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Thursday, October 10, 2019

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Faceoff

The Daily hockey beat breaks down the season

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Michigan woman takes case on Washtenaw discrimination to Supreme Court County sprayed Aimee Stephens fired from job after telling her boss she was transgender

to combat the spread of EEE

Deadly disease with no cure or vaccine can lead to rare brain infections MICHAL RUPRECHT Daily Staff Reporter

DESIGN BY LAUREN KUZEE

MADELINE MCLAUGHLIN & BEN ROSENFELD Daily Staff Reporters

Garden City resident Aimee Stephens became a funeral director for one reason: to help people. Despite facing hardship in her personal life, Stephens found comfort in the knowledge she enabled individuals to memorialize those they loved. Stephens, a transgender woman, said she knew she was a woman from the age of five. After a lifetime of suppressing her identity,

Stephens began to live as a woman, dressing as a man only while at work in the funeral home’s distinct male and female uniforms. Stephens had worked at R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Home in Garden City for nearly six years. In 2013, her lifelong internal struggle with gender identity came to a head, and Stephens decided to announce her intention to live fully as a woman to her co-workers. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Stephens described the

moment she told her boss her gender identity — through a letter. “We just went into the chapel to talk … I gave him the letter, he read it, he folded it up and put it in his coat pocket, and he said, ‘I’ll have to think about this,’” Stephens said. She went on to recount the moment her boss fired her. “That was pretty much all that was said for two weeks … he comes back in one afternoon and he says … ‘This is not going to work.’ That’s

pretty much all he said, and he handed me basically a letter firing me and offering me what I took it to be as hush money to keep my mouth shut, and basically sign away any rights I may or may not have,” Stephens said. Instead of accepting the money, Stephens sued with the backing of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency enforcing civil rights law against workplace discrimination. See DISCRIMINATION, Page 3A

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Transfer Religion professor discusses book students on Latinx Muslim community talk credit Dr. Harold D. Morales speaks at event in honor of Latinx Heritage Month challenges ACADEMICS

JASMIN LEE

Individuals also cite having to re-take entry level courses, discuss issues with graduation ALEX HARRING Daily Staff Reporter

When LSA junior Zoe Garden arrived on campus this semester as a transfer student, she had completed many beginner and upper-level courses in communications — including an entry-level communication studies course — at her previous school. Yet, because of the University of Michigan’s transfer requirements, she found herself enrolling in Communication Studies 101 this semester. “I always say that I feel like a freshman here on campus, because I obviously don’t know the campus as well and stuff like that, but sometimes being in these classes with all these freshmen, you just kind of feel like you’re out of place,” Garden said. “You come here to Michigan for more opportunities, but I feel like I’m being set back more than pushed forward sometimes.” Garden, who transferred to the University from Oakland University, a four-year college located in Auburn Hills, Mich., said introductory communication courses at the two schools were comparable — both were 100-level courses in the Communication & Media department covering similar subject matter. See TRANSFER , Page 3A

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Daily Staff Reporter

About 56 students, faculty and community members came to Haven Hall Wednesday to hear Morgan State University professor Harold D. Morales speak about his new book, “Latino and Muslim in America: Race, Religion, and the Making of a New Minority.” The event was sponsored by the Romance Languages and Literature, Global Islamic Studies Center, Department of American Culture, Multi-Ethnic Student

Affairs, Latina/o Studies and La Casa. Morales started off with statistics of Latinx Muslim representation in the United States population. According to Morales’s research, there is a high concentration of Latinx Muslims in Northeastern and West Coast states, including California and New York. In addition, he said by the year 2043, the United States will be the first nation where the current racial minority populations will outnumber the racial majority population.

As an example of a prominent Latinx Muslim, Morales shared a video of Hamza Perez, a Puerto Rican-American rapper who converted to Islam. In the video, Perez labeled himself as “America’s Worst Nightmare” because of his shared identities as Puerto Rican, Muslim and a rapper. Morales said he disagrees with the idea that being a minority is a negative feature. “So, he’s got all of these things that are often portrayed as negative stereotypes and they’re lumped all together, and

all of a sudden, it’s amplifying the negativity somehow,” Morales said. “Why in the world would you choose to increase your marginality? Why would you choose to increase the discrimination that you will experience? There are certain assumptions that are being made about what is lacking and what is Islam or Islamic identity, and I think that’s really telling and important to keep in mind.”

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Opinion

4A — Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

SAMANTHA SZUHAJ | COLUMN

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MARY ROLFES | COLUMN

Saturdays aren’t just for the boys

hen I visited Boston during the 2018 World Series, I had one objective in mind: to celebrate. I had heard legendary stories of the city’s post-win celebrations and had sort of taken part in one after the Patriots’ 2017 Super Bowl comeback, being a freshman at a Boston-area college at the time. As the Red Sox came inning by inning closer to claiming the title, my excitement at the prospect of an after-party grew. But by paying attention to the game and only the game, I failed to notice the signs that this celebration wouldn’t be nearly as legendary as I was hoping — at least, not for me. After the final out, my friends and I headed to Boston Common, the city’s central public park, in an effort to join the city-wide celebration. When I arrived, what I discovered was not a welcoming celebration but an overgrown boys’ club. The gathering was dominated by college-aged men chanting insults at one another, acting physically aggressive and vandalizing public property – and, of course, there was the unmissable presence of several red, white and blue flags proclaiming in all capital letters, “Saturdays are for the boys.” This was not a celebration for the Red Sox or even the city. This was a demonstration of hegemonic masculinity and its ability to dominate every possible public space and exclude those unwilling or unable to join in. And it was perpetuated, in part, by social media. Fan groups have the potential to bring a community together. They can facilitate community initiatives, raise awareness and have even helped a city heal from tragedy. This unifying ability is certainly present at the University of Michigan, home to the biggest stadium in the U.S. Unfortunately, sportsfan culture in the United States is entrenched in toxic ideas of masculinity. While this has been true for decades, the inception of social media has significantly increased the pervasiveness of misogyny by providing an outlet for the widespread manifestation of these aggressive and sexist practices. By utilizing their platforms to normalize and celebrate sexism, infighting and outright violence in athletics, sports social media tends to highlight the worst aspects of fan culture, dividing communities

rather than uniting them. By reconsidering the impact these platforms have on our culture, and especially on our campus, we can support a more positive social media presence surrounding our teams and embrace fan culture as the welcoming, communitybuilding environment it has the potential to be. Social media has given us the ability to connect with others, spread ideas and create a more connected global community. Unfortunately, its impacts do have some downsides, and many social media outlets have served as a platform for perpetuating toxic attitudes, including those surrounding college athletics. One culprit is especially relevant to our campus: Barstool Sports. Barstool was launched in 2003 by U-M alum Dave Portnoy. Since its founding, the site and its many affiliates have gained significant social media influence, posting content

Sports-fan culture in the U.S. is entrenched in toxic ideas of masculinity related to sports and college culture with a consistently misogynistic undertone. Portnoy has been a controversial figure in sports media. While some have praised him for his dedication to “unabashed masculinity” and anti-politically correct comedy, these qualities have drawn heavy criticism from others. For many years, he has been the embodiment of problematic behaviors in sports fan culture. He is vocally anti-union, claiming on Twitter that he would fire any employee who dared to consider the possibility of unionizing. This statement caught the attention of U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as Portnoy’s anti-union threats are a violation of national labor laws. Not even two weeks later, he had a few choice words — well, one especially sexist choice word — in reaction to Andrew Luck’s retirement announcement. Portnoy’s problematic attitude is not isolated, either.

This aggression and sexism pervades Barstool Sports and its affiliates. On the main site, Sex Scandal Teachers is a recurring segment in which women charged with sexually assaulting minors are “graded” based on their looks and morals, using language that blames victims and trivializes sexual abuse. Barstool’s affiliates — many of which are crafted for specific colleges — often engage in sharing similarly misogynistic content. This includes their “Smokeshow” series in which female college students are evaluated based on their adherence to traditional beauty standards, representing the prevalence of the male gaze in college sports culture and implying those who don’t meet their standards are not welcome. Their ethos of “Saturdays are for the boys” is a summation of real, dangerous attitudes about who does and who doesn’t belong on gameday. As students at a university with a massive presence in collegiate athletics, it is important to consider the impacts these attitudes have on our campus community and on college sports. This isn’t necessarily a mandate to boycott Barstool — after all, what would we do without #GoodBoyFriday? But consider calling them out when they use their platform to spread hateful, demeaning messages. Barstool has a significant influence in college culture, including on our campus — Barstool Blue, U-M’s affiliate, has over 50,000 followers on Instagram and another 33,000 on Twitter. By holding these outlets to higher standards, we can set an example for canceling out the aggressive, toxic aspects of the fan culture of collegiate sports in favor of creating an environment welcoming to everyone. While it may seem these masculine ideals are embedded within the institution of sport, they are perpetuated in large part by individual actions — which means individuals also have the capability to combat them. It’s almost impossible not to root for Michigan — The Killers themselves have even said so. When we belt out “Mr. Brightside,” let’s do it in a place where everyone feels welcome to join in. Mary Rolfes can be reached at morolfes@umich.edu.

