18 — Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
The spotlight often eludes
Nick Blankenburg.
The
junior
defenseman
is overlooked in Michigan’s
star-studded defensive group.
Freshman
Owen
Power
is
the
potential
number
one
overall pick in next year’s
NHL draft. Sophomore Cam
York captained the USA World
Juniors team that won gold last
month.
But despite the lack of
recognition, Blankenburg still
finds a way to thrive.
“I don’t think that bothers
Nick at all,” Michigan coach
Mel Pearson said. “He just
plays. There’s not much that
rattles him, he’s just a hockey
player.”
During his freshman year,
Blankenburg
had
just
two
goals and eight assists but led
the Wolverines in plus-minus
at plus-11. Last season, he
produced more offensively —
putting up four goals and 12
assists — but his plus-minus
was down significantly at plus-
3. This year, he’s putting it all
together.
Through
sixteen
games,
Blankenburg has four goals and
seven assists, and those 11 points
are good enough for third among
all Big Ten defensemen. He also
boasts a plus-minus of plus-12,
the second best on the team.
“He skates, adds offense,
plays hard (and) physical,”
Pearson said. “And he’s just
engaged. I don’t know if I’ve
ever had to tell him to pick it
up.”
Blankenburg has become a
workhorse for Michigan and
developed
into
a
two-way
threat. He’s found a home
on a line with Power and the
pair complement each other
well. They have boosted the
Wolverines’ power play — each
contributing two goals on the
man advantage.
“I’ve really liked playing
with him,” Power said on Nov.
24. “He’s such a good skater;
so quick and so fast. We can
both play tight, stay up on the
forwards and have trust in each
other where if one of us gets
beat, we could help them.”
Throughout
his
career,
Blankenburg
has
always
carried a subtle confidence to
his game. He never gets caught
up with the distractions or
complains about his role. He
puts his head down and grinds.
“He just loves playing the
game,” Pearson said. “He just
comes to the rink and does his
job and plays hard every day.
There’s no attitude, there’s no
cockiness to him. And there’s
no entitlement to him, he just
comes in and plays and that’s
what makes him so special.”
Those characteristics have
made
a
lasting
impression
on his teammates and are
why they voted him alternate
captain
this
year.
Adding
Blankenburg to the leadership
group has been important for
keeping the team together as
they navigate a season through
the COVID-19 pandemic.
However,
if
there’s
one
knock on Blankenburg’s game
this season, it’s the amount
of penalties he’s taken. In
35 games last year, he only
committed
seven
penalties.
This year, he’s already up to
six. But Pearson isn’t deterred
by Blankenburg spending more
time in the box. He thinks
that the penalties are more a
by-product of Blankenburg’s
highly competitive nature than
a sign of undisciplined play.
“I’ve had to tell him to
relax and calm down a little
bit because he goes after
it so hard,” Pearson said.
“Sometimes he gets wound up
and he really gets into it.”
Blankenburg
may
never
garner the attention or the
awards
that
some
of
his
teammates get. But his work
ethic
and
the
consistent
effort he brings has earned
the respect of his teammates
and
his
coaches,
and
the
team knows he’s vital to the
Wolverines success.
“(He’s) as tough — pound for
pound — as anybody maybe in
our league, maybe in college
hockey,” Pearson said. “He
might be our most valuable
player.”
RYAN LITTLE/Daily
Michigan defenseman Owen Power has come into his own after the beginning of the second part of the season.
JOSH TAUBMAN
Daily Sports Writer
JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily
Michigan guard Akienreh Johnson brings a unique contribution to the team’s roster of players.
Blankenburg quietly produces for
‘M’ defense
RYAN LITTLE/Daily
Michigan defenseman Nick Blankenburg quietly commands his defense amongst more talented players.
Akienreh Johnson does it all.
The fifth-year senior guard
has been an integral part of
the No. 13 Michigan women’s
basketball team’s 10-1 start
to the season. While junior
forward Naz Hillmon usually
takes the spotlight with her
perennially dominant outings,
Johnson uses her experience to
fill in the gaps on both ends of
the floor.
On the offensive end, her
scoring ability is a valuable
asset to the Wolverines’ attack.
She averages 11.8 points per
game, good enough to be the
team’s
third-leading
scorer.
Given the recent absence of
junior guard Leigha Brown,
Michigan’s
second-leading
scorer, Johnson has stepped
up to fill the void. In the last
three games, she’s averaged 15
points.
