The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, January 19, 2018 — 7
Amid momentum and improvement, Michigan set to face Penn State
The Michigan hockey team
faced the first real undertaking
of its 2017-18 campaign on its
third weekend. The Wolverines
walked away from that weekend
in State College, Pa. establishing
themselves as a conference
contender by splitting their
series with Penn State — and
were just an overtime away
from sweeping the weekend.
As the 12th-ranked Nittany
Lions (6-5-3 Big Ten, 13-8-3
overall) visit Yost Ice Arena
on Friday and Saturday night,
almost three months will have
passed since that last meeting.
For Michigan, though, it seems
more like an eternity.
Stemming from their first
series against Penn State —
which also opened up Big Ten
play — the Wolverines (5-7-2,
10-10-2) gave up an average of
3.83 goals during a 12-game
stretch, struggling to solve
defensive lapses.
But with its performance
since the calendar flipped over,
Michigan seems to be taking
the mantra “new year, new me”
to heart.
The
Wolverines
—
now
ranked No. 20 — faced an uphill
battle after winter break with
consecutive
series
against
Notre Dame and Minnesota.
They were largely able to rise to
the occasion, in more ways than
one.
Though depth has been a
systemic problem for Michigan
this
season,
particularly
in relation to its defensive
unit, the blueliners turned a
noticeable corner against the
Fighting Irish that was then
again showcased when facing
the Golden Gophers.
Part of this can be attributed
to minimizing unforced errors
in the defensive zone, but also
to senior defenseman Cutler
Martin’s
return
to
health,
as his reappearance sparked
competitiveness
for
starting
spots in the lineup. Martin
played in the Notre Dame series,
sending sophomore defenseman
Griffin Luce to the bench, and
then the following weekend saw
the reverse.
“Sometimes,
when
you’re
in all the time,
you
can
get
complacent
and you can get
comfortable,
it’s just human
nature,”
said
Michigan coach
Mel
Pearson.
“And
I
think
with (Griffin), he just needed a
little bit of a wake-up call. And
with Cutler (Martin) back, we
have some flexibility and we
can do that.”
This competitive atmosphere
gives Michigan’s blueline more
options, which will be more
important
than
ever
when
squaring off with the Nittany
Lions — a team possessing the
most productive attack unit in
the nation.
In
sweeping
then-No.
9
Minnesota
in
Minneapolis for
the
first
time
in 41 years last
weekend,
the
Wolverines saw
contributions
from all lines, an
adjustment from
this
season’s
storyline
of
the top line of seniors Tony
Calderone and Dexter Dancs
and
junior
Cooper
Marody
bailing out the team. Last
weekend marked the first time
the same lines were started in
consecutive games, and Pearson
noted that these lines will be
sticking against Penn State.
Michigan’s
offense
demonstrated not only depth
but also timeliness, jumping
to early leads within the first
minute
and
a
half both nights
against
the
Gophers.
The
Wolverines never
relinquished
their
edge,
a
tactic that will be
advantageous
in
facing the Nittany
Lions. As a team,
Penn State leads
the
nation
in
shots taken per game with 40.1
and hasn’t had trouble finding
the net this season.
“You can’t come back when
you’re
down
every
game,”
Dancs said. “And I think getting
a lead against (Penn State) is
crucial because they are a team
that gets a lot of shots, they are
a physical team and they wear
you down, so getting a hot start
will be key for us this weekend.”
Regardless
of
Michigan’s
substantial
weekend
in
Minnesota,
Pearson
emphasized
the importance
of hard work
this week, and
how letting up
on focus could
be detrimental
as
the
team
prepares to play
the Nittany Lions.
“We’re
not
good
enough
that we can take days off,
regardless of the good weekend
we had,” Pearson said. “We
need everybody and we’ve got
to work extremely hard for
everything that we get. We
can’t just rely on our skill and
show up and play.”
Michigan — even before these
changes — gave Penn State a
run for its money in October.
But the Nittany Lions have gone
through a metamorphosis of
their own.
Penn
State
was
riding
a
more
considerable
wave
of
momentum
than
the
Wolverines, having claimed an
11-game undefeated streak until
last Saturday night when Ohio
State put a stop to the trend.
The offensive powerhouse
knocks in an average of four
goals per game and executes
its power play more effectively
than
any
other
Big
Ten
contender. One of their most
vital players, junior forward
Andrew
Sturtz,
leads
the
Nittany Lions’ offensive efforts
with 30 points, just a point
shy of Marody’s contributions
this season. That’s not to say
that Penn State’s attack isn’t
balanced,
though
—
seven
separate Nittany Lions have
notched at least 15 points on the
season.
Yet,
though
both
teams
have
gone
through
major
transformations
since
their
last series, it is more than likely
that this weekend will present a
fiercely competitive atmosphere
similar to the meeting at Pegula
Ice Arena in October.
Given
this,
Pearson
emphasized the importance of
Michigan focusing on its own
development and performance
more so than that of the Nittany
Lions.
“We caught them at a time
when they were struggling with
their goals against, so they’ve
improved,” Pearson said. “But
I think it’s more about us and
how we’re playing now. And if
we can do A, B, C and D, then
we’ll have a good chance to win.
It’s a coaches’ cliché but it’s so
true, we’ve got to really worry
about ourselves and our game
and what we do well, and if we
do, we’ll have a chance.”
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Senior forward Dexter Dancs has played a big role for his team this year, joining Tony Calderone and Cooper Marody on a high-scoring first line.
ANNA MARCUS
Daily Sports Writer
Penn State
leads the nation
in shots taken
per game.
“We’re not
good enough
that we can
take days off.”
Riding recent hot streak, Lavigne builds confidence
Some athletes have more of a
margin for error than others. A
baseball player who gets a hit just
three times out of 10, for example,
is considered proficient at the plate.
Hockey goaltenders don’t have
that same luxury.
“When you’re a goalie, you’re
judged on your mistakes,” says
Michigan goaltending coach Steve
Shields. “That’s it. Nobody cares
if you’ve made 10 great saves if
you’ve allowed the goal that cost
the game.”
This fine line makes confidence
all the more important for having
success at the position. In fact,
Shields,
a
former
Wolverine
netminder who played 10 years in
the NHL, believes goaltending is
“all confidence.”
“In today’s game, you could take
all 60 college (starting) goalies and
they would be very similar with
regards to their skill level,” Shields
said. “Some of them have more
confidence and therefore that could
lead to better focus, it could lead to
feeling like they’re going to make
more saves, and ultimately it leads
to better performance.”
Over his last four games,
sophomore Hayden Lavigne has
proven Shields correct with his
recent solid play, leading to him
effectively being named Michigan’s
starter in the process.
Like
sophomore
Jack
LaFontaine, his main competition
for the No. 1 role, Lavigne has
displayed flashes of brilliance all
season. In October, Lavigne made
42 saves against Penn State — the
nation’s highest-scoring offense —
in the hostile road environment of
Pegula Ice Arena as the Wolverines
came away with a 5-2 win, a night
after
LaFontaine
stopped
49
Penn State attempts. Six weeks
later, Lavigne denied a slew of
dangerous Michigan State shots,
going a perfect 21-for-21 to earn
the Wolverines’ first shutout of the
season.
Despite these positives, neither
LaFontaine nor Lavigne had been
able to pull away with the starting
job until recently, even though
Michigan
coach
Mel
Pearson
originally wanted to settle on a
primary goaltender within the
season’s first two months. Neither
goalie made more than three
consecutive
starts
during
the
season’s first half, while their play
began to suffer behind a struggling
defense — the Wolverines gave up
an average of 4.4 goals per game
from Nov. 11 to Jan. 2.
But dating back to a Jan. 5
showdown against then-No. 2
Notre Dame, Lavigne has allowed
just two goals per game with an
elite .926 save percentage, taking
firm control between the pipes.
“At the beginning of the season
we saw a good game here and a good
game there, which obviously isn’t
enough at this level,” Lavigne said.
“Recently, I’ve been able to string
together four pretty solid games
back-to-back, and that in itself
leads to a little more confidence
where I’ve found myself playing a
little bit farther out, little bit more
sure of the plays I’m making in net,
which just kind has led to an overall
stronger game.”
Much of Shields’ work with the
Wolverines’ netminders concerns
the mental aspects of goaltending,
and thus, their training is more
individualized
than
any
of
Michigan’s other position groups.
For Lavigne, Shields has stressed
getting back to basics.
“Lately, what we’ve done is we
just simplified things and gotten
back to going out early,” Shields said.
“Making sure that he’s warmed up,
in the right frame of mind and he’s
felt some of the repetitive shots that
goalies build confidence from.”
According to Shields, Lavigne
possesses a natural, ingrained self-
confidence that some goaltenders
lack.
The
two
have
worked
together to maintain this level of
self-assurance, allowing Lavigne to
remain in rhythm even when “puck
luck” hasn’t gone his way.
“He knows that he’s a good
athlete, he knows that he can play
the position,” Shields said. “So it’s
my responsibility to just to keep
him in that frame of mind. (It) can
go the other way when you don’t
have success, and then you get away
from what naturally is your level of
confidence or what you feel you can
do.
“He’s been really good at sticking
with it, especially at times where
he wasn’t getting the bounces and
not a ton of easy shots to help your
save percentage and goals-against,
which are confidence builders. So
he’s had to do it just gutting it out.”