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Choosing yourself isn’t selfish

constantly face this personal outcomes, which internal dilemma: Should will benefit the lives of those I do what is easiest, or around you. This is a complete paradigm shift should I do what is from everything we best for me? have been told. But This school year is it true? has presented me There is a with numerous societal stigma situations of around putting differing gravity yourself first that with the common is synonymous with thread of internal blatant disregard conf lict. Should I for others. Putting spend time with my SAMANTHA yourself first can friends that I have SZUHAJ be frowned upon, not seen recently, or should I take time to unwind and we are socialized to alone? Should I say yes to think in this way early in something just because I know life. I can vividly remember people will be disappointed if my parents and teachers I don’t, or should I do what reinforcing the concept that would be the more suitable we should put others before option for myself? Should I ourselves and to put ourselves act in the interests of others all of the time, or should I consider my own feelings more heavily? I know some of the answers to these hypotheticals seem self-explanatory, but as someone who, like most, would rather entirely refrain from saying or doing something that upsets or disappoints someone, these situations pose genuine internal backin someone else’s shoes before and-forth. If college has taught me we make a decision, and I anything, it’s that there is a know this was not a unique beauty and a sense of maturity experience. These are all considerations, in determining that sometimes poignant the decision that may not be and I, by no means, want to popular or expected may be disregard or devalue them. the best decision in the long I believe each of us should run. I have and continue to go through these thought intentionally struggle with accepting the processes fact that, sometimes, it is OK and thoughtfully. Yet I also to put yourself first, even if believe that there is value in it feels strange or will incur prioritizing your own wellbeing. judgement. It seems like an obvious An April Medium article critiques the construct of conclusion to reach, but I know selfishness. It states that that so many of us struggle to being selfish is conversely make decisions that may be self less. Putting yourself personally beneficial due to a first, it arg ues, will in turn variety of factors — including, generate more positive but not limited to, appeasing

Sometimes, it is OK to put yourself first, even if it feels strange

other’s feelings, pressure from friends or family, or pressure from ourselves. I am g uilty of this. I go places, watch speakers or attend events, just because I expect myself to, even if I genuinely have little interest in the matter. With that, as this year ramps up, and I find myself running from one thing to the next, I am going to try and carve out more time for me. It could be as simple as giving myself a break to watch a show or go to bed an hour earlier one night. I think we could all do a little bit of the same. It’s funny that the concept of prioritizing yourself can be seen as selfish, but picking to go to bed early over going to something that you feel obligated to attend just because, may make you overall just a happier human being. We have culturally shifted into a dialog ue that sometimes neglects the importance of self-care and internal ref lection so to ensure that others are appeased or that we are keeping up an image or persona that we have become accustomed to maintaining. I think we need to start moving away from those compulsions as a means to be a generally more fulfilled society. I am not advocating for cruelty or a general disregard toward others. Instead, I am advocating for your internal dialog ue as a compass for your decision-making instead of what society expects or what those around you want. Start doing more for you, even if it may be tough. I know I am going to try.

Samantha Szuhaj can be reached at szuhajs@umich.edu.

ANIK JOSHI | COLUMN

How did We get here and what’s next?

he We Company their own cars for Uber, Lyf t (formerly known as and DoorDash — they do not WeWork), a massive drive cars owned by those companies. Along coworking and these lines, We off ice space does not own all of company, was its real estate. once the honor of The valuations Sof tbank. Sof tbank were neither is a Japanese based on cash conglomerate f low nor assets, so that has been what then could making a name for it be? The real itself via massive answer lies in a investments either ANIK deeper issue with directly or from JOSHI venture capital its subsidiar y, the Vision Fund. We today — companies that represented years of work primarily use sof t ware are and development and was getting treated as sof t ware one of t wo shining jewels companies, which is having in Sof tbank’s crown — the other, of course, being Uber. All of the good press and positivit y culminated in an eye-popping $47 billion valuation for We that recently fell so fast and hard that their IPO was temporarily pulled. Valuations are meant to be based on numbers and We shouldn’t have fallen as quickly as it did, but the downfall might have demonstrated that it was the incredible ramif ications on end of an era. We’s $47 billion valuation their valuations. A similarit y is big, but it is not out of the bet ween these startups and norm. In May 2019, Uber was sof t ware companies is that valued at $82 billion at their sof t ware companies of ten IPO and in March 2019 Lyf t run big losses at the start but was at $24.3 billion during eventually turn prof itable their IPO. In addition, because the marg inal cost is DoorDash is planning to go close to zero and products public with a valuation of can scale ver y eff iciently. $12.6 billion in 2020. Each This is not quite true with of these four companies Uber, Lyf t, DoorDash or We. shares a few traits that made None of these companies can these valuations especially scale like sof t ware. Nor can noteworthy. A big one is a the cost be that low, because lack of prof itabilit y. Uber the constraints for them are different. reported a $5 billion dollar f undamentally loss during their second Uber, Lyf t and DoorDash are earnings report, Lyf t lost constrained by the amount $644.2 million during that of people who can and want same period, DoorDash to perform the ser vice, and was still not prof itable, and We is constrained by the fact f inally, We lost $900 million that they are unable to buy during the f irst six months of more buildings because the marg inal cost for skyscrapers 2019. So why then were these is not one that t ypically companies’ valuations so trends downwards — there high if not for their prof it is no t wo-for-three special and loss statements? Could it on Empire State Buildings. be the assets they held? Not We’s entire business model quite, since Uber, Lyf t and is based on acquiring real DoorDash don’t really have estate to turn into coworking many assets. People drive spaces. That well eventually

What does this mean for the wider field of startups?

runs dr y though, and the marg inal cost never falls off. This problem has been compounded by the fact that a lot of successf ul startups (especially in Silicon Valley) have been sof t ware companies. As a result, when sof t ware is key to a company’s bottom line, investors are more interested in helping to secure f unding because they feel that the valuation could rocket up. The crucial difference is that while all of these companies use sof t ware, some are actually companies whose bottom line is dependent on sof t ware (Snapchat App, Facebook Website and Instag ram App) and some are companies that merely use sof t ware. They make their money off of car rides, deliveries or rentable off ice space. So, where does We go from here and what does this mean for the wider f ield of startups? We is probably not a $47 billion company, and most startups are not either. In the f uture, more attention should be paid to these things prior to f iling a securit y reg istr y form, also known as an S-1. Does this mean that the idea behind We — coworking — is done? It’s doubtf ul. Coworking will still be a lucrative market as more and more companies eschew modern off ices and embrace working from home. Regarding startups more broadly, this is a time for a conversation to understand why companies should be valued the way they are and what that value is really based on. If it is based on lots of g rowth, with a ver y slight potential for prof itabilit y, then obviously the system is in need of being reworked. If the We saga can lead to venture capitalists rethinking some of their strateg ies with regard to investing and valuation, perhaps We’re not so screwed af ter all. Anik Joshi can be reached at anikj@umich.edu.

Arts

5A — Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

The Booker Prize 2019: Reviews and Predictions JOHN DECKER

Daily Book Review Editor

Landing its 50th award ceremony next week, The Booker Prize has proven its intention to stick around in the literary sphere. It’s a prize that writers and readers alike slobber over, and it’s difficult not to. The contestant list showcases names that are both golden (Atwood, say, or Rushdie) and brand new (Ellman) that give readers a vetted reading list, one certain to take a few months to conquer. The winner of the prize takes home £50,000 and historically has seen their novel skyrocket in sales. This year’s field plays things somewhat safe. Controversy bubbled when Margaret Atwood’s sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale” was locked into the shortlist before it was even released. Previous winner and household name Salman Rushdie has made this finalist position, also. At the same time, though, the

year’s shortlist includes three people of color and four women — perhaps its most diverse arena yet. One novel, over 1,000 pages in length, strings along as almost a single sentence. Another tackles sex work in West Asia. Though perhaps prone to mistakes familiar to literary prizes, The Booker has proven its competence and ability to ride along in the evolving environment of literature. Last year, The Daily Book Review took on the shortlist. We were especially struck by the winner, Anna Burn’s “Milkman,” and Sally Rooney’s “Normal People.” We were less thrilled by otherchallengers. This year, we’ve broadened our scope to both the long and short lists — 10 of the 13 novels in total — in an attempt to evaluate the contenders. We’ve selected two winners: one we see as most likely to win, and one that we (given a perfect world, or perhaps a different prize) wish would win. Full reviews for each of the books can be found on The Michigan Daily website.

THE LONGLIST

The Shortlist PREDICTED PRIZE WINNER: Salman Rushdie, ‘Quichotte’ Making the 2019 shortlist, “Quichotte” protracts the practice of bold and expansive writing that won Salman Rushdie The Booker Prize in 1981. Only this time he widens the lens of his story even further: Rushdie packs more than five stories (quite suitably) side-by-side. While the modern variation of “Don Quixote” and tales of reality television celebrities can sometimes feel jarring and a bit too unrealistic, they never lose their effusive, compelling charm. Rushdie tackles politics through an indirect frame that still feels familiar — absurd scenarios that still manifest in a recognizable world — while maintaining tales of love and action drowning in enthusiasm. “Quichotte” is an easy pick for The Booker Prize. Its place on the shortlist is certainly well earned. Rushdie’s calculated psychosis is chaotic enough to check the experimental category, while Mr. Rushdie’s namesake and levelheaded themes ground the work enough to poise it for customary literary praise. — John Decker, Daily Book Review Editor

Margaret Atwood, ‘The Testaments’ “The Testaments” has a solid chance at winning this year’s Booker Prize. Atwood is a seasoned Booker nominee, winning the award nearly 20 years ago for her wonderful novel “The Blind Assassin,” and her name is easily the most recognizable and widely beloved out of all the contenders. Should it win, though? In my eyes, no. “The Testaments,” though creatively imagined and compassionately narrated, is mediocre in nearly every other respect. Its characters are dull, its prose is unremarkable and occasionally embarrassing to read and, perhaps most notably, it is simply unnecessary. Everything it tries to say about the current political climate, the status of modern women and the unspeakable horrors of the world it constructs is more effectively and more movingly expressed in its predecessor “The Handmaid’s Tale.” “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a fascinating novel because of how confined it is, because its scope allows for the existence of a fully developed, fully human narrator. “The Testaments” suffers by straying from this format, developing three voices that ultimately aren’t nearly as compelling because they aren’t given enough room to evolve. The massive scope of the novel prevents any of the elements it contains and all of the complexities that come with them from being explored in the way they deserve to be explored: with care and thoroughness. “The Testaments” lays the groundwork for three potentially Booker-worthy novels, but it itself is not one of them. — Elise Godfryd, Daily Arts Writer

