8 — Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

‘M’ splits weekend 
tilt at ITA Kick-Off

Traveling to Norman, Okla. 

for the ITA Kick-Off, the No. 19 
Michigan men’s tennis team split 
its weekend series, losing 4-1 to 
No. 16 Oklahoma on Saturday, 
but defeating No. 25 Arkansas on 
Sunday, 4-0.

Saturday’s match was marked 

with a flurry of Oklahoma 
victories, as the Sooners opened 
up a decisive 3-0 lead, with wins 
in No. 1 singles, No. 3 singles, No. 
1 doubles and No. 3 doubles.

Sophomore 
Myles 
Schalet 

closed the gap to 3-1 after a win 
in the No. 5 singles match, before 
the Wolverines began to mount a 
comeback behind senior Jathan 
Malik and juniors Runhao Hua 
and Davis Crocker. Each forced 
a third set with second-set 
tiebreakers in the No. 2, 4 and 
6 singles matches. Malik forced 
a tiebreaker once again in the 
third set, but lost 7-6, giving 
Oklahoma the game-clinching 
fourth tally.

“We just need to play as a team 

from the beginning all the way 
through the match. We didn’t do 
that,” said Michigan coach Adam 
Steinberg. 
“We 
really 
came 

together a little bit too late. We 
needed to establish that energy 
and enthusiasm and our fight as 
a team way earlier, and it caught 
up to us.”

Sunday proved to be a much 

different story. The Wolverines 
got off to quick start and rode 
their momentum to a decisive 
4-0 shutout victory over the 

Razorbacks. Leading the way 
was freshman Connor Johnston, 
who was inserted in the No. 1 
doubles lineup along with Malik 
in his very first collegiate match. 
The duo won their match to the 
tune of a 6-1 score, and Johnston 
gave Michigan its fourth and 
final point with a win in the No. 
6 singles match.

“He was a spark plug for us,” 

Steinberg said. “He came in and 
he was a big lift in doubles. To 
throw him in at No. 1 doubles, 
where he hasn’t ever played 
college tennis before and to win 
6-1 — him and Jathan — was 
incredible. I can’t say enough 
about his performance (Sunday) 
and what he brought to our team 
and we need that.”

Adding to the Wolverines’ 

score were Crocker and junior 
Alex Knight, who won the No. 
5 and No. 4 singles matches, 
respectively. Knight and Hua 
were also able to come away with 
a victory in the No. 2 doubles 
matchup.

With 
a 
match 
against 

Princeton on Thursday, the team 
will look to carry on the same 
energy and enthusiasm that they 
captured against Arkansas on 
Sunday, but had lacked the day 
before.

“We did a great job fighting 

back against Oklahoma. I thought 
the guys really competed hard, 
but they need to compete for 
each other for longer stretches 
of time,” Steinberg said. “If we 
do that like we did today (against 
Arkansas), we’re pretty tough to 
beat.”

Slaker carving out role with Wolverines

In his second and final season 

with the Bloomington Thunder 
of the United States Hockey 
League, Jake Slaker served as 
the team captain. While some 
team leaders choose to assert 
their authority vocally, Slaker 
instead led by example.

Now, with the Michigan 

hockey team, the freshman 
forward is far from the team’s 
most 
prominent 
leader 
in 

the locker room. Still, his 
position on the team calls for 
responsibility.

“When 
you’re 
a 
top-six 

forward, you’re a leader on this 
team no matter 
what class you’re 
in,” said senior 
forward 
Alex 

Kile. 
“(Slaker) 

kills 
penalties, 

plays 
on 
the 

power play and 
he’s 
important 

for 
us 
in 
all 

aspects of the 
game. Whenever 
you have a player 
who can contribute in all three 
areas of the rink, you’re gonna 
be a leader no matter what.”

It’s high praise coming from 

Kile, one of the two Wolverine 
captains. Through the first 22 
games of the season, Slaker’s 
play 
has 
justified 
Kile’s 

comments — he ranks first in 
points and assists for Michigan 
with 14 and 10, respectively.

But it didn’t always appear 

that easy for Slaker. In his first 
few games, he acknowledged 
the difficulty that comes with 
the transition from the slower-
paced USHL to the quicker 
gameplay at the NCAA level.

While at times — much 

like Michigan’s entire lineup 
— 
Slaker 
appears 
to 
lose 

concentration or struggle on 
special teams, Kile recognizes 
the strides his teammate has 
made since the first game.

“He’s not a player who really 

talks about offense or talks 
about 
scoring 
goals,” 
Kile 

said. “He wants to get better 
defensively, and I think he’s 
struggled a little bit if you’re 
looking 
at 
plus-minus, 
but 

he’s a player that wants to get 
better. He wants to be that shut-
down centerman that (former 
Michigan forward) JT Compher 
was 
and 
(former 
Michigan 

forward) Andrew Copp was. 

He aspires to be 
them and he has 
told me that he 
wants to be like 
that.”

Because 
of 

the Wolverines’ 
inconsistent 
play this season, 
Slaker 
has 

seen 
different 

linemates every 
few games. In 

the early part of the season, 
he played in the first grouping 
with Kile and fellow-freshman 
forward Will Lockwood, but has 
also played on the second and 
third lines. Slaker’s flexibility 
earned a commendation from 
Michigan coach Red Berenson. 
Berenson 
explained 
that 

injuries and suspensions to 
Slaker’s linemates causes him 
to reshuffle the lines every so 
often.

“Jake 
is 
a 
competitor,” 

Berenson said. “He comes to 
play, most every game you’re 
going to get everything he’s got. 
Now there’s been the odd game 

when he wasn’t as invested in 
the game, or lost his focus or we 
needed a centerman on another 
line. … But it didn’t change his 
ice time.

“The thing I like about him 

is that he brings a line together. 
Whoever he plays with, he’ll 
try to get that line organized 
and play the right way and play 
together. He’s an organizer 
even though he’s a freshman.”

According to Kile, Slaker’s 

best assets include his energy, 
his 
confidence 
and 
his 

constant desire to learn from 
veteran 
players. 
Slaker, 
for 

one, believes he has improved 
his decision making. As the 
season continues, Slaker is still 
working 
with 

the Wolverines’ 
coaching 
staff 

to improve some 
of the intangible 
aspects of his 
game 
that 

are not easily 
recognized.

“I 
want 
to 

improve 
my 

physicality with 
the puck,” Slaker 
said. “To try not to get knocked 
off with the puck as much, win 
my one-on-one battles. I don’t 
think people notice that all 
the time, it’s sometimes just a 
stick play or me getting better 
positioning with the puck. My 
goal is to get a little stronger 
with and without the puck.”

Perhaps the most important 

facet 
of 
Slaker’s 
game 
— 

especially as a center — is his 
success on faceoffs. Currently, 
Slaker leads Michigan in faceoff 
victories with 201 and ranks 
third in winning percentage — 
boasting a .510 mark. Berenson 
constantly 
discusses 
the 

importance of winning faceoffs 
and maintaining possession of 
the puck afterward with his 
team. It’s an area the Wolverines 
have struggled with, posting 
just a .483 winning percentage.

As one of the few Michigan 

players that has found success in 
that aspect of the game, Slaker 
has a unique approach to faceoffs.

“My main job is not to lose 

(the puck),” Slaker said. “To get 
a 50-50 battle between myself 
and the wingers where we can 
battle out and try to get the 
win. Overall my mindset going 
into faceoffs is try not to lose it 
clean.”

Currently, Slaker practices 

on a line with Lockwood and 

sophomore 
forward 
Brendan 
Warren, 
and 

whether 
that 

holds 
for 
the 

rest 
of 
the 

season is up to 
Berenson. What 
can be said for 
sure, though, is 
that Slaker will 
show a positive 

attitude and desire to adapt 
with his teammates.

And while he clearly no 

longer commandeers the locker 
room as he once did for the 
Thunder, it’s obvious Slaker 
still plays a vital role in the 
Wolverines’ success.

“He communicates well with 

his teammates and linemates,” 
Berenson 
said. 
“He 
knows 

how to play with a sense of 
responsibility for our team in 
key situations, whether it’s a big 
faceoff, or a second effort play. 
He wants to be that guy that 
will do that because he’s done 
that before.” 

MEN’S TENNIS

EFE EDEVBIE

For the Daily

Wolverines falter against No. 16 Oklahoma,
recover to defeat 25th-ranked Razorbacks 

AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Freshman forward Jake Slaker has found his place at Michigan, as he headlines the Wolverines’ faceoff unit and leads the team with 201 faceoff victories.

“... Most every 

game you’re going 
to get everything 

he’s got”

“He knows 
how to play 

with a sense of 
responsibility...” 

