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...”