COURTESY OF EMMA CHANG

OUR WINNER: Lucy Ellmann, ‘Ducks, Newburyport’ Sometime in September it seemed like everyone was suddenly aware of Lucy Ellmann. Her seventh novel, the nearly thousand-page “Ducks, Newburyport,” immediately put her on the radar of both mainstream magazine writers and my bookish friends, who were immediately curious about the enormous orange book I was reading. Its eyebrow-raising formal experimentation and burning focus on a middle-aged woman’s internal monologue was enough to get several bemused, vaguely admiring articles published about it in advance of its release. Is it really that long? Is it really just one sentence? It has the feeling of importance surrounding it in a way that could feel a bit contrived — it’s a novel whose form seems to be well-suited for “this is everything” headlines. The thing is, the book holds up, and a read of it makes one aware of how insufficient its press was. Ellmann nails the idiosyncratic speech cadences of a middle-aged midwesterner, and has a joyous, sensual attention to images and sound that makes the book’s infinite stream tumble and crackle like a cascading river. It’s a reading experience that is like no other — jarring and immersive all at once. If it seems sometimes like the novel as a form has stalled out or retrenched, expending itself in 150-page books with dreamy forms and no quotation marks, Ellmann makes the case for a wholly different approach to the novel, one as free-associative and playful as it is incisive, political and demanding. Although perhaps too left of center and experimental for The Booker committee’s pick, “Ducks” is the choice we see as — given no restrictions — the fitting winner of the 2019 prize. — Emily Yang, Daily Arts Writer

COURTESY OF EMMA CHANG

Chigozie Obioma, ‘An Orchestra of Minorities’ “An Orchestra of Minorities” is an excellent addition to the 2019 Booker Prize shortlist. The love story set in West Africa and Cyprus remixes “The Odyssey” and “Romeo and Juliet” with Nigerian Igbo cosmology and modern depictions of race and class. It’s worth the read if only for Obioma’s meticulously crafted echoes: Mundane physical descriptions ring with overarching metaphor and the satirical narration style rhymes with other critiques of the West. Obioma’s prose is always engaging, if sometimes over the top: Readers will complete “An Orchestra” with enough descriptions of the characters’ body parts that the symbolism begins to crumble. But, the brilliant commentary on the shortcomings of empathy and love make “An Orchestra” a great read. Whether it has the experimental chops to fit in with past Booker Prize winners is another matter. Even if the innovative point of view doesn’t push Obioma’s book far enough, the book’s Kubrick-like attention to detail at every level makes it a must-read for 2019. — Lukas Taylor, Daily Arts Writer

Elif Shafak, ‘10 Minutes and 37 Seconds in this Strange World’ Shafak’s “10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World” opens with the death of Tequila Lelia. With each minute, we follow the trajectory of her life. We watch as Leila develops from a naive adolescent into a more cautious and disillusioned adult, carefully chronicling the exact events that eventually lead to her lifestyle as an Istanbul sex worker. “10 Minutes” goes beyond the typical coming-of-age novel. Readers are forced to ruminate deeply about the horrors that Lelia faced. It’s true that some things may have progressed since the mid-20th century, but there’s still a pervasive air of exploitation that’s evident today. It’s a call to action against the oppressive patriarchy. While Shafak is a master at flowery prose, the style somewhat distracts from the harsh life that Lelia endured. For its particular attention to the history, culture, beautiful imagery and challenging narrative, “10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World” certainly deserves to be on The Booker shortlist. Nonetheless, its execution in the portrayals of Lelia’s life could’ve been handled better. Instead of feeling Lelia’s plight, it’s easy to dwell on the romanticized aspects of the book. — Sarah Salman, Daily Arts Writer

The Longlist John Lanchester, ‘The Wall’ What previous shortlister John Lanchester writes in “The Wall” is an effective standard-tier novel and a less effective evaluation of climate change. The postenvironmental catastrophe book envisions a future United Kingdom in which an entire world of climate refugees are blocked from entering the country by way of a 10,000 kilometer-long wall. Kavanagh, the story’s central guard, lathers readers with a colloquial but refreshing command of language that depicts the wall, the society it protects and those it protects society from. When things go south, Kavanagh and his love interest are forced off the island and into the rising seas. “The Wall” is enticing, but by the final pages leaves only the impression of a standard young adult pageturner — exciting, but without much more substance to comprehend. Perhaps most disappointing is the potential for climate commentary Lanchester envisions but never completes in more than a general sense. In the same tier of “My Sister, the Serial Killer,” the work is stirring and well-written, but not breathtaking. Despite its imperfections, “The Wall” is perhaps the fastest read on the longlist and increasingly relevant. — John Decker, Daily Book Review Editor

Oyinkan Braithwaite, ‘My Sister, the Serial Killer’ The second longlisted book to be set in Nigeria, “My Sister” holds its ground as an enticing thriller. The story circles Korede, a nurse who spends her time quite naturally: attending to family matters, falling hopelessly for a doctor at the hospital she works at and cleaning up after her sister, Ayoola, when she kills men. Things disintegrate expectedly when Ayoola begins dating the doctor Korede is interested in, and her habit of slaying men threatens everything Korede knows intimately.

The Booker foundation has steadfastly selected long, lush prose novels year after year, and this year’s shortlist seems to be largely reaped from the pool of preesxisting Booker honeys

Braithwaite’s debut is seeped in flashback scenes and jolting moments of dread that make it obvious why the novel has sold quite well. But its flat prose and inability to handle consistent themes hinder its ability to compete with more traditional novels. This, in part, is certainly due to the restrictions the thriller medium imposes on Briathwaite’s writing. There are merits to “My Sister” in its own right. The novel raises important questions and retains readers’ attention. But there is little surprise that it didn’t reach high enough to hurdle to the shortlist, or for that matter, win the final prize. — John Decker, Daily Book Review Editor

Kevin Barry, ‘Night Boat to Tangier’ “Night Boat to Tangier” by Kevin Barry is undeniably worthy of a recommendation to any fan of fiction. That said, The Booker Prize is designated for books that approach perfection, so a fairly enjoyable book unfortunately does not get past the longlist. Still, the longlist is a suitable home to Barry’s new novel. Barry deserves immense praise for his surreal ability to take on the voice of career criminals. The manner in which he evokes empathy from the despicable owners of these voices is equally commendable. The novel depicts an aggressive drug smuggler, well past his prime, as he waits for his long

COURTESY OF JOHN DECKER

estranged daughter in a decrepit port as she may or may not be on a boat arriving from Tangier. The scenes in the port are nearly flawless, and the rapidfire conversations between Maurice and his longtime partner in crime, Charlie, carry an authenticity and tempo that cannot be paralleled. However, the flashbacks, which make up the majority of the novel, do not even come close to this caliber. At times they function more as commercial breaks, with the reader dying to get back to the port. — Andrew Pluta, Daily Arts Writer

Deborah Levy, ‘The Man Who Saw Everything’ “The Man Who Saw Everything” isn’t up for the big prize in this year’s Booker awards. It still received adequate recognition from the judging panel with its longlisting, though, so if it wanted to boast “Bookernominated” on its cover, it could. This label carries weight and garners attention in the literary world — neither of which “The Man Who Saw Everything” has earned. And that, in and of itself, is a problem. Levy’s book is an exercise in how long an author can withhold crucial information and clarity from the reader without sending them packing. Readers would be advised to hit the road before turning a single page. Levy’s indecision and, frankly, laziness lower the bar in terms of what readers may expect from writers, and squanders the trust more vigilant authors prioritize and strive for. Yet this is Deborah Levy’s third Booker nomination. She made the shortlist in both 2012 and 2016, for “Swimming Home” and “Hot Milk,” respectively. I can’t speak to the quality of Levy’s other books, but I can postulate that her record is what put this lackluster work on the selection committee’s radar this year. I shake my head at establishment politics taking root in institutions meant to honor literature, despite its beautiful capacity for bucking establishments. I’ll overlook the “Booker-nominee” sticker I’ll see on copies of Levy’s book, with the hope that more deserving books will take the place of establishment writers in future years. — Julianna Morano, Daily Arts Writer

Max Porter, ‘Lanny’ When I got through the first 50 pages of “Lanny,” I cancelled my plans for the night. It’s the sort of book that possesses you — actually, it’s the sort of book you enjoy submitting yourself to being possessed by. I read it on the Saturday night of Welcome Week over a couple beers on my porch, pausing every so often to talk to the toga people milling about the street. The lazy fragmentation of this reading experience, in retrospect, paired well with the book’s whimsical boundary-pushing. “Lanny” describes a stressful, familiar plot — the disappearance of a child — by moving playfully between subjectivity and omniscience, fact and fable, poetry and theater. And its words physically twirl out of line and into the margins, as if the text itself is intoxicated by its freedom from format. “Lanny” has a lot of projects going on here, which probably would have bothered me if I hadn’t read the whole thing in one go. But when steeped completely in the space between its overlapping experiments, this book does something amazing to the fine lines between truth and fiction. I believe I have been permanently muddled by Max Porter. It’s amazing. But Max Porter’s “Lanny” has no chance of taking The Booker Prize this year. It’s not anything to do with quality — in fact, “Lanny” is the most wonderfully afflicting new fiction I’ve read this year. I think it’s because “Lanny” didn’t make the shortlist, and I think that is because the foundation has hit their ceiling for weird. The Booker foundation has steadfastly selected long, lush prose novels year after year, and this year’s shortlist seems to be largely reaped from the pool of preexisting Booker honeys. In contrast, longlisted subversives and newbies, like Nick Drnaso’s 2018 graphic novel “Sabrina,” look like token nods of respect rather than serious considerations. — Verity Sturm, Managing Arts Editor

Arts

6A — Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

DAILY STYLE COLUMN

MUSIC REVIEW

Velveteen Dreams: living every day like Halloween SAM KREMKE

Daily Style Columnist

LATINAUTOR

Kim Petras is demanding we turn off the light, again The title track, “Turn Off the Light (feat. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark),” calls back to Vincent Price’s iconic spoken role in “Thriller.” But instead of describing “the funk of 40

KATIE BEEKMAN For The Daily

Kim Petras’s TURN OFF THE LIGHT is the answer to all your spooky season playlist anxieties — that’s right, you don’t need to listen to “Monster Mash” on repeat all October. An expansion of her 2018 Halloween-themed EP, Turn off the Light, Vol. 1, listening to these 17 tracks feels like a heart-racing stumble through a haunted house. Complete with creaky doors, whispers, autotune and heavy dance beats, TURN OFF THE LIGHT plays like the soundtrack to the glossiest of nightmares. The album’s instrumental opener, “Purgatory,” ushers listeners in past ominous iron gates and gray skies, with piano notes that fade into EDM. The feeling that something very strange is about to happen is confirmed on “There Will Be Blood,” where Petras lays out the album’s thematic landscape — blood, death and twisted relationships. It’s blatantly clear that it’s about to get gory, but it’s so fun to sing “You’re gonna die” along with Petras that you don’t really mind. The brooding track “Massacre,” borrows the Christmasy melody of “Carol of the Bells” and twists its iconic cheery trills into something sinister. Following the lyrics, “I’ll take you there / Just you and me / Can’t even breathe / Can’t hear you scream,” the “la la las” taunt, covering up her captive’s pain. And the transition from the song’s outro — the sound of knives being sharpened — into the next song, “Knives,” is eerily seamless. The listener isn’t given time to relax at any point in this album, and it replicates the feeling of being chased further into a haunted house. The sounds of other rooms linger, but the house keeps pushing you in deeper. Still, Petras does allow for some palatecleansing with songs like “Death by Sex.” With not-so-foreboding instrumentation and the smirking repetition of “sex, sex, sex,” her warning that “you’re never gonna make it out alive” isn’t quite so menacing. The opener to Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1 called “o m e n” follows, functioning as an interlude that sucks you back in. “Death by Sex” may have killed you, but this listening experience doesn’t end when you’re dead.

TURN OFF THE LIGHT Kim Petras BunHeads

thousand years,” Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, gives advice. “Only in the darkness will you find your true self,” she whispers, highlighting the queer perspective Petras brings to Halloween. This standpoint is most explicit in the song “TRANSylvania,” which is both a clever pun and club-ready dance number. “Tell Me It’s a Nightmare” is a refreshingly real take on fear in which Petras worries about her lover’s commitment. She still kills them in the end, but it’s easy to mistake her insistence that she, “tried to save ya, warn ya, keep you alive,” as a not so intense conversation about saving their relationship instead. The album closer, “Everybody Dies,” is the song for the end of the haunted house, when you’ve pushed open the exit into the cool night air and fall back into reality. It’s haunting in its sincerity. “Not everybody lives,” warns Petras, “but everybody dies.” Contextualizing all the twists and turns that came before it, Petras knows that the scariest thing isn’t blood, demons or dying, but not fully living. The album gets repetitive. Blood splatters seem to stain every verse and death lurks in every chorus. But it’s absolutely dance-partyready. There’s something so satisfying about Petras’s sugary voice narrating a demon haunt — it’s like Halloween candy.

Ghouls and goblins, it’s Halloween. I’m going to go ahead and assume that a good half of the people reading this column also happen to have at the very least been sent a gays on Halloween meme from @best_of_grindr on Instagram (we share a demographic or two), but Halloween is historically and stereotypically a fairly big stink in the gay community. The last two weeks of October are really the only time of the year where you can get away with throwing a costume party. For many, they also offer up a few rare opportunities to “feel the fantasy,” so to speak — cosplaying, referencing, realizing whatever vision you have for yourself, doing the absolute most while wearing the absolute least — whether that means getting into full drag or slapping on a harness with a pair of booty shorts and calling it a night. In his 2018 essay collection “How to Write an Autobiographical Novel,” Alexander Chee recounts getting into drag for the first time on Halloween sometime in his early 20s. He realized during the process that not only could he “pass” as a woman, but that he felt beautiful and at home in his skin in a way that he hadn’t before. As with all of the essays in that book, Chee seems to effortlessly communicate all of the factors that work into its general narrative, so any brief recapitulation of his work is reductive at best (the chapter was about what it means to “pass” in respect to both race and gender, as well as the simultaneous feelings of power and peril that come with being a target of the male gaze), but it’s only fitting that a cultural free-for-all like Halloween gave Chee and his then-boyfriend the keys to experience themselves through a different lens.

You get tiny little bleach blonde microcosms that cling to any shred of normative masculinity they see in themselves, using it as a leverage point over anyone who dares to venture outside of the agreedupon vernacular

Communities that are subject to discrimination have a tendency to turn on themselves in ways that run parallel to their oppressors, but that’s not news. In Paulo Friere’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” he argues that “the behavior of the oppressed is a prescribed behavior, following as it does the guidelines of the oppressor.” Infighting

in the gay community over what’s considered attractive and what expressions are acceptable is rampant, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. Nobody hates gay people more than gay people, and you can’t hate a person with the same level of efficacy and ruinousness as they can themselves.

I’m not referring to going sexy carrot full-time, but a space in which we can be a sexy carrot and not have it invoke a debilitating sense of fear What you end up seeing are segmented groups within the larger community of men who all look the same and act the same. You get tiny little bleach blonde microcosms that cling to any shred of normative masculinity they see in themselves, using it as a leverage point over anyone who dares to venture outside of the agreed-upon vernacular. And that can take on any shape — jockiness, fashion but not that kind of fashion, drag but not weird drag, leftist intellectualism that’s too evolved to listen to Ariana Grande unironically or without drafting up a verbal think piece about how formulaic expressions of femininity are rainbow capitalism. You get rich white gays that use their primordial, Luciferian fall from the privilege they feel entitled to as an excuse for abject bigotry. It’s a mess out there; I should know. Consciously or not, we cling to the privileges that we have as a means of protection against the straight, rich, white and cis-gendered, and in doing so wind up doing the dirty work for them. This is precisely why Halloween has the power that it does. Not to say that normalizing functions cease entirely, or that everybody ceases to exist in a sociopolitical shit smoothie that strongly encourages the self-censorship and queer sectarianism that I so roughly outlined, but in it lies a hope for something else. It’s an idea, a chance to escape oneself or better yet, delve a little deeper into what it is that we really want. No, I’m not referring to going sexy carrot full-time, but a space in which we can be a sexy carrot and have it not invoke a debilitating sense of fear. We could all be the person that gets to screech along to “God is a woman,” or be the weird drag queen or just be able to live without feeling the call to answer for it. Self-discovery doesn’t happen outside of spaces where you’re given the license to do so. That might be Oct. 31, that might be on drag night at a local bar, that might be in your bedroom. But if we can walk around a public setting in a cropped sweater set and miniskirt as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then we can only hope to take a little bit of that energy to our day to day lives.

Release Date: Thursday, October 10, 2019

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Gold rush storyteller Bret 6 Saints’ org. 9 Word pronounced like its middle letter 12 “The Lion in Winter” co-star 14 Senator Lisa Murkowski, notably 16 Participated in a pub crawl 18 Cleanse (of) 19 Afore 20 Video game pioneer 22 Sch. playing home games in the Sun Bowl 24 “Shadows of the Night” Grammy winner 28 Numbs, as senses 30 Bilingual TV explorer 31 File menu command 32 Seiko Group printers 34 Mountain myth 36 Flower location 37 Placating words before a confession 40 The Eiger, for one 43 Scott who played Chachi 44 Supplement 48 Snowblower brand 50 Schedule 52 “Borat” star __ Baron Cohen 53 New and improved 56 Vegetable with Golden and Chioggia varieties 57 San __, California 58 “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)” singer Chris 60 __-di-dah 61 Upset ... and what can be found in the four other longest answers? 66 Nonworking time 67 Twain of country 68 Bigger copy: Abbr. 69 Place to retire 70 Over

DOWN 1 Indignant reaction 2 Savored the flattery 3 Short poems 4 Playdate participant 5 Hamburg’s river 6 “I don’t wanna” 7 Woman in Progressive ads 8 One of 12 on a sitting jury? 9 Tough dogs 10 Deferred payment at the pub 11 Impress deeply? 13 1994 Costner role 15 Go over 17 Get lost in a book 21 Ticked off 23 Lumber (along) 25 Bath time plaything 26 “Grimm” actress Turner 27 Wonderland cake words 29 Elitist sort 33 Harry Potter’s potions teacher 35 Fleming and Holm 38 Incline

39 Hardly lively 40 “Lemme __!” 41 Precious 42 Many a middle schooler 45 Most sparsely populated European country 46 Inexpensive knockoff 47 Consequence of wearing a cap too long

49 Low soccer score 51 Sleuth Wolfe 54 Some spammers 55 Two-legged zebras 59 1975 Wimbledon winner 62 Non’s opposite 63 Coffee server 64 Phil Rizzuto’s retired number 65 Chewie’s pal

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

10/10/19

TV REVIEW

Jordan can’t save ‘Raising Dion’ SAYAN GHOSH

Daily New Media Editor

Netflix’s new superhero series “Raising Dion” sits in the middle of a bizarre spectrum with Nickelodeon on one end and “Luke Cage” on the other. While it has some strengths, the overall production quality makes it an overall lessthan-satisfying watch, which is a shame since a more talented director could have extracted a lot more out of the promising premise. “Raising Dion” centers around the titular seven year old (Ja’Siah Young, debut role) and his mother Nicole (Alisha Wainwright, “Shadowhunter”), recently widowed after the death of her scientist husband Mark (Michael B. Jordan, “Creed II”). Dion, a bright and energetic child, discovers he has a range of superpowers that he has trouble controlling, much to the disbelief of his mother. The pair have to discover how to manage these newfound and dangerous skills, as well as navigate the immediate aftermath of tragedy, the insidious presence of casual racism and other harmful social dynamics in Dion’s school and beyond. To their credit, the two leads provide as much as they can from the substandard script they’re given. Their dynamic is tender and believable. While shared grief over Mark’s death is one of the backbones of their relationship, Dion is understandably presented as not quite being able to fully understand the ramifications of the tragedy. Wainwright’s portrayal of Nicole’s constant struggle between carrying on with her life and being a supportive mother while not being able to let go of the memories of her late husband is by far the best acting on the show. However, these bright spots are let down by the fact that the production makes the show

feel like a Lifetime of this plot are too soap. From the familiar. There’s no risk, no innovation subpar soundtrack to the cheesy in any aspect of flashbacks (with the the production and Series Premiere Michael B. Jordan no real grappling Netflix cameos), there’s with the social issues it presents never a sense of true Now Streaming emotional weight, beyond a superficial which cheapens presentation of them. Recently, I’ve come and practically neutralizes the supposed impact of Mark’s to expect mediocrity from Netflix originals, death. It is true that not every superhero series but I still can’t pin down why. Are these shows needs to be “dark” and “gritty” as so many are really contributing enough to their bottom line today, but writers should also strive for tonal that they can abandon any sort of creativity? consistency. “Raising Dion” suggests yes. It’s the most There’s just nothing really new here. Even frustrating type of work, and the sheer “bleh” for someone who is by no means a superhero/ reaction it warrants makes you truly regret the comic book series aficionado, the core elements valuable time you spent watching it.

Raising Dion

WMG

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Design by Sherry Chen

Thursday, October 10, 2019 // FACEOFF 2019

FS A C E O F F 2 0 1 9 2 0 CHEDULE 2019-20 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Oct. 6

Windsor (ex.)

Jan. 17, 18

at Penn State

Oct. 11, 12

Clarkson

Jan. 25

USNTDP (ex.)

Oct. 18, 19

Lake Superior State

Jan. 31, Feb. 1

Ohio State

Oct. 25

Western Michigan

Feb. 7, 8

Wisconsin

Oct. 26

at Western Michigan

Feb. 14

at Michigan State

Nov. 1, 2

at Ohio State

Feb. 17

Michigan State at Little

Nov. 8, 9

Minnesota

Nov. 14

Michigan State

Feb. 21, 22

Notre Dame

Nov. 16

at Michigan State

Feb. 28, 29

at Minnesota

Nov. 22, 23

at New Hampshire

March 6-8

Big Ten Quarterfinals

Nov. 30, Dec. 1

at Wisconsin

March 14

Big Ten Semifinals

Dec. 6, 7

Penn State

March 21

Big Ten Championship

Dec. 30, 31

Great Lakes Invitational

March 27-29

NCAA Regionals

Jan. 10, 11

at Notre Dame

April 9-11

Frozen Four

STAFF PICKS

Caesar’s Arena

Rohan Kumar Bailey Johnson

3 4 6 7

Tien Le: What it takes to win the national title Thirty-five years after his father played at Michigan, Will Lockwood is the team’s 100th captain Read about how the rest of the Big Ten is shaping up The Daily breaks down the Wolverines’ roster

Tien Le

Molly Shea

The Daily hockey writers take their best shot at predicting what will happen in the world of college hockey this season. Michigan regular-season record Big Ten champion Big Ten second place Big Ten third place Big Ten Coach of the Year Big Ten Tournament champion Great Lakes Invitational Champion Michigan’s season ends here Michigan MVP Michigan top scorer Top Michigan freshman NCAA Frozen Four

National Champion

23-5-6 Wisconsin Notre Dame Michigan Tony Granato Ohio State Michigan Frozen Four Luke Martin Will Lockwood Cam York Wisconsin Minnesota Duluth Cornell Michigan

22-8-4 Wisconsin Penn State Michigan Tony Granato Michigan Michigan NCAA Regionals Luke Martin Will Lockwood Cam York UMass Minnesota-Duluth Boston College Wisconsin

30-2-2 Michigan Penn State Wisconsin Mel Pearson Michigan Michigan National Champions Nick Pastujov Nick Pastujov Cam York Penn State St. Cloud State Michigan Denver

24-4-6 Penn State Michigan Minnesota Guy Gadowsky Wisconsin Michigan Frozen Four Jimmy Lambert Nick Pastujov Cam York North Dakota Michigan Denver St. Cloud State

Minnesota Duluth

Boston College

Michigan

Denver

Thursday, October 10, 2019 // FACEOFF 2019

What it takes to win a championship

el Pearson woke up Friday morning reeling from a vivid dream. It was a sight. The team and him, standing in Little Caesars Arena, hosting a trophy for all to see. “I had a dream that we won the national championship in Detroit in front of 22,000 Michigan fans,” Pearson said, “and how unbeTIEN LE lievable that would be, and how awesome it was.” But dreaming is not a new concept for Pearson. Becoming the head coach of Michigan Tech. Winning a championship with the Huskies. Coming back to coach the Michigan hockey team. And he did just that. Pearson went out and became a six-year head coach at Michigan Tech. He won a Western Collegiate Hockey Association and WCHA Tournament title. And he came back and became the eighth head coach in Michigan history. Pearson knows better than anyone that it takes more than just wishful thinking to make a dream a reality. When asked last year, former player Quinn Hughes made sure to emphasize the process it takes to win a national championship. “At the end of the day, as much as we talked about winning a national championship, you gotta think day to day,” Hughes said. “You can’t win a national championship today. It’s going to take six, seven months.” And it’s true. You can’t build a national championship-winning team overnight. No one regularseason game will make or break the team. It’s a long process that spans months, and it’s contingent on a lot of multiple different factors. Pearson, having been there before when he assisted Red Berenson in winning two titles, knows exactly what it takes to get there. He broke it down, and here’s what it takes to win it all. Luck Luck is a large part of the winning equation no one likes to mention. Partly because it’s hard to measure, and partly because it detracts from the result. But it is a factor. Especially in a game like hockey, where there can be so many lucky bounces that decide a game, or lucky puck placements that swing momen-

tum. You can see it during broken plays, like in Sunday’s exhibition against Windsor, when freshman defenseman Cam York tripped over himself and lost the puck in the defensive zone — a turnover that led directly to a Windsor goal. All he could describe it as was, “fluky.” But the type of luck, or lack thereof, that the Wolverines struggled with most of all over the last two seasons was keeping everyone healthy. In the 2017-18 season, the season Michigan made an unexpected Frozen Four run, Will Lockwood was forced to sit the second half of the season after obtaining a shoulder injury at World Juniors. As a high-impact player until that point, his absence hurt — even though the team made a deep run. Senior forward Jake Slaker believes if Lockwood was healthy, a national championship was a serious possibility. The following year, a similar injury occurred, again, at World Juniors. This time, it was then-sophomore forward Josh Norris who was forced to sit due to a shoulder injury — at the time, leading the team in points. Additionally, then-junior defenseman Luke Martin broke his arm against Michigan State. Injuries are a topic that not too many players like to linger on. Even Lockwood was skeptical to talk about his return to full health, knocking on wood to ward off any chance of jinxing it. But again, you have to be somewhat lucky to have a fully healthy team. The season spans seven months. With all the physicality and wear-and-tear of hockey, it’s hard to predict who catches the injury bug and who doesn’t. “I know it’s the next man up,” Pearson said. “But sometimes you just can’t overcome that.” Growth And part of staying healthy plays into growth. You can’t grow as a player if you’re sitting on the sidelines, nursing an injury. But you also can’t expect to have success if your players aren’t playing up to par. Pearson believes all the pieces of a championship team are there. Now the problem is just getting the pieces to fall into place. “We have everything we need to have a chance,” Pearson said. But he continued to stress the importance of his players’ growth as a key component of reaching championship potential. With the veterans, it’s easy to tell what you

ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily

Michigan coach Mel Pearson had surprising success in his first season in Ann Arbor, but struggled in his second.

have or what you will eventually get. With the younger players with big roles, you’re betting a lot on where you think they’ll end up. “Even Beecher and York, as high as they’re rated and everything like that, it’s a grind in the college hockey season,” Pearson said. “And you gotta make sure they continue to get better. “But I believe your best players need a lot of coaching too, you just can’t ignore them.” Trying to foster a competitive environment, the team has the type of depth where not every player will get to play, even if they deserve so. The cutthroat competition will inspire each player to work harder in practice, stay longer, be better. And part of the process is going through Michigan’s tough nonconference schedule. Pearson’s been asked if he really wanted to start off the season having to face such loaded teams. But he wouldn’t have it any other way. He believes it’s a measuring stick. One that shows where you are, and an indicator for where you need to go. Accountability To Pearson, it doesn’t matter what your role is. You can be a top-line forward, a top-pairing defenseman or the last player on the list of undressed players. But the players have to show up every day or be held accountable. “If you show up and have a lousy practice or a lousy week, you’re letting your teammates down,” Pearson said. “You have to make sure you come and bring it every day. I don’t care if your our best player or maybe our 17th forward on the depth chart,

you have something to come and push guys every day.” Games will be lost. It’s inevitable unless a miracle occurs. But the ability to understand what went wrong, accept it and move on is what makes good teams great. Last year, when Quinn Hughes committed two turnovers that lead directly to opposing goals against Penn State January 26, he pointed to himself and claimed responsibility. It was the first time all season he had publicly declared his faults, and the team, soon after, found any semblance of success — winning three of their next four games and losing the fourth by one. “I think that’s the biggest thing is you have to have the accountability and that consistency on a day to day, week to week, month to month regardless of how the games are going,” Pearson said. Heart You hear it all the time. You have to want it, to get it. Last year, Hughes talked about how the team discussed the prospects of a national title, but that his decision to come back ultimately put himself first, making sure he was ready for the pros. The team last year had individuals that put themselves above all else, and it showed. And all the preseason hype, the top-five national ranking, the high expectations, was for naught as the team disappointed, finishing with a sub-.500 record. And the players, this year, took last season to heart. Lockwood couldn’t even think about making a decision on whether to return or not after the seasonending loss to Minnesota. And when

the time came around to decide, he listened to his heart. “My heart was always here,” Lockwood said. “And it’s kind of hard to turn down decision of something you dreamt of your whole life, but my heart has always been at (Michigan). Been in Ann Arbor.” The team heard the criticism and kept it in the back of their minds. They had goals, ones they weren’t willing to share. But their expectations of what the team would be was important to them. And to make whatever they had in mind happen, every individual has to buy in. No one around the locker room cared where the other was from, where they were drafted, how touted they were. “I can stand you up and measure how tall you are,” Pearson said. “And I can put you on the scale and measure what you weigh but a lot of times, you can’t measure a guy’s heart.” *** If it was as easy as to just have those factors, every team would have a chance to win. But Pearson believes it doesn’t take the best team to win. It just takes playing the best, on any given night. So when Pearson recalled a Thursday night’s sleep, he saw his team, maybe not the best in the field, but the one that played the best. “You always dream about things. What you want. What’re you trying to achieve.” Pearson said. “Maybe it’s a dream, but dreams do come true.” Le can be reached at tntle@umich. edu or on Twitter @tientrle.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BENTLEY HISTORICAL LIBRARY

BAILEY JOHNSON Daily Sports Writer

Will Lockwood says his dad never told him much about his history at Michigan. It’s hard to believe, given the kind of history Joe Lockwood made. As a freshman in January 1985, the first season of the Red Berenson era, Joe scored one of the most unexpected, historic goals ever to find twine at Yost Ice Arena. Berenson didn’t have any expectations that his team, his group that had lost 9-0 to Ferris State the previous night, would even be able to play closely with the professional Russian team, Spartak Moscow, let alone beat them. The fans filling Yost didn’t have any expectations, either. They knew the Michigan hockey team was having a rough start to Berenson’s first season, but they were excited to see the Russians play their team — especially at a time in American history when beating the Russians meant more than almost anything. Even the players, most of whom had marched down to athletic director Don Canham’s office the previous year to air their grievances about the coaching staff and petition John Giordano’s firing, didn’t have much of a hope that they’d win. “You’re just hoping you can stay in the game, quite literally,” Joe said. “We were excited for the game. It was a fun game to play in but having come off of a road trip back from Ferris with that — it was a devastating weekend.”

And Spartak, which came over to play a series of exhibition matches against U.S. colleges, was expecting a light, easy win over a historic program that was struggling to find its footing in a new era. Giordano had been the one to agree to the game, so Berenson had no idea what he was getting himself and his team into. When Berenson learned that Spartak had come to the U.S. to play three schools — Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota — and it had already beaten the other two, he knew his team was in trouble. Spartak had a day off in Ann Arbor to wait for the Wolverines, who were across the state in Big Rapids. The three-hour bus ride back home, where the Russians waited was always going to be long — especially after losing by nine goals on Saturday. Then the bus broke down, and a long night got even longer. “We finally got home sometime in the middle of the night and the next night, we had to play the Russians at home,” Berenson said. “I was really down about how we had played at Ferris last night. Give the players credit, I mean, they bounced back and they were fired up.” As the game got underway, it became clear Spartak wasn’t going to run away with it, as previously assumed. Michigan came ready to play, and the Wolverines weren’t going down without a fight. “We stayed in the game and there were some big turning points in the game,” Berenson said. “One of them, I’ll never forget. We had

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOCKWOOD FAMILY

a big hit from Mike Neff, he hit one of the Russians — like really hit him — at center ice. That seemed to jump start our team a little bit and the crowd.” The crowd — mostly made up of local Ann Arborites because the students were still on winter break — provided a lift of energy to the team. And with it, Michigan provided a lift of energy right back with every save from goaltender Mark Chiamp, every hit and every goal. “The Russians seemed like they were just playing with us,” Berenson said. “They knew they could beat us. Mark Chiamp was standing on his head. ... If the puck missed him, it hit the post or the crossbar, and it stayed out.” Added Joe: “They definitely took us very lightly, and that didn’t work out so well for them.” A game that was expected to be an easy win for Spartak turned into a raucous, back-and-forth affair. With 30 seconds left, the game was tied at four goals apiece. Defenseman Doug May blocked a shot at the blueline, and Joe pounced on the rebound. A quick glance up revealed open ice in front of him — the kind of breakaway at a key moment of the game that every hockey player dreams of. Nearly 35 years later, Berenson and Lockwood still remember almost every detail of the goal that lifted a struggling American college team over an all-star Russian team in the depths of the Cold War. “(Joe) knew he only had one move, but he knew the Russians

wouldn’t know what it was,” Berenson said. “He fired that puck in the top corner like he’d done it a thousand times and the place went nuts.” *** If this were a movie, Joe Lockwood’s story would continue with him becoming a star for the Wolverines and having a long NHL career, all sparked by that one goal to beat the Russians. While this isn’t a movie, as the years go on, the story of the Lockwood family and Michigan hockey comes closer than most do. Throughout their time at Michigan, Joe was good friends with Gordie Berenson — Red’s son. After graduation, he stayed in the area, and the relationship with the Berenson family grew. Joe and Gordie have remained friends for decades, through the transitions of becoming full-fledged adults and starting families. When Joe’s eldest son, Will, was born in 1998, it was only a matter of time before the next generations of the Berenson and Lockwood families forged a bond. Having grown up in a Michigan family himself — both of Joe’s parents attended the University — Joe wanted to raise his children as fans of the Wolverines. They didn’t go to many hockey games at first, but as Gordie’s son, Blake, and Will got older, they became regulars around the rinks where Michigan was playing. It was there that the seeds were planted in Will. “We would go to the games together all the time with our

dads,” Will said. “We started going around (age) eight or nine, so that’s kind of where it started.” Throughout Will’s childhood, Joe introduced his son to elements of his own youth — everything from taking the kids to Michigan hockey games to building a rink in the backyard because that’s what Joe’s father always did. This led to Will first lacing up a pair of skates at only three years old. From the beginning, there were signs that hockey might be in his future. “My dad used to put out the wood panels and a big sheet of (plastic) and fill it up with water,” Joe said. “There was a kid in our neighborhood whose dad also did that, and we’d have little home and away games. It was really cool, so I thought, ‘For sure I’m building a rink when I have kids.’ I love it. … (Will) was three years old and we had a little rink in the backyard. He just took to it right away. His other siblings would skate too, but he took to it very naturally.” Will says Joe never pushed him to play and never forced anything, but it’s clear that the younger Lockwood wanted to be just like his dad. When Will started to play organized hockey, Joe coached him for the first few years. But as soon as things started to get serious, Joe realized that Will would be better off without his dad being the typical overbearing sports parent. “I didn’t want to get in his way,” Joe said. “I didn’t want to coach him. I didn’t want there to be the

Just like his dad: Michigan ties come full circle for Lockwood family

ALEXIS RANKIN / DAILY

friction between (us), being too hard on him. I just felt he would be better off without me coaching him. Just to be a good dad, as opposed to a dad/coach, guy who yells at him on the way home. I wanted to let him play it out, and he did it. He stepped up.” Joe never played in the NHL, but by age 15, his son caught the attention of the coaches at the U.S. National Team Development Program. Neither Will nor his father expected the invitation, much less the phone call that said Will had made the team. But he did, cementing himself as one of the top juniors in the country. “He did not want to play on that team if he was going to be one of the kids that was going to be not used as much,” Joe said. “He was reluctant to sign up with them for that reason.” As it turned out, Will’s two years at the NTDP were spent with players like Clayton Keller, now entering his third NHL season, and Adam Fox, who is now with the New York Rangers. While Keller led the team with 107 points in 62 games and was a headliner on a deep team, Will also made his mark. His 33 points in 59 games finished sixth on the team, and after his U18 year, the Vancouver Canucks selected him in the third round of the 2016 NHL Draft. After being unsure if he would have a role at the NTDP and getting a push from his dad to join the team, Will played his way onto the cusp of everything he’d ever wanted. “My philosophy with him is always just go where you’re

wanted,” Joe said. “Go where you’re wanted, because you don’t want to go play with a team just chasing a trophy. If the coach doesn’t like you, you’re not gonna be a large part of it. I think he’s adopted that philosophy and it’s served him pretty well.” The gamble Will took on joining the NTDP paid off. He went where he was wanted, and it took him to where he always wanted to be. *** In the sixth grade, Will’s teacher asked him and his classmates to write letters to themselves in 10 years. One of the questions to answer was, if you could have a dream come true, what would it be? To Will, the answer was simple. “I want to play hockey at the University of Michigan on a scholarship,” Will wrote. A few years later, the first steps toward that dream were set in motion. Berenson always kept a closer eye on Will than he would other players because of the family relationship, and once Will made the NTDP, his recruiting process was set in motion. “It was gratifying to see Will make the development team,” Berenson said. “I don’t know if Joe thought he would make it, but it really came down to tryouts and measuring players against (each other). These are the best players for their age in the United States, overall, across the country. Will held his own with those players. “As soon as we saw that — you know, these are the kids we want at Michigan. Kids from Michigan,

kids that really understand what Michigan is all about, and in particular, a kid whose dad had played here.” When the time came for Will to make an official visit to Yost, it was all but a formality. He’d been around campus and Yost his entire life, and he knew that Michigan was home. Berenson met him outside the doors to the rink and took him up to the locker room — the one place Will hadn’t seen yet. That was all Will needed to make his decision. He committed on the spot. “Red and I both knew,” Will said. “We were kind of on the same page. I think he wanted me to come to school here and for me, it was what I always wanted to do, so it was a pretty short process.” And while playing for the Wolverines was always Will’s dream, neither he, nor Joe, nor Berenson ever imagined that he would play under the same man that coached his father more than 30 years prior. In the 2015-16 season, Michigan went 25-8-5 and lost to North Dakota in the regional final of the NCAA Tournament. It was Berenson’s 32nd year behind the bench for Michigan, and many expected it to be his last. People typically want to go out on top, and finishing one game shy of the Frozen Four is almost as good as it gets. Will was in his last year at the NTDP when the Wolverines went on that run, and three of his teammates — Nick Pastujov, Luke Martin and Griffin Luce — were committed to Michigan

as well. None of them knew what to expect, but they all held onto hope that Berenson would return for one more year so they could play for the legendary coach. Defying all expectations, as Berenson is known to do, he decided to extend his coaching career just a bit longer. It was the final piece of the puzzle to make Will’s wildest dreams come true. “It was pretty special,” Will said. “I think we all cherish the year we had with Red because he’s such a great coach and not just a Michigan hockey legend but a hockey legend in general. To play for him and develop a relationship that my dad and I share was special.” Once Will got on campus, it was clear that he was going to make an impact right away. He scored his first goal in the first game of the 2016-17 season, and he had two more by the end of October. Looking back, Berenson thinks Will’s love for Michigan is what made him successful from day one. “He was an impact player,” Berenson said. “There’s no question. When Will Lockwood put the Michigan jersey on, he was 10 feet tall.” But it wasn’t always so idyllic. Will’s physical, verging-on-reckless play left him dealing with recurrent shoulder injuries throughout his freshman year. In his sophomore season, a solid first half was thrown to the side when he suffered an injury to that same shoulder at the World Junior Championships and required season-ending surgery.

Mentally, spending two of his first three years at Michigan dealing with injuries weighed on him, and coming back from surgery took longer than anyone expected. Will was healthy for the beginning of his junior year, but it took half the season before he was back to his old self. But once he returned to form, he was one of the Wolverines’ most important players, leading the team in goals with 16. Will heavily considered foregoing his senior year and signing with the Canucks after his strong junior campaign, and he consulted Joe about what to do. In the end, as it always has, his heart pulled him back to Michigan. At the end of March, he informed Vancouver of his decision to return for his final year. Three weeks later, Will was voted the 100th captain in Michigan hockey history. “It kind of took me a little bit to soak it in and think about the history of Michigan hockey and some of the captains that have come before me and things like that,” Will said. “Once it did, it was absolutely surreal. It’s always a special thing when you’re voted a leader on your team by your teammates. It just is a great honor to hold.” Now, 35 years after Joe first donned a Michigan hockey sweater, Will, who spent his childhood idolizing his father, will spend one last year with the block ‘M’ across his chest. Their shared name, Lockwood, will be on his shoulders, and he’ll wear the number 10 on his back. Just like his dad.

Thursday, October 10, 2019 // FACEOFF 2019

Big Ten Breakdown — ND, PSU, Wisconsin look strong ROHAN KUMAR Daily Sports Writer

If the Michigan hockey team hopes to rebound from prior struggles, it must fare better in the Big Ten. The Wolverines finished second to last in the conference standings last season and got bounced in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Early next month, Michigan kicks off conference play. A quick glance shows that Penn State, Notre Dame and Wisconsin appear to lead the pack, but it’s hard to measure the separation. To get outside perspectives, The Daily reached out to a few alumni from around the conference. In particular, we talked to Paul Caponigri, Jake Evans and Mike Ferrantino. Caponigri played for Ohio State through the 2003-04 season and now covers hockey for Big Ten Network. Evans played on the Notre Dame team that went to the 2018 National Championship game and now plays in the AHL for the Laval Rockets. Ferrantino played for Michigan State from 2012 to 2016. No. 8 Notre Dame The Fighting Irish have dominated since the moment they joined the conference two years ago. Last season, they claimed their second consecutive Big Ten Tournament title and finished runner-up in the conference standings. They also played in the last four NCAA Tournaments and

appear primed for another berth. With goaltender Cale Morris back for his senior year, Notre Dame has stability between the pipes. Morris was one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award as a sophomore, and last season finished eighth in the nation with a 0.93 save percentage. A few other proven players returned for their final years, most notably forward Cal Burke. His 12 goals in 2018-19 tied for most on the team with sophomore forward Michael Graham. The departures of defensemen Bobby Nardella and Andrew Peeke, as well as forward Dylan Malmquist, leave big holes, though. The trio generated much of the offensive production last year, leading the team in assists. An increased role for the sophomore class could help fill that void. Evans mentioned the speed of that class stood out to him the most. “I think the freshmen played a big part last year,” Evans said. “So I think if they take that next step, I think they’re going to be a really good team.” No. 12 Ohio State The key question for the Buckeyes this season will be filling in all of its lost production. They topped the conference by a wide margin last year and also made the Tournament, but lost a crucial piece in forward Mason Jobst headed into this season. He led his team in scoring and was a Hobey Baker finalist. “When you lose a player like a Mason Jobst, who was just a really

good leader, you just have to wonder where do you fill that in,” Caponigri said. “ … He carried a lot of minutes for them, so who’s going to step up?” Ohio State lost two additional contributors in forwards Dakota Joshua and Freddy Gerard. The duo combined for 44 points. Forward Tanner Laczynski and goaltender Tommy Nappier are back, though. Laczynski was a major part of the offense alongside Jobst, while Nappier boasted an outstanding .934 save percentage. If the two are as good as last year and can help others get more involved, the Buckeyes should be competitive. “I think that their biggest strength is probably their structure,” Caponigri said. “They can put anybody — not anybody in there — but, you know, you can lose some high-end players, which they have, but they have a really good structure.” No. 13 Penn State Last season, the Nittany Lions wildly underperformed. They got hot in the conference tournament and reached the championship game, but that wasn’t enough. Penn State started out ranked fifth in the nation, yet finished below .500 in conference play and failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Heading into this season, the expectations are high once again. The Big Ten preseason poll predicts the Nittany Lions will win the conference. They return their topfive scorers from last year’s squad that led the nation with 4.54 goals per game.

Also, forward Aarne Talvitie could help add to that production. Talvitie notched five goals in 17 games for Penn State before sustaining a season-ending injury at the World Junior Championships while leading the Finnish team to a gold medal. “I think they got it right in terms of first place,” Caponigri said. “Penn State, on paper right now, because you haven’t seen any games or anything, they have probably the most talent.” Whether the team meets expectations will depend largely on the defense. The Nittany Lions finished 56th out of 60 teams in average goals allowed last season, undermining all the offensive glamour. No. 16 Wisconsin Now in his fourth season as head coach, Tony Granato looks to bring the Badgers back to the spotlight. Wisconsin has a remarkable program, historically speaking, but the last five years have taken a different path. The Badgers secured just 12 combined victories the two seasons before Granato took over. They finished second in the conference during his first year, but then slumped back to mediocrity. Last season, Wisconsin finished fifth in the conference and tallied just 14 wins. The team should be much better this time around, though. Out of the seven players who garnered the most points last year, six return. The Badgers brought in a talented freshman class of seven, too. Four of them were NHL draft picks — including forwards Alex Turcotte and Cole Caufield, who were chosen at No. 5 and No. 15 overall. Last season’s Canadian Junior Hockey League Player of the Year and projected first-round NHL draft pick Dylan Holloway is also part of the loaded class, at forward. But there’s more. Forward Ty Pelton-Byce could play a major role, too. After sitting out last season upon transferring from Harvard, Pelton-Byce is ready to rock. He excelled in his sophomore campaign with the Crimson, tallying 25 points. If Pelton-Byce and the other newcomers live up to the hype — and if goaltending improves — Granato could revive the program. Minnesota It’s hard to know what to expect from the Golden Gophers. Last season, their power play efficiency

