The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1178918
NOVEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 67 BY BOB MILLER W hen former Michigan assistant coach Brian Wiseman accepted new Edmonton Oilers head coach Dave Tippett's offer to join his staff in the NHL over the summer, the wheels were put into motion to pro- vide Kris Mayotte the shot at fulfill- ing his childhood dream of joining the Michigan hockey program. Mayotte had a playing career as a goaltender that included a col- legiate four-year stop with Union College and stints with professional teams in the Central Hockey League, three tours of duty in the East Coast Hockey League and four more land- ings in the American Hockey League. Realizing that his future was brighter behind the bench than on the ice, Mayotte accepted an offer in 2010 to coach netminders at Mary- land that would lead him on a path through Cornell and St. Lawrence to respected head coach Nate Leaman's staff at Providence College. Under the guidance of Leaman and Mayotte — who worked his way up to associate head coach at Providence — the Friars flourished, becoming a perennial power in the Hockey East Conference and in college hockey na- tionally. They won the 2015 national championship and have qualified for six straight NCAA Tournaments. Asked why he would give up an associate head coaching position at a top-10 NCAA program to become an assistant, Mayotte noted it was an easy decision. "Because it's Michigan," he said. "My mom and dad are from here. Be- cause of that, I grew up a big Michigan fan. This is where I wanted to play. I obviously didn't get that opportunity. "The big thing is it's not just that; it's not just the name. It's about where this thing is headed. The pro- cess for me is that I didn't take this job blindly. It really wasn't the name that got me here. It's about what's be- ing built here and where I think this thing is headed. I left a lot of success at Providence, and that's something that I was very proud of there." Michigan head coach Mel Pearson knew he was getting not only a qual- ity presence on the ice, but a valuable ally on the recruiting trail. "Kris has fit in very well," Pearson offered. "So far, he's been everything we knew he would be or hoped he would be. He's been really good. He fits in well. He's done a nice job on the ice in practice and he's done a really good job recruiting on the trail. "He likes to be in the rinks. He likes to be in the battle. I'm very pleased with what he's provided our program. It's nice to have someone like him who has come from a good program, come from a winning cul- ture. He brings fresh ideas. We're in the learning business as coaches. We have to try to make ourselves better every day, whether you're a player or you're a coach. Kris has done a great job of that and adding to our staff." Mayotte will continue doing what he's done at his previous stops, which will include working with the goaltenders and penalty-kill units, among other duties. "Kris will work with our goalten- ders and our defenseman," Pearson explained. "He'll share the duties with [volunteer assistant coach] Matt Hunwick as far as working with our defensive personnel and then he's going to handle the penalty killing. "He's jumped into the deep end with that already and he's doing a great job with the PK [penalty kill]. I respect the job he did at Providence. He's got some good ideas there. We're going to change some things up on our penalty killing. We need to because we didn't have a lot of suc- cess last year. With him taking over the PK, Bill [Muckalt, another U-M assistant] will slide over and take the power play." MICHIGAN HOCKEY New Assistant Kris Mayotte Brings Goaltending And Recruiting Expertise Mayotte spent the last four years at Providence College, helping the Friars win the 2015 NCAA championship and serving as associate head coach in his final two seasons there. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS