There’s a difference between playing a team in the regular season and the playoffs, and there’s a difference in playing a team early in the season versus late in the season.

That’s why the Michigan hockey team isn’t putting too much stock in the fact that its opening game of the NCAA tournament is against a familiar foe: Nebraska-Omaha.

The Wolverines, No. 2 seeds in the West Regional, will face the No. 3-seeded Mavericks Friday at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis (5:30 p.m., Comcast 900) fully expecting a different type of game than when the teams split a series at Yost Ice Arena in late October.

“So much has happened (between then and now),” said Michigan senior forward Louie Caporusso. “We can check tape as much as we want, but until the puck drops, that’s when we’ll get a real feel for what we’re in for.”

Perhaps no one player exemplifies exactly how much can change from the beginning to the end of the season than Michigan goaltender Shawn Hunwick.

Hunwick struggled in a 4-2 loss to Nebraska-Omaha while still battling for the full-time starting spot. Bryan Hogan was in net when Michigan won 6-1 in the series finale.

Since then, Hunwick has established himself not only as the Wolverine’s top goalie, but as the best in the CCHA, compiling the lowest goals-against average (1.95) and highest save percentage (.931) in the conference to win Goaltender of the Year honors.

Hunwick characterized the early-season loss to the Mavericks as a “weird” game for him personally. Though he admits he’s given that game some thought, he recognizes how much different of a player he’s become since.

“I feel like I’m a different goalie since then," Hunwick said. "The Big Chill really started me off on a second half of the season that I feel pretty comfortable in.”

Hunwick is coming off his highest save total of the year (42) in a 4-2 win over Notre Dame in the CCHA third place game on Saturday.

“When you’ve got a goaltender that can stand on his head and save games for you, that’s huge in the tournament,” said Michigan senior forward Carl Hagelin, who leads the team in goals (18) and assists (30).

“If Shawn can keep up that type of play, that’d be great. But at the same time, we need somebody to get hot up forward, whether it be a line or just the 'D' playing solid, anything will help.”

Helping the chances for the Wolverines to get that kind of production offensively is the return of Caporusso, who saw game action for the first time in three weeks in last weekend’s CCHA Championships. He registered a goal and an assist against Notre Dame.

Even before the injury, Caporusso’s production had been down compared to last year. Michigan coach Red Berenson said Caporusso’s ability to be productive immediately upon his return is crucial for the Wolverines, especially since David Wohlberg’s season-ending injury on March 11.

Wohlberg is the Wolverine’s second leading goal scorer.

“This is the time of year when you need your best players to be your best players,” Berenson said. “It’s good for Louie to get something going, because that’s what it takes in the playoffs. One player gets hot or one line gets hot, but we know Louie can be a good player in the playoffs.”

Michigan and Nebraska-Omaha will face off in Friday's first regional semifinal, followed by a 9 p.m. game between Boston College and Colorado College. The championship will be played at 9 p.m. Saturday. (ESPNU).

Hagelin said that the team hasn’t even bothered preparing for a second-round opponent.

“Whatever happens there happens there,” Hagelin said. “We just want a chance to get into that second game. That’s our goal. Get into that second game and who we play, that doesn’t matter to us.”

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. Contact him at 734-623-2561 or petercunningham@annarbor.com.