The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, January 11, 2017 — 7A

Recapping the first half of the Michigan hockey season

Through 18 games, Michigan’s 

offense has failed to muster 
a 
consistent 
goal-scoring 

threat, relying on its defense 
and goaltending to keep the 
Wolverines 
competitive 
until 

the final seconds. This weekend, 
Michigan 
will 
face 
another 

challenging Big Ten opponent in 
No. 9 Minnesota, who it split the 
season series with last year.

Before the Wolverines resume 

conference play, the Daily recaps 
the first half of their season:

MVP: Goaltenders
It’s been the same story all 

season. 
Michigan’s 
offense 

struggles to control possession, 
and then the Wolverines must 
constantly defend the puck in 
their own zone. Fortunately for 
Michigan, its trio of netminders 
have 
proven 
themselves 
as 

a solid last line of defense. 
The Wolverines sit dead last 
nationwide in percentage of shots 
taken vs. opponent and as a result, 
Michigan’s 
goaltenders 
have 

faced a barrage of shots. However, 
the trio of Wolverines have 
earned a .924 save percentage, 
good for sixth best nationally.

Freshman goaltender Hayden 

Lavigne 
anchors 
the 
unit, 

ranking third in save percentage 
with a .937 clip. Before an illness 
forced him to miss a few games, 
Lavigne ranked first in goals-
against average. Though he hasn’t 
officially been named the starter, 
statistically, Lavigne has shined 
the most.

Lavigne isn’t the only freshman 

making himself known between 
the pipes. Even though he has 
four losses in seven starts, Jack 
LaFontaine ranks first in saves on 
the Wolverines. Senior forward 
and captain Alex Kile praised the 
young goaltender after a rough 
loss to Penn State last month.

“He’s tough,” Kile said. “He’s a 

freshman, it’s not easy during this 
game. We didn’t really give him a 
great effort tonight defensively. 
We gave up 50-plus shots, so 
anytime you’re a goalie and you 
see 50 shots, it’s tough to win 

games and stop all the pucks.”

Rounding out the goaltenders 

is senior Zach Nagelvoort. While 
not a regular starter, Nagelvoort 
has been called upon multiple 
times this season — like in the 
Great Lakes invitational with 
LaFontaine — when one of the 
two freshmen has faced problems 
early in the game.

The three goaltenders have 

nearly singlehandedly ensured 
that Michigan stays competitive 
late in games.

Most improved player: Sam 

Piazza

On Oct. 7 against Union, Piazza 

scored the Wolverines’ first goal 
of the season at the 8:54 mark 
of the first frame, coming off a 
power play attempt. The game 
against the Dutchmen would 
prove to be the first step in a 
season of tremendous growth 
by the junior forward. Last year, 
it took until the Great Lakes 
Invitational — Michigan’s 17th 
game — for Piazza to notch his 
first goal. It turned out to be 
Piazza’s only goal of the season.

Recognizing 
Piazza’s 

improvement, Michigan coach 
Red Berenson consistently places 
him on both the penalty kill 
and power play, along with the 
Wolverines’ other top scorers.

“He’s a player who hasn’t 

played regularly in his first couple 
years, but he’s shown signs of 
taking the next step,” Berenson 
said in October. “I thought he 
showed some of that last year, and 
we didn’t play him maybe as much 
as we should’ve in the stretch 
run. But we’ve seen moments 
and we have high regard for his 
offensive vision on the ice and his 
puck skills, and now it’s starting 
to pay off for him.”

Through 18 games, Piazza 

ranks third on the Wolverines 
with five goals, including a team-
high three on the power play. 
His continued success on special 
teams will prove essential to 
Michigan as it goes forward.

Top 
freshman: 
Will 

Lockwood

When 
Michigan’s 
offense 

needed a spark plug earlier 
this season, Lockwood would 

outsprint 
the 
opposition’s 

defensemen and attempt a shot 
on goal. For a team that lacked 
veteran 
presence, 
Lockwood 

immediately showed his ability 
to start games on the first line. 
Playing on a unit with Kile and 
fellow freshman Jake Slaker, 
Lockwood used speed to win 
pucks on opposite sides of the ice.

