The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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"We just have to stay committed to what our coaches are telling us, and we have to have urgency on every shift because it seems that if we be- come unfocused for even a second, that's when the puck ends up in the back of our net." Michigan is 4-2-2 in the eight games it has allowed three goals or more. A year ago, U-M was 9-11-0 in such contests. "We can't expect that we can con- tinue to outscore our mistakes," Be- renson said. "We've found ways to win games by scoring a lot of goals, but it always comes down to defense." THREE LINES SPARK OFFENSIVE SUCCESS Michigan scored 58 goals in its first 13 games of the 2014-15 season but had to replace a Hobey Baker candi- date (Hyman), the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and current Detroit Red Wing (Larkin), and a captain now skating for the Winnipeg Jets (Copp). The Wolverines were not expected to replace their offensive contribu- tions so easily, but with five different players scoring five goals or more, and another three with four markers, U-M had 57 goals in its first 13 games this season. "I know there was a lot of talk about scoring being a problem, but we were always confident in the guys we had in the locker room," said junior Alex Kile, who had four goals through Dec. 8. "Even though guys weren't in big roles last year, we gained a lot of offensive confidence from being a part of that team, and guys were ready to step up when Hyman, Larkin and Copp left. "We have great depth, three lines that are scoring at a high level, and we have the belief that, with our tal- ent, three to four goals per game is the standard for our team." Michigan's top line of junior center J.T. Compher, junior wing Tyler Motte and freshman wing Kyle Connor has contributed 18 goals and 25 assists this season, with Motte leading the team with nine markers on the year. A second line of senior center Boo Freshman center Cooper Marody anchored a third line that produced 16 goals and 17 assists during U-M's 8-2-3 start. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL