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
SportsMonday

