The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, February 7, 2018 — 7A
Notebook: Michigan hoping to cut down on penalties, LaFontaine sees the ice
Last weekend in the Michigan
hockey team’s critical series
with No. 17 Wisconsin, there
was no shortage of punches
thrown from either team. With
rivalry games against in-state
foe Michigan State on the
horizon for the Wolverines,
physicality and aggression are
likely to play a role once again.
And though not all penalties
are avoidable, Michigan coach
Mel Pearson thinks his team has
been taking too many of what he
describes as “selfish penalties.”
Given this, discipline has been a
major talking point of practice
this week.
“We
just
talk
about
it,”
Pearson said. “And just play
whistle to whistle. … And I
think you’re willing to take a
few penalties, but it’s the ones
that aren’t team penalties — and
I call those the selfish penalties
— where you retaliate for a hit
you didn’t like. And we talk
about the emotional control to
your game because the game is
hype, you’re on the edge and you
can get your aggression out by
playing clean whistle to whistle.
“It’s hard though. It’s a rival
and there’s a lot of stuff going
on on the ice. But you have to
stay in the game and play for the
team.”
Pearson highlighted senior
forward Dexter Dancs’ second
period roughing penalty Friday
night as an example. After taking
a hit along the boards, Dancs
proceeded to retaliate instead
of restraining himself. Due to
a coaching decision, Dancs was
benched in Saturday’s game for
the first time this season.
But this week, Dancs has
already made great strides with
regards to his work ethic and
discipline in practice. It hasn’t
gone unnoticed.
“I like Dexter,” Pearson said.
“I like Dexter Dancs this week.
He’s been fabulous. I like the
energy that he’s brought to
practice and we haven’t seen
that for a while. And whether it’s
not playing a game, or whatever
it is, he’s a senior and he doesn’t
have many kicks at the can so
to speak. …And every once in a
while you need a little bit of a
wake-up call or reality check.
And I think that maybe was it
with Dexter.”
And demonstrating discipline
is not just necessary to be seen
from senior leadership, but up
and down the roster as well. The
past weekend, penalties were
drawn by Michigan players of
every class.
But
the
significance
of
exhibiting this self control is not
lost on the newest members of
the team.
“I think there’s a difference
between
playing
aggressive,
competing
hard
and
being
undisciplined,” said freshman
forward Jack Becker. “So I think
it’s just playing between the
whistles and not getting into
the extracurriculars after the
whistles, like all of the chirping
and talking.”
Eyes on the PairWise
With three weekends left
until
the
postseason,
the
PairWise Rankings are getting
harder and harder to ignore.
A statistical ranking tool, the
PairWise indicates the teams
that will be in the running
for selection to the NCAA
Tournament, which begins in
late March.
At the end of last season, the
Wolverines finished 37th in the
PairWise, a far cry from a top-16
tournament bid. But the 2017-18
season is telling a very different
story. Following its series split
with Wisconsin, Michigan has
been inching up in the ranking
system, currently sitting at 15th.
Just moving up a few more spots
when the season ends would
almost guarantee a tournament
spot.
And though Pearson believes
that his team should maintain
focus on the games that lie
ahead of it, the rankings have
certainly been on the minds of
him and the rest of the coaching
staff.
“Do you want me to lie?”
Pearson joked after practice on
Tuesday. “We don’t talk about
it with our team much but as
coaches, we keep an eye on it. …
It could affect decisions a little
bit as far as who you play. Do
you play a shorter bench, do you
pull your goalie earlier in games
now maybe if you’re behind? So
I think you have to have a pulse
on what’s going on and where
you’re at.”
This
awareness
of
the
rankings includes the coaches
watching the games of other
teams
that
are
close
to
Michigan’s positioning in the
PairWise. But in regards to
conversations with the team,
all that is discussed is working
to make the Wolverines better
every day and how to find
success in their next outing.
“You want them to feel that
encouragement,” Pearson said.
“If (the current ranking) makes
them play harder, if that makes
them play better, you can use
that. But we tend to stay on the
safe side and worry about the
things we can control, and that
will take care of itself.”
And the players seem to be
maintaining this positive outlook
and not overemphasizing the
rankings, while still keeping
them in mind.
“I mean, it’s definitely hard
to not pay attention to them,
because it kind of tells you
if your season is going to go
longer,” said freshman forward
Mike Pastujov. “But really, right
now we’re just trying to finish
out the end of our season and get
as many wins as possible.”
LaFontaine sees the ice
Since
the
calendar
year
flipped,
sophomore
Hayden
Lavigne had been Michigan’s
go-to in the net. Given this,
his classmate Jack LaFontaine
hadn’t
seen
any
playing
time since the Great Lakes
Invitational.
That
was
until
Saturday
night, when the Wolverines’
four-goal deficit in the second
period sent LaFontaine in to
replace Lavigne. In his late-
game outing, LaFontaine made
18 saves, allowing no goals,
making the loss sting a little
less.
Though it didn’t take place
at an ideal time, Pearson noted
that LaFontaine’s ability to step
up and play when Michigan
needed him was commendable.