Johnson’s aggressive nature
is a defining characteristic of
her offense — it creates trips
to the free-throw line and
sparks momentum for the
Wolverines. When offensive
production
is
lagging,
Johnson’s not afraid to get in
the lane and make something
happen. Her ability to drive
and dish is an important facet
of Michigan’s offense and
averaging three assists per
game, she works well with
Hillmon down low.
Defensively,
Johnson
is
arguably Michigan’s biggest
asset.
She
often
guards
opposing teams’ top guards
and has been successful in
keeping
them
contained.
Against Wisconsin, she held
guard Sydney Hilliard, who
averages 17 points per game on
the season, to just one point.
“(Johnson) doesn’t get a ton
of credit all the time for the
things that she does that don’t
show up in the box score, but
she guards the other team’s
best player and she takes that
to heart,” Wolverines’ coach
Kim Barnes Arico said after
the game against the Badgers
on Jan. 14. “(Johnson) was
guarding (Hilliard) tonight,
and (Hilliard) didn’t score
a point on her. She came out
of the game and I just said,
‘unbelievable.’ ”
Johnson has also contributed
to
Michigan’s
number
one
ranking in rebounding in the
Big Ten, averaging 5.8 per game.
Being a tall guard standing at
6-foot-0, she crashes boards
and assists Hillmon in keeping
the ball away from opposing
teams.
“Akienreh Johnson is, I think
the best defender in the Big
Ten, one of the best defenders
in the country,” Barnes Arico
said after the Northwestern
game on Jan. 3. “She’s up to
every challenge, and she does
a great job of really locking in.”
Overall,
her
numbers
aren’t flashy, in fact, they’re
comparable to the rest of
the starters on the team. But
Johnson’s ability to do a little
of everything is what keeps
her on the floor. She reads the
floor well and fills in where
other players lack, making her
invaluable in the lineup.
ABBIE TELGENHOF
Daily Sports Writer
Johnson’s defensive prowess proves
vital to Michigan’s high-flying team
Senior
forward
Chaundee
Brown Jr. elevated for a putback
slam, putting the finishing touches
on a dominant 77-54 win for the
Michigan men’s basketball team
on Jan. 12. As Brown dismounted
from the rim, the bench went into
a frenzy, jumping and screaming
as if to turn Crisler Center into a
rocking full house for just a few
short moments.
This scene is one of many
examples of the energy the
Wolverines’
second
unit
has
brought to coach Juwan Howard’s
club this season. Even when
the starters are on the floor, the
bench has created somewhat of a
spectacle on the sidelines. Led by
Jace Howard, the self-proclaimed
“Bench Mob” has become an
unmistakable and essential sight
of every Michigan game.
“It really helps having an
engaged bench, and I think it
makes everything a lot more fun,”
sophomore wing Franz Wagner
said after the win against the
Badgers.
As effective as their passion is
off the court, the bench has also
provided consistent production,
making Michigan one of the
deepest teams in the nation.
Brown, in particular, has fit in
seamlessly in his first campaign
in Ann Arbor, averaging 8.8 points
per game and shooting just under
40% from the 3-point range, while
also emerging as one of the top
perimeter defenders in the Big
Ten. Even though he was a three-
year starter at Wake Forest, Brown
understands his role as a spark
plug off the bench at Michigan.
“Coach Howard always talks
about sacrificing,” Brown said
after an 80-58 win over UCF.
“We’re sacrificing a lot of things
that on other teams, we would’ve
been star players or starting but
we’re taking a second role on a
winning team. We’re just always
ready.”
The
Wolverines’
bench
production
doesn’t
end
with
Brown. Junior forward Brandon
Johns Jr. has proven to be a
serviceable backup ‘5’ off the
bench and is shooting 63% from
3-point range. Freshman forward
Terrance Williams and freshman
guard Zeb Jackson have helped
to provide energy in their first
collegiate campaigns, and senior
forward/center Austin Davis has
built off last year’s breakout season
after returning from a plantar
fasciitis injury.
“We have a very deep team,”
Howard said after the win over
UCF. “Our thing is all hands on
deck. And game-by-game, it’s
always being evaluated on what’s
giving us the bench chance. But
we’re gonna need everyone this
season, it’s that simple. I’ll make
sure everyone gets the chance to
play.”
On Dec. 31 in an 84-73 win
Maryland, the Wolverines went
on a 31-9 second half run, in part
due to an impressive defensive
showing. After the game, though,
Howard gave credit not only to
the players on the court during the
run, but also the energy brought by
his reserves on the sidelines.
“I give all the credit to the
defense, and I also give all the
credit to those guys that were
sitting on the bench bringing that
energy,” Howard said after the
game. “And that’s what keyed our
run. The defensive disposition
and also the energy from the guys
that hadn’t even checked into the
game or the guys that were taking
a breather that were sitting on
the bench, breathing life into the
players that were on the floor.”
Even when they aren’t playing,
Michigan’s
“Bench
Mob”
is
finding ways to affect the game.
With a tough Big Ten slate
awaiting the Wolverines once play
resumes, the bench will surely
continue to bring the energy and,
more importantly, be ready to
contribute on the floor when their
numbers are called.
TEDDY GUTKIN
Daily Sports Writer
Power enjoys impressive season
away from Canadian spotlight
Owen
Power
knew
the
expectations on him this season
were lofty. Coming into the season
as a potential top pick in the
2021 NHL Draft, the freshman
defenseman’s star only shone
brighter following a three-point
performance in his Michigan
debut.
In the nine games that followed,
though, Power registered only
a single assist. Despite his low
offensive output, Power never
looked out of place in the college
game — he’s a highly-touted
prospect for a reason. He was
still one of the Wolverines’ best
defensemen even as his offensive
game lagged a bit behind.
It’s fair to wonder if all of the
potential
distractions
Power
faced in the first half of the season
ever got in his head. On top of
the draft, the controversy over
whether or not Power would be
attending Canada’s World Juniors
camp proved to be a constant
talking point.
“I think the decision to have
me stay here and play was fine,”
Power told reporters on Jan. 11.
“I think either way it was a good
decision. So I think just being
able to stay here and kind of just
develop with the team was a good
decision.”
Power said all the right things
about not attending World Juniors
and has said the draft has not been
a distraction, but his play in the
second half of the season tells a
different story. The combination
of an extended break, extra
practice time and the experience
Power has gained is likely behind
his improvement, but it’s fair to
assume that the lack of World
Junior’s chatter has played a role.
“There
were
a
lot
of
distractions, and we have to make
sure that we really put that behind
us and the outside noise and just
focus in on our team,” Michigan
coach Mel Pearson said. “We do
that (and) I think you’ll see a real
good second half.”
While Pearson was talking
about the team as a whole, Power
has epitomized his sentiment,
especially offensively. In the
six games since the Wolverines
returned from their break, Power
has accumulated eight points.
While plus/minus doesn’t fully
convey a player’s impact, Power
is a plus-8 in those six games. In
Michigan’s first 10 games, he was
a plus-1, which is telling.
The biggest difference for
Power lies in getting more
shots through. He has put
multiple shots on net in six of
the Wolverines’ last nine games,
after doing so just twice in their
first seven.
This
change
has
forced
opposing teams to respect his
shot even more in the offensive
zone, opening up chances for
his teammates. And Power has
learned how to take advantage of
that.
In a Jan. 22 win against Notre
Dame, Power showed just how
dangerous he can be when teams
view him as a shooting threat.
With the puck at the point,
Power convincingly faked a shot,
drawing the attention of multiple
Fighting
Irish
players
and
leaving senior forward Michael
Pastujov open at the right circle.
Power dished it off and Pastujov
converted.
Power’s
evolution
into
a
consistent offensive threat has
also paid dividends for Michigan’s
power play, with Power’s unit
scoring four goals on the man
advantage since the break.
“We lean on (the freshmen)
a little bit more in the second
half because they know the
expectations and the standards of
our program now and how hard
it is in the Big Ten,” Pearson said.
“When you first start you have to
be careful with them.”
Transitioning to the college
game is difficult for any player,
even one of Power’s stature.
The players are older and more
experienced and the games are
more physical. Add the potential
of being the first overall pick in
the upcoming NHL Draft and it
makes sense that other players
have stolen the spotlight in the
first half.
But now, with all the possible
distractions in the rearview mirror
and 16 games under his belt, Power
continues to show, game after
game, why those expectations
were so high in the first place.
JACK KINGSLEY
Daily Sports Editor
JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily
Michigan guard Zeb Jackson helps keep the team’s spirits up.
Wolverine bench sparks their team on
and off the court