Michigan goaltender Bryan Hogan rebounds from losing skid, earns CCHA honor

Inquire into if there were things he saw on game film that changed the way he practiced, and he'll point out there was not that much to fix.

So it is with Hogan, a junior who maintained his composure through Michigan's recent on-ice troubles only to emerge on the other side as the tough-minded goalie Michigan coach Red Berenson knew he had all along. Michigan has won three consecutive games, allowing just three goals.

"He's starting to look like the Bryan Hogan we know he can be," Berenson said. "I think what you saw early (in the season), that's the end of that."

Hogan, who was named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's goaltender of the week, sparked Michigan's sweep of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Hogan notched his first shutout of the season against the Golden Gophers before making a career-high 39 saves in a 3-2 win over the No. 16-ranked Badgers.

As impressive as his showing was, though, Hogan didn't consider the two-game performance a night-and-day difference between where he had been during Michigan's losing skid.

It was just different, he maintains. Before, Michigan's defense wasn't giving Hogan as much support, failing to clear the puck when it should have been, often leaving Hogan vulnerable.

During the rough stretch, Berenson never witnessed a drop-off in Hogan's work ethic, but pucks that had no business getting by him turned into soft goals that only made matters worse. In a 4-2 loss to Bowling Green, Hogan saw three pucks find the back of the net in a 2 ½-minute span of the third period, resulting in Michigan's fifth straight loss.

"There would be crazy stuff happening in front of me that was tough to handle," Hogan said. "Personally, I didn't think I was struggling that much, but I wasn't playing my best hockey. I wasn't playing my worst hockey, either."

Last weekend, though, Hogan was noticeably better. In the two wins, he registered 63 saves, offering the kind of rock-solid play the Wolverines will need heading into the meat of their CCHA schedule. He demonstrated to make stops in critical times - especially against Wisconsin, when he faced 15 shots in the second period.

The two-game swing was big for Hogan's confidence, although both he and Berenson realize there is plenty of work left ahead to do. But Hogan admitted, it was a step in the right direction heading into this weekend's road trip at Ohio State.

"You look at last season and we were rough at the beginning (of the year), and I didn't see (this season's struggles) as that much of a surprise," Hogan said. "It's definitely a marathon, and there are lots of games. We kept telling ourselves not to worry about it and we were going to come back eventually."

Hogan's performance last weekend demonstrated to his teammates that he has raised his standard a bit in an effort to keep the Wolverines on the right track.

"He believed in himself (during the losing streak), he knows he is a good goalie and he really showed it (last) weekend," junior forward Carl Hagelin said. "I way he played (last) weekend, I haven't seen him play that well since I don't know when - I don't know if he has ever played that well.

"Having a goalie like that makes the whole team more confident."

Jeff Arnold covers Michigan hockey for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at jeffarnold@annarbor.com or 734-623-2554. Follow him at Twitter @jeffreyparnold.