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