It is late November, just 15 games into the season, and the Wolverines are looking towards the future. This past weekend, the Michigan Wolverines played in the 14th annual College Hockey Showcase, which pits Michigan and Michigan State against Minnesota and Wisconsin. The two powerhouse CCHA teams each play the two powerhouse WCHA teams over the weekend. While the games usually don’t have any ultimate affect on their rankings or any affect on the conference schedules at the end of the season, Michigan should pay close attention to the results of this past weekend.

The CHS is usually a good marker when it comes to how far U of M will go in the NCAA tournament. The prior three seasons they were beat by both Wisconsin and Minnesota each year and never reached the Frozen Four at the end of the season. The three seasons prior to those, however, the team won at least one of the two games and later that year went on to the Frozen Four. The main reason this system works is simple. The last five national champions have come from the WCHA, including the 2005 tournament when all four Frozen Four teams were from the WCHA. If Michigan wants to go far, they have to beat teams from the best conference.

Well, after this weekend, the Wolverines and their faithful might want to start arranging plans for a trip this spring to St. Louis. The Wolverines 4-3 win in Wisconsin might well have put them over the hump, even though the team was killed 8-2 against number-one Minnesota. Although the Badgers are not ranked in the top 25, it’s irrelevant. In 2001-02, the maize and blue beat an unranked Wisconsin team but lost to a number-one ranked Minnesota team in the showcase on their way to Frozen Four season. Does that sound familiar?

Something else that came out of the Wisconsin game was the fact that sophomore goaltender Billy Sauer stopped 34 of 37 shots including all 15 in the third period; he has solidified himself as the number-one goaltender, something that the Wolverines definitely needed (he also stopped 44 of 52 shots against the Gophers). Michigan is a team that is highly talented and offensive; they don’t need a goaltender to win them many games. The team just needs a goaltender that won’t lose them. Last year, Sauer wasn’t their guy. He split time with senior Noah Ruden and was highly inconsistent. This year his save percentage is around .900 and his GAA is around or below three, just what U of M needs.

The team has their offensive weapons (Hensick, Porter, and Kolarik) and their defensive backstops (Hunwick, Johnson, and Mitera). They needed a goaltender to be able to reach the top and they found it. The tournament was a statement for more than just the team itself, but for Sauer too. Although still early in the season, the Wolverines have shown they are a force to be reckoned with this season.