4B — October 28, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
KALAMAZOO — All it took
was five minutes for Western
Michigan to dictate a game.
Five minutes to set the pace.
Five to dominate the ice. Five
minutes to create a lead the
Michigan hockey team would
spend the remaining 55 trying to
overcome, ultimately to no avail.
“From faceoff to forecheck,
to getting pucks out, to getting
pucks to the net, to getting pucks
through,” said Michigan coach
Mel Pearson, “they put on a
clinic in that first five minutes.”
And it was in those first few
minutes that the Wolverines’
4-1 loss was decided. Despite
the initial faceoff win to open
the game, Michigan (3-2-1) was
beat on the three following
consecutive draws. This forced
the pressure on the Wolverines
to defend in their own zone, and
unprepared for the rapid-fire
attack, conceded a goal a minute
into the game on a tipped pass
high in the air.
“We weren’t ready to play,”
Pearson said. “We talked about
the game, about the first five
minutes being really important,
and (we) weren’t ready to play
tonight. They were hungrier
than we were at the start of the
game, and we got in a hole.”
And that hole only got bigger
as Western Michigan (2-3-1)
refused to give up the pressure.
Two minutes after letting one
in, another was scored off
a rebound passed out wide.
Michigan had defended the
initial shot, but after Strauss
Mann pushed the puck out to his
left, a Bronco player waited and
reacted accordingly, shooting
the puck past the sophomore
goaltender.
It was a start that exemplified
how passive the Wolverines
had played to that point. They
couldn’t create any offensive
pressure, refusing to forecheck
and were subjected to relentless
attacks throughout the period.
The minute they entered the
offensive zone with the puck,
the players were met with
clashing sticks and poke checks,
and simply gave the puck up.
“We just did not create much
pressure on them for the most
part,” Pearson said. “This was
the most shots we’ve given up in
back-to-back games, I’m going
to say since I’ve been the coach
at Michigan.
“Nobody
wants
to
go
forecheck,
we’re
looking
around for somebody else to
go forecheck or we just do one
man and they just had two
defensemen, they bump it to the
other guy and then they’re out.
We’ve just gotta look at that and
do a better job.”
The only real threat Michigan
posed early was from the power
play. To end the first period,
sophomore
forward
Jimmy
Lambert drew a power play after
being checked in the back. The
team didn’t see the result of the
man-advantage until after the
intermission, where it looked to
rectify its poor start. And for a
moment, it looked like it did.
Senior
forward
Will
Lockwood shot a wrister into
the top-left shelf after freshman
forward Emil Ohrwall drew the
defense to him. He then dumped
it off to a waiting Lockwood.
It was a moment of relief for a
team that had failed to compile
any complete offensive push to
that point.
“We got it to 2-1 as the second
period started, and I thought
we’d be fine,” Pearson said.
The moment of relief was
soon
broken
after
senior
forward
Nick
Pastujov
committed
an
interference
penalty.
With
the
man
advantage, Western Michigan
shot the puck from the slot,
having it ding off the right
post before hitting the left and
sliding in.
“If you give them enough
chances, if we get running
around a little bit, they’re going
to take advantage of that,”
said senior defenseman Luke
Martin. “The best penalty kill
is no penalty kill. Stay out of
the box. We need to do a better
job than that and just limiting
their chances off that.”
It was warranted advice
after another power-play goal,
one scored in the dying seconds
game to further cemented how
insurmountable
that
early
deficit was.
“We’re gonna have to settle
for some more simple plays,”
Martin said. “And I think we
did that as the game went
on. But like I said, the start is
everything.
KALAMAZOO
—
With
under two minutes to go and the
Michigan hockey team (3-2-1)
trailing by two goals against No.
18
Western
Michigan
(2-3-1),
sophomore
goaltender
Strauss
Mann skated to his team’s bench
to give the Wolverines an extra
man on the attack. Soon after, the
Broncos’ student section motioned
toward the empty net and filled the
rink with taunts of “better goalie.”
To say this particular frame had
a significant impact on the final
result is baseless. The game was
already out of Michigan’s grasp,
sparing late game magic. That said,
it depicts the bigger picture of the
night — that playing in Lawson
Ice Arena can turn everything
sideways.
In the week of practice leading
up to the series the Wolverines
were well aware Saturday night’s
tilt could come with a challenging
environment, some even referring
to it as a “rowdy spot.” But that
prior understanding didn’t prevent
events from unfolding as they did.
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly
to what extent the environment
affected the game, and that
answer will vary greatly coming
from spectators and Michigan
personnel. But there was certainly
some level of influence from the
moment the game began. This
appeared to startle the Wolverines,
and they found themselves down
two goals in the first few minutes.
“Just the slow start can impact
the game, especially with that
crowd,” said senior defenseman
Luke Martin. “It’s a good home
team. Tough place to play, but we
take that on ourselves. If we come
out with a better start it’s a totally
different game.”
The crowd targeted the game
through multiple channels. For
instance, after Mann gave up his
first goal the students shouted his
name repeatedly to mess with him,
and they did this many more times.
This appeared to at least somewhat
rattle him, as later in the game he
looked shaky when collecting a
loose puck and nearly gave up an
easy goal.
Freshman
defenseman
Cam
York was another victim, and he
was constantly singled out when on
the ice. When Michigan got called
for penalties, students often yelled
“cheater.” With the students seated
directly behind the penalty box,
some resorted to a more hands-
on approach. They pried at the
corner of the box, separating the
sheets of glass mere millimeters
because that was enough to send
discouraging words.
With this being the first road
game of the season, it was the
first time playing in such a hostile
environment for some of the
youngsters.
“I think they handled it really
well,” Martin said of the youth’s
control of the atmosphere. “But I
don’t think we did a good enough
job as upperclassmen showing
them what it takes to have a good
start, and it starts in the locker
room.”
The Wolverines committed a
season-high seven penalties against
Western Michigan. Some of those
were easily avoidable, such as when
senior forward Will Lockwood got
called for interference early in the
final frame. Lockwood had been
roughed up a bit near Michigan’s
net, but there was no call. As the
play went on, he skated into the
neutral zone and elbowed a guy
near the head. Penalties like that,
potentially a result of the hostile
environment, made it hard for the
Wolverines to come back.
The intensity of the crowd
created for an extra physical affair.
It was the type of game where if you
turned away for a second, you could
look back to guys fallen down, loose
helmets and scraps.
The crowd even got Michigan
coach Mel Pearson’s attention.
As he walked back onto the ice
following the first intermission
the students started booing, so
he looked right at them, pumped
his fists emphatically and pointed
to the ‘block M’ on his sweater.
He then stepped onto Michigan’s
bench and took a bow toward the
student section.
“It’s a great environment,”
Pearson said. “I’m just trying to get
them riled up a little bit. You could
see they get going, and you want to
play in this environment. I was just
promoting Michigan to them.”
It’s unclear whether the hostile
environment was the root cause of
the Wolverines’ difficulties. But the
end result indicates atmosphere
and context matter, and Michigan
will need to grow accustomed to
such places for better results.
“It’s a good learning lesson for
our team,” Pearson said. “What
they need to do to prepare to play
in a tough environment against a
tough team against a good team
and a physical game, we haven’t
played in that kind of game like
that yet all year, and it was on the
edge of out of control, but you’re
going to have to play in those
games.”
Western draw
Wolverines split home-and-home series with Western Michigan, dropping Saturday game, 4-1, in Kalamazoo
TIEN LE
Daily Sports Editor
ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer
ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Senior forward Will Lockwood scored in the second period to make it 2-1.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan coach Mel Pearson did his part to rile up the opposing crowd.
‘M’ misses on upset of Minnesota
Freshman
middle
blocker
Jess Robinson goes up for the
attack mirrored by two Gopher
blockers.
Her
hand
comes
forward, delivering the attack.
The ball collides with the
defenders’ arms and falls to the
floor — point, Minnesota. The
Crisler Center is silent for the
first time all night. The Gophers
win.
The
Michigan
women’s
volleyball team (13-7 overall,
6-4 Big Ten) gave up a two-set
lead to No. 7 Minnesota (15-
3, 9-1) Friday night, losing the
fifth set, 15-13. The close loss
was a missed opportunity for
Michigan in what would have
been a statement win against a
top 10 team as well as conference
opponent.
The match opened up in the
Gophers’ favor, who had the lead
for the initial part of the first set.
Two kills by Robinson, assisted
by
senior
setter
Mackenzie
Welsh, tied up the set for the
Wolverines. Afterwards, both
teams were locked in a back and
forth battle until the end of the
set, which included nine lead
changes and eight ties. Michigan
finished off the set, 25-23 with a
memorable play — Wetterstrom
laid out for a dig that Welsh set
to Robinson, who delivered a
powerful kill in the back corner
of the court.
The Wolverines carried the
momentum into the second
set, trailing only once in the
entire set. They showed control
throughout, operating efficiently
on offense. They found many
kills off of assists by Welsh to
sophomore outside hitter Paige
Jones. At one point, Michigan
was siding out at 68.8 percent.
The Wolverines took the set,
25-23 and a comfortable 2-0 set
lead going into the third set.
The third and fourth sets
painted
a
different
story.
Minnesota
came
out
more
aggressively and successfully
contained
Wetterstrom
and
Jones. The Gophers increased
their serving intensity, keeping
the Wolverine setter on the
run. This changed the offensive
dynamic, causing the team to
struggle with their passes and
become predictable.
“Our passing numbers went
down, their blocking numbers
went up, and those two things
are tied together,” said Michigan
coach Mark Rosen. “We lost a lot
of the balance to our offense in
the third and the fourth set.”
Other
Michigan
struggles
could be attributed to the
physicality and athleticism of
the opposition, with Minnesota
outside hitter Alexis Hart at the
forefront. Hart finished Friday’s
matchup with 20 kills and a .378
hit percentage.
“She was going over the block
a lot of time,” Rosen said. “It
creates a different dynamic.”
The Wolverines, unable to
contain Hart’s attack, dropped
the third and fourth sets, 21-25
and 18-25, respectively.
The fifth set started off
evenly, each team responding
to
the
other’s
intensity.
Michigan went into the side
switch leading, 8-5, after two
Wetterstrom kills. Minnesota
responded
by
winning
six
straight points and taking the
lead,
11-8.
The
Wolverines
fought their way back to a 12-12
tie after a blistering kill by
Jones. Hart responded with her
own attack, putting the Gophers
up one. Jones countered with
a block to tie the set up again
at 13-13. A mishandled ball by
Michigan dropped to the court.
Match point, Minnesota. The
Gophers took the set, 15-13,
after Robinson was blocked,
completing the reverse sweep.
“In the fifth set, there was
little swings in momentum on
both teams,” Rosen said. “It was
a two point game in the end.”
The close loss visibly hurt the
Wolverines. They walked off
the court into the tunnel with
their heads down, having to
prepare for a bout against No. 6
Wisconsin in just two days.
NICHOLAS STOLL
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Senior outside hitter Sydney Wetterstrom had two key kills in the fifth set to temporarily give Michigan an edge.