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.