The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Tuesday, February 6, 2018 — 7
For the Wolverines, the final stretch is the key
They say the hardest part of a
marathon is the final stretch — the
period when you’ve come so far and
have overcome obstacles, yet feel too
exhausted to finish.
The difficulties of this last stage
are prevalent in basketball and were
apparent in the Michigan women’s
basketball team’s performance last
season.
About a year ago, the Wolverines
were thriving and looked well on
their way to the NCAA Tournament.
But then, things took a turn.
Michigan lost three of its last
four contests of the 2016-17 regular
season, wasting all the momentum it
had built up. It didn’t stop there; the
Wolverines were then eliminated
in their first game of the Big Ten
Tournament by Michigan State. Due
to their lackluster end-of-season
performances, they fell through the
rankings and failed to qualify for the
NCAA Tournament for the fourth
time in a row.
As Michigan knows, while the
final stretch is typically the hardest,
it is often the most important. This
is again the case this season for the
21st-ranked Wolverines (8-4 Big
Ten, 19-6 overall).
Michigan coach Kim Barnes
Arico’s squad was having one
of the best seasons in program
history and reached No. 13 in the
national rankings. The defense —
which allows the second-fewest
points per game in the Big Ten,
with 61 — excelled, led by senior
forward Jillian Dunston who has a
team-high 45 steals. On top of that,
the offense finally started to find
its groove with senior Katelynn
Flaherty running the point, and the
team looked to have left its turnover
problems in the past.
Again, things have changed.
In the fourth quarter against
Purdue last Thursday, Michigan
gave up a 16-point lead and fell short
in overtime. The loss killed the
Wolverines’ six-game win streak
and with it, their confidence.
Michigan stumbled again the
following Sunday in Piscataway,
falling to Rutgers, 63-56.
One loss wouldn’t have been too
detrimental, but two in a row is
problematic. The Wolverines have
fallen eight spots in the national
rankings and slipped from second to
fifth in the Big Ten standings.
With just four games remaining
in the regular season, Michigan is
once again in the midst of a tough
closing stretch. What happens in
these remaining contests — against
Northwestern,
Michigan
State,
Minnesota and No. 10 Maryland —
will make or break the season.
Win out and the problems go
away, but that will be hard to do.
Though the Wolverines stomped
the Spartans in their first meeting,
the next matchup will be in East
Lansing, and Michigan State will
be hungry for revenge. The contest
against the Terrapins will be
even more challenging — they are
undoubtedly the best team in the
conference with their high-scoring
offense and skilled rebounding.
Too
many
avoidable
losses,
and
Tournament
dreams
will
be jeopardized. Last year, the
Wolverines notched 22 regular
season wins, yet didn’t qualify for
the NCAA Tournament. They
currently have 19, and are in a
similar position.
For Michigan to make the most of
what’s left of the season, its offense
must shape up. Against the Scarlet
Knights, the Wolverines scored 20
points less than their season average
and had 26 turnovers. These
substandard stats won’t be good
enough for the tough road ahead.
Michigan is at the 20-mile mark
in the race and can sniff the finish
line. If the Wolverines give up now,
they’ll end up just like last year —
having nothing to show for their
season’s early success.
But if they find that last ounce of
strength to sprint the remaining few
miles, their tournament dreams just
may come true.
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team found out last year that the end of the season can be the most important part. Now it’s in a similar situation.
The continuous rise of Dakota Raabe
It started with his first career
goal just three weeks ago.
After going scoreless — and
pointless — in the Michigan
hockey team’s first 23 games,
forward Dakota Raabe finally
broke through with a game-winner
against then-No. 12 Penn State.
With the goal came a sense of
relief. And with that, a newfound
confidence manifested.
The freshman has fired eight
shots in his past five games after
just 13 in his first 16. In that span,
he’s posted three points — two
goals and an assist — and increased
ice time on both special team units
after flying completely under the
radar through December.
“I’ve been hanging onto the
puck a little more,” Raabe said.
“I’ve been able to make better
plays instead of just throwing (the
puck) away like I felt I was doing
before.”
The same can be said about
making a difference on the ice.
Instead of throwing away his
chance to get significant minutes,
Raabe has stepped up since that
first goal, and coaches, teammates
and opponents have noticed. No
longer is his status in the lineup a
question mark, and watching from
the press box as a healthy scratch
seems to be behind him.
It was during Friday night’s 5-3
victory over then-No. 18 Wisconsin
when the Capistrano Beach, Ca.
native truly solidified his role on
a No. 19 Michigan team vying to
qualify for postseason play.
A high-energy presence on the
penalty kill unit, Raabe forced
a handful of turnovers in the
Badgers’ defensive zone. Two
resulted in Wisconsin penalties,
which stifled the visitors’ power
play opportunities.
A
roughing
call
halfway
through the first period sent
junior forward Brendan Warren
to the box and the penalty kill
onto the ice for the first time. The
Badgers looked ready to strike
for the second time in the frame,
controlling the puck in their
offensive zone and not allowing
the Wolverines quality chances to
clear.
But with 20 seconds left on
the power play, Raabe stole
the puck near the neutral zone
for a breakaway and potential
shorthanded goal. To stop the
speedster, Wisconsin committed
a hooking penalty, leading to four-
on-four play. And on the ensuing
Michigan
power
play,
junior
defenseman
Joseph
Cecconi’s
wrist shot from the left circle
found the back of the net, tying the
game at one apiece.
