4B — February 8, 2016
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wolverines salvage split
By KEVIN SANTO
Daily Sports Writer
EAST
LANSING
—
The
Michigan
hockey
team
had
everything to lose. And entering
Saturday’s
matchup,
the
Wolverines were already hurting.
After sweeping then-No. 15
Penn State, Michigan faltered
in a rivalry loss to Michigan
State in Joe Louis Arena — its
first loss since Dec. 12 — and the
circumstances surrounding the
defeat made it hurt even more.
The
Wolverines
gave
the
Spartans the first taste of lifting
the ‘Iron D’ trophy. They fell at
the hands of an opponent that
boasted just two wins in the
Big Ten, on a night when senior
goaltender Steve Racine had
arguably his best performance
of the season.
And as if that weren’t enough,
the Wolverines allowed Michigan
State to send them plummeting in
the PairWise Rankings.
But Saturday in East Lansing,
No. 5 Michigan (8-2-2-1 Big Ten,
17-4-4 overall) set the tone from
the opening whistle, ensuring
lightning wouldn’t strike twice
and capturing a 4-1 victory.
“I
think
(Friday’s)
loss
really sunk in with us,” said
senior forward Justin Selman.
“We hadn’t really faced much
adversity in a while. As much
as it stinks to lose, it was a good
little wake-up call for us late in
the season. It kind of gave us a
second gear today.”
With 14 minutes gone in
the second period, though, the
Spartans weren’t making it easy
for Michigan. The Wolverines
were
holding
onto
their
advantage, but after Michigan
State (3-9-0-0, 7-19-2) rattled
the post twice and started
forcing Racine to work, their
one-goal lead seemed destined
to be erased. Then Michigan
found an answer from the place
people have grown to expect —
its first line.
Junior forward JT Compher
picked up the puck and fed it
to junior forward Tyler Motte
in the slot. The puck wasn’t on
Motte’s stick for long, though, as
he threaded the needle between
two defenders back to Compher
down low.
The
Wolverine
captain
coasted across the crease and
coolly finished the chance before
pounding the glass in celebration.
The
horn
sounded.
Michigan, 2-0.
“We
knew
the things we
did
wrong
last
night,”
said
junior
forward Tyler
Motte.
“We
didn’t
really
capitalize
on
chances.
It wasn’t a matter of effort or
attitude. We knew coming into
this building we had to have
another good start, and that’s
where our mindset was.”
The Wolverines were the first
to find twine — the only time
they have scored first in four
games against the Spartans this
year. Just over eight minutes into
the first period, Selman picked
up a loose puck and fired from
the slot, beating Michigan State
goaltender Jake Hildebrand and
giving Michigan the lead.
Though
the
Wolverines
outshot the Spartans, 20-3,
in the first period, Michigan
couldn’t generate many quality
chances,
and
Selman’s
finish was the
only one of the
frame.
After
Compher
lit
the
lamp,
though,
the
goals seemed
to
come
in
bunches
for
the
Wolverines.
Just
under
two
minutes
into the third period, Selman
notched his second of the night
on a finish in front. The goal
wouldn’t have been possible if
not for the effort of freshman
forward Brendan Warren, who
battled for a puck behind the net
before feeding Selman for the
easy opportunity.
Michigan’s fourth tally came
from Motte, good for his 25th
goal of the season.
“It’s something we talked
about
in
the
intermission,”
Motte said. “He saw that their
two forwards were shadowing
on both sides, so I tried to get
some speed up the middle. I
didn’t think I was going to be
in on a clear breakaway… but it
was something that (Werenski)
called out in the locker room and
we went with it.”
The
Wolverines’
blueliners
looked
much-improved
throughout the matchup, as the
Spartans’ only goal came on the
power play off the stick of Villiam
Haag. Racine built on his strong
Friday night outing, ending with
32 saves on the night.
The weekend was in no way
perfect for Michigan. But with
their backs against the wall,
the Wolverines had the option
of crumbling under pressure or
rising in the wake of adversity.
And they chose the latter.
ICE HOCKEY
Racine stars vs.
Michigan State
By MINH DOAN
Daily Sports Editor
EAST LANSING — As the
Michigan hockey team stood
in line to shake hands with
Michigan State following its 4-1
victory over its in-state rival,
senior goaltender Steve Racine
stood at the end of the line.
He shook every Spartan hand
before he reached Michigan State
goaltender Jake Hildebrand, his
counterpart on the other side
of the ice. Racine gave him a tap
on the stomach, acknowledging
the pair’s play over the weekend,
which featured 149 saves between
the two goaltenders.
After
Hildebrand
was
victorious Friday night following
the Spartans’ 3-2 overtime win
at Joe Louis Arena, Racine got
the better of the matchup in the
second game.
But
the
two
netminders
weren’t particularly to blame for
either outcome. Neither team
scored what seemed like a “bad”
goal for the goaltender.
