ANN ARBOR, Mich.-The American International College ice hockey team will head west to historic Yost Arena as they conclude their season-high five-game road swing with a set against the University of Michigan this weekend.

LAST TIME OUT: AIC is coming off of a 7-1 loss at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst that featured their worst first-period performance of the season, allowing four goals on odd-man rushes.

There were bright spots in the game, including the continued play of sophomore left wing Austin Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.), who scored a power-play goal and now is tied for the team's lead with six points through the first eight games, and the perfect 4-for-4 penalty kill.

The Wolverines are likewise coming off of losses, having been swept by Michigan Tech, 4-1 and 6-2, in their most recent contests two weeks ago; Nolan De Jong had a pair of assists on the weekend, but the team as a whole struggled, particularly on special teams where they were 0-for-13 on the PP and allowed four goals to MTU's man-up unit Saturday.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES: Zach Hyman and Alex Kile lead the Wolverines with three goals; Hyman and Dylan Larkin have five assists to top the squad as well. Kile and Zach Werenski are second on the squad with four assists.

The Wolverines have perhaps been unlucky in terms of scoring. They average 33.1 shots per game, but have just 19 goals to show for it through seven games.

Part of the issue is the 3-for-28 power play that averages just 1.5 shots per man advantage and has conceded a pair of shorthanded tallies.

One of the great strengths of Michigan is in the faceoff circle, where the Wolverines are winning draws at a 55.1% clip, one of the best in the nation; Larkin and Andrew Copp are both above 58% on draws and have combined to win 150 of their 256 faceoffs; comparatively, AIC is just 40.4% as a team on faceoffs, which could prove problematic for possession in this series.

In net, Zach Nagelvoort and Steve Racine have split time; Nagelvoort has a .889 SV% and 3.68 GAA but a 0-4-0 record while Racine has a .877 SV% and 3.88 GAA but is 2-1-0 on the year.

ELDER STATESMEN DO BATTLE: This matchup will be special for the players but also for the coaches. AIC Head Coach Gary Wright and Michigan Head Coach Red Berensen were both hired by their respective institutions before the 1984-85 seasons and have been coaching their teams for 31 seasons, the longest tenured active coaches in NCAA Division I. In spite of having been around since the Reagan Administration, this will be the first time the two will face off as head coaches.

WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME?: Two Yellow Jackets defensemen will be playing in their home state this weekend. Freshman Andrew DeBrincat is from Farmington Hills, Mich. while junior Brandon Lubin is from Commerce Township, Mich. The Wolverines have sixteen Michigan natives on their roster.

BIG TEN YET AGAIN: Including this weekend's series, the Jackets have visited three Big Ten opponents in each of the last three seasons; they split with Penn State two years ago and were swept by Michigan State last year.

UP NEXT: AIC returns to the friendly confines of the Olympia Ice Center when they host defending Atlantic Hockey champion and nationally-ranked Robert Morris for a pair of AHA games next Friday and Saturday evening.