Mel Pearson spent the week
leading into the series against Lake
Superior State stressing that his
team needed to get out to an early
lead.
The Lakers are a big, structured
team and they are more than happy
to sit back and defend if they get
the lead early on. Michigan faced
a similar style against Clarkson
in the season-opening series, and
the Golden Knights struck first
both nights. Both nights, it allowed
them to shut down the Wolverines’
chances the rest of the way and
Clarkson came away with a tie and
a win.
Friday
night
against
Lake
Superior,
sophomore
forward
Nolan Moyle lit the lamp for
Michigan just over five minutes
into the game. And on Saturday,
sophomore
forward
Jimmy
Lambert did the same. This
time, it took four minutes for the
Wolverines to find twine, and they
didn’t look back from there.
Michigan added two more goals
in the opening period and one in
the second to sweep Lake Superior
State, 4-3.
“Great start, three-nothing off
the get-go,” said Michigan coach
Mel Pearson. “Much, much better
start (than last night).”
Halfway
through
the
first
period, after Lambert opened
the scoring, junior forward Jack
Becker scored his second goal of the
weekend when he picked up a loose
puck in the slot and backhanded
it into the net behind goaltender
Mareks Mitens.
And it didn’t take Becker long
after that to get his second goal of
the night and third on the season.
On the power play, a pass across
the crease from freshman forward
Johnny Beecher found Becker
waiting on the other side of the net.
After whiffing on his first attempt,
Becker tapped the puck into the
open net, and Mitens didn’t have a
chance to make the save.
“The puck came across the
crease really fast,” Becker said.
“Beecher made a nice pass to me. I
kind of just corralled the puck and
then hit it out of the air. Trying to
stick with it and it went in the net,
so it felt good.”
After a back-and-forth start
to the second period, the Lakers
found twine on their first goal of
the series when forward Hampus
Eriksson poked a loose puck in the
slot past sophomore goaltender
Strauss Mann. And under a minute
later, forward Louis Boudon made
it a one-goal lead for Michigan as
he cleaned up a rebound off a shot
from defenseman Lukas Kaelble.
“I just don’t like when you get off
to a great start like that and then
you have that sag,” Pearson said.
“You’re going to have moments in
the game, but you have to make
sure if one line has a tough shift,
then the next line’s ready to go and
get the momentum back.”
With all the momentum going
toward the offensive zone for Lake
Superior State, it seemed like the
game would be tied before long.
But a few shifts later, sophomore
defenseman
Jack
Summers
changed that.
At the 8:14 mark of the second
period, shortly after Boudon’s goal,
Summers beat Mitens high on his
glove side to extend the Wolverines’
lead back to two.
“That was a huge goal,” Pearson
said. “All the momentum was going
the other way, and then Sums
comes in and that’s a big, big goal.
Good for him. He’s played well.”
To close the second stanza,
freshman forward Eric Ciccolini
was whistled for tripping, and the
Lakers started the third period on
the power play. Michigan got the
kill, but three seconds after the
power play ended, Kaelble fired a
shot over Mann’s shoulder to bring
the lead back to one.
“I saw that third one, it was a
heck of a shot and the guy made a
good play,” Pearson said. “He’s a
really good player.”
Chances came and went for
both teams in the remainder of
the period, but the score remained
unchanged.
With just under two minutes left
to play, Lake Superior State pulled
Mitens for an extra attacker in an
attempt to tie the game. A scramble
in front of the net in the final
seconds nearly gave the Lakers
what they were looking for, but
Michigan held off the attack.
In the end, the early lead
Pearson preached all week made
all the difference.
Last Saturday, you wouldn’t
be able to find Jack Becker on
the ice.
Instead, you would find him
sitting on the fifth floor of Yost
Ice Arena, in the press box,
with the remaining players not
dressed for the game against
No. 10 Clarkson.
He wasn’t injured. He wasn’t
suspended.
He
just
wasn’t
what Michigan hockey coach
Mel Pearson thought the team
needed to win that game.
“You have to make tough
decisions,”
Pearson
said.
“We’ve got a lot of good players.
He knows.
“He knows.”
In response, Becker upped
his effort, his physicality, his
game — both the little things
and the obvious — against Lake
Superior State. He wanted to
play and he made sure Pearson
knew.
The junior forward closed
last season with six goals
and nine assists, an overall
disappointing
performance
after many had anticipated a
jump in production from his
freshman to his sophomore
year. Instead, he matched his
freshman year point total and
left many uninspired by his
play.
And he picked up where he
left off with his season debut
against the Golden Knights
last Friday. Neither the effort
nor determination was there,
let alone production. In turn,
Pearson chose to sit him for the
Saturday matchup of the series,
which resulted in a loss.
Afterwards, Pearson sought
him out and made sure he
understood
the
reasoning
behind the decision.
“We want to make sure
we
have
open
lines
of
communication,” Pearson said.
“Door’s always open. We want
the players to understand why
they’re not playing. I think it’s
important that they hear that
from the coach and then you go
from there.”
Becker
listened
to
the
critiques.
He
heard
the
concerns about his game —
including about his effort and
work ethic. To Pearson, every
second of every shift matters.
And Becker wasn’t maximizing
his time on the ice.
So he spent the week working
on what needed to be done.
“He did a real good job of
reevaluating his game and the
things he needs to do,” Pearson
said. “And it’s not scoring.”
Ironically, working on the
small things helped Becker
tally three goals against the
Lakers, one Friday and two
Saturday. The two goals in
the second matchup proved
essential in a tight-knit one-
score game.
“I think just focusing on
things that lead to goals,”
Becker
said
on
what
was
clicking for him, “like intensity,
physical play, just getting to
the net. I think that’s what
contributes to putting pucks to
the net. Focusing on the little
things.”
One of those small things was
battling hard. And to score his
first goal Saturday, he fought
hard for position in front of
the net. After freshman Keaton
Pehrson centered the puck into
traffic, Becker secured the
puck out the reach of pursuing
sticks and backhanded it into
the net.
Lake Superior State called
for the play to be reviewed
for offsides, but after a few
minutes
of
deliberation,
it
was ruled onside, and Becker,
sitting on the bench waiting
for the decision, couldn’t help
but turn his head to the Lakers’
bench and chirp.
The message he told them
was unclear, but the message of
his gritty play spoke for itself.
He came ready to play.
“He got three goals on
the weekend, but he played
harder,” Pearson said, “played
more determined, played more
physical, won a lot of the 50/50
battles, got to the net, so he
did a lot of the small things,
the little things that maybe he
wasn’t doing last weekend.”
His second goal came from
another hard fought battle in
front of the net. On the power
play, freshman forward Eric
Ciccolini brought the puck
from the blue line to freshman
forward Johnny Beecher, who
was waiting glove-side of the
Lake Superior State goaltender.
Making a cross-crease pass,
Beecher delivered the puck to
Becker. He whiffed on his first
attempt at a shot. Recovering
instantly, he tried again — this
time finding twine.
It
was
a
bounce-back
performance for a player whose
wasted shifts forced him from
the ice to the press box, left to
watch his team suffer in his
absence.
“We like Jack,” Pearson said.
“It’s nothing personal.”
It wasn’t personal. And on
Saturday night, Becker made it
strictly business.
How sweep it is!
Behind Jack Becker and a high-octane offense, Michigan earns its first wins of the season against Lake Superior State
TIEN LE
Daily Sports Editor
BAILEY JOHNSON
Daily Sports Writer
MILES MACKLIN/Daily
Junior forward Jack Becker worked his way back into Michigan’s lineup after getting benched last week by Mel Pearson.
With added muscle and ‘green light’
Castleton looking to take the leap
Thanks to 20 pounds of
added muscle, a green light
and positional versatility, Colin
Castleton feels ready to take a
leap forward.
