TRAVIS
MORIN
Minnesota State, Mankato
Jr. | F | Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Morin
carries a seven-game point-scoring streak into 2005-06.
Key
Statistics: It took Morin nearly a month to kick
the sophomore jinx, but then he kicked it in a big way. After
being held without a point in the Mavericks’ first six
games last season, he averaged better than a point per game
the rest of the way, notching a dozen goals and 19 assists
in their final 30 contests. And he erased memories of that
slow start with a strong finish, ending the season on a seven-game
point streak.
What
He Does: Mavericks fans are getting used to seeing
Morin and David Backes on the same line. But it’s unknown
whether opposing defenders have gotten used to the sight of
two forwards so physically big bearing down on their goalie.
With Morin at 6-foot-2, 195, and Backes at 6-3, 210, the amount
of mass carrying the puck is formidable. But Mavericks coach
Troy Jutting says what makes the line click isn’t physics,
it’s chemistry and the fact that the pair understands
each other so well as hockey players.
The
Bigger Picture: The NFL’s Minnesota Vikings
hold their training camp in Mankato for a few weeks every
summer. Ditto for the hockey Mavericks, except that this year’s
training camp has been an all-summer affair. Morin said nearly
every player has spent the off-season in southern Minnesota
taking classes, hitting the ice a little bit and spending
hours in the weight room. And Morin knows first-hand what
lifting can do, having put nearly 30 pounds of muscle on his
frame since the start of his freshman year. Along with his
team taking a step toward consistently competing with the
likes of Minnesota, Denver and North Dakota this season, Morin
again sees himself in the setup role, feeding the puck to
Backes and letting his linemate’s monster shot illuminate
the red light behind the net.
MSU,
Mankato head coach Troy Jutting on Morin: “Travis
takes as much pride in making a nice pass to set up a goal
as he does in scoring one himself. There aren’t many
players you can say that about, but he’d just as soon
get an assist.”
