8A — Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Martin gains confidence
as penalty-kill specialist
With his team on the penalty
kill and the score level in
the third period of Saturday
night’s game against No. 4
Boston University, Michigan
hockey coach Red Berenson
put defenseman Luke Martin
on the ice. Martin, known for
his physical blocking style, was
tasked with maintaining the 1-1
score for two minutes while the
18th-ranked Wolverines played
with a one-man disadvantage.
Once the power play began,
two Boston University players
took shots that went just wide
before forward Kieffer Bellows
recovered the puck for one more
opportunity. Bellows slapped a
shot hoping for a go-ahead goal,
but Martin’s 6-foot-3 frame
deflected it and the puck sailed
away. Bellows had another
chance, but Michigan freshman
goaltender
Jack
LaFontaine
saved it.
It was Martin’s fifth block of
the game and his 25th on the
season, both team highs.
“I think it’s something he’s
learned before he got here,
and
now
he
realizes
how
important it is here, too, to be
able to block shots,” Berenson
said Monday. “He’s got a smart
stick. He reaches with his stick
defensively. He’s good and is
learning how to play physical at
this level. He uses his strength
and his size, and it’s all part of
development.”
Added Martin: “(There’s) not
that much technique. It’s about
having the will to get in front of
it. I think at the end of the day, I
(block shots) so when I get back
to the bench everyone’s going to
give me a pat on the back.”
As the youngest player on
a youthful Michigan team,
Martin
experienced
some
nervousness
early
in
the
season. Berenson believes that
Martin’s experience with the
United States National Team
Development Program last year
gives the freshman momentum
and confidence to play in rowdy
college arenas all over the
country, just as he did last year.
To help ease this transition,
on all road trips, freshmen
room
with
upperclassmen.
For the team’s trips to the
East Coast and Arizona State,
Martin has stayed with junior
defenseman Sam Piazza, whom
he credits with easing his
early-season jitters.
“(Piazza’s) a very calming
influence,”
Martin
said.
“Especially for our first couple
away games I was getting a
little nervous, and I think he
could tell. He was very good at
calming me down. He reminded
me to trust myself and trust my
game. Obviously, he’s a very
calm player so that carried over,
and it was a huge help.”
Added Berenson: “A veteran
player can help the young
player, he can just remind him
of whether it’s our systems,
or what we do in this case, or
what we do in that case, or in
that situation. It’s just so (the
freshmen)
have
somebody
experienced with them, to show
them that they’re playing the
right way. If you get two young
guys together, and especially if
one of them gets rattled, they
don’t have an older player to
settle them down and give them
some leadership.”
While many of Michigan’s
wingers
from
last
season
graduated or left for the NHL,
many of its defensive mainstays
remain in Ann Arbor. As a
result,
Berenson
pairs
his
younger players with veterans
on the ice, especially early in
the season. Through his first 10
games, Martin has played with
Piazza, senior Nolan De Jong
and senior Kevin Lohan. Martin
calls it “a treat” to play with
these veterans and believes
each of them bring different
aspects to assist Martin as he
grows as a player.
Last
Friday
night,
the
Wolverines scored two power-
play goals within one minute.
The second was aided by Martin,
who
Berenson
terms
“the
quarterback” of the power play.
“When I’m up top, I keep it
simple,” Martin said. “I don’t
really try to overcomplicate
things. I’m good at getting
shots through to the net, which
generates offense. The guys on
my flanks and in the middle,
they complement me and they
cover me when I make mistakes
real well.”
Martin is the only freshman
defenseman to have played in
every game thus far, a testament
to the confidence that Berenson
has in him. Martin looks to
improve as the season marches
forward, displaying strength in
shot blocking and for having the
knack of being at the right place
at the right time — he leads the
Wolverines in plus/minus with
a whopping plus-eight.
“I
think
he’s
making
progress,”
Berenson
said.
“I think he’s getting more
confidence, getting experience. I
think he’s learning what it takes
to play well at this level. I think
(defenseman) is the hardest
position to come in and play as a
freshman because you’re playing
against really good forwards on
other teams and I think he’s
holding his own so far.”