Like
the
rest
of
the
Michigan basketball program,
things
changed
drastically
for the sophomore forward
this
offseason.
He
showed
promise as a shot-blocker in
limited playing time during
his freshman season, but a
frail physical frame ultimately
limited his impact.
That’s no longer the case.
Castleton remained in Ann
Arbor over the summer, where
he
worked
with
strength
and conditioning coach Jon
Sanderson
to
gain
much-
needed muscle. With first-
year coach Juwan Howard’s
positionless
basketball
philosophy, his added speed,
strength and ability to guard
multiple positions bodes well
for his anticipated spike in
playing time.
The additional muscle helps,
but it boils down to what
Castleton can show in practice.
So far this fall, it’s making an
impact.
“It’s
been
so
different,
especially since his freshman
year,” said senior center Jon
Teske. “Coming in last year it
was so easy to move him around.
Now this year, I’m having a
little bit more difficulty. He’s
put in so much time and effort
and he has a great work ethic.”
Added junior forward Isaiah
Livers: “He’s definitely rolling
to the basket and banging with
big (redshirt junior center)
Austin Davis and Jon Teske.
Those are some shot blockers
and rim protectors in there,
and he’s rolling into them, their
bodies and putting that 20
pounds extra on them.”
In that regard, Howard’s
hiring is a plus. Castleton
cited his new coach’s emphasis
on using his base to score on
bigger defenders, adding that
Howard uses a football pad to
bump the Wolverines’ big men
around the rim in practice.
“Everyday,
(Howard)
is
working us out one-on-one, all
the big guys, and he’s the coach
that’s getting down and dirty
with us,” Castleton said. “… I
don’t think it’s (something) any
other coach can do because he’s
that position player. He’s done
it for so long, played at every
level, so it’s great personally for
me.”
Still just 46 years old and six
years removed from winning an
NBA title with the Miami Heat,
Howard’s experience brings a
special element to his big men
in practice. In five seasons as
an assistant coach on Miami’s
staff, his coaching keyed the
breakouts of Hassan Whiteside
and Bam Adebayo. And to
Howard,
there
isn’t
much
difference between coaching
big men at the NBA and college
levels.
“When it comes to the bigs,
I’m hands-on,” Howard said.
“I’m there working them out, I
grab the pad or I play defense
on them. I love teaching, so
I’m big on player development
hands-on.”
The scrimmages aren’t any
easier than the physical drills
for Castleton, who deals with a
30-pound weight disadvantage
when guarding Teske. But like
Teske last season, Castleton
is looking to add a long-range
shot to his arsenal. He didn’t
attempt many threes last year
despite shooting well from
distance in high school, but
Castleton’s teammates claim
his stroke has looked good in
practice so far.
“Last year, he didn’t have
that green light Teske had,
but he’s definitely going to get
that green light to be shooting
the ball because Colin’s a very,
very talented big man,” Livers
said. “… (His shot) looks like
it has last year, he just never
really got the chance to do it.
It never really caught on to the
philosophy last year and that
kind of made him struggle.”
For a team that lost over half
of last year’s scoring to the
NBA Draft, Castleton’s added
muscle and green light from
behind the arc could be crucial
early in the season. With Livers
and freshman forward Franz
Wagner expected to shoulder
much of the load from the
wing, Castleton will produce
immediately
if
he
proves
capable of scoring both inside
and out.
In nine minutes of action
against Nebraska last February,
Castleton
posted
11
points
on
5-of-7
shooting,
three
rebounds and a block. Regular
performances like that on a
greater scale can stretch the
floor, open opportunities for
others and, most importantly,
ease the transition between
coaching eras.
For Castleton, that’ll define
whether or not he makes the
leap his teammates expect.
DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer
NATALIE STEPHENS/Daily
Sophomore forward Colin Castleton has gotten into better shape this offseason.
4B — October 21, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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