“My skating is one of my best 

attributes,” 
Lockwood 
said 

earlier this season. “It definitely 
helps to have my legs out on the 
ice. There’s also an aspect to it 
where you don’t want to overskate 
on the ice, (to skate) smart on the 
ice, but also use my speed in the 
right situation to my advantage.”

Currently, Lockwood ranks 

first in scoring on the Wolverines 
with seven goals and 13 points. 
He 
also 
leads 
Michigan 
in 

shooting efficiency with a .219 
clip. While many freshmen have 
had to step up in more extended 
roles and learn the Wolverines’ 
playing style quickly, Lockwood 
has demonstrated why he is the 
highest-drafted Michigan player. 
He regularly leads the power 

play and scored twice this season 
on special teams. He has also 
notched a team-high three game-
winning goals.

Though he found himself in a 

scoring drought over the past few 
weeks, he scored in the GLI third-
place game, showing promise as 
the season continues.

Top moment: Lockwood’s 

goal to defeat Michigan Tech

Michigan was in a familiar 

situation. 
Two 
weeks 
prior 

at home, the Wolverines held 
onto a slim lead against Union 
heading into the third period. But 
Michigan couldn’t hang onto its 
advantage, eventually falling to 
the Dutchmen, 4-3.

Against Michigan Tech, the 

Wolverines led 2-1 going into the 
final frame. Within 10 minutes 
however, the Huskies took a 3-2 
lead. Michigan seemed primed 
for a similar fate, but Lockwood 
would not permit it. With 52 
seconds 
remaining, 
senior 

forward 
Max 
Shuart 
passed 

the puck from behind the net 
to Lockwood, who had skated 
toward the middle of Michigan 

Tech’s 
zone, 
and 
Lockwood 

slapped it past the Huskies’ 
goaltender.

“When the game was on the 

line in the third, our team rallied,” 
Berenson said after the game. 
“Even though (Michigan Tech) 
tied the game on a weak goal on 
our part, our team rallied and 
played harder and gave ourselves 
a chance.”

Worst moment: Penn State 

series

In its Big Ten opener, Michigan 

traveled to State College as the 
underdog, but with hopes of 
surprising No. 6 Penn State. The 
Nittany Lions would jump out to 
a 5-0 lead before the Wolverines 
could find the net even once, and 
Michigan ended up losing the 
game 6-1.

The second game was similar. 

LaFontaine saved 53 shots, but 
the offense and special teams 
both struggled in a 5-1 loss. The 
attack mustered a measly 23 shots 
and its power play failed to take 
advantage of its three attempts. 
Defensively, Michigan’s penalty 
kill allowed two goals and 10 shots.

“I didn’t think our team had a 

good game in front of our goalie,” 
Berenson said after the Saturday 
game. “… But (Penn State) got 
behind us, they got through us, 
our forwards weren’t picking up 
men. I mean, give them credit. 
They won all the races, and they 
won all the battles and they got all 
the goals.”

Player to watch in second 

half: Cooper Marody

After a season watching from 

the bench and from the television 
while Michigan traveled, Cooper 
Marody is finally eligible to play. 
The sophomore forward was 
suspended until the Great Lakes 
invitational because of academic 
issues last winter. In just two 
games — a small sample size — he 
notched three assists. Berenson 
clearly 
believes 
the 
forward 

will continue his play from last 
season, inserting him on the first 
line against Michigan State in the 
GLI third-place game.

“The first game back, (it was) 

going to be a lot different than 
just practicing,” Marody said 

during the GLI. “It had been a 
while since I played a game and 
really got up to that speed.”

With Marody returning to the 

lineup, the Wolverines return their 
second-highest leading scorer from 
last season to a group that is lacking 
offensive firepower. In just two 
games, Marody has demonstrated 
his playmaking skills, and he will 
certainly be a player to pay closer 
attention to as Michigan continues 
conference play.

X-factor: Alex Kile
As the leading returning scorer 

of the Wolverines, many expected 
Kile to anchor Michigan’s offense. 
Through much of the first quarter 
of the season — much like the 
entire 
Wolverines’ 
offensive 

unit — he struggled to find any 
consistency. In his first 14 games, 
he tallied just two goals. Recently 
though, Kile has tabbed three 
goals in three contests.

“(Kile) really felt that this was 

not necessarily his team, but this 
was his time,” Berenson said last 
week. “He’d been part of a high-
scoring machine last year, but 
when we lost all of those guys, 
now he looks around and it’s just 
him. He embraced that.

“I can’t tell you it’s gone smooth 

for him — I think it’s been a 
challenge. Maybe he hasn’t had the 
supporting cast. He was playing 
with two freshmen for the first 
number of games, and playing 
pretty well but not playing as 
consistently and productively as he 
would like, or that I would like.”

For Michigan to make any run 

at the postseason, it will need 
its captain to rally his fellow 
forwards. During his recent three-
goal surge, the Wolverines have 
earned two wins and one loss.

It could be just the recipe for 

success that the Wolverines need.

With some signs of life in 

recent games against Wisconsin 
and Michigan State, and the 
return of Marody to the lineup, 
Michigan’s offense looks on the 
upswing.

This 
weekend’s 
matchup 

against Minnesota will provide 
the Wolverines with their first 
test of the second half of the 
season. 

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

The Michigan hockey team hopes its offense comes alive in the second half.

Michigan defeats Indiana, 78-74

Before the season began, the 

Michigan 
women’s 
basketball 

team 
set 
two 
goals. 
The 

Wolverines wanted to finish in the 
top four of the Big Ten and secure 
a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan (3-1 Big Ten, 14-4 

overall) took a big step toward 
those ambitions Tuesday night. 
The Wolverines rode a double-
double 
performance 
from 

sophomore center Hallie Thome 
to a 78-74 victory over Indiana 
(2-2, 
12-5). 
With 
Tuesday’s 

victory, Michigan avenged a 77-69 
overtime loss to the Hoosiers 
on Jan. 3, 2016 in which the 
Wolverines blew a nine-point 
lead with four minutes to go in 
regulation.

“That’s definitely something 

we talked about,” said Michigan 
coach Kim Barnes Arico. “We’ve 
definitely have shown growth. 
We’ve shown our ability to make 
free throws down the stretch and 
to take care of the basketball down 
the stretch and even just getting 
some stops.”

For a moment, though, it looked 

like the Wolverines might be 
stunned again.

Michigan 
led 
71-62 
with 

five minutes to go in the fourth 
quarter, a seemingly comfortable 
advantage. But Indiana center 
Jenn Anderson scored six points 
in three minutes, helping the 
Hoosiers narrow the gap to 74-72. 

Ensuring that the Wolverines 

would not be stunned again, senior 
guard Siera Thompson drew two 
fouls in the waning seconds and 
made all four of her free throws to 
ice the game. 

“I am very confident in my free-

throw shooting,” Thompson said. 
“I just went up there and shot like 
I always shoot in practice.”

The game was a back-and-forth 

contest throughout.

The first quarter appeared to 

be going the way of the Hoosiers, 

who led 16-13 with under a 
minute to go despite making just 
35.3 percent of their shots. But 
sophomore guard Nicole Munger 
broke through with three quick 
points to tie the game. She then 
made a baseline layup to put the 
Wolverines ahead, 18-16, as time 
expired in the frame.

“Munger is a scorer,” Barnes 

Arico said. “She’s a great kid. She’s 
one of the hardest workers we 
have in our program.”

Michigan began to open up 

a cushion in the second quarter 
thanks to a bruising performance 
by Thome. In just the first four 
minutes of the frame, she tallied 
seven points and drew two fouls 
as well. Junior forward Jillian 
Dunston contributed two layups 
off turnovers, and the Wolverines 
took a 37-25 edge with 3:09 to go 
in the frame.

“That’s 
definitely 
what 

separated us in the beginning,” 
Thome said. “We were able to get 
fouls on their key players, which 
took them out of what they wanted 
to do so they couldn’t really defend 
without worrying about picking 
up another foul.”

But the Hoosiers had no plans 

to go away quietly. Indiana 

proceeded to go on a 12-0 run in 
just two minutes before freshman 
guard Kysre Gondrezick nailed a 
three-pointer to stop the bleeding. 

Gondrezick scored eight more 

points in the third frame, which 
allowed Michigan to take a sizable 
64-55 lead into the fourth quarter. 
She finished the game with 17 
points and a career-high eight 
assists.

“I was just running within 

the offense,” Gondrezick said. 
“Whatever shot was open, I took. 
Luckily, they just went in.”

With the victory on Tuesday 

night, 
the 
Wolverines 
move 

to third place in Big Ten play, 
behind No. 3 Maryland and No. 
11 Ohio State, both of whom are 
undefeated in conference games. 
Michigan will face the Terrapins 
on Jan. 19, hoping to pull off an 
upset.

Before then, though, Michigan 

will 
have 
to 
contend 
with 

Minnesota on Jan. 15 at Crisler 
Center. 
Though 
the 
Golden 

Gophers are 0-3 in Big Ten play, 
they have had tough match-ups 
against Maryland, Ohio State and 
Indiana, all of whom are in the 
top 60 in the Ratings Percentage 
Index.

AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer

Thome shines again in crucial win

With 7:04 left in the first 

quarter, junior forward Jillian 
Dunston corralled a rebound off 
an Indiana 
miss 
and 

promptly 
threw 
it 

across the court to freshman 
guard Kysre Gondrezick at the 
top of the 3-point line.

As an Indiana defender began 

to charge at Gondrezick, she 
launched the ball to a gliding 
Hallie Thome down the middle of 
the court for a smooth transition 
layup.

Just like the layup, the rest of 

Thome’s game followed suit, as 
she finished with 21 points, 10 
boards and two blocks to help 
Michigan to a 78-74 win.

The sophomore center was 

the recipient of four more assists 
from Gondrezick, a connection 
that Thome has flourished from 
since Gondrezick was put in the 
starting lineup Dec. 28.

“That’s definitely something 

fun to play with,” Thome said. 
“We had Madison (Ristovski) 
last year so to have someone in 

that spot and take on her role is 
something special.”

Added Michigan coach Kim 

Barnes Arico: “Kysre is a great 
passer. She does a tremendous job 
of finding Hallie, so we try to keep 
them on the same side sometimes.”

Thome’s success against the 

Hoosiers can also be attributed to 
her physicality. Thome muscled 
her way down low at will, 
tallying three and-1 buckets and 
notching 
her 

second-highest 
rebound 
total 

for the season, 
including 
two 

on the offensive 
end. 
Thome’s 

forcefulness was 
instrumental 
in coercing the 
Hoosiers 
into 

foul trouble.

“That’s what 

definitely separated us in the 
beginning,” Thome said. “We 
were able to get fouls on their key 
players and take them out of what 
they wanted to do.”

When Indiana finally adjusted 

by doubling Thome, her game 
changed entirely from scoring to 
passing out of the low block to the 

wings.

“We were able to get the ball in 

early, and they weren’t ready from 
the start,” Thome said. “In the 
second half, they were doubling 
more in the post, so we were able 
to get the shots and knock them 
down.”

If Thome’s last two games 

didn’t already prove it, her 
performance 
against 
Indiana 

showed that her presence on 

the court makes 
the 
biggest 

difference for the 
Wolverines.

“She has great 

hands and such 
great 
touch,” 

Barnes 
Arico 

said. “Such a great 
finisher 
around 

the rim. When she 
touches it, good 
things are going 

to happen.”

While her double-double stands 

out, the most meaningful part of 
her stat line was her two fouls. The 
Hoosiers simply couldn’t match up 
with Thome, and she managed to 
stay in the game for 36 minutes to 
expose the mismatch.

In 
the 
Wolverines’ 
four 

losses this season, Thome has 
suffered from early foul trouble, 
a point of weakness that both 
Barnes Arico and Thome have 
previously acknowledged. With 
redshirt junior Abby Cole still 
out of commission, it is crucial 
that Thome maintains her recent 
run of play, as Michigan’s depth 
down low runs thin when she 
has to sit.

After giving up a nine-point 

lead last season in Bloomington 
and losing, 77-69, it is reassuring 
that the Wolverines were able to 
eke out a win at Crisler Center 
and pad their NCAA Tournament 
resume. What has become clear 
of late is how instrumental 
Thome will be in the effort to end 
Michigan’s three-year tourney 
drought.

NATHANIEL CLARK

Daily Sports Writer

ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Writer

JEREMY MITNICK/Daily

Freshman guard Kysre Gondrezick had an eight-point third quarter.

JEREMY MITNICK/Daily

Sophomore center Hallie Thome led the team with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

INDIANA
MICHIGAN 

74
78

When she 
touches it, 

good things are 
going to happen

