Michigan hockey on a tear under interim coach Brandon Naurato ... it's (still) time to remove the tag
Watching Michigan hockey the last several weeks has brought back that 1990s vibe … dominant play, great puck movement, chemistry, incredible skill …
And yes, great coaching.
If interim coach Brandon Naurato was nervous about auditioning for the job after replacing Mel Pearson, whose contract wasn’t renewed, he didn’t show it. He’s also been a rock through the normal ups and downs of a season with the nation’s youngest team.
But oh, are they talented, and it was on display again last night. After splitting on the road with No. 1 Minnesota, both games going to overtime, and sweeping Penn State last week, Michigan thrashed last place Wisconsin in back-to-back games, winning 6-2 Friday and 7-4 last night. T.J. Hughes was the latest to put up huge numbers, notching 4 points last night.
The Wolverines put up 5 first period goals and never looked back.
“From the get-go, our line had a really nice goal — really good puck movement and stuff,” Hughes said. “We were finding each other, and it was just fun to play with them. We all played well together, and we all had so much fun. It was a great start, and then we kept on going. I got some good bounces but it was a great win.”
Naurato had a huge grin on his face in watching Hughes with the media, interrupting at one point to say, “4 points!” in noting he’d just found out. His undrafted (!) standout put up 3 of them in the first period, at which point there seemed to be little doubt Michigan would win its 5th game in a row.
“He’s had a really good freshman year,” Naurato said. “He’s going to put up a lot of points at Michigan. Like all these guys, they’re just trying to be the best versions of themselves and get better every day.
“We’re talking about a lot of things offensively and then away from the puck defensively. T.J. and a lot of guys are getting better every day, so I think he’s realizing when he does it the right way, the points are going to come.”
That’s something that’s been taught since Red Berenson arrived in the early 1980s, and the continuity has been huge. There’s a ton of talent but very little ego. Even guys like “unicorn” defenseman Luke Hughes, who put up 4 goals in a win over Penn State last week, are just about winning.
There are stars, of course, including frosh leading scorer Adam Fantilli (17 goals, 28 points in 24 games). Goaltender Erik Portillo is a stalwart, and there are too many goal scorers to list. Last night, senior forward Eric Ciccolini notched his first 2-goal game.
But it starts with the coaching, and Naurato has done an incredible job putting the pieces together. That, combined with his recruiting ability — he’s been killing it on the trail with the interim tag, so it only stands to reason he’d be even better without it — have made his case for him.
Michigan is 2nd in the Big Ten behind Minnesota but playing as well as anyone, currently 4th in the pairwise rankings that determine NCAA Tournament seeding.
Regardless what happens in the next few weeks, he should be made permanent sooner than later to keep the program headed in the right direction.
