Wolverines season wrap-up

By Matt Slovin –

ANN ARBOR – Should I stay or should I go? More than just an 80’s rock song, it’s a question that numerous members of the Michigan hockey team are asking themselves now that the season has come to a close.

And if you’re anything like sophomore defenseman Mac Bennett, dubbed by many as the Wolverine blue line’s next leader, you’re choosing the former.

“I’m coming back for sure,” Bennett said at Monday’s end-of-season media session. “I’m not ready to leave this place yet. I love it too much.”

So he won’t — at least not yet. And Bennett was just one of several Michigan skaters to renew their vows to their school, so to speak. Freshman forward Phil Di Giuseppe, who earned an invitation to Canada’s World Junior Championships tryout camp with an impressive first season in Ann Arbor, also seems set on staying put. Though Di Giuseppe’s productivity fell during the second half of the campaign, Michigan coach Red Berenson certainly has to be happy one of his key freshmen will remain in maize and blue.

Junior blue liner Lee Moffie didn’t seem to be a flight risk either. Moffie expressed his gratitude to the four departing seniors – Shawn Hunwick, Greg Pateryn, David Wohlberg, and Luke Glendening – on the Wolverines’ roster and seemed hopeful that he could attempt to fill the void they will leave.

But not all of the Michigan players were as decisive with their answers. Speculation had surrounded sophomore defenseman Jon Merrill and his professional plans since he stepped foot on campus. When he became suspended indefinitely earlier this season for an undisclosed violation of team rules, that speculation grew immensely. But since his return after half of the season, Merrill had hardly missed a beat. He seemed to be back in the good graces of both Berenson and the program.

Leaving early, though, seems more realistic than ever now for Merrill, who said he would have to decide “soon” where he will be next year. The New Jersey Devils’ prospect went on to say that he will consult several of the people who know him best, including Berenson, before making any decision.

Berenson seemed to expect Merrill back in the block ‘M’ next season. The coach has always been a tough critic of his players’ NHL readiness, but has been known to say that when a player is ready, he’ll give him a ride to the airport.

Wohlberg, another Devils’ prospect, has headed to Albany where he’s signed an amateur try-out contract with the organization. The forward has had to overcome a number of injuries in his Michigan career, including a season-ending collarbone injury last year that sidelined him for the postseason run.

Pateryn, however, isn’t in quite the same rush as Wohlberg. Rather than ship out early, the Montreal Canadians’ prospect chose to finish up the school year in Ann Arbor and earn his diploma. Although the defenseman did say he keeps in touch with the Canadians organization every “once in a while,” the choice seemed to be an easy one for him. The Canadians had hoped to assign Pateryn to their American Hockey League squad, the Hamilton Bulldogs, but the blue liner remained content to wait.

Hobey Baker semifinalist goaltender Hunwick is also weighing his options. Playing overseas seems to be a possibility for Hunwick, though he also seems poised to give up the game if no attractive option presents itself.

“I wouldn’t blame him if he never played another game,” Berenson said.

ROCKY RUTLEDGE: Berenson spent part of his Sunday checking out his possible goaltender of the future, just two days after his current goaltender, Hunwick, skated off the ice for the last time as a Wolverine. What he saw was far from impressive.

Jared Rutledge, a Chicago native and goaltender for the US National Development Program’s Under-18 team, played far from stellar under the watchful eye of his future coach. Berenson, however, hardly batted an eye. He remembers watching Marty Turco struggle time after time in scrimmages, before going on to be one of the best, if not the best, goaltenders in Michigan hockey history.

Berenson hinted that the starting job between the pipes was Rutledge’s to lose.

OUTDOOR MADNESS: Berenson laughed when asked if Michigan will participate in any other outdoor hockey games next season, in addition to the Great Lakes Invitational, scheduled to be played outdoors for the first time in its storied history at Comerica Park. He added that the state of Michigan will have all the outdoor hockey it can handle between the GLI and the Winter Classic at the Big House.

Berenson also noted that he thinks the GLI will need to be “reviewed” after conference realignment takes place. Michigan will move to the Big Ten hockey conference after next season, and though Berenson is against discontinuing the event, he did expect change.