Growing Into the Spotlight: The inconceivable rise of Shawn Hunwick

He still didn’t warrant significant interest from colleges, so he joined the Alpena IceDiggers of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The IceDiggers were in Alpena for five years, and when Shawn was on the team in 2007, they finished with their best record in team history.

Yes, he was short, but he was also talented with an impressive track record. Success followed him anywhere he went. Still, colleges didn’t care.

“He didn’t come up the easy way,” Berenson said.

Shawn committed to Adrian College in the summer of 2007; his parents even sent money to the school for Shawn’s housing. But everything changed when Steve Jakiel decided to leave Michigan for Curry College.

All of a sudden, Berenson needed a third goalie.

Then-Wolverines Chad Kolarik and Kevin Porter approached the coach about bringing Shawn aboard, and Berenson eventually agreed. He knew the Hunwick family because of Matt and had seen Shawn at a few tournaments, so he knew he was getting an undersized, but quality individual in Shawn.

For comparison’s sake, Jakiel is 6-foot-4 — the Berenson prototype.

There isn’t much risk with a third goalie. He sits on the end of the bench, doesn’t get much time at practice and isn’t expected to do much. Shawn wasn’t going to play, so if Berenson didn’t like him he could get rid of him easily.

“I told him if he were to come here he would have to be a great teammate, work hard at practice and push the other goalies,” Berenson said. “Being the third goalie is a very difficult role to play.”

It wasn’t even a decision for Shawn. He accepted the offer immediately.

“I think Shawn would have wanted to go to Michigan even if he wasn’t on the team,” Robin said. “He just wanted to be there. Even if he didn’t get to play, he still thought it was a good experience for him, a good fit.”

He would have been one of Adrian’s best players immediately, but he wanted nothing more than to become a Wolverine. He would be a glorified practice player, but he would be a Michigan practice player. That was the only thing that mattered.

“I think a lot of people that we knew didn’t necessarily like the decision,” Matt said.

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Shawn’s first two years at Michigan played out exactly how they were supposed to. He sat on the bench and did everything he could to be a good teammate. Berenson loved him in the locker room, but Shawn never got a shot at playing time.

He played in one game his freshman year, tallying two saves in three minutes in a 10-1 Michigan victory.

During his sophomore season, he didn’t appear in a single game.

“There were days and weeks where I thought I could play, and there were days and weeks and months where I didn’t think I would play,” Shawn said. “I was improving in practice, but it was hard to be consistent when you aren’t geared up to play. It’s easy to take days off and all that stuff, especially when you get into January and February and you still aren’t playing. In the back of my mind, I just wanted to work hard.”

He would go on the ice 45 minutes before practice everyday for an individual workout with goalie coach Josh Blackburn. Billy Sauer and Bryan Hogan were splitting time during games and practices, so Shawn didn’t see much time in the net during practice.

There was no imminent reward of playing time. But Shawn never called home and complained. Not once.

The thought of leaving the team never even crossed his mind. Ask him about giving up, and you get a look of pure, unrestrained confusion. Quitting? What’s that?

“I never grew tired of the program,” Shawn said. “I couldn’t really be disappointed because I came in knowing this is what I was going to be, the third goalie.”

But third goalie turned to second when Sauer graduated. And second became first on senior night against Notre Dame.

The night before the Notre Dame game, Shawn told himself he was never going to start a game in a Michigan uniform. Hogan would be returning for his senior season, which would essentially eliminate Shawn’s shot.

For Shawn, one day made all the difference.

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If you wanted to map out the early career of Shawn Hunwick and then do the exact opposite, Bryan Hogan would be your prototype. Heavily recruited and 6-foot-1, Hogan played significant minutes in his first two years at Michigan in front of Shawn. By the start of his junior year in 2009, Hogan had won the starting job outright.