4B — Monday, October 22, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

The Michigan Daily Top 10 Poll 

Each week, Daily sports staffers fill out bal-
lots, with first-place votes receiving 10 points, 
second-place votes receiving nine and so on. 

1. Alabama: It’s hard to get Tua creative 
with this one.

2. Clemson: Are we really going to allow 
a team whose best win is at home against 
NC State to make the playoffs?

3. Notre Dame: The Irish are back.

4. LSU: More like WSU! These guys keep 
winning!

5. Michigan: Michigan is less back than 
Notre Dame.

6. Georgia: Athens, GA has the most bars 
per square foot in the country. In related 
news, yes that is vomit on your shoe.

7. Texas: Texas is less back than Michigan, 
which is less back than Notre Dame *gal-
axy brain*

8. Oklahoma: Their best player prefers 
baseball. Baseball.

9. Florida: Florida is less back than Texas, 
which is less back than Michigan, which 
is less back than Notre Dame *exploding 
galaxy brain*

10. Ohio State: Urban Meyer earned his 
sad slice of Papa John’s this week.

Special teams tell the story in series split 

Griffin Luce doesn’t score 
many goals.
The No. 11 Michigan hockey 
team’s junior defenseman had 
just two goals in 62 games 
played entering Friday night’s 
matchup against No. 19 Western 
Michigan (3-2). 
But on the power play in the 
third period, Luce received the 
puck from redshirt sophomore 
forward Luke Morgan in the 
right circle and fired a shot that 
found twine. Goaltender Trevor 
Gorsuch never saw the puck — 
not until it was going over his 
right shoulder into the net.
“(I) liked our power play,” 
said 
Michigan 
coach 
Mel 
Pearson 
after 
Friday’s 
6-5 
victory. “(I) thought our power 
play obviously got us back in the 
game in the second period, got 
us the lead.”
The Broncos played a physical 
game, providing the Wolverines 
(1-2) with multiple power play 
opportunities. 
They 
were 
penalized eight times, including 
three times in the second 
period. Michigan converted on 
two of those chances, allowing 
the Wolverines to come back 
from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game.
In total, Michigan scored on 
three of its seven power plays 
— a conversion 
percentage 
of 
42.8 
percent, 
which 
would 
rank first in the 
nation 
if 
the 
Wolverines’ pace 
continued for the 
full season.
But 
Saturday 
night, Michigan’s 
power 
play 
struggled to find 
that same success as it fell, 5-4, 
to Western Michigan.
The Wolverines lit the lamp on 
only one of their eleven chances, 
and that one goal came from 
a rarely-utilized power play 
unit of senior forward Brendan 
Warren, junior forward Jake 
Slaker, junior defenseman Luke 
Martin, freshman defenseman 
Jack Summers and Morgan. 
Morgan’s shot was blocked by 

goaltender Austin Cain and 
Warren was able to tip in the 
rebound for his first goal of the 
season.
“I think we almost had too 
many power plays tonight,” 
Pearson said. “You get out of 
sorts and you’re continuing to 
play your top guys. Our only 
power play goal came from a 
group that we really haven’t 
worked 
with, 
and they go out 
there and just 
keep it simple 
and 
they 
get 
one.”
Just like the 
power 
play, 
Michigan’s 
penalty 
kill 
had an up-and-
down weekend. 
It was nearly 
perfect Friday, allowing just 
one goal on six chances for the 
Broncos.
On that one goal, Slaker and 
Martin let forward Ethen Frank 
slip behind them to stand just 
outside the right circle in the 
perfect spot to receive a pass 
across the ice from defenseman 
Corey Schueneman. Frank fired 
a wrist-shot that beat junior 
goaltender Hayden Lavigne and 

allowed Western Michigan to 
take the lead.
But the Wolverines’ penalty 
kill settled in after that, and the 
Broncos managed three shots 
on each of their three following 
power plays. Michigan’s penalty 
killers had five shorthanded 
shots on the night — the same 
number of power play shots they 
allowed Western Michigan.
In 
contrast, 
on 
Saturday, 
the Wolverines 
allowed 
the 
Broncos 
two 
goals 
on 
five 
opportunities, 
shooting 
themselves 
in 
the foot. Twice, 
a 
Michigan 
player 
was 
penalized while 
the Wolverines were already 
on the penalty kill, creating 
five-on-three 
chances 
for 
Western 
Michigan 
that 
it 
capitalized on.
“We can’t put ourselves five-
on-three,” Pearson said. “Like I 
told the team, both penalties we 
took to put us on five-on-three 
were slashing. And it’s not like 
we were preventing a goal, it 
was just a lazy penalty.

“Unfortunately, to start the 
third period, we had some 
momentum 
going 
into 
the 
period. We gave up that five-
on-three within two minutes 
of the third period. We just did 
not have a good start, we shot 
ourselves in the foot.”
With the pace and physicality 
of 
college 
hockey, 
special 
teams cannot be overlooked. 
An 
extra-man 
advantage 
opens up scoring 
opportunities 
that can make 
the 
difference 
between 
winning 
and 
losing. 
When 
both the power 
play and penalty 
kill succeed, a 
team has extra 
chances to recover from a 
deficit and pull itself back into 
contention.
But when special teams units 
struggle — like on Saturday, 
when 
Michigan 
scored 
on 
just one of eleven power play 
opportunities and allowed two 
goals while on the penalty kill — 
a win can become out of reach.
The Wolverines learned that 
the hard way this weekend.

BAILEY JOHNSON
Daily Sports Writer

EMMA RICHTER/Daily
Junior defenseman Griffin Luce scored his third career goal on Friday night in Michigan’s win over Western Michigan.

“I think we 
almost had too 
many power 
plays tonight.”

“We gave up 
that five-on-
three within 
two minutes...”

Wolverines fall to Western Michigan despite opportunities

Shooting yourself in the foot is 
putting it lightly.
It’s easier to say after No. 11 
Michigan dropped its matchup 
against No. 19 Western Michigan, 
5-4, that it had shot itself in both.
On Saturday, the Wolverines 
simply weren’t careful enough. 
They let the Broncos strike early, 
and they let them strike hard, 
which put a lot of pressure on 
Michigan to respond. And while 
it did to an extent, the response 
just wasn’t enough to compensate 
for the sloppy performances 
given by the team.
“No question. We were loose 
with the puck,” said Michigan 
coach Mel Pearson. “Our puck 
management in the danger zone 
in our end was not good, it led 
directly to three of their goals 
tonight.”
Less than two minutes into 
the game, Western Michigan 
saw its first chance. Freshman 
goaltender 
Strauss 
Mann 
— 
while 
talented 
— 
was 
still 
inexperienced, 
having 
just 
started his first regulation game. 
After forcing a turnover in the 
Wolverines’ defensive zone, the 
Broncos had an odd-man attack 
in play, which they executed to 
perfection.
It was a textbook performance. 
Two players on both sides of the 
goaltender to divide his attention. 
Passes between the two to 
further the confusion. Though 
a Michigan player dropped back 
in time to contest one of the 
Western Michigan players, it 
wasn’t enough to allow Mann to 
commit himself to the other. A 
quick strike ensued and an early 
deficit followed.
But Michigan didn’t relent. 
The aggressive style of play of 
the Wolverines, often countering 
a Broncos’ push with one of 
their own, forced opportunities. 
Michigan just couldn’t capitalize.
In the first period, Michigan 
had 
six 
power 
plays. 
They 
converted zero of them. Western 

