The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, February 22, 2018 — 7

Grounds crew makes impact for ‘M’

After every game, Michigan 

men’s lacrosse coach Kevin 
Conry gives “The Hammer” to 
the player who he deems made 
the most impact. But after 
the Wolverines’ win against 
Cleveland State on February 
10, the honor was given to Josh 
Fryd — the head of the grounds 
crew.

“We 
wouldn’t 
have 
had 

this game if it wasn’t for 
the 
unbelievable 
facility 

department,” 
Conry 
said. 

“(Junior 
attacker 
Brent) 

Noseworthy may have scored 
five goals, but those guys were 
the real MVPs.”

The 
grounds 
crew, 
who 

spent 48 hours plowing the 
field at U-M Lacrosse Stadium 
after Ann Arbor was hit with 
a terrible snowstorm, worked 
from five in the morning to 
seven at night.

Initially, 
the 
10-day 

forecast didn’t look to project 
anything too serious, but Fryd 
soon learned the hard way 
that Michigan’s weather is 
anything but predictable.

“I’m 
learning 
here 
in 

Southeast Michigan that the 

forecast can change in an 
instant,” he laughed.

Around seven in the morning, 

the team believed that the field 
was finally prepared, but the 
snow continued to fall from the 
cloudy skies above and didn’t 
let up for the rest of the day.

“They 
came 
out 
for 

warmups, and it kept snowing, 
so we had to start hand-
shoveling 
lines,” 
grounds 

crew plow driver Tony Pell 
said. “We plowed out as much 
as we could with the time we 
had left. It was challenging, 
but we had a bunch of people. 
Teamwork helped, and we got 
the job done.”

Pell, who has worked with 

the grounds crew for 15 years, 
is a valued member of the 
team, and his position helped 
to offer him a luxury that some 
of his fellow colleagues didn’t 
have access to — a plow that 
was both heated and allowed 
him to listen to music. 

“We’re 
lucky 
that 
the 

vehicles we have are heated,” 
Pell joked. 

Pell, who heard about the 

praise given to them by Conry 
after the game, was ecstatic. 

Fryd received a shoutout 

in 
the 
locker 
room 
from 

Conry after the win and even 
received the honor of “The 
Hammer.” Fryd appreciated 
the 
honor, 
but 
still 

acknowledged that the effort 
would not have been possible 
without the incredible work 
and determination of his team.

“The team that I am lucky 

enough to be a part of, to have 
on staff, the guys, they are 
amazing,” Fryd said. “I think 
I have some of the best guys in 
the country.”

Fryd feels that his unit is 

an incredibly tight-knit one, 
forming a unit that bonds over 
much more than their passion 
for working the fields.

“We’re a family,” Fryd said. 

“We probably spend more 
time together than we do with 
our own families.”

While they may not be 

playing on the field in front 
of the Wolverine faithful, the 
Michigan grounds crew is 
just as integral as any player 
who dons the maize and blue 
on gameday. Their uncanny 
ability to prepare the fields 
even in the face of a snowstorm 
is an effort that deserves to be 
noticed and celebrated.

“That makes it all worth it,” 

he said. 

PRASHANTH PANICKER/Daily

The Michigan men’s lacrosse team got help from an unexpected source after a winter storm.

TEDDY GUTKIN
Daily Sports Writer

Senior night provides one last chance

Crisler Center is having senior 

night Thursday, as the Michigan 
women’s basketball team (9-6 Big 
Ten, 20-8 overall) takes on No. 13 
Maryland (11-3, 22-5).

It will be the last home game 

for senior guard Katelynn Flaherty 
and senior forward Jillian Dunston. 
The matchup is best described by 
rapper Eminem’s Academy Award-
winning song “Lose Yourself.”

Look, if you had one shot, or one 

opportunity

To seize everything you ever 

wanted, in one moment

Would you capture it or just let it 

slip? Yo!

This is the Wolverines’ last 

chance to end the regular season on 
a positive note. They excelled at the 
start of the year and even reached 
No. 13 in the national rankings.

Michigan looked destined to 

make the NCAA Tournament 
early on. The team found multiple 
successes — including a road 
victory over then-No. 8 Ohio State 
— and was projected by ESPN to be 
a four seed in the Tournament in 
late January.

But things have taken a change 

of course since then. Michigan 
has lost four out of its last five 
contests, falling to Purdue, Rutgers, 
Michigan State and Minnesota — 
all opponents the Wolverines were 
expected to defeat.

Because of yet another end-of-

season collapse, the Wolverines 
find themselves on the bubble, and 
the game against the Terrapins is 
their last shot during the regular 
season to secure a spot.

Snap back to reality, oh, there goes 

gravity

The way things are going, 

Michigan could very well be 
disappointed come post season. 
If the Wolverines fail to make the 
NCAA Tournament it would indeed 
be a snap back to reality — the 
reality being that coach Kim Barnes 
Arico’s squad hasn’t qualified for 
the tournament since 2013.

He’s nervous, but on the surface 

he looks calm and ready

It makes sense for Michigan to 

be nervous. The offense has been 
unsteady during this rough stretch. 
Turnovers have been a problem all 

season, due to sloppy passes. In the 
upsets against the Scarlet Knights 
and the Spartans, the Wolverines 
committed 26 and 23 turnovers, 
respectively. And while Michigan 
had 16 turnovers in the recent loss 
against the Golden Gophers — less 
than the season average of 16.5 — 
they still came at the wrong time to 
the team’s detriment.

Last season, Maryland won 

the Big Ten Tournament, reached 
the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA 
Tournament and finished with a 
32-3 record. Though guards Kaila 
Charles and Kristen Confroy are 
their only returning starters, the 
Terrapins have continued to thrive 
this year.

“Maryland is a tremendous 

team,” Barnes Arico told WTKA.

Maryland is tied with the 

Buckeyes for first in the conference. 
The Terrapins have the highest 
scoring margin in the conference 
and are led by Charles, who 
averages 17.8 points.

“(She’s) just a great scorer around 

the rim,” Barnes Arico said. “Can 
face up, can play with her back to 
the basket.”

Sophomore guard Blair Watson 

and 
junior 
forward 
Eleanna 

Christinaki 
are 
also 
major 

contributors who average 13.8 and 
13.5 points, respectively.

Christinaki — who is from 

Athens, Greece — transferred 
from Florida. She became eligible 
to 
compete 
midway 
through 

December.

“She’s just a shooter, shooter, 

shooter, shooter, shooter,” Barnes 
Arico said.

Freshman 
forward 
Hailey 

Brown sustained a leg injury in 
the loss to Michigan State and has 
been out ever since. She has been 
a starter all season, so her absence 
could cause the Wolverines to be 
even more nervous.

“We don’t think we’re probably 

gonna get her back this season, 
which is tough,” Barnes Arico 
said. “I mean, she’s a freshman for 
us that has had an outstanding, 
outstanding year. Was really kinda 
coming into her own here late in 
the season, playing with a lot of 
confidence.

“Nothing is torn, so really 

positive, positive news, but with the 
end of the season, in the next month 
— month and a half — she’s probably 
not gonna be able to return. So 
that’s tough.”

But the Terrapins have struggled 

recently too. Having lost to Purdue 
and Minnesota, they are now on a 
two-game losing streak. In a sense, 
Michigan is trying to keep calm and 
ready because of this, and wants to 
capitalize.

“They’re a team that’s kinda on a 

tough stretch right now too,” Barnes 
Arico said. “They’re beatable, and I 
think that’s what’s exciting, coming 
into this game.”

Maryland appears to have the 

upper hand, but the game is still 
critical for the Wolverines. Flaherty 
and Dunston have never been to the 
NCAA Tournament, so it will be 
interesting to see if they can make 
the most out of senior night by 
securing a spot.

Because after all, this opportunity 

comes once in a lifetime, yo.

RUCHITA IYER/Daily

Michigan has a big chance to bolster its NCAA Tournament resume.

ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer

Notebook: Disciplined defense fuels Wolverines in recent surge

During the last weekend of 

January, the Michigan hockey 
team 
suffered 
two 
straight 

defeats to Ohio State.

There are much worse things 

than going on the road and being 
swept by the sixth-ranked team 
in the country. But Wolverines 
coach Mel Pearson saw it slightly 
differently.

“At 
Ohio 
State 
we 
beat 

ourselves,” Pearson said Tuesday. 
“They’re a good team, I give them 
credit, they’ve got good players 
but we beat ourselves down 
there. … Giving (the puck) away 
too much and then being caught 
out of position defensively.”

Over 
Michigan’s 
last 
six 

games, 
however, 
the 
exact 

opposite has occurred. Since Feb. 
2, the Wolverines have given up 
exactly two goals per game, a 
display that Pearson attributes to 
“a little bit of everything.”

Last weekend’s series against 

then-No. 1 Notre Dame perhaps 
best encapsulates this. Michigan 
allowed two power-play goals 
on Friday and nothing else. 
Both contests seemed to follow 
a similar script — the Wolverines 
came out on fire, controlling the 
puck in the Fighting Irish zone, 
and then calmly settled back 
in front of their own net after 
gaining the lead, absorbing Notre 
Dame’s 
desperate 
attacking 

efforts with disciplined team 
defense.

“I 
think 
we’re 
managing 

the puck better — by that, I 
mean we’re controlling it in the 
offensive zone, we’re playing 
with it more,” Pearson said. “In 
our defensive zone we’re doing a 
much better job of our defensive 
zone system, and that’s allowed 
us not to give up as many grade-A 
chances. It’s just better overall 
team defense which starts in 
net and it starts with our play 
with the puck. We’re managing, 
holding on to it and possessing it 

more.”

The 
mistakes 
Michigan 

made 
against 
the 
Buckeyes 

never reared their ugly heads 
against 
the 
Fighting 
Irish, 

signaling the latest step in the 
full implementation of Pearson’s 
overall offensive and defensive 
system.

“We’re not beating ourselves,” 

Pearson said. “Our risk-reward 
— we’re picking our spots when 
to get on the offensive side of the 
puck. Before we were just selling 
out offensively with turnovers 
and we’d get trapped. I don’t 
think Notre Dame — I don’t know 
if they had any two-on-ones — 
we’re giving up a limited number 
of odd number rushes.”

Added 
junior 
defenseman 

Joseph Cecconi: “We always 
preach playing the right side of 
the puck, playing the defensive 

side because that creates offense. 
If you’re playing good defense, 
you’re probably playing good 
offense.”

New Big Ten Tournament 

format

Michigan’s 
win 
in 
South 

Bend on Friday, coupled with 
Michigan State defeating Penn 
State, would have been just 
another night in the Big Ten — 
albeit a very significant one — if it 
had taken place a year ago.

Instead, Friday’s results locked 

the Wolverines into hosting 
the first round of the Big Ten 
Tournament. Unlike the format 
from previous seasons, which 
took place over a single weekend 
at a neutral location, this year’s 
conference 
tournament 
is 
a 

three-week event that will take 
place at campus sites.

“Yost Ice Arena — when it 

gets rocking it’s a home ice 
advantage. This Sunday proved 
that,” Pearson said. “We’re a 
better team at home. It’s going to 
be tough wherever you play, but 
it’s really important that you get 
home ice and you get that crowd 
behind you. It’s like you start at 
one-nothing.”

For 
Pearson, 
nothing’s 

changed. Last season, he coached 
Michigan Tech to a victory in 
the WCHA Tournament, which 
followed almost the exact same 
format.

“I thought it was outstanding,” 

Pearson said. “... The crowds were 
great and I remember Bowling 
Green in the last game saying 
they couldn’t believe it — sold-
out building, great atmosphere 
for both teams, and that’s what 
you’re trying to get instead of 
playing in a 15, 16 thousand seat 

building where you get three 
thousand people. We’re trying to 
create that atmosphere in the Big 
Ten and I think it’s a great move.”

There are a few changes to 

the system that Pearson would 
like to see. While the first round 
is a best-of-three series, the 
semifinal and final rounds are 
both single games.

In the seven-team tournament, 

the top seed — Notre Dame — has 
a bye for the first round, meaning 
that if it lost its semifinal game, 
it 
would 
enter 
the 
NCAA 

Tournament 
having 
played 

only once in nearly a month — a 
disadvantageous situation that 
Pearson would like to guard 
against.

“I’ll put my two cents in this 

year,” Pearson said. “I think it 
will be this spring in April when 
we have the Big Ten hockey 

meetings. It’ll come up again, 
I’m going to bring it up and then 
(Notre Dame coach Jeff) Jackson 
will bring it up.”

A deceptive test
The Wolverines came into last 

weekend with an all-or-nothing 
mentality. Failing to earn points 
of any kind against the Fighting 
Irish would have been a serious, 
while not fatal, blow to their 
hopes at securing an at-large bid 
in the NCAA Tournament.

Instead, Michigan shot up to 

No. 11 in the Pairwise rankings, 
and according to College Hockey 
News, it possesses a 95 percent 
chance of qualifying for the 
postseason. The Wolverines are 
safely in the field — for now.

This weekend’s regular-season 

finale against Arizona State is by 
no means challenging, per se. 
The Sun Devils, in just their third 
season as a fully-fledged Division 
I team, rank 55th out of 60 teams 
in Pairwise.

But at this time of year, 

opponents such as Arizona State 
can be even scarier than teams 
like Notre Dame. For all that was 
gained last weekend, Michigan 
falling on its face against the Sun 
Devils — the weakest team on its 
schedule — would take that all 
away, and then some.

“Last weekend was huge for 

us, winning against Notre Dame, 
but if we can’t keep focused this 
weekend it’s all for nothing,” 
said sophomore forward Adam 
Winborg. “We have to come out 
and play our best hockey again.”

Of course, Arizona State is 

No. 55 in Pairwise for a reason. 
Losing even one of the next two 
games is far from likely. But don’t 
tell the Wolverines that.

“We have to treat Arizona 

State like a No. 1 team,” Cecconi 
said. “If we don’t beat them twice 
that’s going to hurt us big time in 
the Pairwise. We have to prepare 
basically just like any other 
game, any other Big Ten game. It 
might be these two games are the 
most important for our season.”

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Michigan coach Mel Pearson believes that his team is controlling the puck in the offense zone better than it has in the past.

JACOB SHAMES
Daily Sports Writer