The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN HOCKEY Best Venue Other Than Yost: "Playing at Madison Square Garden this year [Jan. 30] was a super cool experience. For a lot of guys, not just myself, it was a once‑in‑a‑lifetime chance." Major: "Political science." Career Ambition: "I want to go to law school after my four years." His Michigan Experience: "It's everything I dreamed it would be and more. When you commit to college, you're 16, 17 years old and have no idea how your studies will turn out, what your hockey career will be like, but my experience at Michigan has been everything I could have wanted. The academic life, the social life and being with the boys every day is a life‑changing experience." — Michael Spath Sitting Down With Junior Defenseman Michael Downing A junior blue liner, Michael Downing has contrib‑ uted three goals and 15 assists in 32 games this season, and had a plus/minus of plus‑17. He is part of a defense that has allowed 3.03 goals per game through March 14, ranking Michigan 38th nationally. The Wolverine: What is the conversation like to ad‑ dress Michigan's defensive struggles? Downing: "We can score, but we can't consistently outscore five or six goals, and going into Big Tens [March 17‑19] and hopefully NCAAs, we're going to have to win games 3‑2. "The guys know what the deal is. We know what the problems are and we keep addressing them, and that's all we can do." The Wolverine: Who would you have voted for among your three teammates — J.T. Compher, Tyler Motte or Kyle Connor — for Big Ten Player of the Year? Downing: "I think all of them deserve it. J.T. has been great at setting up Motte, and Motte scores. K.C. has done it all for us and finds a way to impact every game offensively. "I know who I would pick if I was voting, but I don't want to say who it is." The Wolverine: What have been your impressions of playing in the Big Ten all three years you've been at Michigan? Downing boasted a plus/ minus of plus-17 through March 14. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL