Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of April 21, 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.

APRIL 21 – JUSTIN FLOREK

He’s not very popular around Michigan right now, but we still have to pick him anyways. Marquette native Justin Florek scored the goal that broke the Boston Bruins out of their scoring slump yesterday afternoon, although it came at the expense of the Detroit Red Wings. Engaging in an aggressive forecheck, Florek capitalized on a turnover between Jimmy Howard and Brendan Smith, grabbing a loose puck with the Red Wings’ goaltender far outside his goal crease. The former Northern Michigan Wildcats star scored on the empty net to give his Bruins their first lead of their playoff series with the Wings. It wasn’t the prettiest of ways for Florek to score his first playoff goal, but it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Bruins. Florek, a 23-year-old forward in the midst of his first pro season, has been filling in admirably for a Bruins club dealing with injuries and illnesses; he logged 13:08 worth of ice time in Game 1, and 10:18 in Game 2.

This week’s Michi-gamer list assembled by MiHockey’s Michael Caples.