“It’s unfortunate that he had
to go in in that circumstance
because obviously Hayden had
a tough night, but in a way it
was good because Jack got an
opportunity to get in there and
get some minutes in,” Pearson
said. “ …And it was almost two
periods of shutout hockey for
him, which was good.”
Given this, Pearson made
clear that Lavigne is still the
clear starter, as he earned
himself the spot. The netminder
had a stellar showing Friday
night, saving 37 pucks, bailing
out Michigan in its 5-3 win.
But with LaFontaine proving
competitive
as
well,
the
Wolverines do not have to worry
on nights that Lavigne doesn’t
play his best game.
“If Hayden plays like he did
Friday night, it will be tough
for Jack to get in,” Pearson said.
“Now if Hayden plays like he did
Saturday, the door is open. It’s
Hayden’s job, he’s the starter.
And if he continues to play
well he will continue to get the
starts.”
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Michigan coach Mel Pearson is pleased with how senior forward Dexter Dancs has played this week and praised the energy Dancs has brought to practice.
Harbaugh, Michigan slated for quiet National Signing Day
Jim Harbaugh is set to sign his
fourth recruiting class as head
coach of the Michigan football
team.
National
Signing
Day
is
Wednesday, and the Wolverines
currently
have
the
nation’s
17th-best
recruiting
class,
according to 247Sports. That’s
currently off the pace Harbaugh
set the previous two years as
Michigan signed the No. 5 and
No. 8 classes in 2017 and 2016,
respectively.
That’s not the only difference
this year, either. While with
previous
classes
there
was
usually a flurry of activity near
signing day, it’s been quiet
this year — much more quiet.
With the addition of an early
signing period in December, the
Wolverines — and many teams
around the country — have
already signed a large proportion
of their class.
But that’s not to say that
national signing day won’t be
without its stakes. Michigan
is hoping to hold onto its top-
ranked
recruit
in
four-star
linebacker Otis Reese. As a
6-foot-4, 206-pound prospect
from Leesburg, Ga., Reese is
currently the subject of a spirited
recruiting battle between the
Wolverines and Georgia. Reese
took several visits to see his
hometown team play during
the regular season. He took an
official visit to Michigan on Jan.
19 before taking one more trip to
Athens on Jan. 26.
Reese is the former high school
teammate of freshman defensive
tackle Aubrey Solomon, who
committed to Michigan on the
same day as Reese in the summer
of 2016.
While the Wolverines may be
waiting for Reese’s signature,
it will be a significant amount
of time before they gain the
signature of another prospect
who
had
previously
been
committed.
Kevin Doyle, a three-star
quarterback,
announced
his
intentions on Feb. 4 to sign with
a school other than Michigan.
“Thank you Coach Hamilton
and Coach Harbaugh for the
opportunity,” Doyle wrote in a
statement posted on Twitter. “I
am officially decommitted from
the University of Michigan. I
will be signing with a new school
on Wednesday, Feb. 7th.”
Doyle had been committed to
the Wolverines since Sept. 24
after a whirlwind recruitment.
He
told
Scout.com
that
Michigan’s
courtship
began
after Hamilton watched one of
his games on television.
Doyle, the Gatorade State
Football Player of the Year
for Washington, D.C., visited
during the Air Force game
and
committed
shortly
after
that.
His
decommitment
leaves
the
Wolverines with
one quarterback
for the class in
four-star
Joe
Milton,
who
signed
at
the
early
deadline
and
enrolled
for the winter semester. Milton
will be one of four scholarship
quarterbacks on the roster next
season, along with sophomore
Shea
Patterson,
redshirt
freshman Brandon Peters and
freshman Dylan McCaffrey.
Doyle’s departure may have
put a dent in the class. But it
wasn’t too long before Michigan
earned
another
commitment,
this time from kicker Jake
Moody.
Moody
tweeted
his
decision
to
commit to the
Wolverines
on Feb. 4, the
same day Doyle
announced
his
decommitment.
“This has been
the
toughest
decision in my
life,” Moody wrote. “After sitting
down and talking with my
family, I have decided to commit
to the University of Michigan.”
Moody, a native of Northville,
is regarded as one of the top prep
kickers in the nation. He told
hometownlife.com that he may
greyshirt, which would mean
signing a letter of intent while
delaying enrollment until the
winter semester. In that scenario,
Moody would essentially sit
out his freshman season while
retaining full eligibility.
“If the scholarship isn’t there
this fall, then I would probably
greyshirt,
and
that
would
probably give me a buffer year
in between Quinn (Nordin),”
Moody told hometownlife. “And
if I grey-shirted, I could also
redshirt if I wanted to if it looked
like I couldn’t play. Then I could
get two years in between Quinn.”
The
Wolverines
currently
have
20
players
committed,
with eight ranked as four-star
prospects and 12 ranked as
three-star prospects.
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Jim Harbaugh is looking to put the finishing touches on his fourth recruiting class as head coach at Michigan.
ORION SANG
Managing Sports Editor
The Wolverines currently have the 17th-ranked recruiting class, with eight four-star recruits and 12 ranked as three stars
“This has been
the toughest
decision in my
life.”
ANNA MARCUS
Daily Sports Writer