Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of March 11)
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.
MARCH 15 – CHRIS KUNITZ
Chris Kunitz just can’t be stopped. The former Ferris State star didn’t score any goals last night – he just set up the game-tying goal and the game-winning goal for the Penguins instead. With his Pittsburgh squad down 1-0 in the third period, Kunitz helped jumpstart yet another comeback win for the Red Wings’ rival, helping Pascal Dupuis score a pair of goals at the 12:42 mark and the 17:50 mark of the final frame. The eventual 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs was the 7th straight for the Penguins, and Kunitz deserves much of the credit. He now has 39 points on the season, behind only teammate Sidney Crosby for the league lead. As a point of reference for how incredible Kunitz’s season has been – last year, he set a career-high with 61 points in 82 games. This year, he’s already at 39, in only 28 games.
More MiHockey articles on Kunitz:
Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of March 4)
Michi-gamer: The pride of the Mitten (2011-12 archive)
MARCH 14 – ANDY MIELE
The Portland Pirates scored six goals last night, and Michigan’s own Andy Miele factored into a third of them. Miele, a native of Grosse Pointe Woods, picked up a goal and an assist in the Pirates’ 6-3 win over the Adirondack Phantoms. Miele’s goal, his 12th of the season, came at the 8:19 mark of the third period, serving as the final nail in the coffin, as it gave the Pirates a 5-1 lead. Miele also had the primary assist on David Rundblad’s goal in the second period. For Miele, they were his 36th and 37th points of the year, as he continues to progress in his pro career. The former Hobey Baker winner was a four-year letter-winner at Miami before signing as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2011.
More MiHockey articles on Miele:
Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of Dec. 17)
MARCH 13 – TYLER SEGUIN
The Bruins may not have come out on top last night, but it wasn’t because of a lack of effort from Tyler Seguin. The former Plymouth Whalers star scored a highlight-reel goal in the first period, which gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead. While falling, Seguin roofed the puck past Marc-Andre Fleury from the slot. It was Seguin’s ninth goal of the season, and it gave the Bruins a big 2-0 lead on the road. Seguin, who played for the Whalers from 2008-10, now has 20 points on the season, and his +17 rating is good for sixth in the entire NHL.
More MiHockey articles on Seguin:
Michi-gamer: The pride of the Mitten (2011-12 archive)
Michigan connections shine in NHL All-Star Game
MARCH 12 – NICHOLAS SCHILKEY
With limited pro action to pick from, we decided it was time to check on how some of Michigan’s top prospects are doing in their junior leagues. Didn’t take long to find somebody who had a big game recently, either. Smiths Creek native Nicholas Schilkey had a hat trick for his USHL Green Bay Gamblers squad Sunday, leading them to a 6-4 win over the Youngstown Phantoms. Schilkey, a Honeybaked alum and Ohio State commit, has been tearing up the junior circuit with teammates and fellow Michigan natives Alex Kile and Sheldon Dries. Schilkey has 52 points this season, while Kile has 47 and Dries has 40. We can’t wait to see what Schilkey – and his teammates – do at the next level.
MARCH 11 – STEVEN OLEKSY
Chesterfield native Steven Oleksy just continues to impress the Washington Capitals brass after being signed to a three-year, entry-level deal and called up just last week. In his first three games with the Caps, the 27-year-old rearguard had recorded three assists. In his fourth game, Sunday afternoon at home against the New York Rangers, Oleksy opened the scoring just 2:16 into the game in front of 18,506 at the Verizon Center in our nation’s capital. With four points in four games, that matches his Lake Superior State freshman point total, except it took 35 less games this time around. Prior to his call-up, Oleksy had been playing with the Hershey Bears of the AHL, tallying 14 points and a team-high 151 penalty minutes in 55 contests. En route to the NHL, Oleksy made some pit stops in Michigan, spending time in the NAHL with Traverse City (2005-06) and later in the IHL with the Port Huron Icehawks (2009-10). Not that it’s any indication of what may be, but it took fellow Capitals blueliner Mike Green – the former Norris Trophy candidate and offensive dynamo is currently injured – 26 career games before he hit four points. Not that it’s any indication of what may be, but hey, it’s an impressive start for one of the Mitten’s own.
More MiHockey articles on Oleksy:
Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of March 4)
To see last week’s Michi-gamer nominations, click here.
This week’s Michi-gamer list assembled by MiHockey’s Stefan Kubus and Michael Caples.
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