All-Big Ten Wolverine Goalie is a Mann Who Does it All
5/19/2020 11:25:00 AM | Ice Hockey, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Strauss Mann was something to watch this season, and is well on his way to becoming one of the premier hockey goalies the University of Michigan has produced.
Mann would thwart forwards on breakaways, glove pucks coming through heavy traffic in front of the net, and make acrobatic saves. He must have seemed like a brick wall at times to opposing shooters.
The sophomore from Greenwich, Connecticut, had a .939 save percentage that ranked third in the nation and a 1.85 goals-against average that was sixth. Both are Wolverine single-season records, and he now shares the mark for six shutouts in one season with Al Montoya, who became the sixth overall pick of the New York Rangers in the 2004 NHL Draft.
Mann recently was named the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year and was one of five finalists for the Mike Richter Award going to the country's top goalie.
"That was definitely a great honor," Mann said of the Richter inclusion. "There are so many great goalies in that field. I knew a couple of them. Spencer Knight (Boston College) was in the top five as well, and I knew him from our area and he's a great guy. And, obviously, (Richter winner) Jeremy Swayman (Maine), and the other guys who are great goalies who are going to go onto have great careers.
"So, to be in that company was a huge honor, and I do know Mike Richter, who doesn't have a vote or anything. But being a finalist for an award in his name was just special because he's someone I knew from high school because his son played on my team. So, it was a little bit of a full-circle time there, and a pretty special thing for me."
Mann and Tom Richter, a forward now playing for Union College, were teammates at the Brunswick School in Greenwich. Mike Richter, who played at Wisconsin, was a three-time NHL All-Star and won the 1994 Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers.
"He made it clear that he does not have a vote," said Mann with a slight chuckle. "He was disappointed it wasn't me, but like I said, it was just an honor to be part of that group. But he's someone I've stayed in touch with over the years who's given me advice. Hopefully, next year, maybe I'll have a shot to win it. That would be pretty cool."
Mann did take home the Hal Downes Award that goes to Michigan's MVP.
"That was great to win because I basically wanted to go to Michigan my whole life because of the great players they have," said Mann. "And we have a lot of talented and hard-working players on our team. So, to be named the MVP of all these amazing players was pretty special and definitely flattering."
What enabled Mann, who averaged 2.91 goals-against with and .895 save percentage as a freshman, to make such a big jump as a sophomore?
"His life is consistent," said Michigan assistant coach Kris Mayotte, who became the goalie coach this season. "That's probably the easiest way to sum it up. Everything he does is with a plan -- from his diet to his schoolwork to his study habits to his game preparation. He watches just as much video as the coaching staff.
"There are times he will come up to me and say, 'What do you think of this situation they were running?' We have those conversations. He's the most prepared player in that locker room, but certainly the most prepared goalie I've ever been around."
Mann said: "I'm a big believer in that if you're disciplined in one part of your life, it carries over to other parts of your life. I just try to give 100 percent in everything I do -- whether it's school, hockey or just relationships. I try to get everything I can out of every day, and it also helps me reduce anxiety and pressure in games when I know I'm doing well in school, and have a lot of great friends and family around me. Nothing can go wrong, even if the game goes wrong. So, I just try to keep myself cool and calm by focusing on all those things."
Remaining "cool and calm" under fire was central to his marked improvement.
"I took some time after last season to get answers to every part of my game," said Mann. "I talked to a ton of different coaches and got a lot of different perspectives. I honed down on how I wanted to play every situation, and creating that certainty in my game, and putting in that preparation allowed me to trust my game. I put a big emphasis going into this year into just letting go and trusting that preparation come game time.
"I'd been pretty amped up going into games in the past, and thinking a lot during games. This year, come game time, I just let go and let my preparation show up. I trust my game and that allowed my instincts to show up, and it worked. It was a good way to just stay in the moment and just be in that zone."
He became only the fourth Wolverine selected goalie of the year in a conference, joining Steve Shields (1993), Marty Turco (1997) and Shawn Hunwick (2011). All three played in the NCAA's Frozen Four during those years and eventually made it to the NHL.
"That's definitely a pretty amazing group to be a part of," said Mann. "I know two of them and know of Marty. (Shields coached Michigan's goalies his freshman year and is now a hockey program assistant. Hunwick's brother, Matt, was a volunteer assistant coach this season.) So, definitely, really amazing company, and it's an honor to be a part of that. It's pretty crazy."
The Wolverines (18-14-4) were as hot as any team in college hockey when the remainder of the season was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They finished on a 9-3-2 run and ranked No. 14 in the Pairwise rankings used to determine the 16-team NCAA Tournament field.
"You never know what would've happened," Mann said of the NCAA Tournament being canceled prior to Michigan's conference semifinal game at Ohio State. "But you can't say we didn't make it. It was definitely something we had our eye on. We were going into that last game with Ohio State as the big game of the year to hopefully clinch a spot in the tournament.
"In a matter of days, we went from the hype of winning the Michigan State series to preparing for the next game to, 'Boom,' and it was over. It was one of the more disappointing things that I've ever gone through. We felt more bad for our seniors than anyone."
Michigan had just beaten the Spartans in the best-of-three Big Ten quarterfinals series with a pair of 3-0 victories at Yost Ice Arena.
"I'd say the last game was the best," said Mann, who stopped all 45 shots he saw from the Spartans in two games. "We beat State at home in the playoffs and got a little bit of closure. That's what everyone's looking for this year, closure. There's something to take away from that weekend and how we took it to our biggest rivals.
"It was definitely special. I remember coming off the ice after that last game and looking up into the arena and all the fans, thinking about how lucky we are as student-athletes at Michigan to take advantage of playing at Yost Ice Arena."
That ended up being the final game of the season on March 7.
"For sure, we were all pumped," Mann said of the postseason outlook. "But that's life. All you can do is react to situations as best you can, try to get over it, and focus on next year. But it definitely was tough."
Mann was the team constant through good and bad stretches.
"We can get away with mistakes because of Strauss," senior defenseman Luke Martin said after those final wins over MSU. "We get confidence from him, and it's just been ... We rely on him too much at times. But, as you can see, he bails us out.
"I keep saying every game: 'Just give us a chance.' And he does. Even the games we lost, they were only scoring two or three goals. And when you have that confidence in him and his game, it's successful."
First-line center Johnny Beecher added on Mann: "He's just really dialed in. I was in the weight room (before a game) and realized he was trying to lift. I asked a question and I was getting him out of his zone. He's super into his craft, and he takes care of himself really well. Strauss, he bails us out all the time. He's great for us."
Bailing out the team was something he did regularly.
"That's nice to hear," said Mann, "especially from those guys. They're great players. But I could say the same thing about them with some of the big goals Johnny scored and Luke leading the conference in blocked shots (while finishing second in the nation with 85). I could be saying the same about Luke as well.
"We have a bunch of selfless guys on the team. There are bound to be mistakes no matter what team you're playing on. But everyone embraces their role and can give their best for the team. You're there to commend your teammate, give everyone else credit, and that's what we're all about. When the team is all that matters, you start to see success on the ice.
Mann also praised senior backup goalie Hayden Lavigne, the starter on the 2018 Frozen Four team, for his support and striving to help make Mann better.
Defenseman Nick Blankenburg noted: "It all starts with Strauss. We trust Strauss, and he trusts us."
Mann also developed a strong sense of trust with Mayotte after holding back at first.
"I'll be honest," said Mann, "at the start I was hesitant because I'd put in a lot of hours the year before with Steve Shields, who I still talk to and work with all the time in other ways. But 'Mayo,' from the second I got on campus, was really on the same page with me.
"During in-season goalie coaching, there's a fine line between making adjustments to help a guy reach his potential, but also you don't want to change their game then. So, you're riding that line and not trying to get them to over-think in games. He's really great at finding that line and addressing areas that can help me both in the long term and on that given weekend."
Mann said Mayotte would work on those long-term needs on Mondays, but focus totally on the upcoming games beginning Wednesdays.
"He's a really smart guy and one of the best hockey minds I've ever met," said Mann. "He's really easy and fun to work with. He has a good sense of timing and what to bring up."
Mann (right) and cousin Marcel Garon display the dinner they prepared together during quarantine.
That consistency, Mayotte noted, carries over from Mann's diet.
"It's something I've been doing for the last five years," said Mann, "and the reason I started doing it was almost a turning point in my career. So, there's no reason to stop now. It obviously allows me to be at my best in terms of the shape I want to be in. It gave me discipline in an area off the ice that creates consistency for me and carries over into other areas of my life, whether it's school or hockey. It's something I take very seriously and stay very disciplined in.
"When you apply your mind to something, it's hard to slack in the other areas. You start to create a nice routine out of it."
Mann packs a cooler full of food that isn't readily available on road trips, taking avocados, broccoli, sweet potatoes, organic steak, coconut water and more.
Michigan coach Mel Pearson said, "Strauss is a little different. I mean, he had poached eggs for breakfast. I asked him what the difference is between eggs that are hard boiled and poached, and he didn't answer the question."
Mann added, after his coach posed the question again in front of reporters: "The runniness of the yoke."
So, he rolls well with the tongue-in-cheek joking about the lengths he will go to in order to maintain his food menu.
"There's no name for it," said Mann, "but it's just basically about trying to eat as natural as possible with meat, vegetables and healthy fats. It's basically eating organic.
"But it's really about everything I do -- whether it's like the crazy blue-light glasses I wear before bed every night to get a better night's sleep or the stretching I do. I'm always trying to create routines to reach that 'peak performance' everyone's talking about, and applying myself in different ways and disciplining my mind. I try to give 100 percent in everything I do."
He said it's all part of that "preparedness" that allows him to "trust" his instincts in games.
Mann, an Academic All-Big Ten selection in the Ross School of Business, excels everywhere he goes on campus.
"Right now," said Mann, "the goal is to play pro hockey. Then I would look into starting something. An entrepreneurship path seems pretty interesting to me. But it's pretty important to focus on school because my parents (Tony and Sally) and siblings (sisters Alexandra, Isabelle and Georgia) stress to me that hockey will end someday. That's clear to me, and I want to be prepared for the 'real world' once I'm in it."
He's also on the Student Advisory Committee and is a leadership ambassador on the Leadership Development Team.
"I wanted to find a way to be involved outside of sports and school," said Mann, "and give back to the Michigan community. This was a great way to give back to the community that helps us succeed on and off the ice.
"The Student Advisory Committee is being involved in student-athlete issues and organizing events. I help out with things like 'Mock Rock' (a student-athlete talent show and community fundraiser). And with the Leadership Development Team, I'm like a middleman between leadership and staff at the Stephen Ross Academic Center, trying to facilitate making information easier for our team to get, and filtering out what events there are for us to get involved in in the community.
"Along the way, I've met a lot of cool people in other sports that I probably wouldn't have met otherwise. That's the ultimate thing. There are a lot of amazing student-athletes here."
He's quarantined for now back home in Greenwich with his parents, sisters and a friend of one sister, Danny Price, and cousin Marcel Garon -- with whom he prepared a weekend meal of seared grass-fed steak, roasted "buffalo" cauliflower, roasted butternut squash and guacamole.
"It's a full house and we've been taking it pretty seriously," said Mann. "I don't go out of the house besides grocery shopping. My mom's been a trouper, and my siblings have been on me for not doing my share of the cleaning. I'm also taking a three-week (online) class now that's really condensed."
So, he doesn't carry his weight in house cleaning. There you have it -- a chink in the armor of a Mann who does it all.
