Ferris State's All-Time Winningest Goaltender Inks With Buffalo Sabres' Top Affiliate

Big Rapids, Mich. - Ferris State University men's ice hockey alum CJ Motte, who completed his collegiate hockey eligibility as FSU's captain and starting goaltender this past season, inked a one-year deal with the American Hockey League's (AHL) Rochester Americans over the weekend.

The St. Clair native signed an AHL contract with the Americans, who are the top affiliate of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Buffalo Sabres. This past year, Motte was chosen as a 2015 Senior CLASS Award All-America First Team selection for the Bulldogs.

Motte, 23, inked a professional contract this spring with the American Hockey League's (AHL) Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the New York Islanders system as a college free agent following four seasons between the pipes at Ferris State. He appeared in four games professionally with Bridgeport and made 111 saves in 241 minutes of action following his collegiate career. 

The 6'0, 177-pound netminder spent the past four years at Ferris State and led the Bulldogs to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Final Five each of his final two seasons. He posted a .922 save percentage and a 2.07 goals against average as a senior in 2014-15 while leading the nation with 2,435 total minutes in net. This past year, Motte also became the first goaltender in school history to serve as team captain and claimed All-WCHA accolades for the second-straight campaign.

Motte concluded his Bulldog career as the school's all-time leader in career goaltending victories with a 66-49-12 overall record. He had a personal career-best 28-9-3 mark while ranking among the nation's leaders in 2013-14 as FSU won the WCHA regular-season championship and came within a game of the NCAA Frozen Four for the second time in three seasons.

During his four seasons with the Bulldogs, Motte helped lead Ferris State to two conference regular-season championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances and was a member of the FSU squad that reached the national championship game at the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four. He finished with a career 2.13 goals against average and .926 save percentage in 127 appearances between the pipes while making 3,394 saves and a school-record 15 shutouts. Motte also contributed six assists in his collegiate career while playing nearly every game in net for FSU the last three seasons.

A two-time All-WCHA honoree, Motte was a national top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 2013-14 and was twice among the nominees for both the Hobey Baker and the Mike Richter Goaltender of the Year honor. A year ago, he was presented the National Premier Player of the Year Award in college hockey and also chosen as Ferris State's Bulldog of the Year recipient for top male student-athlete.

Before attending Ferris State, Motte suited up for the Waterloo (Iowa) Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League and previously played in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) with the Traverse City North Stars.

Along with his standout accomplishments on the ice, Motte was also a WCHA All-Academic honoree and was one of the squad's leaders as team captain in spearheading the program's community service efforts on a yearly basis.