The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/614487
MICHIGAN HOCKEY Quote: "We have two wins and two ties, and that's not good enough at home. The one game is a 1-1 tie and we can't score, and the other one is 6-6 tie and we can't keep the puck out of the net. "On paper, we should have won both games, but I can't tell you that there was much to choose between the two teams when we played. [Dartmouth and Wisconsin] played well and we didn't play our best, and those were the results." — Head coach Red Berenson on squandered opportunities in U-M's Nov. 28 tie with the Big Green and Dec. 5 tie with the Badgers. MVP — Junior forward Tyler Motte: The left winger has already matched his career high for goals, scoring nine in just 13 games — he had nine in 34 games in 2013-14 and nine in 35 games during the 2014-15 campaign — after this most recent six-game stretch in which he led U-M in goal scoring (four markers) and total points (seven), and was second in plus/minus (plus-4). Motte had the game-winning goals in victories over Dart- mouth Nov. 27 and Wisconsin Dec. 4. Freshman Impact — Forward Kyle Connor: The Big Ten Freshman of the Year favorite continues to perform consis- tently for the Wolverines, recording points in 10 of U-M's 13 games this season, including four of the past six. During that recent span, Connor contributed a goal and five assists, including a two-helper night in Michigan's 7-0 blanking of Dartmouth Nov. 27. He was also a team-best plus-6 for the six games from Nov. 20-Dec. 5. Player to Watch — Junior center J.T. Compher: With just one goal in his first 11 games, Compher found himself in the second-worst goal drought of his ca- reer (one goal in 12 games to end the 2013-14 campaign), but the junior captain found other ways to contribute, with a team-high 12 assists in 13 contests, includ- ing seven in leading Michigan to a 3-1-2 mark over the past six games. Compher ended his goalless streak with a marker against Wisconsin Dec. 4 and added his third tally of the year a night later, giving him nine points from Nov. 20-Dec. 5. Must-See Series — Dec. 29-30 Great Lakes Invitational: Michigan will once against compete at the Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena over the holi- day break. This year, U-M opens with a Northern Michigan team that was 5-5-6 through Dec. 8. Michigan has not played NMU, which became a member of the WCHA in 2013- 14, since it swept the Wildcats March 8-9, 2013, in a CCHA first-round matchup. If all goes according to plan, Michigan will advance to play a Michigan Tech team (29th in the RPI) that would do more for the Maize and Blue with a win than Michigan State (48th in the RPI). TYLER MOTTE