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Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of Dec. 15, 2014)

MiHockey Staff

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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.

gerbe headshotDECEMBER 19 – NATHAN GERBE

Oxford native and former NTDP product Nathan Gerbe dished out two assists for the Carolina Hurricanes as they snapped a six-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night. Gerbe notched an assist on Carolina’s first goal after cycling the puck behind the net to captain Eric Staal, who found former Plymouth Whaler Chris Terry in front to tap it in. For his second assist, Gerbe won a puck battle along the boards and fed the puck back to point to reset the power play before Andrej Sekera ripped home a wrist shot from the right circle. Gerbe’s two helpers – his first points in the month of December – push his season assist total to 12 to go along with three goals.

Highlights:

Montreal Canadiens Headshots for the 2013-14 season

DECEMBER 18 – MAC BENNETT

Former University of Michigan captain Mac Bennett potted two goals on Wednesday night as he led the Hamilton Bulldogs to a 5-2 victory over the St. John’s IceCaps in AHL action. The young defenseman also registered a team-high four shots and was named the game’s first star for his efforts. After leading all Wolverine defensemen in points last season, Bennett is now tied for second among Bulldog defensemen in points with eight through 21 games. Bennett, 23, was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Highlights:

booth headshotDECEMBER 17 –DAVID BOOTH

After a slow start with his new club, Detroit native David Booth broke through on Tuesday night with his first goal of the season to help lead the surging Toronto Maple Leafs to a 6-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. With Toronto clinging to a slim 2-1 lead to begin the final period, Booth kicked off a two-goal spurt in a span of 51 seconds for the Maple Leafs. After forcing a turnover in the Anaheim zone, Booth’s wraparound glanced off the skate of Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner and past Frederik Andersen to give Toronto a two-goal cushion. The former NTDP and Michigan State product signed a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs in July.

Highlights:

bryan_rust_notre_dameDECEMBER 16 – BRYAN RUST

He’s the top story on NHL.com right now, and rightfully so. Last night, Bryan Rust, a Novi native and NTDP alum, scored his first NHL goal to help his Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the second period, Rust – a Notre Dame alum – took a pass from UM alum Andrew Ebbett and fired a wrist shot past Evgeni Nabokov for his first of hopefully many NHL goals. Rust was named the game’s second star of the night for the big tally, after skating in only his second NHL contest. Prior to his call-up, he had 10 goals and four assists with the Penguins’ AHL affiliate.

BONUS: Check out our article about Rust and some of his Honeybaked friends surprising a group of pee wee players earlier this year.

Highlights:

 

santorelliDECEMBER 15 – MIKE SANTORELLI

Former Northern Michigan star Mike Santorelli celebrated his 29th birthday on Sunday with a goal and an assist to help lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 victory in a shootout over the Los Angeles Kings. Santorelli kicked off the scoring in the first period as he fired a wraparound top shelf over the shoulder of Kings’ netminder Jonathan Quick. Santorelli recorded an assist later in the period on a goal by defenseman Cody Franson. After a slow start to his first season in Toronto, Santorelli now has 13 points over his last 10 games. On the season, the former Wildcat is on pace to best his career high – 41 points in 2010-11 – as he has 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) through 30 games.

Highlights:

Michi-gamer features compiled by MiHockey’s Josh Paulisin and Michael Caples. Click here to see last week’s Michi-gamer picks.