The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, February 11, 2010 - 5A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, February 11, 2010 - 5A
Michigan's success
hinges on solving
Spartans' defense
Wolverines will look
to their offensive
versatility to help
out in the post
By AMY SCARANO
Daily Sports Writer
In order to prepare for Michi-
gan State, the Wolverines closely
watched the film of their last
MAX COLLINS/Dal
Senior Chris Summers has been a key part of the Wolverines defensive resurgence in the second half of the season.
De ensive turnaro un bodeswell
for Blue as season winsdown
matchup with
the Spartans, a
team that beat
Michigan by
15 points at the
Breslin Center in
December.
The team isn't
unfamiliar with
watching film
before Big Ten
competition.
After all, it's
commonplace
for weekly prep-
aration.
But this week
is different.
Michigan
State at
Michigan
Matchup:
MSU 15-8;
Michigan 14-9
When: Satur-
day at 4 p.m.
Where:
Crisler Arena
Live Blog:
michigandaily.
comn
By MICHAEL FLOREK
Daily Sports Writer
For the Michigan hockey team's
defensive unit, this season has
entailed a lot of climbing.
After the team dug themselves
a hole early in the season, losing
seven of their first eleven games, the
19th-ranked Wolverines have tried
to climb out of it ever since. The
defense, starting with junior goalie
Bryan Hogan and extending out-
ward, has the led the effort.
But a large part of the early sea-
son digging was due to defensive
woes.
Soft goals, puck handling mis-
takes and miscommunication
between Hogan and the defense-
men cost them games against Bos-
ton University, Miami (Ohio) and
Michigan State (multiple times), all
teams under consideration for the
NCAA Tournament.
The most telling example came
near the halfway point of the season
against Ohio State. Despite giving
up just 20 shots, defensive lapses led
to a 5-3 loss and dropped them to
10th place in the conference.
"It's a game of mistakes," Michi-
gan coach Red Berenson said after
the December 4thloss. "If you make
mistakes in your own zone, you're
going to pay for them."
Tuesday night against Bowling
Green, it was a different unit than
the one that let up five goals to the
Buckeyes. On the first shot of the
game, Hogan kicked it out to a wait-
ing Falcon. This time, junior Chad
Langlais was there and cleared the
puck away. The Wolverines turned
away all ensuing shots, giving them
their third shutout in nine games.
After that game, Berenson was
singing a different tune than he had
two months before.
"We were able to not give up the
blue line as easy," he said.
The transformation isn't com-
plete and it doesn't even look appar-
ent. Michigan still hasn't found
its lineup. It continues to rotate
freshman Lee Moffie, sophomore
Greg Pateryn, and junior Tristin
Llewellyn in and out of the lineup.
Berenson has specifically pointed
to penalties as the reason Llewellyn
and, to a lesser extent, Moffie have
been sitting out games, giving
Pateryn an opportunity for play-
ing time. Pateryn has played just
19 games this season, but in recent
weeks has established a presence in
the lineup.
"There's always going to be guys
in and out," assistant coach Billy
Powers said. "It hasn't been week-
to-week, so guys have gotten a
chance to play with each other and
I think that's why it's been fairly
seamless."
The one place conversion is vis-
ible is on the stat sheet. After not
being ranked for the first time in
twelve years and limpingto an 8-8-0
start, Michigan has cut down their
goals against average by almost a
half of a goal in their last 15 games.
Cumulatively they are now fifth in
the country.
"It's been a concerted effort
by everyone," Powers said. "Our
defense have done a nice job of
standing up, helping each other, but
they're able to do that because the
forwards are coming back."
The stat sheet has been kind to
the defensemen on the other end
of the ice as well. After tallying just
three goals in the first half, the her-
alded offensive power finally sur-
faced.
In three of the last four series, a
defenseman has netted a goal, eight
total in the last month.
"Whether it's high-end assists
plays or getting shots through or
scoring goals, we're asking our
defense to be the fourth guy, getting
up in the rush. Powers said. "Being
smart, but being ready if we can
get over the blueline to contribute.
Then of course when we cycle the
puck and get it back to you, you have
to make aplay."
all depends on the defense State
decides to play.
"We have several man-to-man
zone offenses," Phillips said. "So
we could go either way. I could go
inside or outside, it just depends
on the flow of the game and who is
contributing from where."
The Spartans' tallest weapon,
Alyssa DeHaan, stands at 6-foot-
9, and Michigan will have to find a
way around her. If Michigan State
plays a zone defense, the Wolver-
ines will stay on the perimeter but
if the Spartans play man-to-man
they hope to get around DeHaan.
"We are focusing on getting
around the rim and trying to find
a way to get around her and just
making sure we capitalize when
she is outside of the lane and knock
down perimeter shots," junior
guard Veronica Hicks said.
Beyond a presence in the paint,
the Wolverines could look for suc-
cess from the 3-point line. Michi-
gan averages 35 percent from
downtown this season, but sopho-
more forward Carmen Reynolds
shoots 44 percent from beyond the
arc and could be a major weapon
for the Wolverines tonight if the
Spartans force them out of the
paint.
But as for stopping the Spar-
tans' attack in the middle and on
the perimeter, Michigan will need
to play tight man-to-man defense
to prevent a sweep for the second-
straight year at the hands of its
intrastate rival.
"That's going to be our key,"
Phillips said. "You're responsible
for your person and that's your job,
and if you get your job done and
all of the five players get their jobs
done, then we will get a job done."
As long as the Wolverines stay
on the ball, adapt when necessary
and prevent Michigan State from
gaining momentum, they could
avoid being swept by a Big Ten
team for the third time this season.
The Spartans aren't known for
playing zone defense, but the Wol-
verines watched as the defensive
strategy worked last time against
them.
So, the preparation was even
more necessary, as it would be no
surprise if the Spartans do it again
tonight.
To break that zone, the Wolver-
ines (6-7 Big Ten, 14-9) are going to
have to be versatile on offense.
Whatever style of defense
Michigan State (6-6, 15-8) decides
to impose, Michigan will have to
adapt.
. The key to that may be scoring
in the middle. At 6-foot-6, senior
center KristaPhillips is Michigan's
tallest player, and her position
as a post player or sharpshooter
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