There have been stretches this season when everything has come together for Michigan's hockey team.

In recent days, though, there have been breakdowns - in penalty killing, on power-play opportunities in inconsistent play in goal. Following a weekend when the Wolverines suffered their first sweep at the hands of Nebraska-Omaha, all but killing hopes of a 20th straight NCAA tournament appearance, Michigan coach Red Berenson said Tuesday he needs his team to be accountable for its actions on the ice.

Not just one night, but over the remaining four games of the regular season and into a Central Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament that holds Michigan's last gasp at a postseason berth.

"You can't say, 'It's just another game," Berenson said. "Right now, we have to play with a sense of urgency, a little desperation and at the same time, some renewed confidence."

The critical phase begins this weekend when Michigan (17-15-1, 12-11-1 CCHA) hosts Northern Michigan. The Wolverines are 7-0-1 in their last eight games at Yost Ice Arena, where Michigan will play three of its final four regular-season games.

The conference race remains tight enough that the Wolverines could finish anywhere between third and ninth.

"We need to get back on a bit of a roll," Berenson said. "The schedule gives us an opportunity to get back on track, and we can do that. I would like us to play harder; I would like us to play with more conviction.

"We've got to get back to playing Michigan hockey. I think it's pretty clear to everybody where we're at."

Michigan is not among the 25 college hockey teams included in the PairWise rankings, a system that mimics the NCAA selection committee to determine which teams will advance to the tournament. Northern Michigan (14-10-8, 10-8-6 CCHA) is ranked 22nd and enters this weekend's series with the league's top power play unit.

Once the Wolverines' strength, the power kill was exposed against Wisconsin and is one area Berenson insists must get better if the Wolverines are to have any shot of climbing up the league standings with games against Northern Michigan and Notre Dame remaining.

While Berenson wants his players to be cognizant of standings and PairWise rankings, he won't allow their focus to stray.

Before Tuesday's practice, Michigan captain Chris Summers wrote "Friday night, 7:35" on the board in Michigan's dressing room, giving his teammates a reminder of the only thing they should be concerned with.

As much as people have written off Michigan's NCAA chances, Summers said he and his teammates use that as motivation to produce the season's best hockey.

"If we're going to get where we want to get, it has to be one game at a time," Summers said. "You can't look at anything else. Playoff berth aside, NCAA, if we're going to get anywhere, we need to focus on Friday night.

"It's tough to keep a good mind-set because we haven't had a season not go the way we'd like to have it go in a long time. But we have to keep that stuff to the side."

With 12 points there for the taking, the Wolverines can clinch a Top 4 spot in the standings.

"If we play well and reach the standard we can reach, there's a big opportunity for us," junior forward Carl Hagelin said. "We just have to play simple hockey and believe in ourselves and we should have a good weekend.

"It's time to get into playoff hockey now and get into good habits on the ice and not make the mistakes that are going to cost you."

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.