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Minnesota State University, Mankato
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Page address: https://web.mnsu.edu/sports/bluelineclub/news/html/last_man_standing.html

Last Man Standing

The departure of David Backes, Kyle Peto and Ryan Carter has left senior forward Travis Morin in charge of the scoring load

by Dan Myers
Issue date: 10/12/06 Section: Mens Sports

After the University of Wisconsin won the men's hockey national championship last April in Milwaukee, one might have confused the WCHA with a burning building; people just couldn't get out fast enough.

Schools like Minnesota, North Dakota and UW were hit especially hard by players leaving their team a year or two early to sign professional contracts.

Minnesota State was no different.

Leading scorer David Backes, top defenseman Kyle Peto and up-and-comer Ryan Carter all hit the road in search of greener pastures. Much greener.

And after the likes of Backes, Peto and Carter left town, many thought Travis Morin wouldn't be far behind.

Morin stayed in school, however, and is the highest profile Maverick remaining from a team that finished the 2005-06 season as one of the hottest in college hockey.

"I thought about [leaving], but nothing really serious ever came into the equation," Morin said. "I planned on being back here all summer long."

His return was key for any hopes the Mavericks have of being competitive in the WCHA this season. Morin scored 20 goals last season - tops on the team - and assisted on 22 others, totaling 42 points, tied with Backes atop the Maverick charts. In fact, Morin's 94 career points is the highest number of any player in the WCHA - 25 points higher than Wisconsin's Ross Carlson, who is No. 2.

Fellow co-captain Chad Brownlee has played against the best forwards in the WCHA over his years at MSU.

"I believe Travis is one of the best players in the WCHA," Brownlee said. "When you compare him to those guys at the top, he's very comparable. He has a style of his own, it works well for him and I'm glad to have him as a teammate."

New for Morin this season is the leadership role.

Admittedly not a "rah-rah" guy in the locker room, Morin leads by example.

And he's done a good job of that through the years, as evidenced by the captain's "C" he wears on his jersey.

"I'm just going to go out there every night and play how I think the game should be played," Morin said. "It's not a big deal, it's nice to have [the "C"]. Hopefully, the guys say 'He plays hard, lets go do it that way.' We have other guys who will kick you in the butt if you need to be kicked in the butt."

Morin has also positioned himself as one of the key leaders for incoming freshmen like Zach Harrison. The Shattuck-St. Mary's product has been taken under the wing of Morin, and says he couldn't have asked for a better mentor.

"We have clicked really well," Harrison said. "We had three skates a week where we never touched the puck and just had a chance to talk. He is a really good guy to come to with questions because he has been there and done that. He knows what its like to be at our level, and what it takes to get to the level where he is at."

Morin is also one of the smartest players on the Mavericks' squad this season. Although he stands 6-2, he has never been blessed with great bulk. To compensate, Morin uses great vision of the ice and an uncanny understanding of how the game needs to be played.

"He knows where he needs to be in order to have success," said Mavericks head coach Troy Jutting. "He has a great set of hands. He shoots the puck well, passes it well and has great rink vision.

"Anytime you are the returning leading scorer in a conference like the WCHA, you're a pretty good hockey player. I think that alone says a lot about Travis."

Dan Myers is the Reporter Sports Editor

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