The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/603303
in the top corner, but if that goalie is out of position and is exposing some of the net, he has a high enough skill set to bury it. "But it's the all-around game that everybody loves. His best chance to make it in the NHL is to do what he does now — take pride in the defensive aspects." DOING WHAT HE DOES BEST Statistically, Motte looks past "G" for goals and "A" for assists on the box score, to the "+/-" notation, feeling his impact night after night is best reflected with a positive number in the plus column. A year ago, the St. Clair, Mich., native finished the season at plus-1, though he felt he played better than that. So did Berenson, who said at times Motte was U-M's best player. "He leads our forwards in blocking shots so in the defensive zone, crunch time, when we're on our heels, whether killing a penalty or five-on- five, you can trust him," Berenson said. "He will make good decisions, try and do the right thing 99 percent of the time, and most of that time is away from the puck. "He's the kind of player you can win with." Motte believes he played at peak efficiency for eight to 10 games a year ago and is blown away by his coach's praise. "He knows that in those specific times he's referring to I'm playing really well, I'm doing the little things, going into the corners, blocking shots, picking up the right man coming down the ice," said the 5-9, 190-pound Motte. "But on a highly skilled team like we had last year, to hear him say that is a shock to me. "It just goes to show he sees the entire ice and the little things guys contribute, and that's why he's a tremendous coach and why guys gravitate to him for his knowledge of the game." Motte would relish a season in which he finishes with 20 goals and 25 assists, experiencing the euphoric feeling of the red light flashing when he's on the ice, but when he looks in the mirror, he continues to see the reflection of a player that has flourished in a defensive role. And it is that player Michigan needs this season to reach its Big Ten and NCAA aspirations. "To be at my best, it really goes back to my defense and being solid in my own zone," Motte said. "I've always just understood you don't have to score to add value because the amount of time you touch the puck or have a legitimate scoring opportunity is actually pretty small compared to the times where you're away from the puck, blocking a shot, going into the corners, picking up a man. "I want to positively impact every game, but I'm going to do that by playing the way that has gotten me here, by playing that 200-foot game, end board to end board. "Everyone wants to score, but if we win, my line didn't give up a goal and I played really well in my own zone, I'm probably going to feel pretty good about what I did that night." ❏