The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Tuesday, October 8, 2019 — 7

Michigan power play refreshed in new system

Jack Becker didn’t even need 
to look to find the open man.
After 
Michael 
Pastujov’s 
shot missed just wide of an 
open net, his brother — senior 
forward Nick Pastujov — sent 
a pass to Becker, who was 
waiting 
on 
the 
edge of the left 
faceoff 
circle. 
Without a glance, 
Becker 
knew 
he 
had 
Jimmy 
Lambert 
wide 
open across the 
ice.
The 
no-look 
pass hit Lambert’s 
stick right on the 
tape and a split 
second later, the puck was 
in the net behind Windsor 
goaltender Jonathan Reinhart. 
With the score, Michigan had 
its second power-play goal in 
three opportunities on Sunday.
“I thought (Lambert’s unit) 
was spectacular,” said senior 
forward Will Lockwood. “They 
looked great. My unit needs 
work on a few things, we were a 
little sloppy … Cheers to them, 

and we’re going to have to work 
on our unit a little bit.”
The power play system is 
new for the Wolverines this 
year, but their performance 
Sunday wouldn’t show it. Three 
goals on six opportunities is an 
impressive showing, though it 
requires the acknowledgement 
that it came in an exhibition 
matchup 
against a team 
that 
doesn’t 
compete 
in 
any division of 
the NCAA.
When 
Michigan 
coach 
Mel 
Pearson hired 
assistant Kris 
Mayotte to run 
the 
penalty 
kill this offseason, the move 
required associate head coach 
Bill Muckalt to run the power 
play. Muckalt decided to switch 
to a modern four-forwards-
one-defenseman system, rather 
than 
the 
traditional 
three 
forwards and two blueliners.
Through 
one 
game, 
the 
new system is paying off — 
and Muckalt, off recruiting in 
British Columbia, wasn’t even 

in the building to make sure 
things ran smoothly.
“I thought we didn’t score on 
some of our best chances on the 
power play, but it looked good,” 
Pearson said.
Last season, the Wolverines 
finished 44th in the nation 
with a power play percentage 
of 15.6-percent. One game, 
especially 
an 
exhibition 
matchup, 
is 
an 
inadequate 
sample size to 
make 
claims 
about 
how 
things 
could 
go 
this 
year, 
but it was clear 
that both units 
looked 
more 
cohesive 
and 
creative than they did last year.
“We added so much skill 
to the team,” Lockwood said. 
“We’re gonna have two really 
good units this year and two 
units that are going to be 
threats. I don’t know if it’s 
going to be a specific first and 
second unit. I think you can 
throw both units out there.”
While 
having 
an 
extra 
forward opens up offensive 

opportunities, there are risks 
associated 
with 
one 
fewer 
defenseman on the unit, and 
Michigan saw that firsthand 
on Sunday.
As forward Alex Friesen’s 
penalty 
expired, 
forward 
Brady 
Pataki 
noticed 
him 
coming out of the penalty 
box and sent the puck up the 
ice to his teammate. Friesen 
found himself with a one-on-
none opportunity in front of 
sophomore goaltender Strauss 
Mann, but Mann grabbed the 
puck out of the air and snuffed 
out the breakaway chance.
“It’s 
a 
little 
scary,” 
Pearson said. “They got a 
little breakaway on it tonight 
because your forwards start 
on the power play (and) they’re 
not thinking defense. That 
happened to us the end of the 
year last year. Guys came out of 
the penalty box (and scored), so 
we’re going to have to address 
that for sure, but you’re going 
to have that creativity (with 
four forwards).”
A year after their power 
play units scored just six goals 
on 54 opportunities in the 
second half of the season, the 
Wolverines’ 
power 
play 
looks refreshed. 
The new system 
seems to have 
injected 
some 
new 
life 
and 
creativity, and 
the 
balance 
between 
offense 
and 
defense 
with 
an 
additional 
forward is something that will 
come in time. As Pearson often 
said last year, special teams 
— the power play and penalty 
killing — is key to winning 
games.
Last 
season, 
Michigan 
struggled in both aspects of 
special teams. This year, at 
least the power play looks to be 
on good footing heading into 
official games.

‘M’ withstands pressure

Nicki Hernandez dribbled 
near midfield 20 minutes into 
the game. At the moment, there 
were no defenders between the 
junior midfielder and the goal. 
Nebraska 
goalkeeper 
Aubrei 
Corder saved her shot, but 
the breakaway provided the 
first hint of how the Michigan 
women’s soccer team would win 
the game.
Sophomore 
midfielder 
Meredith Haakenson scored 
on the ensuing corner, en route 
to a 4-1 Wolverine victory in a 
game that was characterized by 
the Cornhuskers’ high pressure 
leaving them exposed at the 
back. 
The pressure from Nebraska 
caused problems for Michigan 
throughout the game, as the 
Wolverines tried to maintain 
possession of the ball in their 
own 
defensive 
third. 
They 
continually tried to pass out of 
the pressure from Nebraska, 
looking to play quick passes to 
their center midfielders to get 
the ball out of congested areas. 
But Michigan couldn’t always 
do so successfully, turning the 
ball over in dangerous areas and 
providing good opportunities 
for Nebraska’s attack.
“It’s an area that we need to 
continue to get better at and be 
comfortable possessing with 

pressure,” said Michigan coach 
Jennifer Klein. “I think we’re 
very capable of doing it.”

The 
Wolverines 

demonstrated that capability 
in a few key moments, leading 
them to breakaways similar 
to Hernandez’s. 14 minutes 
after her initial breakaway, 
Hernandez scored by getting 
behind the Nebraska backline 
again, while fifth-year senior 
defender Sura Yekka scored 
her first goal as a Wolverine on 
a breakaway of her own in the 
second half. 
The 
relatively 
easy 
breakaway goals came from 
Michigan’s ability to break out 
of initial pressure from the 
Cornhuskers – once the first 
line of defenders was broken, 
the Wolverines always had a 
numbers advantage. 
Even with these goals, the 
Wolverines want to increase 
the number of times they 
successfully escape pressure 
and decrease the number of 
dangerous turnovers. However, 
it is not easy to maintain the 
composure needed to find the 
right pass. 
“The more we talk and 
communicate, 
the 
easier 
it 
is,” said sophomore defender 
Janiece Joyner. “That’s mostly 
what we try to focus on, to not 
panic in those situations, but 
embrace the challenge and 
work through it together.”

Juwan Howard bringing new energy

It’s 
a 
tall 
enough 
task 
coaching in Ann Arbor at all. No 
matter the sport, expectations 
for Michigan teams, and an 
athletic department that spends 
the third-most among public 
schools nationally, are lofty.
But following one of the 
greatest coaches ever to lead 
the Wolverines in John Beilein? 
How do you even begin to think 
about that? 
Juwan Howard’s message at 
Big Ten Media Day was clear: 
Beilein was great. But he’s going 
to be his own man. That’s how 
he’s bringing Michigan into the 
Howard era.
“I’m sure a lot of people 
think, you have a lot of pressure 
on you to try to fill those shoes,” 
Howard said at Media Day. “All 
I can say is this: I’m not going 
to try to be like coach Beilein. 
He has his philosophy, his 
way of doing things. I have my 
philosophy, and I feel that works 
for our team moving forward.”
Message received: new coach, 
new era.
And as the team starts to get 
into the rhythm of practice, of 
a new coach, of a new team and 
a new basketball season, the 
storylines that will shape this 
new era in Michigan basketball 

are starting to take shape.
After a 10-season playing 
career in the NBA, and six 
years as an assistant coach for 
the Miami Heat, Howard has 
turned the talent he showed 
in his years at Michigan into 
knowledge of the game on par 
with the coaching talent leaving 
Ann 
Arbor. 
Beilein 
would 
often pick Howard’s brain in 
the offseason, and Howard’s 
plans for the team’s defense are 
already drawing comparisons 
to 
former 
assistant 
coach 
Luke 
Yaklich’s 
defensive 
wizardry.
“He 
actually 
reminds me of 
Coach Yak,” said 
junior 
forward 
Isaiah 
Livers. 
“The 
defensive 
pressure, 
the 
defensive mind, 
all of that. His knowledge of the 
defensive side of basketball is 
just insane.”
But, true to his word, Howard 
is running practices his way. 
It’s inevitable in some ways: 
Howard is a good 20 years 
younger than his predecessor. 
The wonder in his face and in 
his voice when he points at the 
block ‘M’ pinned to his lapel, 
the grin on his face when he 

talks about his team and about 
the program he’s building in 
Ann Arbor — it’s impossible to 
ignore. 
The energy, the excitement 
that he’s bringing to Michigan 
basketball 
— 
it’s 
almost 
palpable. 
That enthusiasm that has 
embodied 
his 
approach 
to 
this new challenge hasn’t just 
showed up in quotes from on 
high, from behind a podium to 
a room of reporters. It’s in how 
he’s 
running 
this program.
“The vibe is 
a lot different,” 
said 
senior 
guard 
Zavier 
Simpson. 
“It’s 
definitely 
a 
positive 
vibe. 
Juwan brings a 
lot of energy.”
Youthful 
energy doesn’t 
preclude urgency, though. In 
preseason polls, the Wolverines 
were picked to finish fifth in 
the Big Ten. They disagree, and 
they’re determined to prove 
they’re right early on under 
Howard.
“The vibe? Serious,” Livers 
said. “We all know where 
they’ve got us projected, and we 
do not like it. At all. We’re not 
supposed to like it.”

Wolverines prepare to face Peters

Jon Runyan Jr. still plays 
Mario Kart with Brandon Peters 
on his Nintendo Switch. The 
former Michigan quarterback 
is better — Runyan estimates 
Peters wins 55 percent of the 
time — but Runyan still takes 
pleasure in taking his wins and 
rubbing them in.
In 
those 
moments, 
it’s 
almost like the two are still 
roommates.
Runyan and Peters lived 
together last year. On Saturday, 
when the Michigan football 
team visits Illinois — where 
Peters is now the starting 
quarterback — the two will 
be reunited as players on two 
opposing teams, fighting for 
two disparate goals.
“I’m 
excited 
to 
hit 
a 
quarterback that’s on my team, 
actually — that was on my 
team,” said fifth-year senior 
linebacker 
Jordan 
Glasgow. 
“He was a good friend of mine 
while he was here and it’s gonna 
be fun to play against him and 
hopefully we put him on the 
ground a lot. Hopefully nothing 
happens, but I want to make his 
day as rough as possible.”
From Runyan’s perspective, 
Peters was a quiet guy who 
kept mostly to himself. But 
sometimes, 
Peters 
opened 
up and talked about himself. 
After all, Peters didn’t have the 
normal career trajectory of a 
6-foot-5, four-star quarterback 
Jim Harbaugh once compared 
to Andrew Luck.
Peters was once anointed 
Michigan’s savior, coming into 
a 2017 game against Rutgers 
to raucous cheers after it was 
clear John O’Korn would no 
longer cut it. It seemed like 
Peters could finally be the 
quarterback 
the 
Wolverines 
had been missing.
The feeling lasted for three 
fleeting games. Then Peters 
suffered a concussion against 
Wisconsin, could only watch as 
O’Korn was dreadful in a loss 
to Ohio State and looked utterly 
pedestrian in a bowl loss to 
South Carolina. That April, 

Shea Patterson was granted 
an 
instant-eligibility 
waiver 
and Peters’ entire career was 
thrown into flux.
“He never really voiced any 
displeasures to me,” Runyan 
said. “After that 2017 season, he 
was full on board with trying 
to win this spot even with Shea 
transferring and not knowing 
his eligibility. And he battled 
really hard throughout spring 
ball and throughout fall camp 
and I think they declared Shea 
the starter halfway through 
camp. ... In the end he did what 
was best for him and he’s in a 
pretty good place right now (at) 
Illinois.”
Runyan 
first 
heard 
that 
Peters 
wanted 
to 
transfer 
around 
December, 
when 
Michigan was beginning to 
prepare for the Peach Bowl, but 
he believes Peters was thinking 
about it before then — and who 
could blame him?
But Peters stayed invested in 
the team every step of the way 
and once the season was done, 
he took a hefty course load 
before leaving for Champaign 
in order to be eligible for a 
graduate transfer.
“He was always studying 
and I was always there just 
watching him,” Runyan said. 
“I felt bad for him, but he 
eventually did what’s best for 
him.”
Peters’ main options were 
Illinois and a handful of MAC 
schools, and the process wasn’t 
always kind. Peters was gone 
almost every weekend taking 
another visit. Some schools 
strung him along, offering him 

a visit, pulling it when they 
offered another quarterback, 
then begging for him back 
when that quarterback looked 
for other options.
But with the Illini, Peters got 
a starting job, the reputation 
of the Big Ten and a new home 
less than two hours from his 
hometown of Avon, Ind. And 
when the Wolverines see him 
there, they’ll be nothing but 
happy for him.
“I really liked Brandon a 
lot and he won us ballgames,” 
Harbaugh 
said. 
“ 
… 
Been 
following him, and I’d say the 
same for how he’s playing there 
at Illinois. Good player.”
Normally, 
the 
perfect 
reunion for Michigan would 
be Peters playing a good game 
while 
the 
Wolverines 
still 
winning anyway — by a lot.
But they aren’t guaranteed to 
get their happy ending. Peters 
left last week’s game with an 
injury, and he’s questionable 
for this week. After what Peters 
has been through, having to 
watch one of his team’s biggest 
games of the season — against 
his former team — from the 
sidelines would be a cruel twist 
of irony.
So now, the Wolverines are 
just hoping they get to see him 
out on the field and in a better 
place — and, of course, leave 
Champaign with a win. Then 
Runyan will have bragging 
rights much bigger than Mario 
Kart.
“He’s got his stuff going on, 
we’ve got ours,” Glasgow said. 
“But I wish him the best, except 
when he plays against us.”

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Michigan coach Jennifer Klein wants her team to get better against pressure.

MATTHEW CHANG
For The Daily

BAILEY JOHNSON
Daily Sports Writer

ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Sophomore forward Jimmy Lambert’s power play unit scored in Michigan’s 8-2 win over Windsor on Sunday.

I thought 
(Lambert’s 
unit) was 
spectacular.

We’re gonna 
have two really 
good units this 
year.

ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Editor

FILE PHOTO/Daily
Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters will face his former team Saturday.

NATALIE STEPHENS/Daily
The Michigan basketball team feels a new energy under Juwan Howard as it enters his inaugural season.

ABBY SNYDER
Daily Sports Writer

I’m sure a lot of 
people think, 
you have a lot of 
pressure.

