As much as there was to celebrate after clinching a CCHA regular-season title last weekend, the Michigan hockey team left Marquette with one serious question mark.

Senior alternate captain Louie Caporusso sustained a lower body injury that will keep him out of the Wolverines' lineup for an undetermined amount of time, Michigan coach Red Berenson confirmed Tuesday.

Caporusso, Michigan's second-leading scorer (9-17-26), underwent an MRI Sunday after being forced out of Friday's 3-2 win over Northern Michigan following a knee-to-knee collision with a Wildcats' forward behind the net.

Berenson said although the opposing skater tried to avoid colliding with Caporusso, the two players hit "the wrong way."

Berenson said Tuesday he is uncertain how much time Caporusso will miss. The No. 5-ranked Wolverines return to the ice March 11 when they host a best-of-three CCHA playoff quarterfinal series at Yost Ice Arena.

"I don't know if it will be three weeks, four weeks, six weeks -- that remains to be seen," Berenson said. "We'll see how it comes around."

Caporusso registered two assists in Friday's game before colliding with the Northern Michigan skater early in the third period. The Woodbridge, Ontario, native seemed to be finding his stride after fighting through a mid-season slump. Caporusso had also played a key role on Michigan's special teams, making the injury a tough pill to swallow.

Michigan has depended on secondary scoring from Scooter Vaughan and A.J. Treais and has seen a recent upswing in scoring from Matt Rust and Kevin Lynch. But Berenson said Caporusso's absence will be felt.

"Obviously, he's a big part of our team," Berenson said. "He's a senior, a captain, a leader and a big part of our penalty-killing, power play, top line-type center and so we've got to pick up the slack.

"This isn't going to devastate our team. But, hopefully, (his absence) isn't longer rather than shorter."

Berenson has moved leading scorer Carl Hagelin into Caprousso's center spot. Hagelin didn't miss a step in his first game at his new position, scoring two goals in Saturday's 5-0 win that clinched the regular-season title for the Wolverines. The senior captain has been hot of late, scoring four goals in Michigan's last three games.

Taking a breather The Wolverines will return to the ice today after taking Monday and Tuesday off. A year after having to prepare for a rare first-round match-up, Michigan has the benefit of a first-round bye.

The bye means the Wolverines only have to win one series to reach the CCHA tournament semifinals at Joe Louis Arena, where they will look to win their second straight tournament championship.

While the break will buy Caporusso a week to heal, Berenson has mixed feelings about not getting right back on the ice after his team extended its winning streak to six games.

"Our team is playing pretty well and I'd like to keep them playing," Berenson said. "Hopefully we can have some constructive practices, but when you have a bye, you're going to be rusty."

Michigan's last extended break came in December when the Wolverines captured the Great Lakes Invitational title 19 days after beating Michigan State in The Big Chill at the Big House.

The Wolverines will host the lowest remaining seed after this weekend's first round is complete. The top five finishers in the league standings earned first-round byes.

Slow it down The last three weekend sweeps not only helped Michigan's cause in the CCHA standings, but also provided Berenson's players with the chance to celebrate another long-standing tradition.

On weekends when the Wolverines win both games, Berenson and his players sing a hurried version of Michigan's fight song, "The Victors." The sweep of Northern Michigan afforded the Wolverines the chance to belt the song out on the road -- albeit at a pace too fast for Berenson's liking.

Just how fast was the celebratory singing after Berenson's post-game speech? Check it out here for yourself.

"It's tough. I can barely keep up," Berenson said. "It's ridiculous. I'd like to slow it down and enjoy it a little bit. I mean, they're enjoying it. But that's the way it is. It's crazy."

Red letter day Berenson will be among four former St. Louis Blues standouts honored next week. The Blues will honor players who wore jersey No. 7, a number the franchise has never retired. Berenson will join Garry Unger, Joe Mullen and Keith Tkachuk in a pre-game ceremony on March 7.

Berenson wore No. 7 with the Blues from 1967 to 1971 and ranks 12th in games played (519), seventh in goals (172) and eighth in points (412) and assists (240). Berenson went on to coach the Blues from 1980-82, compiling a 100-72-32 mark. His .569 winning percentage ranks second all-time among Blues coaches.

Jeff Arnold covers Michigan hockey for AnnArbor.com and can be reached at (734) 623-2554 or by e-mail at jeffarnold@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffreyparnold.