Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of Feb. 3, 2014)
Welcome to another season of MiHockey’s Michi-gamer!
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 morning, we pick one Michi-gamer from the previous night’s slate of games across all professional levels of hockey – one Michigan player who stood out above the rest.
FEBRUARY 7 – MAX PACIORETTY
Last night, Max Pacioretty scored three times for the Montreal Canadiens. If you look at the scoring column, Pacioretty’s name appears at the top, directly in the middle, and at the bottom. The former Michigan Wolverines star scored at the 14:59 mark of the first period, then at the 4:45 and 18:52 marks of the third period to lead his Canadiens to a 5-2 win over Vancouver. He even had two penalty shot attempts that he didn’t score on in the second period. Talk about a wild night for the Wolverines alum. Pacioretty, who will play for Team USA in the upcoming Winter Olympics, now has 26 goals and 37 points on the season.
Check out the highlights here:
More MiHockey articles on Pacioretty:
Michigan connections on Olympic rosters for Sochi
Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of Nov. 18)
List of Michigan natives and connections invited to national team Olympic camps
FEBRUARY 6 – CHRIS BROWN
Former NTDP and Michigan Wolverines standout Chris Brown is still working towards a full-time spot in the lineup with the Phoenix Coyotes. He sure is making his case to management however; last night he added another pair of goals in the Portland Pirates’ 5-1 win over the Binghamton Senators. They were Brown’s 10th and 11th goals of the season, and they were both first-period strikes. The NTDP product’s 11 goals and 17 assists give him 28 points over 40 AHL games this season. He’s played in 11 NHL games over the last two seasons, and he’s still looking for that first point.
More MiHockey articles on Brown:
Wolverines take down Buckeyes 4-1 in Frozen Diamond Faceoff
Michigan captures 2011 GLI championship
FEBRUARY 5 – TIM THOMAS
Davison native Tim Thomas faced 20 shots from the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. He only let one by him, too, meaning that he led his Florida Panthers squad to a 4-1 win. In fact, if former Red Wings forward Tomas Kopecky hadn’t committed a bad turnover in his own end, we might be talking about a shutout for Thomas right now. Nonetheless, it was another impressive outing from the journeyman goaltender, who returned to NHL action this season at age 39. Despite playing for a struggling Panthers club, Thomas holds a 15-16-3 record with a .912 save percentage and 2.74 goals-against average this season. Not bad for taking a year off then coming back to the NHL by joining one of the least successful programs around.
Here are the highlights:
More MiHockey articles on Thomas:
Report: Tim Thomas traded to the Islanders
Tim Thomas’ Facebook page confirms hiatus
FEBRUARY 4 – JUSTIN ABDELKADER
How can we not pick him again? Last night, Justin Abdelkader took care of all the scoring for the Red Wings. Scoreboard read 2-0, and his name was the only one in the goal column. Abdelkader, along with stellar goaltending from both Jonas Gustavsson and Jimmy Howard, led the Wings to a victory against Western Conference foe Vancouver – Detroit’s last home game before the Olympic break. Abdelkader, the Muskegon native and former Michigan State Spartan, scored the game’s first goal on a wrister from well above the face-off circle that was placed perfectly off the post and into the back of the net. He then added the empty-netter at the end of the contest, sealing the deal for the Wings. That’s three goals in two games for Abdelkader, who seems to be enjoying life on a line with Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist.
Here are the highlights from last night’s game:
More MiHockey articles on Abdelkader:
Howard, Gustavsson record first combined shutout for Wings since 2001
Photos: Red Wings vs. Canucks
Abdelkader scores game-tying goal for Red Wings in his first outdoor experience
FEBRUARY 3 – JUSTIN ABDELKADER
In a weekend with plenty of scoring from Michigan natives, we decided to go with the one of the guys closest to home. Yesterday, Justin Abdelkader scored the goal that secured a trip to overtime for the Detroit Red Wings, completing a huge comeback for the Original Six club. Abdelkader helped the Wings win a puck battle deep in the Washington end, then cut to the goal in time to grab a rebound off a shot from Henrik Zetterberg and bury a backhand for his sixth goal of the season. It was a big goal for the Muskegon native and former Michigan State Spartan, who was playing on a line with Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist (what a day he had, too). While the Wings may not have won the game in overtime, Abdelkader’s goal helped them get at least a point out of the contest, something that seemed out of reach when they were down 3-1 after one period of play.
Here is the goal:
More MiHockey articles on Abdelkader:
Abdelkader scores game-tying goal for Red Wings in his first outdoor experience
Fox Sports Detroit’s “Nothing Stops Detroit” PSA
U.S. Olympic camp: Players, management talk about hockey in Michigan
This week’s Michi-gamer list assembled by MiHockey’s Michael Caples.