Defenseman Martin tries hand at forward

By KEVIN SANTO

Daily Sports Writer

Cutler Martin stepped off the 

rink after Monday’s practice, 
and judging by the smirk on his 
face, you could get a sense that 
something witty was coming.

Observing Cooper Marody 

speaking to reporters, Martin 
cracked a joke that it was time 
for Marody to join his fellow 
freshmen in collecting all the 
pucks on the ice. Martin took the 
first-year forward’s spot in front 
of reporters, and he just couldn’t 
help himself from tossing one 
more comment Marody’s way.

“This is the spot where real 

forward stars are,” Martin said 
with a grin.

The 
punch 
line? 
The 

sophomore had never played a 
single shift at forward in his life 
until last Friday against Ferris 
State.

This 
season, 
Martin 
has 

played 25 of the Michigan 
hockey team’s 28 games. And 
with 
the 
exception 
of 
the 

matchup with the Bulldogs, he 
has suited up as a defenseman in 
every one of those contests.

But 
now, 
Martin 
is 

transitioning into a different 
role 
for 
the 
Wolverines. 

Michigan coach Red Berenson 
moved Martin into the forward 
slot Friday night, pairing him 
with junior Max Shuart and 
sophomore Niko Porikos on the 
fourth line.

The change may not be 

permanent, 
but 
it 
certainly 

came as a surprise.

Last Monday, Martin walked 

into 
the 
locker 
room 
and 

Berenson pulled him aside to 
tell him that the team needed 
him to add some grit up front. 
Next thing he knew, Martin 
had a white jersey in his stall 
— the same one every forward 
typically wears in practice — 
and his transition process had 

begun.

“I don’t know what the plan 

is,” Martin said. “I don’t know 
if they specifically know exactly 
what they want me to be. If they 
need a forward, I’ll be a forward. 
If they need a D, I’m going to be 
D.”

For Berenson, two factors 

played into the decision. The 
first involved looking to the 
future, and the second related 
to the present. He felt the fourth 
line needed a better fit for this 
campaign, but he also believed 
the team would need something 
more at forward in the coming 
years.

The 
defenseman-to-forward 

conversion process isn’t a foreign 
concept to Berenson, as he did 
the same thing with Wolverine 

alum Scooter Vaughn in 2008.

Vaughn 
made 
his 
debut 

as a forward in the CCHA 
Championship a season after 
spending every prior game of his 
career as a blueliner.

And 
the 

change 
was 

successful, as 
Vaughn closed 
out the final 
two years of 
his 
Michigan 

career 
as 

a 
winger. 

Though 
he 

notched 
just 

six points in his first season as 
a full-fledged forward, Vaughn 
boosted that total to 28 his 
senior year and finished third 
on the team in goals — all while 

leading the Wolverines to the 
NCAA Tournament quarterfinal 
and an NCAA Frozen Four title 
game in those respective years.

Vaughn’s history is evidence 

that 
if 
Martin’s 
switch 
is 

permanent, it 
may take some 
time for the 
sophomore 
to make the 
transition. 
Martin 
immediately 
recognized 
those growing 
pains 
Friday, 

but 
that’s 
not 
to 
say 
the 

experience wasn’t positive.

“Obviously at this level of the 

game, it’s kind of like you react 
to things instinctively,” Martin 

said. “Now, since I had to switch 
positions all of a sudden, I have 
to think about it a little more. 
It was definitely confusing to 
some extent. It was different, 
but it was fun.”

Yet, 
in 
the 
short 
term, 

Berenson 
sees 
aspects 
of 

Martin’s game that could lead to 
an immediate contribution.

“I like his intensity, I like his 

grit,” Berenson said. “And he’s 
got strong hands. When he goes 
in the corner, he goes in like a 
man, not like a boy. I like those 
things about him and I think our 
team needs that. ... The question 
is, are we a better team with this 
lineup? It remains to be seen.”

Even if Martin’s change is 

only temporary, he still views 
time on the offensive side of 

the puck as a valuable learning 
experience. In just one game, 
the new forward has gained a 
fresh perspective on what makes 
playing the position so difficult 
— challenges like protecting the 
puck, moving from the defensive 
zone to the offensive zone and 
simply creating scoring chances 
in general.

With 
that 
new 
outlook, 

Martin is confident that even 
if his time as a winger ends as 
soon as the upcoming series 
against Minnesota, he will be 
able to make his teammates’ 
lives easier.

In his brief stint as a forward 

against Ferris State — he played 
just eight and a half minutes 
by Berenson’s estimation — 
Martin did show some flashes 
of offensive prowess. His line 
strung together some dangerous 
scoring chances, and Martin 
rang one off the crossbar while 
falling to his knees in the second 
period.

Despite 
the 
near-goal, 

though, his teammates still 
don’t think of Martin for flashy 
offensive abilities.

“I think he played well last 

game … but in my mind I still 
think 
he’s 
a 
defenseman,” 

said junior blueliner Michael 
Downing.

But, of course, the player 

who started an interview with 
some self-deprecating humor 
came prepared with a friendly 
rebuttal in his back pocket.

“I think when I come to the 

rink every day, I think I’m a 
defenseman still,” Martin said. 
“It’s going to be really difficult 
to get that instinct out of me. It’s 
always going to be there. I’ve 
spent the last 15 years of my life 
at D. 

“I think if I wind up for a slap 

shot in front of (Downing) and 
I’m on forward, he’s going to get 
out of the way and think I’m a 
forward pretty soon.”

Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, February 24, 2016 — 7A

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Sophomore defenseman Cutler Martin is experimenting with playing forward for the Wolverines despite having only played defense for his entire career.

“I’ve spent the 
last 15 years of 
my life at D.”

‘M’ credits hot start to chemistry

By SYLVANNA GROSS 

Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan men’s baseball 

team is not superstitious — or 
at least hasn’t alluded to any 
reservations when talking about 
its recent success. But if the 
Wolverines win the next contest 
against Saint Joseph’s on Friday, 
they’ll be matching their best-
ever start to a season since 2009 
with a 5-0 win streak. 

But the team is trying not to 

dwell on its hot start. 

“We’ve looked ahead without 

making 
it 
something 
our 

players will be focused on,” said 
Michigan coach Erik Bakich. 
“There’s no further than our 
next opponent, and no further 
than today’s training session. 
We’re certainly excited about 
going out to California with the 
team, but we’re not going to 
California today, we’re not going 
to California tomorrow — we’re 
going to California on Thursday, 
and our first game isn’t until 
Friday.”

Still, 
the 
excitement 

surrounding the team is electric 
after 
its 
four-game 
season 

opener 
against 
Canisius 
— 

especially after sophomore left-
hander Oliver Jaskie pitched 
six innings and allowed just 
three hits. He was named Big 
Ten Pitcher of the Week for his 
performance. 

Other highlights of the first 

sweep included the first home 
run of the season by designated 
hitter Harrison Wenson and a 
finish by Carmen Benedetti with 
two strikeouts and a flyout. 

“It feels good,” said senior 

left-hander Evan Hill. “It always 
feels good to win. We’re just 
taking 
the 
momentum 
into 

practice today, and then the next 
day of practice. We’re going to 
keep going forward and take the 
momentum into the weekend 
and continue to win.”

Michigan 
outscored 
the 

Griffins, 27-5, and allowed only 
one earned run for the entire 
weekend. 

The last time the Wolverines 

opened this well, in 2009, they 
finished 9-15 in the Big Ten and 
30-25 overall — which would 
be a disappointment for this 
seasons’ team considering last 
year’s group went 14-10 Big Ten, 
39-25 overall, and finished with 
a Big Ten Tournament title. 

Bakich points to the chemistry 

of the team as the reason for the 
early success. 

“They genuinely care about 

each other and want each other 
to do well,” Bakich said. “The 
team chemistry on this team is 
extremely high, and when you 
have that, you feel fortunate 
because you’re blessed to be 
around a group of guys who 
genuinely want to do well and 
genuinely care for one another 
and care about where the team 
is going. It’s fun to watch from a 
coaching standpoint.” 

The time gap between the 

2016 team and the 2009 team 
is minor compared to the time 
between 2009 and 18 years ago 
when Michigan started 6-0 in 
1991 under Bill Freehan.

Despite 
the 
impressive 

statistics, though, Bakich is 
itching for some adversity. 

“From a coaching standpoint, 

you’re always interested to see 
how the team responds when you 
get that punch in the mouth or 
that kick to the stomach,” Bakich 
said. “We had played with a lead 
for the entire weekend, and 
things went well for us because 
we were playing really well. and 
that was exciting. We’re going to 
want to replicate that as often as 
possible. I think with the high-
character group of kids that 
we have that we’re excited to 
see how they respond to some 
adversity. 

“You know the garbage is 

going to hit the fan at some point 
in this season. So whether it’s 
this weekend or a month from 
now, I’m just excited to see how 
(the team) bonds when things 
aren’t always going our way.” 

But for now, superstitions 

aside, it’s safe to say that 
Michigan is off to what might be 
a historic season. 

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Michigan baseball coach Erik Bakich (left) guided the Wolverines to their best start since the 2009 season with a sweep of Canisius over the weekend.

Michigan can’t tame 

course conditions at 

Puerto Rico Classic

Wolverines’ tropical 

tournament 

produces outings 

to forget 

By ANDREW EHRENBERG 

Daily Sports Writer

In a weekend dominated 

by Southeastern Conference 
opponents, the Michigan men’s 
golf team could not quite keep 
up.

Sunday, the team travelled 

to Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, 
to compete in the annual 
Puerto Rico Classic for the 
14th straight year. All-Big Ten 
golfers Chris O’Neill — who 
finished seven shots over par 
— and Kyle Mueller (plus-9) 
both struggled, which made it 
difficult for the Wolverines to 
climb the leaderboard. O’Neill, 
a senior, had his fourth — and 
last — chance to tee off at the 
Puerto Rico Classic. It was an 
outing to forget. 

With the dryer and faster 

grass that the Michigan team 
is 
used 
to 
practicing 
and 

competing on in the Midwest, 
it struggled to settle in when 
it encountered the unfamiliar 
conditions. 
Teams 
with 

stronger performances, such as 
champion Alabama (minus-25) 
and runner-up Clemson (minus-
16) are used to the warmer and 
more tropical climate. This 
gave them a heavy upper hand 
over the Midwestern teams, 
who are still practicing in a 
below-freezing environment.

Michigan 
coach 
Chris 

Whitten 
was 
disappointed, 

but he understood the team’s 
challenge getting acclimated to 
the atypical Rio Grande course.

“Adjusting to the conditions 

of the course was tough”, 
Whitten said. “It played very 
wet and very slow. Most places 

we play at are the opposite. 
Making adjustments on the fly 
is what we need to be able to 
do.”

Whitten 
emphasized 
that 

in-game adjustments are going 
to be key to the Wolverine’s 
success, especially on courses 
where they are less confident. 

The team’s best performance 

came 
from 
freshman 
Nick 

Carlson – who finished the 
three days with a cumulative 
score of plus-6 – and so the 
Wolverines fell behind quickly 
and failed to adjust, finishing 
with a final team score of plus-
29.

Despite 
struggling 
this 

weekend, Whitten and Carlson 
both remained poised and are 
maintaining ambitious goals.

“Our guys compete to win 

every tournament”, Whitten 
said. “If we play the way we are 
capable of playing, we can make 
it back to the postseason and 
have a chance at the Big Ten 
(Championships).”

Whitten 
remains 
firmly 

convinced of his team’s ability, 
but he recognizes that the 
team has a long road ahead to 
optimize its potential. He and 
his athletes know that making 
on-the-fly adjustments is not 
easy, noting that the team 
has to work hard for their 
opportunities.

Carlson echoed this when 

speaking about his goals. While 
he generally emphasized team-
oriented goals, he also added 
that each shot is an opportunity.

“We have to make every 

move count,” Carlson said. 

With the Desert Mountain 

Intercollegiate tournament in 
Scottsdale, Ariz., coming up on 
March 5, the Wolverines will 
have to adjust to yet another 
unfamiliar climate. But more 
importantly, they are looking 
to start an upward trend as the 
Big Ten Championships in April 
grow nearer. 