During the second period, the
Badgers threatened on another
man advantage, outworking the
Wolverines and trying to fight
back from a 3-1 deficit.
That’s when Raabe jumped in
for his next penalty kill shift.
With 37 seconds remaining
on the power play, the 5-foot-9
forward sped past Wisconsin
defenders to meet goaltender Jack
Berry behind the net. Unable to
fully clear the puck from the zone,
Berry flattened Raabe, pushing
him into the ice with two hands
and sitting on top of him in front
of the crease. But the referee was
right there, calling the netminder
for holding, effectively ending the
Badgers’ power play in its tracks.
A visibly frustrated Berry was
serenaded by mocking “Berry”
chants from the Michigan faithful.
Raabe, on the other hand, was
noticeably fired up, skating off the
ice with a swagger hidden over the
first months of the season. He was
greeted at the bench by teammates
and coaches slapping his helmet
and patting him on the back,
commending his hustle when the
Wolverines needed it most.
It was only fitting that with one
minute to go in regulation, the
ravenous Raabe poked the puck
away from a Badger skater and
was rewarded with an empty-net
goal to seal the deal.
After killing six of seven power
plays, the next night, Raabe was
promoted to play on the same
line as junior Jake Slaker and
freshman Josh Norris, the most
productive forward tandem the
past month. And just like Friday,
Raabe’s quick clears from the zone
and hostile defense on the penalty
kill muted Wisconsin’s power play
when he was on the ice.
“His growth has been huge,”
said Michigan coach Mel Pearson.
“You can see he can skate. He’s
starting to skate now and I think
that’s what everything starts with.
Stalking on loose pucks, just doing
the things that we ask him to do.”
Pearson notes Raabe’s keen
sense for smart and situational
hockey, his work ethic on both
sides of the puck and his speed
— important characteristics to
Pearson, who stresses a faster
pace of play — as keys to his
renaissance.
Not only has Raabe’s self-
assurance
increased
during
the back half of the season, but
Pearson’s
confidence
in
the
youngster has also blossomed.
Pearson admits he didn’t feel
comfortable having Raabe on the
ice in late-game situations early
in the season. But after the recent
uptick in performance, the coach
is now willing to call No. 12 much
more often.
“He’s not a freshman anymore,”
Pearson said. “He’s one of those
guys who came back after the
break and has really stepped his
game up. And good for him and
now he’s got some confidence.
… He may not be the biggest guy
on the ice, but he plays big and
he makes a big difference on our
team.”
RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily
Freshman forward Dakota Raabe (left) has gained confidence over the last three weeks, and it’s resulted in more playing time and more production.
‘M’ beats MSU in final
home meet of the year
Canham
Natatorium
was
filled with waves of talent and
excitement
on
Friday
night.
The No. 3 Michigan women’s
swimming
and
diving
team
finished its season with a 10-0
record, beating in-state rival
Michigan State with a final score
of 187-89. The Wolverines claimed
their first undefeated season in 20
years.
The women took first place in 13
of the 15 events.
The Wolverines
dominated
the meet early
on
with
1-2-3
touches in the
first two events
of the meet – the
200-yard IM and
400-yard medley
relay.
The
juniors
helped
tally
up some points with first-place
victories from both Becca Postoll
and Taylor Garcia. Postoll touched
with a time of 2:03.91 in the 200-
yard IM and 1:48.92 in the 200-
yard freestyle. Garcia placed first
in the 50-yard backstroke (25.31)
and 100-yard butterfly (54.69).
The seniors also carried their
weight with top finishes in a
number of individual events.
Emily Kopas placed first in the
50-yard breaststroke (28.35) and
Samantha Yeo won the 100-yard
IM (55.96).
“We’re seeing a pretty good
team,”
said
Michigan
coach
Mike Bottom. “We saw some best
shaved times tonight, which is fun
for coaches to see. The fight is not
about beating someone. It’s about
swimming fast and they did a
great job at that.”
In addition to a successful
competition, the team celebrated
its senior night for the seven
graduating
student
athletes.
Friends and family from across
the country gathered in Ann
Arbor to attend the last home
meet of the season.
“It’s a special night,” said
senior Clara Smiddy. “We’ve
been through four years of this
group of seniors. It has been an
incredible ride, ups and downs the
whole way. And to bring it back
in Canham is definitely an honor.
And with a huge crowd tonight,
it’s a lot of fun.”
Michigan
also
welcomed
back several Olympian alumni,
including
Melinda
Harrison
and
gold-
medalist
Ginny
Duenkel.
These
individuals were
recognized
for
their
Olympic
achievements
during a small
ceremony
halfway through
the meet.
“This is the first time I’ve been
back in 10 years,” Duenkel said. “It
feels like I’m back home again. I
love this place.”
The Wolverines are preparing
for the Big Ten Championships
next month. Michigan is currently
the reigning Big Ten Champion,
hoping to reclaim the title for a
third consecutive year.
With just two meets before the
season closes, some swimmers
are thinking about swimming
beyond the collegiate level. Many
swimmers
have
aspirations
to compete in the upcoming
Olympics. However, other seniors
are declaring the end to their
swimming career after the Big
Ten Championships.
“After college I hopefully will
take the summer off,” Smiddy
said. “I’ll be done with college
after swimming. I want to catch
up with friends and family around
the country.”
BENJAMIN KATZ
Daily Sports Writer
ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer
KICKER
JODI YIP
For the Daily
“It has been an
incredible ride,
ups and downs
the whole way.”