The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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michigan hockey the mark with Copp), has added two assists, and has shown a greater commitment to defense than any previous stint in his career. Guptill's success offensively should not come as a surprise — he led U-M in goals in 2012 (16) and 2013 (16). Top Freshman — J.T. Compher: There were a number of strong candidates this month, including forward Alex Kile (one goal and two assists), forward Tyler Motte (one goal, three assists and plus-4) and defenseman Michael Downing (one goal, two assists and plus-5), but Compher repeats after posting a team-high six points during the past four contests. The 5-11, 185-pounder had three goals and three assists, and featured a plus/minus of plus-4. Needs To Step Up — Sophomore Boo Nieves: One of Guptill the most skilled players on the team, the 2012 secondround NHL Draft pick had a good rookie year, with eight goals and 21 assists, and was expected to have a breakout sophomore campaign. Capable of 20 goals and 20 assists, Nieves instead has just one goal and seven helpers on the year. In the most recent four games, he has picked up two assists. Series To Watch — Dec. 27-28, Great Lakes Invitational: Michigan has played more outdoor hockey games than any other collegiate program, with four appearances since 2001, and is now guaranteed of two more opportunities when it competes in the Great Lakes Invitational at Comerica Park (home of the MLB's Detroit Tigers) as part of the NHL's Winter Classic festivities. U-M opens with Western Michigan at 7 p.m. Dec. 27, and if it wins would meet Michigan State or Michigan Tech in the 7 p.m. championship Dec. 28. The games will be carried by Fox Sports Detroit (FSD) and FSD+. — Michael Spath hockey Notebook Long Layoff • When Michigan met Ferris State Dec. 11, it marked U-M's first official game since Dec. 2 — the Wolverines played the U.S. Under-18 team in an exhibition Dec. 5 — representing a period of only four games in 25 days (one every six days). The Maize and Blue opened the season with 10 games in 38 days (one approximately every four days), and once Big Ten play commences Jan. 10, will play 18 contests in 65 days (one approximately every four days). "Once you get going, you want to keep that rhythm," head coach Red Berenson said. "The hardest part is on our goalies. We can only play one goalie at a time. That's hard and then it's hard for our team, too, because