Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of April 6, 2015)
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 10 – BRYAN LERG
Bryan Lerg finally got his chance at the NHL level, and he made the most of it. The Livonia native and Michigan State product fired eight shots on goal in his NHL debut with the San Jose Sharks, and one of them found the back of the net. Lerg’s first NHL goal was the game-winner for the Sharks, making his first experience lighting the lamp at hockey’s highest level that much more special. With just under three minutes remaining in the third period, Lerg took a pass from Logan Couture and beat Edmonton goaltender Laurent Brossoit with a shot inside the near post. The 29-year-old Lerg has been waiting since turning pro in 2007 for a chance to play in an NHL contest, and we’re thrilled that he found his way to the scoresheet in his debut.
Here is the goal:
APRIL 9 – ANDY MIELE 
With AHL goal-scoring leader (still) Teemu Pulkkinen contributing to the playoff push in the Motor City, Andy Miele has consistently paced the offense in his absence. The Grosse Pointe Woods native delivered again Wednesday night, potting a goal and an assist in a big, 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals. First, Miele notched his 24th of the season at 11:16 of the opening frame to give the Griffins a 2-0 lead after Anthony Mantha opened the scoring. He then assisted on Mark Zengerle’s 14th for good measure, the game’s final goal. Miele has 43 assists to complement his 24 goals for 67 points in 66 games, good for the Grand Rapids team lead and second in the AHL.
Watch highlights from the Griffins win here:
APRIL 8 – AUSTIN WATSON
Ann Arbor native Austin Watson continued his strong offensive campaign for the Milwaukee Admirals Tuesday night. The 23-year-old Compuware product potted a pair of goals in a 5-3 loss to Rockford. Watson first recorded his 25th at 2:33 of the middle period before adding his 26th late on the powerplay with 20 seconds left in the game to pull Milwaukee to within two. Watson sits first on the Admirals in goals and second in points, with 42. His 26 goals, an AHL career-high, are also good for ninth in the entire AHL. The former 2010 18th-overall draft pick has seen some time with the parent affiliate Nashville Predators in 2012-13, a six-game stint in which he scored his first NHL goal.
APRIL 7 – JEFF PETRY
Despite being held off the scoresheet in his first 12 games since coming over to Montreal from Edmonton around the trade deadline, Ann Arbor native Jeff Petry has been red-hot recently. In Sunday’s 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers, the 27-year-old Petry assisted on P.A. Parenteau’s insurance marker at 11:27 of the middle frame to put the Habs up 3-1. The former Michigan State Spartans standout extended his point streak to five games with that helper, during which he has amassed two goals, three assists and a plus-four rating while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time on the back-end.
APRIL 6 – ALEC MARTINEZ
Alec Martinez was so determined to score for his Los Angeles Kings Saturday night that he scored twice on the same play. The Rochester Hills native broke a 1-1 tie in the second period when he fired a shot past Semyon Varlamov, going off the right bar and in. However, play resumed, because it looked like Martinez may have rang one off the post instead of finding the back of the net. So the Honeybaked and Miami alum grabbed his own rebound and scored again – just to make sure he recorded the game-winner for the Kings. The goal – Martinez’s sixth in an injury-shortened season – led to a 3-1 L.A. win, which keeps them in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference as we approach the final week of play.
Here’s the goal(s):
Michi-gamer features compiled by MiHockey’s Stefan Kubus and Michael Caples. Click here to see last week’s Michi-gamer picks.