Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of Jan. 28)

February 1, 2013February 11, 2013 MiHockey Staff

Welcome to another season of MiHockey’s Michi-gamer, now powered by Bauer Hockey.

We take great pride in our homegrown talent. Whether they grew up in the Mitten or we welcomed them here for college or juniors, they are our own. They represent the best place in the world for hockey.

Every night, we’ll keep an eye on those players, and every morning, we will pick one Michi-gamer of the night – one Michigan player who stood out above the rest.

FEBRUARY 1- JOHN MITCHELL

John Mitchell continued his impressive season thus far with the Colorado Avalanche after scoring twice and adding an assist in a 6-3 blowout of the Calgary Flames last night. In seven games this season, Mitchell has compiled four goals and one assist, already inching close to his totals from last year with the New York Rangers – he recorded five goals and 11 assists during the 2011-12 season. The former Plymouth Whaler tied the games for the Avs late in the first period with a snipe from the right circle and got on the boards again in the second period with a one-timer in front of the net.

More MiHockey articles on Mitchell:

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JANUARY 31 – PAT NAGLE

The Florida Everglades picked up a lopsided win last night, and a lot of it had to do with Pat Nagle. The Bloomfield native stopped 35 of the 37 shots he faced in the Everblades’ ECHL tilt with the Trenton Titans, leading his squad to a 5-2 win. This season, the Ferris State alum holds a 11-6-0-1 record, with a .904 save percentage and 3.13 goals-against average. He’s got plenty of familiar faces surrounding him in the Everblades’ locker room, too – Michigan connections Dan Milan, Mike Merrifield, Beau Schmitz and Mike Ratchuk all currently play for Florida.

More MiHockey articles on Nagle:

Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of Jan. 7)

JANUARY 30 – JACK JOHNSON

The Blue Jackets’ leader on the blue line picked up his first goal of the season last night. Jack Johnson, Michigan alum and certainly one of our ‘adopted’ Michi-gamers, is still settling into his new spot with the Jackets, after being involved in a trade-deadline deal last spring. The former Wolverines star fired a wrist shot from the blue line last night, somehow managing to sneak it through a crowd in front of the Minnesota goal. The power-play marker tied the game, but the Blue Jackets ended up falling 3-2 to the Wild.

More MiHockey articles on Johnson:

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Michi-gamer: The pride of the Mitten (2011-12 archive)

JANUARY 29 – CHAD KOLARIK

Team East didn’t pick up the win at the AHL All-Star Classic, but it wasn’t due to lack of effort from Chad Kolarik. The University of Michigan alum picked scored twice in the game showcasing the AHL’s best, despite his team losing 7-6 to Team West (home of the Grand Rapids Griffins’ representatives). It’s been a whirlwind week for Kolarik; the NTDP alum was traded by the New York Rangers to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ organization, meaning he has joined the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins for the time being. He’s off to a strong start with his new club, however; Kolarik scored just 1:36 into his first game with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

More MiHockey articles on Kolarik:

Plenty of Michigan connections on AHL All-Star rosters

Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of Dec. 31)

JANUARY 28 – TOREY KRUG

There was plenty of hockey action in Michigan this weekend, but for Monday’s Michi-gamer nod, we’re traveling out to Providence, Rhode Island. Friday night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Livonia native Torey Krug had himself quite the night. The former Michigan State captain had two goals and an assist, leading the Providence Bruins to a 6-1 win over the Portland Pirates. Krug kicked off the scoring for the Boston Bruins’ AHL affiliate, firing in a shot from the blue line on a power play just 3:17 into the contest. Krug would add a blast from the right face-off circle for his second goal – first multi-point game of his AHL career – roughly seven minutes later. Krug also factored into Jamie Tardif’s goal in the third period for his third point of the night. For his effort, Krug was named the No. 1 star in the Bruins’ win.

More MiHockey articles on Krug: