Dominik Shine scored 20 goals his senior year at Northern Michigan University.
Now, in his fifth season with the Griffins since leaving Marquette, Shine is once again scoring goals. Eight in his last nine games.
"It definitely happened like my senior year towards the end there," Shine recalled. "Sometimes you get bounces and sometimes you don't and now they are going in for me an it feels good."
In his first 268 games with the Griffins, Shine had scored 26 goals.
A combination of a few factors has allowed the Detroit native a chance to the light the lamp much more frequently.
"I think what you are seeing is someone taking advantage of opportunity," Griffins head coach Ben Simon said. "Obviously we are missing a few guys up in Detroit and some guys with injury and I think he's made the most of it. He is bearing down on the chances that he does get and he is the kind of guy that has to work for the chances that he does get."
"Just trying to get pucks on net," Shine added. "Coming into these game coaches are telling me to shoot a little more, just have a little confidence and just put pucks on net."
Coinciding with the goal streak was the trade of Luke Witkowski last month at the deadline, which meant Shine became a full time alternate captain with Griffins.
"It means a lot," Shine said of wearing the A. "I've tried leading by example the whole time I've been here and it feels good that the coaches recognize it and my teammates too."
"He's a character guy that had a really good college career," Simon said. "He came here as an unknown and has had to work for everything he's gotten. Guys like that you respect. I think our younger guys, even our older guys, look to him to lead the way both on and off the ice."
It's a quick change from young kid out of school, to an experienced player that other guys look up to in just five short years.
"Time flies," Shine said. "This is my fifth year, it feels like I just got here. I know what it's like to be those guys coming out of college trying to find their way and I just try to do the best I can to help them out and just lead by example."