Donnal puts name back in
discussion at starting ‘5’
In the week leading up to
the Michigan men’s basketball
team’s exhibition opener against
Armstrong State, Moritz Wagner
could sense that his role on the
team was changing.
Coach John Beilein began to
have the sophomore forward join
the first unit during practice, but
Wagner still didn’t know if he
would crack the starting five. It
wasn’t until the day before the
game that Wagner found out for
certain when Beilein told him.
With 15 points on 7-for-9
shooting — tied with senior
forward Zak Irvin for the
highest output of the night —
Wagner stole the show. In 25
minutes on the floor, fewer than
only Irvin and senior guard
Derrick Walton Jr., he justified
Beilein’s decision to start him
over
redshirt
junior
Mark
Donnal, one of the breakout
players from a season ago.
“You see the way he runs
the floor. You saw his skill
level a couple of times, too. His
development is huge,” Beilein
said. “… His defense is much
better, and he stayed out of foul
trouble. The big thing is we think
he can take a lot of guys his size
off the bounce.”
The
competition
for
the
‘5’ spot in the starting lineup
between the two big men, which
has been brewing throughout
the summer and fall, looked all
but settled. Wagner emerged
with the edge over his more
experienced counterpart, and
the discussion seemed to be over.
Until last weekend, that is.
Against Howard and IUPUI in
the first two games of the regular
season, Donnal showed up in
a big way for the Wolverines.
Providing a spark off the bench
that Michigan sorely needed
at certain sluggish moments,
Donnal proved that he could still
be a difference-maker, rather
than an afterthought.
In Friday’s matchup versus
the Bison, Donnal played nearly
10 more minutes than Wagner —
despite being his backup — and
made the most of the increased
floor time. He finished with 12
points and six rebounds, the
team’s second-highest total in
each category on the night. Walton
beat him out with 20 points, and
redshirt junior DJ Wilson topped
him with eight boards.
The bench duo of Donnal and
Wilson combined for 21 points
and 14 rebounds and helped
the Wolverines snap out of an
early funk, in which they simply
couldn’t score for the first five
minutes of the game. As the
sixth and seventh men in the
lineup, the pair gave Michigan
the boost it needed to secure a
76-58 win.
“That’s our job, to be energy
guys off the bench,” Donnal
said. “What we’re trying to bring
every game is energy (to) pick
up the guys on the starting five
and not have a drop-off when the
bench comes on the floor.”
In Sunday’s game against
the Jaguars, Donnal’s numbers
on offense fell to eight points
and
three
boards,
but
his
contributions mattered most on
the defensive side of the ball.
IUPUI
put
up
a
strong
challenge in the first half,
maintaining
a
considerable
lead
while
the
Wolverines
attempted to whittle away at
the deficit. Though Michigan
finally took the lead with seven
minutes left, it gave it right
back and the Jaguars held onto
a 32-30 advantage with four
minutes
remaining.
That’s
when Beilein decided to put
Donnal in the game.
The move worked wonders,
as Donnal’s presence shored
up the defense and helped the
Wolverines hold their own in
the face of the offensive barrage
of the Jaguars. Michigan held
IUPUI scoreless to close the
opening half, launching a 13-0
run to enter halftime with a
43-32 advantage that it wouldn’t
relinquish.
“When
Mark
went
into
the game, it changed things
defensively. He can plug gaps,”
Beilein said. “(Wagner) is still
trying to learn where he should
be sometimes. He’s guessing
sometimes, and the game needs
to slow down for him in ball
screen coverage. … When they
see a center trying to figure
things out, they just attack the
big guy. Mark plugged that up,
and that was a big difference.”
Just like that, the competition
is back on.
Beilein may not have officially
reopened it, and he kept Wagner
as the starter so far, but he also
seems to have an open mind
about the topic. He may stick
with his decision, but after two
standout performances, Donnal
might have changed his mind.
“That’s what we have to sort
out is what’s the best lineup
really for every game,” Beilein
said.
“There’s
some
hard-
charging teams in the Big Ten. …
Mark can plug and do some great
things — not going to jump out
of the gym. He just needs to be
there and be strong going after
the ball. I’m proud of the way
he’s played so far; it’s two good
games back to back.”
While Beilein’s choice may
change on a nightly basis, what
won’t is that if Donnal can
maintain the level of production
he has exhibited off the bench
thus far, he will find the floor.
Flaherty, Gondrezick star in wins,
earn weekly conference accolades
The
Michigan
women’s
basketball team sits in the shadow
of Big Ten foes, No. 6 Maryland and
No. 7 Ohio State, but it is making
a case for more recognition in
the conference. The Wolverines
trounced Oakland, 101-63, on
Friday night, and followed that
impressive
performance
with
a 107-35 blowout over Niagara
on Sunday afternoon in the first
weekend of regular-season play.
Two
Michigan
players,
junior guard Katelynn Flaherty
and
freshman
guard
Kysre
Gondrezick, were honored by the
Big Ten after their performances
over the weekend.
Flaherty earned her spot on
the Big Ten Player of the Week
honor roll through consistent goal
scoring, leading the team in both
games. She racked up 23 points
against the Golden Grizzlies, and
she tallied 14 more against the
Purple Eagles in just 17 minutes of
action to become the 10th player
in Michigan history to score 1,300
career points.
“I think our whole team
came out with a little butterflies
(against Oakland),” said Michigan
coach Kim Barnes Arico. “And in
the first half, we didn’t shoot the
ball exceptionally well. But then
Katelynn got hot in the second
half, and for her, the difference
is she’s facing every team’s best
defender from the start.”
When the rest of the Wolverines
— especially Gondrezick, who
was playing in her first collegiate
game — got rid of their first-game
butterflies, they provided enough
of a distraction that Flaherty was
left with plenty of time to get her
shots off. Gondrezick, who was
named the Big Ten Freshman of
the Week, came off the bench and
scored 19 points in just 18 minutes
against
Oakland,
effectively
drawing some of the Golden
Grizzlies’ defenders off of Flaherty.
The week before, Gondrezick
was the only freshman to get
significant playing time in the
Wolverines’
exhibition
game
against Wayne State, but she
was not able to land any of her
attempts to score her first points.
“I’m glad I got (the exhibition
game)
underneath
my
belt,”
Gondrezick said. “Just being in
front of the Michigan crowd for
the first time and playing on that
floor was so surreal for me. I think
I approached the game too fast. I
didn’t let it come to me.”
Gondrezick
proved
her
exhibition debut to be a fluke
when it counted, though. Over the
weekend, she quickly became the
Wolverines’ second-leading scorer
behind Flaherty with 31 points over
two games. She has also contributed
a team-high nine assists.
Her solid play paved the way
for the rest of the freshman class
to get off the bench. Freshmen
guard Kayla Robbins, forward
KeAsja Peace, and guard Akienreh
Johnson all contributed their first
collegiate points on Sunday, with
12, four and eight, respectively.
“(Gondrezick’s) a basketball
player,” Barnes Arico said. “She
really has a great understanding
of the game. She led our team
in assists the other day. She can
score the ball, she can rebound
the basketball, but she’s gotta
continue to get better. She’s going
to have some bumps in the road,
but she’s got a chance to be a
special player for us.”
Added Gondrezick: “Scoring-
wise, I just have a knack for putting
the ball in the basket, but my focus
right now is impacting the team
through other facets of my game,
whether that’s dropping dimes, or
rebounding, or collapsing on the
defensive end and getting steals.”
With Flaherty to look up to,
there’s no reason to believe that
Gondrezick will not have an
impactful presence for Michigan.
If both players can manage to
remain
consistent,
opposing
teams will have a quite a pair to
defend against.
AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Freshman defenseman Luke Martin has saved a spot for himself on the ice with his success on the penalty kill.
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Kysre Gondrezick made a statement with 31 points in two games this weekend.
MAGGIE KOLCON
Daily Sports Writer
BETELHEM ASHAME
Daily Sports Editor
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