The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, February 23, 2018 — 7
‘M’ strategizes for Arizona State
September 15 was a day of
firsts for the Michigan hockey
team.
It was the opening practice
for the 2017-18 campaign. It was
the beginning of Mel Pearson’s
tenure at the helm. And it was the
first look at a group determined
to rebound after a lackluster
season and restore prestige to
one of college hockey’s most
storied programs.
More than halfway through
the year, the Wolverines were
unranked with an 8-10-2 record.
An NCAA Tournament berth was
far from the realm of possibility.
But since Jan. 7, Michigan has
gone 8-3-1 with three sweeps
of top-15 teams, including No. 1
Notre Dame last weekend, and
risen to No. 13 in the USCHO
poll.
Through
trials
and
tribulations over the past five
months,
the
nation’s
third-
youngest team has positioned
itself for a postseason run.
Following the two wins over
the Fighting Irish, the Wolverines
(16-13-3) sit at No. 11 in the
PairWise rankings and third
place in the Big Ten standings.
Michigan is guaranteed home-
ice advantage in the first round of
the conference tournament, and
College Hockey News gives it a
95-percent chance of qualifying
for the NCAA Tournament.
Since Sept. 15, there have
been questions about every facet
of its game — offense, defense,
special teams and goaltending.
But many were answered this
past month, and the Wolverines
have survived the gauntlet of
Big Ten powerhouses, looking
more complete than they have all
season.
Now, Michigan is one regular-
season series from beginning its
chase for postseason glory.
The one team standing in
the Wolverines’ way? Arizona
State (8-19-5), a program in
just its third year of Division I
hockey and No. 55 of 60 teams
in PairWise. On paper, the Sun
Devils hardly seem a threat for
a Michigan team with so much
momentum.
After
running
full
speed
since September, additional rest
in advance of next weekend’s
looming Big Ten Tournament
would be smart. Taking it easy
before being thrown into high-
level matchups in the NCAA
Tournament
makes
sense.
Especially with the season’s last
games against a bottom-feeder
in Arizona State, a team at which
some wouldn’t bat an eye.
But a loss or two against the
lowly Sun Devils would instantly
erase the Wolverines’ second-
half
turnaround.
Compiling
recent victories over top teams
to be an arm’s length from
returning to the playoffs would
all be for naught.
At this point, the implications
are
known
for
a
weekend
that, on the surface, once felt
like an afterthought on the
calendar compared to series
against
previous
conference
heavyweights.
“We have to treat Arizona
State like a No. 1 team,” said
junior
defenseman
Joseph
Cecconi Tuesday. “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.”
***
Despite the high stakes of
this weekend felt by players, the
length and strain of the past five
months remains the reality —
something Pearson strives to put
into perspective.
“This time of the year, you
have to be careful with how
much you’re putting them on
the ice,” Pearson said after
Tuesday’s skate-around. “… It’s
a long season. It’s all about the
games and having the energy for
the games right now, so we’re
going a little lighter.”
Coming
down
the
homestretch,
Michigan
has
taken two days off each week
instead
of
the
usual
one.
Following Sunday night’s win
against the Fighting Irish, there
was an off-day Monday and just a
half-hour skate Tuesday “to get a
light sweat.”
Even without formal practices
some days, Pearson still makes
sure to coach off the ice.
Realizing the physical toll on
a skater’s body throughout the
season, he demands his players
take a much-needed — and well-
deserved — break.
Pearson stresses they get
schoolwork done on off-days
and eight-plus hours of sleep. He
constantly reminds them about
the “sleep-rest ratio” and shares
articles about the importance of
recovery.
“I wish the coach followed
the same advice he’s giving his
players,” Pearson joked. “I’m not
adhering to the eight hours, but I
don’t have to play.”
Though nearing the end of
the regular season, practice
objectives are the same — focus
on individuals early in the week,
then turn the attention to the
upcoming opponent.
While the early days leading
into a weekend series are usually
for studying film and ironing
out kinks in players’ games, this
week emphasized rest.
“We want to keep ourselves
fresh and ready to go,” Cecconi
said. “The coaching staff knows
what they’re doing. They’re not
going to burn us out or they’re
not going to skate us too little or
too much. We just kind of follow
their lead and still work hard.”
***
One-hundred and sixty days
ago, Michigan began its trek to
the NCAA Tournament, which it
missed last season.
After months of practice and
preparation, the Wolverines now
find themselves two games away
from carrying out the task that
once looked overly daunting.
Taking
a
break
may
be
necessary, but Michigan won’t
lose sight of the work that
originally got it to this place.
Intense conference play may
have ended with an impressive
showing against Notre Dame,
but “the highs won’t get too
high,” according to Cecconi. This
won’t be a down week or a week
to celebrate past victories.
“It’s a little less workload,”
Pearson said. “But we want to
stay sharp at the same time.”
