The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/603303
BY MICHAEL SPATH E ven with padding, it doesn't feel good to slide in front of a slap shot from the point or a wicked one-timer from the faceoff circle. It takes a certain kind of mindset to give up one's body, knowing there's a good chance of a deep bruise, or worse. Some players reluctantly sprawl out, understanding its necessity. Others approach the sacrificial decision with earnest desire. Tyler Motte falls into the latter category, and always has. "For me, it was pretty early in my career because I wasn't always the most talented kid on the team," he said. "I played up in age groups a few times, so I often found myself on the second, third or fourth line, found myself killing penalties, and I had to do whatever it took to carve out my role. "If that meant blocking shots or playing really good defense to shut the opponent down … it just kind of stuck in my mind this was going to be what helped me reach the next level because I probably wasn't going to be the first-line goal scorer." Motte consistently played on U-M's second or third line during his rookie year, and contributed nine goals and nine assists, ranking eighth on the team and second among freshmen with 18 points. He stood out defensively, though, blocking 29 shots to rank second among forwards. He led all forwards and was fourth overall on the squad with 49 blocked shots during his sophomore year. "What I've always liked about Motte is beginning his freshman s e a s o n h e w a s t h e g u y t h a t voluntarily stepped up to block a key shot — he didn't need to be coached to do that," head coach Red Berenson said. "When your forwards block shots, it helps your defense and helps your goalie, and he's someone that instinctively understood the importance of blocking shots." TAKING MORE SHOTS THIS SEASON Coming into the season, Motte was not expected to lead the Maize and Blue in goal scoring. T h e c o a c h e s e x p e c t e d m o re offense from him than the 25 points he's averaged the past two seasons. However, on a team with forwards like senior Boo Nieves, juniors J.T. Compher and Alex Kile, sophomore Tony Calderone and freshman Kyle Connor, Motte needed to do what he had his first two seasons — play well on both ends of the rink, set up teammates and poke in a few — but at a higher level. He's done that, but he's also hitting the back of the net at a higher clip, registering five goals in U-M's first seven games, tying him for the team lead through Nov. 17. He probably won't keep his current pace going (right now he projects to 25 goals over a 35-game campaign) because he's not a natural goal scorer, but he should contribute more than the nine goals he had each of his first two years. "I don't think you can focus on putting up numbers, say 'I'll have