The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, January 12, 2018 — 7

With stingy defense, Michigan looking for more goals against Minnesota

Michigan coach Mel Pearson 

described his hockey team’s 
last two games against then-
No. 2 Notre Dame as two of its 
best.

With a renewed energy on 

defense and a highly-effective 
— 
and 
newly-appointed 

— 
starting 
goaltender 
in 

sophomore Hayden Lavigne, 
the Wolverines (3-7-2-1 Big Ten, 
8-10-2 overall) look to leverage 
these strengths the remainder 
of the season and catapult into 
the NCAA Tournament hunt.

Last weekend in its home-

and-home series against the 
Fighting Irish, Michigan — its 
team offense currently ranked 
second in the Big Ten and 13th 
in the country — peppered the 
nation’s third-best defense with 
70 total shots. Unfortunately 
for the Wolverines, only two of 
those shots found the back of 
the net, leading to a pair of 2-1 
losses.

Just as some facets are 

starting to click, a major — and 
vitally important — piece to the 
equation has slowly declined: 
goal-scoring.

Despite 
success 
in 
some 

areas, Michigan is focused 
on reviving its offense and 
picking 
up 
much-needed 

conference wins 
this weekend at 
Minnesota (4-7-
1-1, 13-10-1).

To get back 

in 
the 
win 

column — with 
only 
one 
win 

in the last five 
contests — goal-
scoring and the 
effectiveness of 
special 
teams 

will be keys to 
victory, according to Pearson.

“We have to compete, first 

and foremost,” Pearson said. 
“We have to play smart and 
execute 
our 
game 
plan. 
I 

thought we did that against 
Notre Dame, but we didn’t 

score. One area we also have 
to get better at is our special 
teams.

“But we’re doing a lot of 

really 
good 

things, too. We 
have 
to 
make 

sure 
that 
we 

continue to do 
the things we’re 
doing well and 
continue to get 
better at those. 
But 
there 
are 

one or two areas 
of our game that 
we have to clean 
up 
and 
that’ll 

help us. That’ll take us from 
being in a tight game and losing 
to being in a tight game and 
winning.”

Pearson 
described 
senior 

forward 
Tony 
Calderone, 

junior forward Cooper Marody 

and freshman forward Josh 
Norris as “natural scorers.” But 
he noted other players don’t 
possess that innate ability. 
Instead, they need to be molded 
into scorers — from secondary 
contributors to score sheet 
stuffers.

The coaching staff stressed 

scoring 
techniques 
during 

practice, 
working 
with 

individual skaters on releasing 
the puck faster and changing 
the puck’s angle when shooting. 
Fine-tuning these skills will 
help 
combat 
a 
Minnesota 

defense that allows a stingy 
2.38 goals per game, third-
lowest in the conference.

Michigan’s 
special 
teams 

are also struggling, with both 
the power play and penalty kill 
units falling flat against the 
Fighting Irish.

The 
Wolverines 
mustered 

just five shots and no goals 
on four power plays and gave 
up two quality Notre Dame 
shorthanded 
chances. 
The 

penalty kill also sputtered, 
allowing both goals Friday and 
the game-winner Sunday.

Thus, special team drills and 

breakouts from the defensive 
zone were emphasized during 
Wednesday’s practice at the 
Ann 
Arbor 
Ice 
Cube, 
the 

Olympic-size rink used this 
week to match the dimensions 
of Minnesota’s rink.

When the two teams squared 

off in November in Ann Arbor, 
the 
Wolverines 
won 
the 

weekend series over the then-
fourth-ranked Golden Gophers 
in dramatic, come-from-behind 
fashion. After trailing by three 
and four goals in successive 
games, they rallied to a 5-4 
overtime victory and a 6-6 tie 

the next night.

While Michigan reflects on 

its 
accomplishments 
during 

the first series between the 
teams, it’s also 
conscious 
of 

the 
different 

circumstances 
this 
time 

around. 
Both 

teams 
have 

evolved 
into 

different 
identities more 
than 
halfway 

through 
the 

season, 
and 

Minnesota now 
has the home-ice advantage.

“I expect different games,” 

Pearson said. “I don’t think 
they’ll be as high-scoring as we 
saw earlier in the year. I think 
both teams have gotten much 
better defensively and have 

much better goaltending.

“We have a road mentality 

now. You have to make sure 
you play disciplined, you take 
advantage of the chances you 
get, you don’t give them many 
chances. … I think if we can do 
those things, we’ll have success 
over the weekend.”

The 
positives 
of 
late 

— 
including 
limiting 

turnovers 
in 
the 
neutral 

zone, 
squashing 
opponent’s 

scoring 
opportunities 
and 

elite netminding — helped the 
Wolverines play high-caliber 
hockey against one of the 
nation’s best in the Fighting 
Irish.

But to get over what Pearson 

referred to as “the hump” and 
win upcoming games against 
formidable Big Ten opponents, 
the scoring and special teams 
will 
need 
to 
be 
improved 

— starting this weekend in 
Minneapolis.

And 
the 
players 
are 

optimistic they can do just that.

“We need to keep doing 

what we’re doing,” Norris said. 
“I know we’ve fallen short a 
couple times, but Coach always 
says it’s not about the results but 
about the process, so I think as 
long as we listen to what they’re 
saying 
and 
implementing 

what they want us to do, we’ll 
be fine. We have to bring our 

character 
and 

our work ethic 
to Minnesota.”

Added 

freshman 
defenseman 
Quinn 
Hughes: 

“The 
Big 
Ten 

is 
obviously 

a 
really 
good 

league and that 
anyone can beat 
anyone on any 
given 
night. 

We’re very confident in our 
game right now, so we know 
that any night when we play our 
‘A’ game, we can beat anyone.

“Two 
big 
games 
at 

Minnesota, hopefully we can 
sweep.”

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Michigan coach Mel Pearson thought his team played smart and executed its game plan against Notre Dame, even if it didn’t score enough goals. 

BENJAMIN KATZ

Daily Sports Writer

The Wolverines have struggled to convert shots into goals over the past five games, a stretch that has seen them go 1-4

“We have to 

play smart and 

execute our 
game plan.”

“We need to 
keep doing 
what we’re 

doing.”

Coon, ‘M’ set for tough 
task against Penn State

This Friday, the Michigan 

wrestling team will seek to 
dethrone one of the greatest 
programs in collegiate wrestling 
and the nation’s top-ranked 
team: Penn State (1-0 Big Ten, 5-0 
overall).

Emotions will be high in what 

is sure to be a packed Crisler 
Center as the eighth-ranked 
Wolverines (2-0, 5-2) attempt 
to cement themselves as a title 
contender.

After a shaky start to the 

season with a 27-9 loss to Lehigh, 
Michigan has righted the ship, 
racking up one impressive win 
after another. Two of those wins 
were complete shutouts, as the 
Wolverines blanked Oregon State 
and Indiana in back-to-back 
matches.

These statement wins only 

add to the excitement that comes 
with facing a top program. 
Michigan has proven it has the 
chops to dominate lesser teams, 
but can it come up big against 
elite competition?

Friday night’s event against 

the Nittany Lions will surely 
answer that question, with a 
slew 
of 
big-ticket 
matchups 

set to unfold. Highly-ranked 
wrestlers in nearly every weight 
class will face off, as matches in 
the 157, 165, 174, 184, 197-pound 
and heavyweight weight classes 
will feature a ranked wrestler 
from either team — including five 
matches between All-Americans.

This will undoubtedly be the 

toughest lineup Michigan has 
seen thus far, as Penn State has 
five returning NCAA champions. 
This season, these wrestlers all 
remain ranked in the top-two in 
their respective weight class.

“We’re just gonna have to 

wrestle tough,” said fifth-year 
senior Adam Coon. “There’s 
gonna be a lot of hard-nosed 

matches out there, so we just 
have to go out there and put 
everything on the mat. It’s gonna 
be a fun dual.”

To add to the big-match feel, 

this will be the first time that any 
of these wrestlers will compete in 
the Crisler Center.

“I’m excited,” Coon said. “I 

know a lot of the guys are excited 
because it’s the first time — in at 
least five years because in five 
years, we’ve never wrestled in 
Crisler.”

Something 
else 
these 

Wolverines have not seen is a win 
against Penn State. Michigan has 
come up short the last six times 
it has faced the Nittany Lions. 
Its last win against Penn State 
came before any of the current 
wrestlers were on the roster.

In preparation for this titanic 

showdown, the Wolverines have 
been hard at work and are now 
finishing up a week-long taper to 
assure the wrestlers are fresh for 
the event.

“We 
are 
always 
making 

adjustments as we go along,” said 
Michigan coach Joe McFarland. 
“We are constantly evaluating 
team aspects, individuals and 
what the individual guys need 
— now we’re cutting back and 
making sure our guys go out 
there with a lot of zip.”

Michigan will need all the 

energy and effort it can get as 
Friday’s 
match 
will 
feature 

the 
highest-ranked 
wrestling 

matchup on the Ann Arbor 
campus since 2010.

“For all the guys, it’s gonna 

be seven minutes with nothing 
but a great effort,” McFarland 
said. “You’ll see a lot of action, 
hopefully you’ll see a lot points 
getting put up on the board 
from both teams which makes 
for exciting individual matches. 
Give it a try, if you’ve never seen 
a collegiate wrestling match 
before, we’re gonna have a great 
crowd.”

WRESTLING

JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Writer

Offensive analyst departing for NFL job

In the latest — and certainly not 

last — rotation of the Michigan 
football coaching carousel, Scott 
Turner has accepted a job as 
the quarterbacks coach for the 
Carolina 
Panthers, 
according 

to an ESPN 
report.

Turner, 

formerly the 
Wolverines’ 
senior 
offensive 

analyst, leaves Harbaugh’s staff 
less than a year after he was 
hired. Word of Turner’s hiring 
comes just hours after his father 
and long-time NFL coach, Norv, 
was named Carolina’s offensive 
coordinator. 

Turner will leave the staff after 

a turbulent season offensively 
for Michigan. The Wolverines 
ranked 86th nationally in points 
per game, their lowest such 
ranking 
since 
the 
2008-09 

season. The trio of quarterbacks 
— 
redshirt 
junior 
Wilton 

Speight, fifth-year senior John 
O’Korn and redshirt freshman 
Brandon Peters — combined to 
throw for more interceptions 
(10) than touchdowns (9), while 
completing just 53 percent of 
their passes.

Turner, 
who 
started 
his 

career with the Panthers in 
2011, will head back to Carolina 
already having a plethora of NFL 
experience under his belt. Before 
coming to Michigan, he spent 
three 
seasons 
working 
with 

Teddy Bridgewater in Minnesota. 
Turner also spent a season 
working as a wide receivers coach 
with the Cleveland Browns.

While his position title of 

“senior offensive analyst” may 
not 
require 
a 
“like-for-like” 

replacement, Turner’s departure 
only adds to the list of coaching 
vacancies Harbaugh will likely 
fill in the coming weeks.

Coaching contracts finalized 
While Turner and others leave, 

the incoming staff is starting to 
formally take shape.

Nearly 
a 
month 
after 

moving on from strength and 
conditioning 
coach 
Kevin 

Tolbert, Michigan finalized an 
agreement with former Arkansas 
coach Ben Herbert to the same 
position. Herbert spent the last 
five seasons on staff with the 
Razorbacks, and previously spent 
11 seasons with Wisconsin.

The move comes just weeks 

after 
Harbaugh 
called 
for 

Michigan to “get stronger” going 
into next season.

“We 
need 
to 
do 
that,” 

Harbaugh said after his team’s 
bowl loss to South Carolina. “We 
need improvement. We need to 
get stronger. Need to get better.” 

Harbaugh’s 
emphasis 
on 

strength 
and 
conditioning 

possibly stems from the fact 
that the Wolverines scored zero 
points in the fourth quarter of 
their final three games, all losses. 

On the defensive side, Al 

Washington finalized a two-
year deal to become Michigan’s 
linebackers and special teams 
coach. Washington will come 
to Ann Arbor from Cincinnati, 
where he served as a defensive 
line coach for one season. 

And offensively, Dan Enos — 

hired last week without offering 
a specific title — will coach the 
wide receivers, according to a 
report in the Detroit Free Press. 
Enos will make $150,000 his 
first year on staff, with a $50,000 
increase each year after that, the 
report says. 

Michigan did not have a coach 

on staff delegated as the “wide 
receivers coach” last season, 
though Pep Hamilton largely 
assumed that role under his title 
of “passing game coordinator.” 
Hamilton — according to a tweet 
from Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports 

— may be under consideration for 
a position in Jon Gruden’s staff 
with the Oakland Raiders.

That 
enough 
rumors 
and 

semantics for you?

Because of the Wolverines’ 

disappointing 8-5 finish — and 
the nature of their struggles — 
this is an offseason fraught with 
staff turnover and widespread 
change. 

Buckle up. It’s only January.
Vegas 
odds 
and 
early 

rankings released

In an annual tradition of 

turning attention to the next 
season immediately after the 
previous, Las Vegas released its 
odds to win the 2018-19 national 
championship. Perhaps to the 
surprise of some who watched 
Michigan scuffle to an 8-5 record, 
the Wolverines opened as 10-1 
odds to win the title. 

Michigan trails just reigning 

national 
champion, 
Alabama 

(3-1), runner-up, Georgia (9-2), 
Clemson (6-1) and Ohio State 
(8-1). Those four teams combined 
for a 50-7 record this season.

The 
heaping 
expectations 

for next season are largely 
contingient upon the eligibility 
of transfer quarterback Shea 
Patterson, who was the top-
ranked quarterback in the 2016 
recruiting class. 

AthalonSports.com 
ranked 

the Wolverines seventh in their 
“Way-too-early top 25,” citing 
an intriguing returning defense 
and the potential growth of the 
receiving corps.

“After a rebuilding year in 

2017, the Wolverines are poised 
for a rebound back into the top 
10 in 2018,” Athlon writes. “Don 
Brown’s defense should rank 
among the best in the nation 
once again. This unit is slated to 
return nearly intact, but tackle 
Maurice Hurst and linebacker 
Mike McCray depart to the NFL. 
Linebacker Devin Bush and end 
Rashan Gary should push for All-
American honors, with Khaleke 
Hudson (LB) and cornerback 
Lavert Hill returning as key 
contributors.”

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will need to look for a new offensive analyst in the near future.

MAX MARCOVITCH

Daily Sports Editor

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