ranked eighth best in the nation and helped them finish third in the conference. That said, Minnesota is without forwards Rem Pitlick, Tyler Sheehy and Brent Gates Jr., who combined for 46 goals and 117 points last season. And goaltender Mat Robson — who had a stellar .921 save percentage last season — left for the Minnesota Wild. Out of the 27 players on the current roster, 19 are underclassmen — including a freshman class of 11. Four of the newcomers were draft picks and should contribute early, especially defenders Ryan Johnson and Jackson LaCombe. Johnson was selected No. 31 overall, while LaCombe was taken in the second round. For the Golden Gophers to succeed, the youngsters need to step up. “Minnesota is very young — I think they’re the youngest team in the country,” Caponigri said. “And a lot of times with that, that can be exciting, but you don’t know what you’re going to get from the guys that are coming in, you know, how they’re gonna react with a new level of hockey.” Michigan State Danton Cole enters his third season at the helm of the Spartans’ program. Those first two runs were bumpy, with the team finishing last in the conference both times. The team returns many pieces from last season, seeing only three seniors graduate. The key gap comes from star forward Taro Hirose, who forwent his senior year to join the Detroit Red Wings. Before leaving, he tied for the most points in the nation, won Big Ten Player of the Year and was a Hobey Baker Finalist. Filling that void will be very tough. Players like forward Sam Saliba will need to carry more of the load. That said, Ferrantino believes the overall limited turnover heading into this season could help bring stability in the program. He also thinks that since the new coach has had time to settle in, the only way to go is up. “Obviously, you have a lot of turnover, a lot of changes of ideas, philosophies,” Ferrantino said of the coaching change. “So it’s tough as a player because you gotta adjust, and especially the guys that have been there for two or three years. … And I think you’ll see that over time here, they’ll be able to kind of turn things around and get going the right direction.”

Thursday, October 10, 2019 // FACEOFF

From goaltenders to forwards, breaking down the ‘M’ roster MOLLY SHEA

Daily Sports Writer

There’s only one word to sum up Michigan’s 2018-19 season — disappointing. Two seasons ago, Michigan was moments from playing for the national championship. But last year, the team struggled in every aspect. This offseason, the roster suffered some shake ups when Quinn Hughes and Josh Norris left for the NHL. This season for the Wolverines is about bouncing back. It’s about proving that two years ago wasn’t a fluke occurrence. The team is talented and wants to prove it’s a force to be reckoned with. The return of 19 players from last year’s roster is evidence of that hunger. In addition to the veterans, there’s a five man freshman class, including two first round draft picks, Cam York and Johnny Beecher. But recruits and returnees aside, Michigan’s roster has questions that need addressing and lines need to rise to the occasion. The Daily provides an in depth look at where the answers to the questions lie, what can be expected of the veteran players and who could breakout. GOALTENDING Last season, the Wolverines found themselves plagued by a serious goaltending problem. It wasn’t an issue stemming from lack of talent. Sophomore Strauss Mann and senior Hayden Lavigne have both shown their ability in between the pipes. In his sophomore season, Lavigne proved his talent by leading his team on a Frozen Four run. During his 201718 junior hockey season, Mann led his team to the USHL Clark Cup. But last year, none of those accomplishments mattered. The Wolverines went through the entire season without a dependable goaltender. The role flip flopped between Mann and Lavigne. Often, one would start the weekend series Friday, only to be swapped out for the other on Saturday. Lavigne finished the season with a .884 save percentage. Mann barely edged out Lavigne with .895. Both stressed improving their mental game during this offseason.

However, this season, the absence of a starting netminder will be no longer. Michigan coach Mel Pearson wants a definite starter though he hasn’t committed to one yet. And right now, the scale tilts in favor of Mann. In last week’s exhibition against Windsor, he played 30 minutes, faced five shots and turned them all away. The other half of the game belonged to Lavigne. Facing 12 shots, he turned away 10. DEFENDERS When Michigan’s season ended after a first round elimination in the Big Ten Tournament, Pearson was prepared for the inevitable. Quinn Hughes was leaving for the Vancouver Canucks. And when he left, there’d be a gap in the blueline. But the hole will likely be unnoticeable courtesy of one man — Cam York. Along with York, Michigan welcomes another promising freshman, Keaton Pehrson. With a mixture of newcomers and returnees, the Wolverines defense looks to find success. Luke MartinCam York The top defensive pair combines York’s two-way play with veteran senior Luke Martin’s sharp game vision. This duo is set to replace last season’s top pairing Cecconi-Hughes. Hughes and Cecconi largely contributed to Michigan’s offense, together tallying 45 assists. But Martin and York shouldn’t have any issues. While Martin isn’t the most offensive-minded defender, he adds physicality and experience. Last year, when Martin suffered a season-ending broken wrist, his absence was felt. Healthy, and ready for his final season, the Wolverine defense is better off with his presence. Last season with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP), York set the record for most points in a season with 65. And in his debut, he gave Wolverine fans a taste of the offense he brings from the blue line. Scoring two goals and finishing the night with a plus-2 rating, York was nothing short of impressive. His offensive gameplay is rooted in passing

Pearson wants a definite starting goaltender.

rather than skating the puck through center ice like Hughes would. With Martin’s defensivefocused style complimenting York’s offensive moments, Michigan’s top defensive pair will likely make a big impact. Griffin Luce-Keaton Pehrson The second defensive pair mirrors a similar set up to the top line — a veteran paired with a freshman. Senior Griffin Luce is a very defensive focused defensemen. That’s why he pairs so well with a rookie player like Pehrson. Luce’s experience will allow Pehrson to make offensive zone rushes and trust Luce is covering him. Beyond his size and strength, Luce proves to be one of the team’s best backcheckers. Jack Summers-Nick Blankenburg Michigan’s third defensive pairing features returning sophomores Jack Summers and Nick Blankenburg. Last season, Blankenburg finished with a plus11 rating — the highest on the team. With the level of physicality he plays with, it’s hard to believe he’s the smallest on the team. His quickness will compliments that of his linemate’s. The offensive outbursts stem from the time Blankeburg spent as a forward in juniors. Summers had a strong finish to last season, earning three assists on Feb. 1 last season. His physicality could be increased, but overall, he provides a stable defensive partner for Blankenburg. The Undressed: Shane Switzer-Jake Gingell Shane Switzer, a graduate transfer from BU, adds another veteran presence to the blueline. The other remaining defenseman is sophomore Gingell. In the Wolverines’ exhibition game, Gingell played minutes for the first time in his college career. And Pearson’s been impressed with the work Gingell put in during the offseason. He’s leaner. He’s quicker. He’s made strides with his skating. Should a spot open in one of the defensive pairings, it’ll be an interesting conversation to see which seventh man takes the role. FORWARDS Having senior captain Will Lockwood back, after declining to go pro and join the Canucks, is an automatic boost for the Wolverine’s offense. Lockwood led the team with 16 goals and finished second in points with 31. In addition, the roster returns two

MICHAEL BAGAZINSKI/Daily

Sophomore goaltender Strauss Mann struggled last year but is expected to start in net for Michigan this year.

other seniors with Jake Slaker and Nick Pastujov. The loss of Norris is the most notable gap here, playing center on the top line with Slaker and Lockwood last season. Despite a .500 record, Michigan offense didn’t sputter. It scored 110 goals, only four fewer than allowed. Jake Slaker-Jacob HayhurstWill Lockwood Slaker and Lockwood return for one last go. The pair have a lot of chemistry, seeing as they’ve played together on the same line since their sophomore seasons. When Lockwood and Slaker are on the ice, Michigan is instantly a better team. Lockwood’s biggest asset is his speed. With Slaker, it’s his shot that makes him a standout. Adding Jacob Hayhurst, a graduate transfer from RPI, to the mix may just be the missing piece the pair’s been searching for to make the jump from great to elite. Eric Ciccolini-Nick PastujovJimmy Lambert This line holds so much potential. A lot of it relies on sophomore Jimmy Lambert and freshman Eric Ciccolini rising to the occasion. Through three seasons, Pastujov has time and time again showed his worth. He’s a great puck distributor, a talented skater. Among the top five point getters on the team. Ciccolini, on the other hand, is a bit of a question mark. He missed the exhibition due to an upper body injury. But Pearson likes his elusiveness, speed and hockey IQ. For Lambert, his freshman season was filled with highs and lows. His first goal didn’t come until the second half of the season on Jan. 12. Once it came though, his play really picked up. He went on to lead all freshmen in points with

four goals and nine assists. If he can keep the momentum from last season building, this could be his breakout year. Michael Pastujov-Johnny Beecher-Jack Becker The third line mixes two veteran players with Beecher, another player from the USNTDP. He was drafted 30th overall by the Boston Bruins in this year’s draft. On this line, what one skater lacks, another provides. Pastujov is a skilled puck handler who packs a powerful shot. Becker adds size and physicality, but lacks quickness. He’s the player willing to stand in front of the net for redirects and tip ins. With Beecher, the sky’s his limit. He’s got size, strength, speed and a shot. Dakota Raabe-Garrett Van Wyhe-Nolan Moyle This is the Wolverines’ only complete returning line from last season. Each player brings something unique. Raabe hustles, relentlessly following the puck as it zooms around the ice. Van Wyhe is arguably the fastest player on the roster. Moyle serves as a big body to screen the goalie. Like Becker, he hangs around the crease hunting for rebounds. Pearson has expressed how well he thinks this line works. He’s even gone as far as to say he’d match them up against any line in the NCAA. OUTLOOK The Wolverines have all the pieces needed to assemble a team that can go deep in the postseason. Their biggest challenge is finding a consistent goaltender. If wild card players like Ciccolini and Hayhurst find a rhythm with their lines, the goals will come. When, and if, these pieces click, Michigan’s senior group can take control and lead the team far.

Thursday, October 10, 2019 // FACEOFF 2019

Michigan Hockey Line Chart

Design by Lauren Kuzee