Lavigne hasn’t necessarily faced
a barrage of shots during his recent
hot streak — Minnesota fired just
two shots at him in the third period
last Saturday. He’s made 25 saves
per contest over the last four games,
slightly below the team average of
26.4.
So
while
it
may
sound
counterintuitive, the high-volume
offense of Penn State — which
leads the nation with 40.1 shots per
game — may prove to be a perfect
setup for an assertive Lavigne
this weekend. The Nittany Lions
have built a reputation based on
launching pucks from all over
the offensive zone, rather than
incisively hunting for grade-A
chances near the crease.
Against Penn State, Lavigne
won’t have to constantly “gut it out”
as he has needed to do recently. He’ll
be on his toes from the opening
puck drop until the final horn.
Many of the attempts the Nittany
Lions will take this weekend are
likely to emulate the “repetitive,”
less dangerous shots Lavigne faces
during his preparation.
“That kind of gives you a little
bit more confidence when you get
shots early and a lot of times they’re
taking shots that aren’t always
high-quality
scoring
chances,”
Lavigne said. “So you’re getting
shots that are from far out and
are from bad angles, or they’re in
situations where you can just kind
of go down and let it hit you and
(you) don’t really have to make the
save, which just kind of gives you a
lot more confidence.
“You start to feel the puck a little
bit better, which leads to better
rebound control, and in turn the
flow of the game starts to feel a little
bit more calm.”
“Calm” normally isn’t the first
word you’d use to describe a hockey
game between Michigan and Penn
State. In their last meeting, the
two teams combined to score 16
goals and take 173 shots on goal
over two games. That’s not exactly
the happiest environment for a
goaltender.
Unless, however, you’re self-
assured, playing your best hockey
as of late and thrive on high-
pressure situations like this one.
Unless you’re Hayden Lavigne.
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Sophomore Hayden Lavigne has battled back to earn Michigan’s starting goaltender job this season.
JACOB SHAMES
Daily Sports Writer
Streaking Wolverines
hosting Fighting Illini
After a devastating overtime
loss to Ohio State on Jan. 7, the No.
19 Michigan women’s basketball
came back with a vengeance.
A few short days after the loss,
the Wolverines beat Indiana,
84-79. They followed with an
exciting overtime victory over
Nebraska.
And
on
Tuesday,
Michigan got its chance in a
rematch against the Buckeyes.
The game was close, as the
Buckeyes had the lead at the half.
But in an exciting play in which
junior
guard
Nicole
Munger
played point guard and set up
senior guard Katelyn Flaherty
for a three-pointer late in the
third quarter gave Michigan the
lead, which it held onto for the
remainder of the game.
The Wolverines are on top of
the world after bouncing back and
hope to continue their winning
streak against Illinois at Crisler
Center at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Hallie Thome has hit her stride
the past few games. She played
a key role in the first matchup
against Ohio State, even though
the Wolverines came up short. In
the last game against the Buckeyes,
Thome had 11 rebounds, becoming
the 16th Wolverine in program
history with over 600 rebounds.
“It’s really important for us to
take it one game at a time,” said
Michigan
coach
Kim
Barnes
Arico to WTKA. “Obviously we’re
excited about those two top-25
victories but we have to concern
ourselves with Illinois because I
think the most important piece
of all this is that our league has
tremendously improved.”
This is Nancy Fahey’s first
season coaching Illinois and she
has an overall record of 9-11 and
a conference record of 0-6. The
Fighting Ilini’s leading scorer is
junior forward Alex Wittinger
who has scored 277 points on the
season. Another player to watch
out for is sophomore Brandi
Beasley, who tied her career high
of 19 points against the Spartans
on Jan. 16 and has 244 points on
the season.
Even though Illinois is winless
in Big Ten play, Barnes Arico still
wants her team to be prepared for
anything because the league has
improved a lot since last season.
“The bottom two teams didn’t
have any road wins last year and
maybe six total wins and now
one was most recently in the top
25, Rutgers,” Barnes Arico said.
“And the second one, Nebraska,
played us into overtime and beat
ranked Iowa last night, so I think
our league is better than it’s ever
been.”
In its most recent game against
Michigan State, Illinois took the
lead early on in the first quarter but
the Spartans fought back. Though
Illinois held them to just one field
goal in the fourth quarter, it was
not enough to close the gap and the
Spartans came out victorious.
“Illinois is a team that is a really
improved team as well,” Barnes
Arico said. “They played Michigan
State last night in a tough game,
and we know they’re going to be
a challenge and I think it’s really
important for our team to be
focused on Illinois.”
AARON BAKER/Daily
Kim Barnes Arico believes that the Big Ten has “tremendously improved.”
SARAH HURST
Daily Sports Writer