Michigan simply saw through 
the schemes, intercepting the 
passes or blocking the shot before 
it could even reach Broncos 
goaltender Austin Cain.
“They blocked a lot of shots 
tonight,” Pearson 
said. 
“They 
played with some 
urgency 
and 
some desperation 
and that threw 
us off a little bit. 
And that’s how it 
goes.”
It 
was 
only 
through a four-
on-four 
did 
Michigan 
find 
the answer to the early goal. 
Sophomore defenseman Quinn 
Hughes scored after a scramble 
in traffic behind the net pushed 
the puck towards him, near the 
blue line. With plenty of room to 
skate, he pushed forward and hit 

a straight-away shot in center-ice 
to tie the game, 1-1.
Discipline looked to be the 
deciding factor to controlling the 
first period. While the Wolverines 
received six penalties, they only 
committed three. 
It just happens 
that 
Western 
Michigan 
converted the one 
it needed. Bronco 
Hugh 
McGing 
had a clean shot 
from the center 
and 
took 
the 
opportunity 
given 
from 
a 
five-on-three 
situation to end the first period 
on a high note.
“We can’t put ourselves five-
on-three,” Pearson said. “Like I 
told the team, both penalties we 
took to put us on five-on-three 
were slashing. And it’s not like we 

were preventing a goal, it was just 
a lazy penalty. I call those lazy 
penalties, we have to get those 
out of our game.”
And the Broncos carried that 
momentum 
into 
the 
second 
period. 
Coming 
out fast, Western 
Michigan 
kept 
the 
offensive 
pressure on. With 
another turnover 
in the defensive 
zone, 
Michigan 
just 
couldn’t 
recover in time. 
The two-on-one 
situation, 
not 
unlike the first-
period turnover, ended in the 
same result — bringing the score 
further in favor of the Broncos, 
3-1.
As the period wound down, 
however, the Wolverines found 
the success they needed from 

the facets of the game they had 
struggled with prior in the match. 
Senior forward Brandon Warren 
converted the first power play 
goal for Michigan and soon after, 
with blazing speed, sophomore 
Josh Norris broke 
down ice and got 
the lead against 
two defenders.
With a flick 
into the five-hole, 
Norris tied the 
game 
at 
three 
apiece. 
It 
was 
the hustle and 
pace control the 
Wolverines 
had 
lacked all game 
that helped turn the tides in their 
favor.
And riding the momentum 
shift was junior center Nick 
Pastujov, who quickly followed 
suit scoring, this time off a 
rebound for Michigan’s first lead.

Scoring three straight, two 
in quick succession, can allow 
a team to dictate control of the 
game. Committing a penalty right 
before the period ends doesn’t.
The Wolverines wanted to 
capitalize on the scoring streak 
late in the second period. But it 
wasn’t possible with a five-on-
three disadvantage to start the 
third period.
“Unfortunately, to start the 
third period, we had some 
momentum, 
going 
into 
the 
period,” Pearson said. “We gave 
up that five-on-three within two 
minutes of the third period. We 
just did not have a good start. We 
shot ourselves in the foot.”
If there was any more proof, it 
came five minutes after Western 
Michigan scored the equalizer 
from the five-on-three at the 
start of the period. In a fast-
paced sequence where multiple 
shots were traded from both 
sides, Michigan attempted to 
clear the puck in its defensive 
zone. Lockwood got the puck and 
attempted to leave the zone, but 
lost control just as Bronco Josh 
Passolt cut from the blue line to 
the goal.
Watching the puck sail to the 
top right corner of the goal post, 
all Mann could do is shake his 
head defeatedly and slam his 
stick against the crossbar of the 
goal.
“Strauss did a good job,” 
Pearson said. “I thought he kept 
us in the game at times, I’m sure 
he’d like that fifth one back a little 
bit. He made some big saves, made 
them look easy, and obviously the 
five-on-threes were tough, he 
didn’t have a chance at those.”
It wasn’t Mann’s play that 
determined 
the 
game 
for 
Michigan. The Wolverines went 
one for 11 on the power play, 
notched three turnovers in the 
defensive zone that resulted 
in goals and had two five-on-
three situations, both in crucial 
moments. It couldn’t be more 
clear that while they lost to 
Western Michigan, they also lost 
to themselves.

EMMA RICHTER/Daily
Freshman goaltender Strauss Mann notched 19 saves out of 24 shots in Michigan’s 5-4 loss to Western Michigan on Saturday night in Kalamazoo.

TIEN LE
Daily Sports Writer

“No question. 
We were 
loose with the 
puck.”

“I call those 
lazy penalties, 
we have to get 
those out...”

