Adjusting on the fly

HOUGHTON, Mich. - After playing his entire junior career and three seasons for Michigan Tech University on the blue line, Chris Leibinger is trying something new his senior year.
Leibinger has made the transition from defense to forward this season, and so far, the move is paying off.

Through his first 113 games for the Huskies, Leibinger scored just four goals as a defenseman. But this season, after making the switch to forward, the 22-year-old senior from Saginaw has six goals in 22 games and looks to lead his team to its first Great Lakes Invitational title since 2012.
"I talked to (assistant coach) Gary Shuchuk about it when we started practicing this season," Leibinger said about the origin of the move. "It's something they talked about because we have a pretty stacked back end. A big part of our team is our defensive corps and they wanted to get me in the lineup in different ways."
Despite his comfort on the defensive side of the puck and lack of experience at forward, Leibinger said it was an easy decision to agree to the move because he knew it would benefit the team and he would be playing with a talented group of forwards who would ease his transition.
"I hadn't done it since I was a kid, but I was eager to try," he said. "I wanted the opportunity. They threw me in there and it started to work out well. I play with great forwards every night, and the other forwards on the team really helped this transition.
"I didn't anticipate it being this smooth of a transition, but I've got to give a lot of credit to the other forwards I'm playing with because a lot of guys have taken me onto their line and put me in a position to succeed."
Leibinger also credited his coaches for believing in his versatility and trusting his ability to learn a new position on the fly.
"They show a lot of confidence in me on any given night, no matter what the score or situation is," Leibinger said. "They throw me out there to give our team some energy and ultimately help the team win."
Michigan Tech comes into the 2016 Great Lakes Invitational with the best record in the field at 12-7-3 (11-3-2 WCHA) despite starting the season 0-4. The Huskies have rallied to win their last three games and come into the holiday tournament red-hot with only one loss in their last 11 games.
Leibinger, who was named to the WCHA All-Academic Team last season, said the key to his team's success is its depth, strong defensive corps and goaltending, and said despite playing forward this season, he's still a defensive-minded player.

"I think I bring a little something different than the other forwards have," Leibinger said. "I'm thinking defensively all the time and I think coach trusts me late in the game because he knows that. And I think that's also helped my success put goals in the net because I'm playing the right way, I'm playing hard defensively, which eventually leads to chances at the other end."
As a Saginaw native and lifelong Red Wings fan, Leibinger was constantly attending Red Wings games and GLI tournaments as a kid, and the forward said it's an honor to play at Joe Louis Arena.
"It's a dream come true," he said. "You're in the stands watching the games growing up and to actually get on the ice, you feel the atmosphere of the legends that have stepped on that ice, everyone who's played there like (Nick) Lidstrom, (Pavel) Datsyuk and (Henrik) Zetterberg. It's really special."
Michigan Tech head coach Mel Pearson echoed Leibinger's sentiments and said he's proud his team is the annual tournament host.
"I played in the very first GLI game at Joe Louis Arena, and now at the other end of it to be a coach in the last GLI at The Joe will be special," Pearson said. "I've seen a lot over the years and have a lot of fond memories. To me it's bar none the best college hockey tournament in the country."
And while simply playing in the GLI is exciting for all participants, Leibinger said being able to play in the final GLI at Joe Louis Arena is especially gratifying.
"Someone asked me if I'd rather play in the last GLI at The Joe or the first one at the new rink. And hands down, I told them I'd rather play in the last one at The Joe," Leibinger said. "There's nothing like playing at Joe Louis Arena with all the history, the banners and the retired numbers. It's just something you don't forget. It's had such a long, historic run, you really cherish every time you get to play there."
Despite his excitement to play in the last GLI at The Joe, Leibinger said the 550-mile trek from Houghton, Mich. to Joe Louis Arena is still a business trip and said he's desperate to take home the MacInnes Cup for the first time in his college career.
"We have something to prove," he said emphatically. "Especially the senior class, we haven't won a GLI yet, and that's something we really want to get off the bucket list. It's great we get to play Michigan in the first game because they were the team that knocked us off last year and got that trophy, so we're really eager to get a crack at them. You've got to win the first game to get in the championship game, so we're focused on knocking them off and moving on from there."