The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, September 20, 2018 — 7
Back to normal
I
t’s a sweltering September
Tuesday
in Ann
Arbor, the kind
of day where
the heat just
seems to slow
down the pace
of life itself.
Students
stroll down
State Street in
t-shirts, shorts
and sandals
on their way to class, trying to soak
in as much summer as they can.
Hockey sticks, heavy sweaters and
ice rinks are surely the last thing on
their minds.
But even inside Yost Ice Arena,
where the Michigan hockey team
runs through an afternoon practice
18 days before the start of its season,
you can sense that same mood.
There’s an air of calm and ease, if
not necessarily tranquility — this is
hockey, after all.
An air of normalcy, if you will.
Mel Pearson projects this same
air. The Wolverines’ second-year
coach displayed an even demeanor
throughout his first year at the
helm, through blowouts, nail-biters,
joy and heartbreak alike.
On this afternoon, it doesn’t
appear as if anything’s changed.
Pearson walks into the Yost media
room, greets a group of reporters,
takes a seat and says the same two
words he used to start so many
press conferences and interviews
last year.
“Fire away.”
***
Of course, nothing about
Michigan’s 2017-18 season was
normal.
The Wolverines won 13 games in
Red Berenson’s final season. They
ended up doubling that total only
one year later. The Big Ten’s coaches
picked them to finish ahead of only
Michigan State. They placed third
in the conference. They hadn’t made
a Frozen Four since 2011. In what
was supposed to be a rebuilding
year, with the third-youngest team
in the nation, Michigan came
within six seconds of playing for a
national title.
But Pearson and his team
had almost no time to savor this
unexpected success. Dexter
Dancs, Cooper Marody and Tony
Calderone — the high-scoring
“DMC” line — broke up just days
after the semifinal loss to Notre
Dame. Calderone and Dancs
graduated, and Marody signed
with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers,
foregoing his last year of college
eligibility.
And so began a tumultuous
offseason, even for Michigan
hockey standards.
Junior defenseman Joseph
Cecconi had a career season, with
five goals and 22 assists as part
of the Wolverines’ top defensive
pairing. The Dallas Stars, who
drafted him three years ago, wanted
in on this success and pushed hard
to sign him.
But Cecconi had unfinished
business. He wanted to finish
his degree. He didn’t want to, in
his words, “let down” his class.
And he wanted to win a national
championship.
In April, shortly after he decided
to stay for his senior year, his
teammates named him captain for
2018-19.
“Once we found out that he was
going to stay, it was pretty obvious,”
Pearson said. “ … We thought if we
had a leadership group, we can do
that early, especially when we had
our spring workouts in May and
June. We thought it’d be good to
have that in place if we could.”
Cecconi’s decision brought
some stability. But uncertainty still
loomed, and important pieces were
still moving.
In May, top recruit Oliver
Wahlstrom committed to Boston
College over Michigan. In June,
prized prospect Bode Wilde
decommitted from the Wolverines.
Later in the summer, the possibility
of Jack Hughes — the projected
No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft —
leaving the United States National
Team Development Program early
to play at Michigan fizzled out.
And on June 22, Quinn Hughes
was drafted seventh overall in
the NHL Draft by the Vancouver
Canucks. For the Wolverines, a
nervous month ensued, all eyes
fixated on whether the electrifying
defenseman, who scored 29 points
as a freshman, would return for his
sophomore season.
A month later, Hughes gave the
answer Michigan fans wanted to
hear: He was staying in Ann Arbor.
“My heart’s obviously still at
Michigan,” Hughes told MGoBlue.
com on July 28. “… When I look back
at my season last year, I had a great
year. But I didn’t win a national
championship. So, that’s my goal
next year, and anything less than
that would be disappointing.”
A roller-coaster season had
been followed by a roller-coaster
offseason. But with Hughes’ choice,
the makeup of the current roster
was finally settled. Pearson’s second
season could proceed.
