The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
January 30, 2017 — 3B
Wolverines emphasize individual improvement during bye
The Michigan hockey team
didn’t watch any film of its
opponents this week.
Rather,
the
Wolverines
spent this past week working
on
improving
themselves.
They didn’t focus on game-day
activities — established lines, for
example — instead emphasizing
individual improvement.
“We can focus on ourselves
every day,” said junior forward
Dexter Dancs. “It’s an extra
week to really figure out some
problems we have, go out and
solve them.”
However,
that
doesn’t
mean that Michigan avoided
a
competitive
atmosphere
this past week. On Friday
and Saturday, the Wolverines
participated in 3-on-3 drills,
organized by Michigan coach
Red Berenson to make up for the
lack of a weekend series.
The Wolverines also spent the
week seeking to maintain their
momentum from their shootout
victory
over
Michigan State
last
Saturday,
something
that
could
be
challenging
during a week
with no games.
Especially
for
a
team
like
Michigan — one
that desperately
needs
to
improve
its
record in order
to make a run at the NCAA
Tournament
—
playing
in
consecutive weeks might help
its case.
While postseason play may
seem like lofty goal for the
struggling Wolverines, it is on
the minds of the players.
“We’re sitting on the bigger
picture
right
now,”
said
freshman
goaltender
Jack
LaFontaine. “As this team right
now, we’re talking about six
weeks down the road, ‘How
are we gonna feel? How are we
gonna play? What are people
going to say about us? What’s
gonna be the outcome?’
“Six weeks is the Big Ten
Tournament,
and
we
want
to be ready. I think with the
leadership in the locker room,
that’s possible. I think we have
the ability to be an elite team not
only in the Big Ten, but in the
entire country.”
The
time
off
allowed
Michigan’s
players
to
relax
their bodies from game action,
but not from intense practices.
The Wolverines hit the weight
room three times this week,
an increase from their usual
amount.
For Berenson, though, the
bye week meant giving his team
the opportunity to improve on
essential aspects of its game
that need improvement — most
prominently, its shot selection.
“I want their shots to be on
the net instead of over the net
or miss the net,” Berenson said.
“Let’s work at getting our shots
away
quicker.
Let’s
work
at
taking a pass and
shooting it right
away
without
over handling it.
A lot of the little
details of hockey,
we can do some
of those things in
practice that take
a little bit more
time than we can
afford to give in
a regular game
week.”
The coaching staff also had
the chance to experiment with
some new strategies with the
Wolverines.
The
extended
practice period allowed the staff
and players ample opportunity
for trial and error.
Most importantly, though,
the bye week gave Michigan
a time to rest. While the
Wolverines still practice every
day, it gave a team seeming to
battle with injuries a necessary
week to recuperate before the
final stretch of its season.
“The body is not getting
physically beat up,” Dancs said.
“… Some players have problems
that it’s good to get a couple
weeks off so they can rest their
body.”
Added
LaFontaine:
“(Everyone’s) a little bit tired, it
gives us extra time to relax, get
our feet under ourselves.”
Because the Wolverines had
no opponent Friday night, the
players could solely focus on
making themselves better. The
film watching would come the
following week, but fine-tuning
the basic hockey skills would
come in the present.
This self-improvement might
be what Berenson enjoys most of
the bye-week. The players never
asked their coach who would
be playing or who would be
starting. They could just focus
on
shooting,
clean
passing
and
aggressive
defense.
“(In a game
week) you’ve got
the pressure of
things
you’ve
gotta get better
at,”
Berenson
said. “Sometimes
you’ve
gotta
forget
about
worrying about
all
the
other
pressure builders or concerns.
… We (didn’t have) the mental
anxiety of ‘Geez I hope I’m in
the lineup on Thursday. I hope
the coach tells me at the meeting
on Thursday I’m playing.’ No
pressure this week. Just practice
hard and have
fun.”
Added Dancs:
“... That’s really
beneficial for a
player.
Things
like
that
can
really
affect
a
player. … You’re
not
thinking
about the game
on
Monday
of
the first week as
much you would
on
Monday
if
you’re playing on Friday.”
As Michigan transitions to
its game week against rival No.
8 Ohio State, the film watching
will begin. Set lines will start to
formulate and the focus will turn
to the Buckeyes. For the past
week, though, the Wolverines
focused
on
themselves
and
having an enjoyable time, free
from the stresses of ranked
opponents.
“In this bye week, morale is
high,” LaFontaine said. “The
boys are positive, coaches are
honest, and they are keeping a
competitive
nature.
Honestly,
it’s awesome to have a bye week.
You get to improve on things
you won’t usually do in another
week.”
And the Wolverines can only
hope that the morale will last
for the next six weeks.
JEREMY MITNICK/Daily
Freshman goaltender Jack LaFontaine and his fellow Wolverines used their bye week to recover both mentally and physically before the final stretch of the season.
AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer
“It’s an extra
week to really
figure out some
problems”
“No pressure
this week. Just
practice hard
and have fun”
‘M’ shines in annual Autism Awareness Meet
The No. 10 Michigan women’s
gymnastics team had a day of
firsts when it faced No. 19 Illinois
last weekend. The team topped
the 197.000 score mark for the
first time this season, earned
seven scores of 9.900 or higher
and senior captain Nicole Artz’s
floor routine garnered her a
perfect 10, earning her a nod as
Big Ten Gymnast of the Week.
It didn’t look like it could get
any better for the Wolverines
this early in the season. But then
it did.
Boasting
a
season-high
score of 197.225, Michigan (2-1
Big Ten, 4-2 overall) seems to
have found its groove, handing
in-conference
rival
No.
12
Nebraska (2-1, 4-1) its first loss of
the season, 197.225-194.800. The
meet held unique importance
to the Wolverines, as it was the
team’s fourth annual Autism
Awareness Meet, held at Crisler
Center on Saturday.
The annual event began in
2014 when assistant coach Dave
Kuzara came back to Michigan
and proposed the idea after
running the event as head
coach at Western Michigan.
The
Wolverines’
coaching
staff
was
unanimously
on
board, passionate about raising
awareness for the cause.
“It’s just an amazing event,”
said
Michigan
coach
Bev
Plocki. “It has been such an
educational experience for all
of our student athletes in terms
of understanding and accepting
people who are a little different,
but having the realization that
they are brilliant as well.”
Executing
high-energy,
intricate routines across the
board, the Wolverines made
the day even more special by
repeating last week’s magic.
They found themselves with
eight scores of 9.900 or higher,
spread
throughout
all
four
events.
Michigan
expected
tough competition from the
Cornhuskers, as they placed
second behind the Wolverines
in the Big Ten Championship
last season. But on Saturday,
Michigan swept all four events,
led in score after every rotation
and claimed the all-around title
in the meet.
Artz
continued
her
momentum,
taking
the
all-
around title for the second
consecutive week with a top
score of 39.500 Saturday. Artz
and junior Paige Zaziski tied
for first place on bars, scoring
a
season-high
9.925
in
the
second rotation.
Finishing
off
the
meet
and
securing
for
Michigan
a
season-high
score,
Artz
earned a 9.900
for her dynamic
floor
routine,
which
awarded
her the first-place title for floor in
a three-way tie with sophomores
Olivia Karas and Emma McLean.
There was never a shortage
of energy from the fans and
gymnasts during the meet, but
the room was the most electric
after Karas’ vault performance.
During the first rotation, Karas
executed
a
one-and-a-half
Yurchenko and stuck the landing,
earning her both a career-high
score of 9.975 and the first-place
vault title in the meet.
“I
couldn’t
breathe
when
the team came over to hug me,”
Karas said. “Those are the best
hugs — you remember them
forever.”
Vault has been
a
consistent
high-point
for
Karas, who was
one of the top-
ranked vaulters
in the nation last
year.
According
to
Plocki, vault was
the Wolverines’
strongest
event
of the day, as they demonstrated
improvement in their landings.
Michigan had struggled with
inconsistency,
specifically
on
vault dismounts.
“We have been working really
hard on our landings,” Plocki
said. “We have bigger, more
dynamic vaults, but we haven’t
done a great job of sticking
landings.”
For
McLean,
there
was
much to celebrate. Not only
was Saturday her birthday, but
she earned a career-high 9.900
on vault, matching her career-
high of 9.900 on floor to give
her the joint first-place title.
It is the second week in a row
that McLean’s floor routine has
earned her a near perfect score.
“This year I went in with
the mindset that I’m going to
have a party when I do my floor
routine,” McLean said. “It makes
it more fun.”
The Wolverines covered all
their bases this week, as senior
captain Talia Chiarelli won beam
with a 9.925, setting herself apart
from her competitors as the only
gymnast to earn over a 9.850 in
the event.
Between raising awareness
for an important cause, sweeping
Nebraska and earning a season-
high
score,
Michigan
looks
well on its way to returning to
championship form.
ANNA MARCUS
Daily Sports Writer
“I couldn’t
breathe when
the team came
over to hug me”
Karas highlights
win over Illinois
It
didn’t
take
long
for
sophomore Olivia Karas to reach
the vault. Sprinting full speed
down the runway, she made
contact with the springboard,
flipping and soaring through the
air. Somehow, through all of that,
she managed to stick her landing
cleanly.
As Crisler Center erupted
in cheers, the team chased her
down the mat and embraced her.
They didn’t need to see the score
to know Karas had executed the
move spectacularly.
Team chemistry is clearly
an important aspect of the
Michigan women’s gymnastics
team. After every event, the
entire team congratulates their
competing teammate with hugs
and cheers.
“When one person is up there
and you’re not, you have to have
full trust and faith that they’re
going to do everything they can
do for you,” Karas said. “So you
celebrate because they did the
best possible thing for you.
“The best thing in the world
is sticking the dismount and
having your team come run
up at you. It’s an indescribable
feeling.”
Karas scored a 9.975, her
career high on the vault, which
was enough to secure her a
first-place finish in the event.
One contributing factor to her
success in the event was her
dismount, which the team has
been focusing on in recent
practices with assistant coach
Dave Kuzara.
“Dave has done a really great
job of getting everyone in the right
mindset to minimize deductions
and try your best to stick,” Karas
said. “We’ve been working on it so
much and it’s really nice to see all
that hard work pay off.”
Her new career-high topped
the 9.950 she scored back in
March of last year at the Big Five
Tournament.
Michigan coach Bev Plocki
acknowledged both her difficult
routine and flawless execution.
“Her vault is a one and a half,
it’s a harder vault than the fulls,
and to stick the landing like that is
like the exclamation point,” Plocki
said.
Along with her exemplary
performance
on
the
vault,
Karas was also part of a three-
way tie for first place on the
floor. She scored a 9.900, as did
two of her teammates, senior
Nicole Artz and sophomore
Emma McLean.
A personal favorite for Karas,
the floor provides a platform for
gymnasts to showcase a diverse
range of skills.
“I’m very animated when I do
gymnastics, I like to get my team
and the crowd involved in it,”
Karas said. “Of course I like to
tumble and stuff but the dancing
is so fun.”
Following
her,
the
team
emerged victorious with a score of
197.225 to Nebraska’s 194.880.
JEREMY MITNICK/Daily
Senior captain Nicole Artz claimed the all-around title for the second consecutive week and led the Wolverines to a victory over the Fighting Illini on Saturday.
SARAH HURST
For the Daily