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.