Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of Oct. 28)
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 day, 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.
NOVEMBER 1 – RYAN MILLER
Ryan Miller’s nightmare hasn’t just been on Halloween. The East Lansing native is tending to the crease of the Buffalo Sabres, a team that ranks dead last in the NHL in goals per game. That makes for one scary start to the season for any starting goaltender, and Miller keeps paying the price. Last night’s Halloween outing was the perfect example; Miller, the former Hobey Baker winner at MSU, stopped 44 shots in the Sabres’ match-up with the New York Rangers. The problem wasn’t that Miller let in two goals, of course; one can’t complain about a goaltender who records a .957 save percentage after getting bombarded all night. No, the problem was that once again, the Sabres couldn’t get Miller any offensive support, as they were shut out in a 2-0 loss. Miller’s record is 1-10-0 on the season, despite him leading the league in saves. While everybody’s making Halloween candy trades today, maybe the Sabres can use Miller to sweeten the pot, and finally get him out of a rough situation in Buffalo.
More MiHockey articles on Miller:
Photos: Red Wings open 2013-14 season with win over Sabres
Ryan Miller talks about Sochi, playing against little brother Drew and the Wings
Kip and Ryan Miller return to East Lansing for MSU hall of fame induction ceremony
U.S. Olympic camp: Players, management talk about hockey in Michigan
OCTOBER 31 – CHAD BILLINS
Chad Billins hasn’t had any trouble adjusting to his new surroundings. The Marysville native, who signed with the Calgary Flames organization during the offseason after helping the Grand Rapids Griffins capture an AHL title, has already scored five goals for the Abbotsford Heat in 10 AHL contests – not bad for a defenseman. Last night, the former Ferris State leader started a late scoring spree that ended with the Heat recording a 5-4 overtime win over the Utica Comets. Billins scored a power-play goal at the 6:58 mark of the third period to tie the game, and then after both teams scored later in the period, the Michigan native helped set up the game-winner in overtime. Billins has already recorded six points on the season, and his five goals put him at the halfway point of last season’s total – just 10 games in. Perhaps he will get a shot with his parent club, soon – we would love to see him skating around in a Flames jersey.
More MiHockey articles on Billins:
Bulldogs excelled in the classroom while they excelled on the ice in 2011-12
AHL championship especially sweet for Michigan natives
Billins takes home community service award
OCTOBER 30 – ANDREW COGLIANO
The Anaheim Ducks were trailing 2-0 last night when Andrew Cogliano decided to jumpstart a comeback. After his team allowed two first-period goals to Philadelphia Flyers, it was Cogliano who scored late in the second frame, putting his team back on track. The former University of Michigan star buried a rebound off a shot from Ryan Getzlaf that went wide, hit the boards behind the goal, and bounced right onto Cogliano’s stick. It was Cogliano’s second goal of the season, and a huge one for his club. NTDP alum Kyle Palmieri added two third-period goals, giving the Ducks their 10th win of the season – no team has more tallies in the win column. For Cogliano, it was his fifth point of the season; last year, he recorded 23.
More MiHockey articles on Cogliano:
Our list of Michigan names on NHL opening night rosters
NHL ’14 potential cover athletes announced
OCTOBER 29 – NATHAN GERBE
His team may not have won last night, but Nathan Gerbe’s impressive start to the 2013-14 season continued. After being bought out by the Buffalo Sabres during the offseason, Gerbe found a new home in North Carolina, and he’s been proving his old team wrong ever since. Last night, the Oxford native recorded the lone goal for the Hurricanes in a 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. It was the NTDP product’s fourth marker of the season, to go along with his three assists. Seven points in 12 games is a great start for the 5-foot-5 forward, who recorded only five goals and five assists in 42 games with Buffalo last season. Gerbe, USA Hockey’s National College Player of the Year during his junior season at Boston College in 2007-08, is thriving with his new club, and he’s already staring down his NHL bests of 16 goals and 31 points, which he set in 2010-11.
More MiHockey articles on Gerbe:
Our list of Michigan names on NHL opening night rosters
Skating with Red Wings gives Nathan Gerbe a rare home visit
Red Wings return to Joe Louis Arena for informal training sessions
OCTOBER 28 – RYAN KESLER
You know, we try to space our Michi-gamer picks out a little, so that we can highlight as many Michigan natives and Michigan products as we can. However, when you score overtime game-winners in NHL games, it’s hard for us to overlook it. On Friday, Ryan Kesler scored twice for the Vancouver Canucks, the second of which being the game-winning goal for his club. His first, an impressive wrist shot from the slot, gave Vancouver a 2-0 lead in the second period. Then, when the lead evaporated, the Livonia native delivered in OT. Parked out in front of the St. Louis goal in the final moments of the extra frame, Kesler managed to knock down a rebound and swat a backhander in with 15 seconds remaining on the clock. They were Kesler’s sixth and seventh goals of the season, and they gave Vancouver a 3-2 win over St. Louis.
More MiHockey articles on Kesler:
Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of Oct. 21)
Ryan Kesler talks about his upcoming season
Red Wings return to Joe Louis Arena for informal training sessions
To see last week’s Michi-gamer selections, click here. This week’s Michi-gamer list assembled by MiHockey’s Michael Caples.