The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/653976
BY MICHAEL SPATH E arly in the first period in a battle with Ohio State March 4, freshman left wing Kyle Connor cor‑ ralled a loose puck in the offensive zone, eluded an oncoming Buckeye and shifted possession to junior right wing Tyler Motte. The 5‑9, 190‑pounder immediately forwarded a nifty cross‑ice pass to junior center J.T. Compher, who — without hesitation — deposited the puck into the back of the net to stake U‑M to a 1‑0 lead (the Wolverines went on to lose 7‑4). The exploits of this trio, which first joined forces for the Maize and Blue's Dec. 4‑5 weekend series against Wis‑ consin, has dominated the conversa‑ tion for months. In 23 games through March 14, the three combined for 59 goals and 74 assists playing along‑ side each other (5.8 points per game) and boasted a collective plus/minus of plus‑90. Their 2.57 goals per game in those 23 contests were better than what 25 programs had averaged as a team this year. "I think we've run out of adjec‑ tives," former U‑M defenseman and TheWolverine.com podcast guest Lee Moffie said. "Every weekend you've just come to expect something great from them, and they have consistently found ways to top themselves." Compher, Motte and Connor have been unstoppable, a testament to the chemistry that can be found when three players complement each oth‑ er's games perfectly. "All three are smart players — they see the game at a different level," head coach Red Berenson said. "They have very high hockey IQs, they all have a tremendous feel for where the puck needs to go and how they need to work together to create a scoring opportunity. "J.T. might be more of a playmaker this year. He's doing a lot of the self‑ less things to put his linemates in a good spot to score, but what you can appreciate is they all go into the tough spots, into the corners, behind DESERVING CANDIDATES The Wolverines Feature Three Forwards Meriting Hobey Baker Award Consideration