This was especially true for
Racine, who gave up three goals
Friday and one Saturday.
Friday, Michigan State’s goals
came from a penalty shot, a
Spartan left all alone in front of
the net and a power-play goal.
While Saturday, Racine gave up
only one goal on the power play.
Racine’s
performance
in
East Lansing marked just the
second time all season that
the Wolverines have held an
opponent to one goal or fewer,
with the first back in November
against Dartmouth.
“I think my game has been
on track the last couple weeks,”
Racine said. “The guys have been
playing really well in front of me.”
More
importantly,
Racine
bailed out Michigan when it
needed him to.
As has been a trend all season,
the Wolverines gave the puck
away multiple times in the
defensive zone, resulting in open
shots from dangerous areas. But
Racine was up to the task, stoning
the Spartan skaters both nights.
“They actually have a couple
good forwards, and they generate
chances,” Racine said. “I think I
got lucky a couple times, and the
puck hit the post, but other than
that, (the defense) did a good job
of limiting their chances, and you
saw that on the scoreboard.”
While Racine’s record since
the Great Lakes Invitational,
where he returned from an injury
sustained in November, has been
9-1-1, he believes his confidence
has been level throughout.
“I think my confidence has
been pretty good all year,” Racine
said. “(Michigan assistant coach
Steve Shields) helps a lot with
that. It’s just about working hard
in practice and getting better
every day, and I think that’s
where it comes from. When I’m
practicing well, it seems to be
that the weekends go pretty well
as well.”
And with the offense playing
the way it has been, averaging
4.79 goals per game, Racine and
the defensive play are key to
Michigan’s play down the stretch.
“(Team defense) is still a work
in progress,” Racine said. “But
we’re getting better every week,
and we know we can score goals.
It’s about limiting the other team’s
chances, and we’ll be unbeatable.”
Last season, Michigan was
unable
to
find
consistency
between
Racine
and
junior
goaltender Zach Nagelvoort, with
the duo switching off throughout
the season.
But with Racine playing the
way he has the last two months,
those
days
of
inconsistent
goaltending may be over.
Michigan downs Illini
By CHRIS CROWDER
Daily Sports Writer
After taking a proverbial punch
in the gut by losing to No. 17
Michigan State Wednesday, the
Michigan
women’s
basketball
team had to
pick itself up in time for a matchup
against Illinois.
Sunday, the Wolverines dealt
the punches, downing the Big
Ten’s last-place team, 96-83.
“Going into MSU, we didn’t
play how we wanted to,” said
freshman center Hallie Thome.
“So coming out today, we knew
we had to pick it up. As you saw
from the start, we had ourselves
together, and knew we needed to
get this W.”
Michigan (5-7 Big Ten, 13-10
overall) began the game with a
four-guard lineup to match up
with the Fighting Illini’s similar
starting
five.
This
allowed
freshman guard Boogie Brozoski
to make the first start of her career.
With quicker feet on the floor,
the Wolverines turned up the
defensive intensity early, forcing
Illinois (1-11, 8-15) to commit four
turnovers in the first four minutes.
With the swipes and corralled
loose balls, Michigan turned the
Illini’s errors into a nine-point
lead. Illinois added insult to injury
with sloppy ball handling, turning
the ball over five more times in the
first quarter to fall behind, 27-17.
“I think having a four-guard
lineup makes it easy for us to
press and pressure the ball,”
said sophomore guard Katelynn
Flaherty. “We have a motor
and energy and emotion. In the
beginning of games, we’ve gotten
off to bad starts and we were
all over the floor, and our guard
lineup was quick today.”
Meanwhile, Flaherty — who
has been getting off to slow starts
in recent games — was almost
perfect from the floor. She racked
up 14 points in the first stanza
alone on 6-for-7 shooting.
Flaherty
scored
her
16th
point with 3:56 left in the second
quarter. With that basket, she
became
the
26th
player
in
program history to score 1,000
points. She is just the second
player to reach the mark by her
sophomore season. She would go
on to earn a career-high 36 points.
While Flaherty and the rest
of the Wolverines were lighting
up the scoreboard, the Illini
struggled,
knocking
down
just nine field goals in the first
half. They frequently missed
shots down low and killed any
momentum with 11 first-half
turnovers. Illinois shot 39 percent
in the first half, but was down
48-36 at halftime after shooting
14-for-14 from the free throw line.
In comparison, Michigan shot
59 percent, bolstered by 21 points
off of turnovers — most of them
layups in transition.
“We picked up, pressed and
were super aggressive from the
start,” said Michigan coach Kim
Barnes Arico. “In the first half,
that transition off of those forced
turnovers and easy buckets really
helped us to establish a presence
and gain a lead pretty early.”
The
12-point
lead
seemed
much larger, as the Wolverines
seemed to control nearly every
facet of the game, outshooting and
outhustling their opponent.
Illinois cut the deficit to single
digits three minutes into the third
quarter and added onto it with a
3-pointer. But Flaherty halted the
run on her own, nailing back-to-
back 3s to put Michigan back up
by 12. Along with Flaherty, the
Wolverines’ post players were
integral in building on the lead.
Senior forward Kelsey Mitchell
started 4-for-6 in the paint, and
Thome started a perfect 5-for-5,
missing only one of her eight shots
from the charity stripe.
“When I go to the free throw
line, I can’t think much,” Thome
said. “I just gotta do it, take my
time, and make sure I’m all good.”
The Illini cut the lead inside
10 again with a minute left in the
third, trailing, 71-64, going into
the fourth quarter. But thanks to
a combined 61 points from Thome
and Flaherty, the lead never
dipped below seven, as Michigan
maintained a comfortable lead
until the final buzzer.
Flaherty reaches 1,000 points
By BRAD WHIPPLE
Daily Sports Writer
Just when Katelynn Flaherty
started to heat up and come closer
to a career milestone, she had to
wait just a little longer.
For a seven-and-a-half-minute
stretch that began in the first
quarter, the sophomore guard
went cold and couldn’t get a good
look at the basket to make her
mile shot.
Even though she knew she was
close to breaking 1,000 career
points — only one basket to be
exact — Flaherty was just focused
on ensuring a win for the Michigan
women’s basketball team, which
had just endured its worst loss of
the season to Michigan State four
days prior.
Between the two shots she let
off during her scoreless span, one
was an air ball and the other hit
the front of the rim before falling
into the hands of Illinois’ defense.
But 39 seconds later, they left
Flaherty alone in the corner, and
she returned to form.
Flaherty grabbed the bounce
pass, bent her right knee in, flung
the ball up and watched the net
swoosh as she became the 26th
player in program history to reach
1,000 career points.
As
the
second
sophomore
ever and second-fastest player
in program history to reach the
landmark, Flaherty’s performance
didn’t sway thereafter. In fact, she
didn’t miss a shot for the next 20
minutes, as she scored a career-
high 36-points to cap off the
Wolverines’ 96-83 win Sunday.
“Katelynn Flaherty, holy cow,”
said Michigan coach Kim Barnes
Arico. “She’s something special.
I’m just getting so accustomed to
her doing this night in and night
out, I didn’t even realize that she
scored 36 points until the end of
the game.”
Added Flaherty: “It feels great
(to reach 1,000). Everyone kinda
made a big deal out of it. I’m not
trying to think about it when
I go out there, but I’m happy I
achieved the goal.”
Though Illinois was the first
team on the board, it never held
a lead once Flaherty’s first basket
fell just two minutes into the
game. On 5-of-6 shooting in the
first quarter, she helped Michigan
jump to a 10-point lead by the end
of the first quarter.
The Fighting Illini were frazzled
against a high-tempo, four-guard
Wolverine starting lineup that
included Flaherty, senior guard
Madison Ristovski, junior guard
Siera Thompson and freshman
guard Boogie Brozoski. Illinois
committed 18 turnovers total,
one of which ended with Flaherty
scoring on a fast-break layup. Soon
after, Michigan created a 3-on-1
opportunity that nearly fell apart
when Brozoski missed the mid-
range jumper in transition.
Luckily for Michigan, Brozoski
collected her rebound, kicked
it out to the 3-point line, where
Flaherty had no trouble finishing
it off. It wasn’t until later that
Brozoski
had
the
assist
on
Flaherty’s 1,000th career point.
In the third quarter, the
Wolverines’
hard-pressing
defense continued to show huge
strides with Illinois narrowing
the scoring deficit to six points.
Earlier in the season, Michigan
may have let this one slip, but the
Wolverines locked in instead.
If not for the motivating
loss in East Lansing last week,
Flaherty may not have had
the same performance Sunday
against Illinois.
According to Barnes Arico,
though,
much
of
Flaherty’s
success has hinged upon the
sacrifices that Michigan’s leading
scorer has made throughout her
lifetime. Last week, the coaching
staff had the team read an article
about how athletes struggling
with
adversity
can
lead
to
success. The main takeaway was
that “you have to struggle to be
rewarded,” something applicable
to Flaherty’s path — including a
499-point freshman season.
“People really work hard for
things,” Barnes Arico said, “but
people
don’t
understand
the
amount of time Katelynn Flaherty
has shot the basketball and
worked on her game to get to the
level that she’s at.
“The sacrifices and the struggle
that she has gone through to get
to this point, it’s so nice to see her
having the success that she is.”
SINDU KILARU/Daily
Sophomore guard Katelynn Flaherty became the second-fastest Michigan player to surpass the 1,000-point mark and finished with a career-high 36 on Sunday.
ILLINOIS
MICHIGAN
83
96
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Senior forward Justin Selman scored twice in Saturday’s win after Michigan lost to Michigan State on Friday.
“I think
(Friday’s) loss
really sunk in
with us.”