***
Pearson is seemingly always
even-keeled, but he states he is
more “at ease” than he was at this
time last season. He speaks in a
measured, conversational tone,
never showing any signs that he’s
not as relaxed as he says he is.
He knows his team didn’t
escape the offseason unscathed.
The “DMC” line accounted for 34
percent of the Wolverines’ scoring a
season ago. But the attrition doesn’t
worry him.
He anticipates a breakout year
from sophomore Josh Norris. He’s
excited about junior Jake Slaker
taking another step forward,
thrilled at the prospect of having
junior Will Lockwood for a full
season, ready to see how brothers
Nick and Michael Pastujov can build
off their strong finish last year. He
can’t wait to see what Luke Morgan,
a transfer from Lake Superior State
who sat out last season, can do in a
real game. He has high hopes for the
10-man freshmen class joining the
team. And he has Hughes — perhaps
the best returning player in college
hockey.
“I don’t think scoring’s going to
be a big issue on this team,” Pearson
said. “We’re going to score goals,
we’ll just see where they come
from.”
It’s understandable why Pearson
is more comfortable now. Last
year was one of transition, but this
year, Pearson is familiar with his
team, and his team is familiar with
him. His plan, his system and his
expectations are all in place.
“We know (players’) weaknesses
and the areas we had to push
them and prod them to get better,”
Pearson said Tuesday. “And
they’ve done that, they’ve made
a commitment to get better
this summer, almost to a man. I
think we’re in the best shape I
can remember a team being in
physically.”
When Pearson took the job
at Michigan, he heavily invoked
history. He compared the program
to a prized family car that he had
inherited. He called his role that of a
“gatekeeper,” protecting the legacy
that past great coaches Vic Heyliger,
Al Renfrew and Red Berenson had
created.
He took the reins after the
Wolverines’ worst season in 30
years and led them back to national
relevance in only one season. He
and his team emphatically declared
that Michigan hockey was back.
And the expectations that come
with that are back, too.
Recently, Pearson had a
conversation with Michigan
basketball coach John Beilein.
Among the things they discussed
was the similar situation their
respective programs are in. As
Pearson noted, both teams went
on unexpected, underdog runs last
year, and both teams lost key talent
afterwards — Moritz Wagner’s early
departure mirroring Marody’s jump
to the pros.
“We talked about it — what’s
the message? How do you handle
that?” Pearson said. “Going from
maybe being underdogs or no one’s
talking about you, to now you’re one
of those teams that people might
pick to finish near the top of the
conference.”
Pearson and Beilein will talk
again soon to share their thoughts.
Figuring out how to handle the
increased pressure is an ongoing
process.
But the expectations themselves,
and what they imply, are just what
Pearson wants.
“Those are the expectations that
you want at Michigan,” Pearson
said. “That’s why you come here as
a player — to win championships.
… But having said that, again, it’s
the process. You have to go through
the things, make sure you’re taking
care of all the little things and the
championships will take care of
themselves.”
Expectations are a funny thing.
Fans, media and other observers
have one set of expectations, but a
team often has another.
“Last year, the expectations were
to win a national championship,”
Cecconi said. “And they’re going to
be the same this year.”
For a player, it’s an
understandable sentiment — why
play if you don’t believe you can win
the ultimate prize? But for anyone
else, it’s a bold expectation, one
that not even the most optimistic
supporter would have believed in
last season.
This year, however, things have
changed.
Maybe the Wolverines won’t
return to the Frozen Four this year.
But there is a foundation on top of
which Pearson can go about adding
to the program’s legacy.
That air of calm emanating
throughout Yost Ice Arena? It’s not
an illusion.
For Michigan, things are back to
normal.
Shames can be reached at
jacosham@umich.edu or on
Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
‘M’ welcomes 10 freshmen for 2018-19 season
Less than a year ago, Nick
Blankenburg was sitting
on
42 points through 57 games
— 16 goals and 26 assists as a
defenseman
of
the
Okotoks
Oilers from the Alberta Junior
Hockey League. The 19-year old
went on to rack up six goals and
six assists in 15 playoff games,
which named him to the AJHL
South All-Rookie Team.
