The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
January 28, 2019 — 3B
NEW YORK CITY — If
you count striking iron, Nick
Pastujov had a hat trick in
the first period alone, and
Michigan led Penn State, 4-3.
Officials don’t though, and
nothing in the rulebook would
have aided the Wolverines’
offensive
execution
on
Saturday night.
When
Nittany
Lions’
goaltender
Peyton
Jones
blocked junior forward Will
Lockwood’s shot eight minutes
into the game, Pastujov shifted
to Jones’ weakside, the puck
careening
towards
right
towards him. With nothing
between his stick and the back
of the net beside the puck itself,
he reared his stick and flicked
the puck forward.
It hit the crossbar.
Michigan got the puck back
seven times after his miss
before Jones gloved it. The
result? Seven missed shots. All
from point-blank range.
Six minutes later? Pastujov
took another shot. Again,
a
familiar
clank
echoed
throughout
Madison Square
Garden.
Pastujov
found the bar
once
more,
and in a period
where it outshot
Penn State 22-8,
Michigan
had
nothing to show
but a three-goal
deficit.
“That’s just the way it goes
sometimes,” said sophomore
forward Luke Morgan. “We
came out ready to play, we hit
a bunch of post. We had a lot
of great opportunities. I think
we got a little frustrated with
that. When that happens, it
led to mental mistakes and
some of it we can work on, but
sometimes it’s just the way the
game goes.”
Against
Minnesota
and
Michigan State earlier this
season, the Wolverines took
45-plus shots but failed to
capitalize on many of their
easier attempts.
The difference
against
the
Nittany
Lions,
though,
was
that
Michigan
consistently
got
good
opportunities
in
the
crease
and
actively
screened
off
Jones
instead
of blindly shooting into the
opposing team’s blue line.
“It’s
frustrating,
but
that’s going to happen,” said
Michigan coach Mel Pearson.
“ … And that’s the game and
what you have to do is you can’t
get away from your game.”
By the time Penn State
jumped out to a three-goal
lead, it was too late, though.
All
of
the
Wolverines’
offensive
pressure
and
momentum was rendered moot
by their inability to finish, and
completely eviscerated each
time the blue line coughed the
puck up deep in the defensive
zone and yielded to a Nittany
Lion odd-man rushes.
Contrary to what the 5-2
score suggests, Michigan, just
like before, had every chance
to walk out of Madison Square
Garden with at least another
point. Instead, it walks out
of Madison Square Garden
lamenting a game it had in
control. It’s easy to focus on
the back-breaking defensive
turnovers, but in a zero-sum
game, offensive miscues hurt
the Wolverines just as much.
“Coach
said
‘we
can’t
outscore
our
mistakes,’”
Morgan said. “We have to play
a solid 60 (minutes) the whole
way through.”
RIAN RATNAVALE
Daily Sports Writer
Different city, different defense
NEW YORK CITY — The
script flipped quickly for the
Michigan hockey team: Five
goals scored Thursday. Five
goals allowed Saturday.
Any
momentum
the
Wolverines
generated
from
Thursday
night’s
five-goal
outburst against Penn State
was abruptly halted when they
gave up five goals themselves on
Saturday.
In Thursday night’s 5-1 victory
over Penn State, the Wolverines
were dialed in from the opening
faceoff to the final buzzer. There
were few lapses on the defensive
end
and
few
opportunities
came easily for Penn State. The
Nittany Lions had few, if any,
odd-man rushes throughout the
game.
The lone goal came more
than mid-way through the third
period
when
the
Michigan
was leading 4-0. A pass from
behind the net deflected off
senior defenseman Nick Boka’s
skate and trickled past junior
goaltender Hayden Lavigne.
Moreover,
the
Wolverine
defense jumpstarted the offense
after its lackluster first period.
The first goal for Michigan was
set up after freshman forward
Jimmy
Lambert
collected
possession in the defensive zone
and flipped a pass to sophomore
forward Dakota Raabe in the
neutral zone. It resulted in a
breakaway goal for Raabe to give
the Wolverines the lead.
Saturday’s 5-2 loss at Madison
Square Garden was in complete
contrast to the near perfect
defensive performance put forth
on Thursday by the Wolverines.
It was a tale of defensive
gaffes.
“We didn’t play on the right
side of the puck,” said Michigan
coach Mel Pearson. “We did not
sense danger — and I don’t want
to say our whole team, but a few
individuals. We just didn’t sense
that urgency or the danger and
they made us pay.”
Four of Penn State’s five goals
were a direct result of a defensive
lapse.
Just over five minutes into
the game, a mishandled pass
by Lambert near the defensive
zone blue line lead to a wide-
open shot attempt forward Evan
Barratt. He capitalized on the
opportunity to open up scoring,
putting the Nittany Lions up, 1-0.
Minutes later, a turnover from
sophomore defenseman Quinn
Hughes near center-ice resulted
in a breakaway goal, handing
Penn State a 2-0 lead.
And just before the first
intermission, senior defenseman
Joseph Cecconi lost his footing
as he was turning to skate up
the ice, allowing for another
breakaway. This time, forward
Alec
Marsh
finished
past
Lavigne to make it 3-0.
Midway through the second
period, the Wolverines had a
chance to climb back into the
game with a score of 4-1, and
Michigan on the power play. As
Hughes was advancing the puck
up towards center ice, he looked
to dump a pass back to a trailing
junior forward Will Lockwood.
The pass was intercepted, and
the Nittany Lions, once again,
successfully capitalized on a
breakaway opportunity, 5-1.
The play was a microcosm of
the game. A Michigan misstep
led to a Penn State goal. This
one was a backbreaker against
the Wolverines from which they
were unable to recover.
“It’s a game of mistakes and
you have to limit your mistake
and try to make less than the
other team,” Pearson said. “And
you have to try to take advantage
of the mistakes. We did that
on Thursday night, they got us
tonight.”
Hughes’ faults on display in loss
NEW YORK CITY — Quinn
Hughes went into the locker
room
and
turned
to
the
team. After a poor showing
defensively, Hughes did what he
had to do. He was accountable
for his sloppiness in Saturday’s
game against No. 15 Penn
State, one that the Michigan
hockey team lost, 5-2, with the
sophomore defenseman at the
epicenter.
“I just thought he had a
tough night as far as a couple of
his turnovers,” said Michigan
coach Mel Pearson. “And he
knows. He stood up in the locker
room and took responsibility
for them.”
It’s easy to point the blame.
Anyone can do it. But when two
goals are scored directly after a
player’s turnovers, it becomes
even easier to point the finger a
certain way.
“As long as you play this game
and you’re a hockey player,”
Pearson said. “You’re going to
have some nights that are hard
and it’s one of those nights for
him.”
It began with a normal
play — Hughes with the puck
bringing it up the ice to start
the offensive push. As a skilled
skater and, as Pearson notes, an
elite player, it’s a norm for him
to push the puck through the
neutral zone.
However, midway through
the
first
period,
he
was
contested on his offensive zone
entry attempt.
Stick
extended.
Sticks
clashed. Puck out.
Hughes
had
seen
the
opposing player speed toward
him and held his stick out wide
to try and protect the puck
from the contest. Despite his
attempt to protect the puck, the
two sticks clashed against one
another and resulted with the
puck leaking toward Michigan’s
net.
Nittany Lion Liam Folkes
took the one-on-none chance
and increased Penn State’s lead
to two.
The
main
problem
with
Hughes’ turnover was that
no one was back to defend the
breakaway. Senior defenseman
Joseph Cecconi had pushed
far up to take a more offensive
stance, yet when the puck was
loose, he lagged behind the play.
“We
had
a
defenseman
back,” Pearson said. “He’s the
last man, we’re trying to beat a
guy in the neutral zone and his
partner is not backing him up,
he’s ahead of him. So, he gets
stripped, there’s no support.
Breakaway.”
Of course, Cecconi shouldn’t
have been as far up as he
was, but Hughes should have
recognized that and the risks of
a turnover in that situation. The
only thing separating Lavigne
from Folkes was Hughes, and
he failed to recognize it.
His second lapse was the nail
in the coffin.
Down three and on the power
play in the middle of the second
period, the Wolverines needed
to convert the man-advantage
in the worst way. A goal would
have
brought
them
within
striking distance. Instead, a
Hughes’ turnover resulted in
insurmountable deficit.
Hughes, again, brought the
puck up to the neutral zone. He
made a pass back to a trailing
teammate. However, no one
was in the vicinity that could
get to the puck in time. Instead,
Nittany Lion Alex Limoges stole
the puck from the intended pass
and hammered it home after
beating Lavigne on the one-on-
none.
“Obviously in the start of the
second, a power play, we made
a drop pass to one of our guys
and we don’t have support,”
Pearson said. “We’re all by the
puck. We didn’t play on the
right side of the puck. We did
not sense danger — and I don’t
want to say our whole team,
but a few individuals. We just
didn’t sense that urgency or the
danger and they made us pay.”
Again,
the
presumption
that there was a player behind
haunted the Wolverines and
allowed a direct confrontation
with
Lavigne.
Hughes
was
unable to recognize it, and his
turnovers caused goals. He did,
however, recognize his faults.
“I think once you speak
out, and take responsibility,
then you gotta step up and you
gotta do it on the ice,” Pearson
said. “And it’s hard. You know.
It’s hard to admit your faults
sometimes.”
JORGE CAZARES
Daily Sports Writer
TIEN LE
Daily Sports Writer
NEW YORK CITY — For
the second time in two periods,
sophomore defenseman Quinn
Hughes turned the puck over near
center ice.
And for the second time in two
periods, No. 15 Penn State (14-10-
2 overall, 6-9-1-1 Big Ten) took its
chance and ran with it.
This time, the turnover came
when the Wolverines were on the
man advantage and hoping to cut
into the Nittany Lions’ 4-1 lead
early in the second period. Hughes
lost control of the puck in the
middle of the ice, which allowed
forward Alex Limoges to grab it
and skate in right in front of junior
goaltender Hayden Lavigne.
Lavigne sprawled out to make
the save as Limoges wound his way
to the front of the crease, waiting
to shoot the puck until Lavigne
was flat on the ice. One quick flip
of his stick later and Penn State led,
5-1.
Though Michigan (9-10-6, 5-6-
4-2) tacked on another goal in the
third period, the comeback came
up short. The Nittany Lions went
on to take the second game of the
series, 5-2.
“We did not get the result we
wanted,” said Michigan coach
Mel Pearson. “Very frustrating
in the locker room because we
know we’re a better team. We
beat ourselves tonight, plain and
simple.”
Penn State averages an NCAA-
leading 4.52 goals per game, and
the Wolverines allowed them all of
that and then some Saturday night
at Madison Square Garden.
Early
in
the
first
period,
freshman forward Jimmy Lambert
lost
the
puck
at
Michigan’s
defensive blueline. Forward Evan
Barratt, who ranks second in the
country with an average of 1.45
points per game, took advantage
of his opportunity and fired a shot
that beat Lavigne to the upper
corner of the net.
Five minutes later, Hughes’
turnover at center ice led to a one-
on-zero breakaway for Penn State
and Liam Folkes converted.
“It was nice,” said Penn State
coach Guy Gadowsky. “(Scoring on
breakaways) hasn’t been the case
in the past, either. It was nice to get
it early. Any time you can capitalize
on anything, I think it’s important,
but we were able to capitalize on a
couple of their mistakes as well.”
Just before the horn sounded to
end the first period, junior forward
Nick Pastujov had an opportunity
on the power play — but his shot
rang the post, just as all three of his
shots did in the game.
And as the puck went down
toward Lavigne, Penn State was
able to capitalize on a third one-on-
zero chance with a goal from Alec
Marsh. With another 40 minutes
left to play, Michigan faced a three-
goal deficit that looked — and was
— insurmountable.
“We made some horrendous
turnovers, they took advantage
of it,” Pearson said. “That was the
game. They got the lead 3-0 and
we couldn’t outscore our mistakes
tonight.”
Down 4-0 early in the second
period, the Wolverines found
twine on a shot from Hughes that
redshirt junior forward Luke
Morgan was able to send past
goaltender Peyton Jones. But it
proved to be too little, too late as
the Nittany Lions extended their
lead back to four goals just minutes
later.
And once that goal went in to
make it 5-1, Lavigne was pulled
in favor of Strauss Mann. The
freshman goaltender stopped all 19
shots he faced the rest of the way.
“Excellent,” Pearson said of
Mann’s performance. “You know,
we really like him as a goaltender,
and we think he has a bright future
at Michigan. I didn’t want to have
to get him in like we did but he
went in and I give him credit, that’s
a tough situation to go in and he
played extremely well. He gave us
an opportunity to try and get back
into the game.”
But
despite
Mann’s
play,
defense — or lack thereof — was
Michigan’s downfall, just as it was
what allowed it to beat Penn State
5-1 at home on Thursday.
“Disappointing
outcome,
especially after Thursday night’s
game,” Pearson said. “I can’t tell
you our team wasn’t prepared to
play. I thought we had a pretty
good first period, outshot them
22-8, out-attempted them 37-16.
Hit four posts. But we didn’t make
a commitment to team defense.”
Michigan outshot the Nittany
Lions for the majority of the game,
though Penn State finished the
game with a 39-37 shot advantage.
Catching the post four times put
the Wolverines within millimeters
of making it a much closer game.
But as Pearson said, they
couldn’t outscore their mistakes.
Coming within millimeters just
wasn’t enough.
Wolverines fall to Penn State in New York, 5-2, and the season hangs by a thread
Madison Square Meltdown
BAILEY JOHNSON
Daily Sports Writer
ALEX POMPEI/Daily
The Michigan hockey team’s season is on the brink after it fell flat in a 5-2 loss to Penn State at Madison Square Garden.
We came out
ready to play,
we hit a bunch
of post.
ALEX POMPEI/Daily
The Michigan hockey team’s defense was sloppy, allowing five goals to Penn State in a blowout loss on Saturday.
ALEX POMPEI/Daily
Sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes’ turnovers led to two Penn State goals.