No one exactly expected the Michigan Wolverines to dominate division one in their first season, but boy did they struggle. Now going into 2013, the schedule does not look any easier.
They will have to face teams like Penn State, Loyola, Denver, Johns Hopkins, Army, Fairfield and Ohio State, all very tough teams. They also need to face rival Detroit and schools like Air Force, Bellarmine, Colgate, Marquette, Delaware and St. Josephs.
The first game of the season is against the Marquette Golden Eagles, a new team this year. That might be a good chance for the Wolverines to start the season on a good note. Just an exhibition, but it should help Michigan start feeling good about themselves.
After that they face the Nittiny Lions. Penn State did not score a lot last year, having the 45th offense in the country. However, Penn State allowed the 10th least amount of goals per game all season. The Lions went 9-6 last season and were ranked 16th.
After the Lions the Wolverines will face Bellarmine. Bellarmine finished at 4-8 and the game will be played in Louisville. Bellarmine was one of the lowest scoring teams last season and they allowed around ten goals per game.
Next they have to travel to Johns Hopkins which will be a very, very hard game with the Blue Jays as one of the best teams in the country. After the Jays, Michigan will face Army in Miami.
Army was 7-8 last season and ranked in the middle of the pack statistically. However, it should be a hard game for Michigan. Next they have High Point in North Carolina and Hobart in upstate New York.
High Point is an expansion team so the Wolverines have an advantage. Hobart finished 4-9 last season and was a pretty good scoring team. However, they struggled defensively.
Next up is Faifield and Colgate. Faifield was a strong 12-4 last season so this will be a difficult game. Colgate of course upset UMass in the tournament last year and ranked sixth at 14-4. Those two games would be surprising wins.
Next Michigan will get some home games. They will face the champion Loyola and then Air Force. Loyola will be tough, that goes without saying. Air Force was 6-7 last year but were a top ranked team in scoring.
Michigan will go to Delaware to face the Blue Hens. They went 6-9 last season. The Hens could score around ten goals a game and they allowed nearly the same amount, but on the road this will not be an easy game.
Michigan comes home for three in a row; Ohio State, Detroit and St. Josephs. Ohio State is a natural rival and they were 8-7 last year. Detroit, another rival being from the home state, were 6-9 last year and were in the middle of the pack with offense.
St. Joe’s was also 6-9 last year but they defeated Notre Dame last year, so they have some talent. After these home games Michigan will travel to Denver for their last game. Denver was a great team last year but lost a ton of seniors. Still, that game will be very difficult.
We should see more than the one win Michigan got in 2012, however, the schedule is still very tough.
