Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of April 29)
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.
MAY 3 – DANNY DEKEYSER
With today’s Michi-gamer nod, we’re taking advantage of this opportunity to celebrate the success of Clay Township native Danny DeKeyser. Red Wings coach Mike Babcock announced that his rookie defenseman is most likely done for the season after breaking his hand in last night’s game – a 5-4 overtime win for Detroit. For DeKeyser, it marks the end of a whirlwind last few months that he – nor many other people in the state of Michigan – will soon forget. After another impressive season at Western Michigan where he was named an All-American as a junior, DeKeyser signed with his hometown team, officially joining the Red Wings on March 30. The recruiting done by the Red Wings’ staff paid off almost immediately, as DeKeyser played in 11 NHL games down the stretch, helping Detroit secure their 22nd straight trip to the playoffs. The Compuware alum played as many as 19 minutes a game in crucial contests for Detroit, and finished the season with a +4 rating. He will be missed on the Wings’ blue line for the rest of the 2013 postseason, but we can’t wait to see what he can do in his first full pro season next year.
More MiHockey articles on DeKeyser:
Report: Dan DeKeyser has signed with the Red Wings
A new jersey number for Dan DeKeyser
Trouba, Czarnik, DeKeyser named All-Americans
MAY 2 – CHRIS TERRY
While the MiHockey team was checking out the Grand Rapids Griffins’ game, other Michigan connections were thriving in other AHL cities. Former Plymouth Whalers captain Chris Terry was one of those to have a big night, and he takes our Michi-gamer selection for Thursday morning. The Charlotte Checkers’ forward scored twice in the first period to give his team a big lead early, and they cruised to a 6-1 win over the Oklahoma City Barons. The win puts the Checkers in the driver’s seat for the series – they now hold a 2-1 series lead with an opportunity to advance to the next round with a win on Friday. Terry, 24, had 25 goals and 35 assists in the regular season, just four points off his AHL career-high, which he set in 2010-11. In his third and fourth years with the Whalers, Terry put up a remarkable 195 points.
More MiHockey articles on Terry:
Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of March 25)
Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of March 4)
MAY 1 – JUSTIN WILLIAMS
He won’t get the ‘hero’ label in Los Angeles, but he’s getting our Michi-gamer nod for Wednesday. Last night, Justin Williams scored the lone goal for the Kings, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Plymouth Whalers alum scored on a shot from the right circle with 32 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game for his Kings and force overtime. His goal wasn’t enough, however, as the Blues ended up prevailing in the first OT period on a shorthanded goal from Alex Steen. For Williams, it was his 16th career postseason goal in the NHL, and 45th point. He scored 14 goals and 16 assists for the Whalers in the 2000 OHL playoffs, helping lead them all the way to the league finals.
More MiHockey articles on Williams:
Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of April 1)
Michi-gamer: The pride of the Mitten (2011-12 archive)
APRIL 30 – CHAD KOLARIK
With no NHL, AHL or ECHL games being played last night, we’re taking a second look through the weekend for our Tuesday Michi-gamer selection. It wasn’t hard to find somebody to recognize, since Chad Kolarik keeps tearing it up for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In their first playoff game of the spring Saturday night, the University of Michigan alum scored late in the first period to give the Pittsburgh Penguins’ AHL affiliate a 2-0 lead. And while his team wasn’t able to hold onto the two-goal lead, it didn’t matter, because Kolarik scored again – this time in overtime. The game-winner gave the Penguins the early lead in their series against the Binghamton Senators, and they increased it to a 2-0 spread the next day with a Sunday afternoon victory. Kolarik split time between the Connecticut Whale and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this year, but that didn’t hurt his offensive production. The former Wolverines star and NTDP product posted 31 goals and 37 assists for 68 points over 76 games – good for third in the entire American Hockey League.
More MiHockey articles on Kolarik:
Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of April 8th)
Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of Feb. 4)
Plenty of Michigan connections on AHL All-Star rosters
APRIL 29 – COREY POTTER
Their season may have been ending, but it didn’t stop Corey Potter and the Edmonton Oilers from having a strong final showing. Potter, a Lansing native, jumpstarted the Oilers’ offense Friday night, leading Edmonton to a 6-1 win over Minnesota. The former Michigan State defenseman scored just 27 seconds into the contest, blasting a one-timer from the top of the circle through goaltender Niklas Backstrom. Potter then scored his second goal of the night at the 18:38 of the first period, chasing Backstrom from the Wild net after he saw only five shots, and allowed three. Potter’s two strikes were his second and third goals of the season, and they helped the Oilers play spoilers on a night when Minnesota was supposed to wrap up a playoff spot. Potter, 29, is also an alum of Honeybaked and the National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor. He played four seasons with MSU, picking up 44 points in 150 games from 2002-2006.
To see last week’s Michi-gamer nominations, click here.
This week’s Michi-gamer list assembled by MiHockey’s Michael Caples.