Prematurely looking to the
playoffs and resting for the
possibly long road ahead is
important, but the Wolverines
won’t look past Arizona State, a
team with nothing to lose, poised
to play spoiler at Yost Ice Arena.
“This weekend is big,” Cecconi
said. “If we don’t do what we
need to do, then last weekend
doesn’t matter.”
Should
Michigan
play
flatly
and
the
Sun
Devils
take advantage, all the work
since Sept. 15 to return to the
postseason will most likely go to
waste.
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Michigan coach Mel Pearson has emphasized rest with his team in preparation for this weekend’s Arizona State series.
BENJAMIN KATZ
Daily Sports Writer
Wolverines still need Matthews
At last, Charles Matthews found
himself a good look.
With the Wolverines down by
two in the second half, the redshirt
junior guard cut to the basket and
flashed his arm up for the ball. The
Penn State defender swung around
into position, and Matthews pump-
faked. The shot went up. Off the rim.
He ripped down his own rebound.
Another layup went up. It crawled
off the hoop again.
The
sequence
would
be
Matthews’ last chance to convert
on a night he simply couldn’t
buy a bucket. He was bottled up
offensively, struggled to pick his
spots and finished the game with
a towel draped over his head as he
watched the rest of the Michigan
men’s basketball team pull away
from Penn State on Wednesday.
He’d finish with zero points for
the first time this season.
“Charles is not playing with
confidence,” said Michigan coach
John Beilein afterwards. “I think
right now he’s probably, as we’re
coaching him, thinking too much.”
Three turnovers in the game’s
first 15 minutes probably didn’t help
that.
On
the
Wolverines’
second
possession, Matthews drove from
the corner and lost control of the
ball as defenders collapsed. He was
pick-pocketed minutes later and,
finally, just before the under-four
timeout, Matthews would again
lose his dribble in a swarm of white
jerseys.
That’s been Matthews’ turnover
equation all year: the aggressiveness
that makes him such a strong
slasher backfires as he gets loose
with the ball.
And when those issues came
back Wednesday night, Matthews
found himself sitting to start the
second half in favor of freshman
guard Jordan Poole — a rare, mid-
game lineup adjustment for Beilein.
“I’m watching Charles right now,
and he had three turnovers the
other day, and he started out the first
half with three turnovers,” Beilein
said. “Not all of them were his fault,
but he’s just not confident right now
(with) just about anything.
“There are times where he gets
himself into tough spots. And we got
to teach him to ease his game a little
bit just to make simple plays.”
That “simple play” mindset has
fueled the reemergence of Poole,
who went 4-of-8 with 13 points in
26 minutes — many of which came
ahead of Matthews.
For the second straight game,
Poole gave an immediate boost
to
Michigan’s
offense.
That
included
SportsCenter’s
“Top
Play” of Wednesday — an and-one
posterization of 6-foot-10 Nittany
Lions’ forward Julian Moore.
But Poole’s biggest moment of
the night came on a more mundane
play. With just over seven minutes
to go, Poole doubled the Wolverines’
lead with a flick of the wrist from
deep in the corner, cutting much
of the momentum Penn State built
with a furious start to the half.
“What Jordan Poole is giving us
right now is really good,” Beilein
said. “That 3 in the left corner was
huge for us. He just gives us that
extra shooter out there.”
While
Beilein
admits
that
Poole certainly has room to grow,
Wednesday’s
performance
was
another example of the calmer,
more cerebral style he’s developed
during Big Ten play. Yes, he still
drives Beilein crazy with the
occasional alley-oop and heat-check
shot, but it’s clear that Poole has
become more calculated with the
ball.
“I’ve been making simple plays
knowing that the ball is going to
come back to you, and you don’t
have to go out there and force every
shot,” Poole said. “I’m being more
patient and trying to find the best
possible shot we can get.”
While Poole can fill in for spurts,
he isn’t Michigan’s final answer
opposite senior guard Muhammed-
Ali Abdur-Rahkman — or at least
not yet.
That’s still Matthews, as it was
during non-conference play when
he led the Wolverines in scoring.
“He won a lot of games for us
early in the year,” Beilein said. “But
right now, it’s not fair to the other
guys when he’s not playing with the
same swagger that he had earlier.”
But hope isn’t lost — even amidst
a five-game stretch when Matthews
has averaged just 6.4 points-per-
game.
Beilein
has
instructed
Matthews to take shots after
practice, watch extra film and pay
special attention to making the right
pass.
It hasn’t materialized recently
like it has for Poole. Still, Matthews
is essential for Michigan, and even
through struggles, his coach knows
it.
“We’re trying to get him back
because we need him,” Beilein said.
MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Editor
RUCHITA IYER/Daily
Redshirt sophomore forward Charles Matthews has struggled as of late.