The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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HOCKEY PREVIEW "I'm not concerned with the points we lost," assistant coach Brian Wise‑ man said. "We lost great players, great leaders, but we're going to have guys that chip away at those 129 points because kids like JT Compher, Alex Kile, [junior] Tyler Motte, [senior] Boo Nieves and [senior] Justin Selman will get theirs. Those kids have high‑end skill and talent, and when kids leave, our history at Michigan has shown that others step up. "We also have a really good group of freshman forwards coming in, led by [2015 first‑round pick] Kyle Con‑ nor who we expect to contribute a good chunk of offense right away." Kile is excited by his role this season and the possibility of leading the team in scoring, and he knows that greater confidence in the defense will help the forwards. "When you're worried that any rush the other way has a good chance to end up in the back of the net, you tense up, you grip that stick a little tighter, and that can impact your confidence when you're shooting the puck," he said. "But you look at our defense and our goalies — and as for‑ wards we have to play our part, too — and you feel really good about that. So I think you'll see the forwards play looser, with more aggressiveness." "I'm not worried about scoring goals because if our defense plays to its potential, we could win a lot of games 1‑0, 2‑1, 3‑2, but I'm also confi‑ dent in the guys we have at forward," Downing added. "I know we lost a lot with Copp and Larkin leaving, but I look at the guys we have in our locker room, and we have the talent and ex‑ perience offensively, defensively and in net." TIME MAY BE RUNNING OUT Berenson used to operate on a one‑year contract, his terms rolling over into the next season without much conversation between him and Michigan's athletic directors. He signed a three‑year deal prior to the 2013‑14 cam‑ paign, and that agree‑ ment will come to an end after this season. At 75 years old, going on 76 in De‑ cember, and preparing for his 32nd behind the bench for the Wolverines, Berenson seems poised to retire in the spring according to multiple sources that have spoken to The Wolverine on the condition of anonymity. Knowing he could step aside, the Maize and Blue are desperate for Be‑ renson to finish his career on a high note, returning U‑M to the NCAA Tournament, winning a Big Ten title and vying for a spot in the Frozen Four. "It's really important to us that we make the tournament so that if this is Red's last year, he goes out on top," Kile said. "The last few years, we've actually had the players to do it, but we were inconsistent and put Sophomore defenseman Zach Werenski "I'm very confident the defense will be a huge part of the success of this team."