at 1.96. Michigan’s Hogan is 13th at 2.33.

Bulldogs finally back

Ferris State, which faces Northern Michigan in the other semifinal, is making its first trip to the CCHA final four since the 2002-03 season.

“We’re really thrilled to get back to Joe Louis Arena,” said Ferris State coach Bob Daniels, whose second-seeded Bulldogs (21-11-6 overall) will play third-seeded Northern Michigan (19-11-8) in Friday’s first semifinal at 4:35 p.m.

Daniels was asked to compare the 2002-03 team with his current squad.

“This year’s team is more of an offense by committee,” he said. “We had a real headliner on (the last semifinal) team.”

Daniels was referring to Chris Kanitz, who scored 35 goals in 2002-03.

A one-two punch

The Northern Michigan Wildcats are led by a pair of All-CCHA first-team selections in junior forward Mark Olver, the league’s leading scorer with 47 points (19-28), and junior defenseman Erik Gustafsson, who has three goals and 27 assists.

“They are both special players, and one of the things we’ve been blessed with here is that they are both exceptionally hard workers,” Northern Michigan coach Walt Kyle said. “When two of your top talents work as hard as they do it has that rub-off effect on the other guys on the team.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.

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