As impressive as that is, the
blue-liner
has
seen
crazier
offensive outputs before. In high
school, Blankenburg racked up
147 points through 83 games in
a three-year span, one of which
featured a state championship
title in 2016. For Michigan, this
bodes well — Blankenburg is
just one of 10 freshmen, all of
which come with a wide variety
of accolades and talents between
them.
Those 10 newcomers are in
an adjustment mode, trying
to figure out the transition
between where they’ve been
and where they are now. For
some, the process started last
year — in the following months
after Blankenburg committed
to the Wolverines in the midst
of his AJHL season, he started
to scope out the team’s playing
style and watched them battle
their way to a Frozen Four berth
that was one goal away from a
championship run.
“Coming in as a defenseman,
I really looked more at the plays
that Michigan’s (defensemen)
were making and even other
teams too,” Blankenburg said.
“Kind of compare myself and
see where I would fit in with the
team at that next level.
“…Those guys are all fast
players and they like moving
the puck up the ice quick, and I
know (sophomore defenseman
Quinn Hughes) likes playing
that offensive style. I kind of
try to play that offensive style
as well, but I have to be reliable
on defense as well. So, it’s kind
of nice to see these older guys
and what they’re doing and learn
from them too.”
This season, Blankenburg is
one of three additions to the blue
line, including Jake Gingell — a
two-season defensemen for the
Youngstown Phantoms of the
USHL with a plus-30 regular-
season
rating
—
and
Jack
Summers, who split the past two
seasons between the USHL’s
Tri-City Storm and the NAHL’s
Springfield Jr. Blues.
Aside
from
the
three
defensemen,
the
Wolverines
have gained five forwards and
two
goaltenders,
including
Strauss Mann from the USHL’s
Fargo Force, the Clark Cup
winners. And although most
have
extensive
previous
playing experience, the ten new
additions have spent the last few
weeks adjusting to the intensity
of collegiate hockey.
“They were a little nervous
the first week,” Pearson said on
Tuesday afternoon. “You could
sense that, you could see that,
a little jumpy with the puck,
not quite sure on some things,
being kind — I call it being kind
to the other players — but we
want them to compete. We want
them to come in here and force
guys to play hard, force people
to earn their position. There’s
no entitlement here, we’ve told
them that that we need them to
come in and play and play a vital
role on our team.
“I think every week you can
see the confidence grow in them,
and that nervousness has sort
of subsided now and they’re
just being themselves. They’re
playing. They’re hockey players,
and they’re good hockey players,
and they have to understand that
and just come out and do what
they’re good at and try to get
better every day.”
One of the biggest factors in
getting the freshmen acclimated
has been the returners. Now
a three-person class after the
departure of forward Cooper
Marody
to
the
Edmonton
Oilers of the NHL last season,
the senior trio of defensemen
Joseph Cecconi, Nicholas Boka
and forward Brendan Warren
are heavily outnumbered by the
newcomers. Along with them,
the juniors and sophomores
have had to step up to help the
freshmen adjust.
Whether
it’s
pointing
a
freshman in the right direction
to find a class building or
working on systems in practice,
the entire team has been a part
of the adjustment period. One of
those team members, sophomore
forward Josh Norris, has tried to
embody that as best possible.
“It’s my second year here and
I’ve taken on more of a leadership
role here,” Norris said. “I think,
just for the freshmen, relating
to them personally, there’s a lot
of ups and downs your first year
and you can get frustrated with
things easily and take it the
wrong way, and maybe be led
down the wrong path. I know
they’re gonna struggle at points,
that’s just the nature of it, so just
trying to help them with that
and if they need anything I’m
here for them.”
Added
Blankenburg:
“Off
the ice, any question that I’ve
had — whether it’s where the
Chemistry building is or where
anything is, they’ve been nice
so far. Boka let me and another
freshman this summer borrow
his moped so that was a huge
help for us. All the guys have
been great, I sit next to Boka,
he helps me out a lot with any
questions I have. It’s just all the
guys, not even just the seniors,
everyone’s been helping us on
and off the ice that they’ve been
so helpful.”
Despite all of the stats and
a
quick
acclimation
period,
Michigan is once again looking
at a lopsided roster with a lot
of fresh faces and few senior
leaders. But, as they showed
last season, the Wolverines like
to blow expectations out of the
water — and with all of the young
talent, they just might be able to
do that again.
Safeties still learning
to play smart and fast
It’s hard to look at the
Michigan
football
team’s
defense and find a weak spot.
If you had to choose one,
though,
it
might
be
the
Wolverines’
safeties.
That
isn’t necessarily an insult,
but a statement on just how
strong Michigan’s defense is.
Still, safeties have committed
the most easily identifiable
mistakes through three games
this season.
First, against Notre Dame,
there was junior Josh Metellus’
targeting call that got him
kicked out just minutes into
the game. Some didn’t view it
as a penalty, but the call was
made nonetheless, and it forced
sophomore Brad Hawkins into
the game.
Moments
later,
Hawkins
was beaten on a jump ball in
the endzone, as the Fighting
Irish went up 14-0 en route to
a 24-17 win.
Then, last week against
SMU, the Mustangs scored
their
first
touchdown
when Hawkins and junior
cornerback David Long had
some miscommunication and
left a wide receiver running all
alone down the sideline for a
50-yard score.
“Inconsistent,” said safeties
and special teams coach Chris
Partridge of his unit’s play.
“… There’s always room for
improvement. But I thought
when we were good, we were
really, really good. You know,
we had some mistakes in the
first game. We cleaned them
up and played really good in
the second game and then, you
know, played pretty good in the
third game overall. If you took
four or five plays out of each of
those starters, just alignment
and stuff, they would have
graded really high — over a
90. But those four or five plays
were in there, and we’ve gotta
clean that stuff up.”
As Partridge implied, it isn’t
all doom and gloom.
Metellus was called for a
pass interference penalty late
in the second half against
SMU. Then he made up for it in
a big way, securing a pick-six
as time expired in the first half
to shift the momentum of the
game entirely.
Senior Tyree Kinnel, one
of
the
defensive
captains,
has
been
solid
too,
and
Hawkins has been a pleasant
surprise. All three have played
aggressively, flying downhill
to make plays in run support
when needed.
That aggressiveness is a
catch-22, though. It has led
to the targeting and pass
interference
penalties
that
have plagued the group. It’s
something Partridge says they
are going to have to learn to play
with, because he’s not going to
tell them to play timidly.
“We’re gonna be aggressive,
and we’re always gonna be
aggressive,”
Partridge
said.
“But we need to understand
when we need to be aggressive
… when do we lay off, when do
we be aggressive because it’s
on the field of play and when
do we don’t.”
Ultimately, the safeties are
a talented group of players.
Their ability is clear in spurts
throughout each game.
And they’re an experienced
group, too. Both Kinnel and
Metellus were starters last
season. So maybe it’s just
early-season jitters, but for the
defense to reach its potential,
it will need the safeties to
tighten things up.
“It’s
just,
these
guys
are
going
100
miles
per
hour,” Partridge said, “And
sometimes it’s the 30th or
40th play and they’re going
hard, they’re a little tired, and
they’re so locked in, you’ve just
gotta teach them that in a split
second, you’ve gotta be able to
react and know the situation
that’s coming.”
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Sophomore forward Josh Norris has helped to acclimate the 10 new freshmen on Michigan’s roster this offseason.
LANEY BYLER
Managing Sports Editor
MIKE PERSAK
Managing Sports Editor
FOOTBALL
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Michigan coach Mel Pearson feels more comfortable heading into his second season at the helm of the Wolverines.
JACOB
SHAMES