The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/100794
2011-12 hockey preview Janecyk, a 6-0, 185-pound, Ada, Mich., native, appeared in only one contest as a freshman, seeing the ice for 1:32 and stopping a shot. photo by lon horwedel Who Is Adam Janecyk? Two seasons ago, when Shawn Hunwick stepped in for an injured Bryan Hogan midway through the first period of a Feb. 25, 2010, home game against Notre Dame, fans were wondering who he was. Those that knew Hunwick knew him largely by his last name, recognizing he was the younger brother of all-conference defenseman Matt (2004-07). Entering his fifth year at U-M, Hunwick is now a household name in college hockey. Like Michigan���s current No. 1 netminder used to be, sophomore Adam Janecyk is an unknown. The 6-0, 185-pound, Ada, Mich., native appeared in only one contest as a freshman, seeing the ice for 1:32 and stopping a shot. So who is Adam Janecyk? And is he prepared to relieve Hunwick if called upon? We asked his teammates and coach those questions. Hunwick: ���A great teammate, a great friend. As a goalie, he���s good. He���s another guy like me that came in with two years of juniors experience before college, so he���s a little older, a little more mature. He probably took a less-than-likely path to get here, but he���s worked hard since he���s gotten here, and he���s improving. ���When you���re the third goalie, like he was last year, you don���t get very much practice time, you don���t get very good drills. The No. 1 and No. 2 goalie are taking all the good drills. You get stuck with the 5-on-0s. Once Adam got into net last year [with Bryan Hogan hurt for six weeks], he really blossomed. ���I expect Adam to get a lot better, quickly, with a greater practice opportunity.��� Junior forward Jeff Rohrkemper: ���He���s my roommate and a great guy. People were saying the same things about Hunwick they���re saying about Janecyk, and now look at him. ���It���s all about opportunity. None of us would be at Michigan if we weren���t good enough to make a difference. ���Hopefully nothing happens to Hunwick, but Adam is a part of this team, he works hard, and he can step up and play a role.��� Head coach Red Berenson: ���He���s still emerging. He was a third goalie, completely in the background last year, and he accepted that role. He was a great team player, a great teammate. All the extra work that had to be done, he did it. By the end of the year, I think everyone on the team would tell you that Adam looked good. ���He really developed during the season, even though he hardly played in a game. And then in the summer I received a lot of feedback from his teammates that he looked great. He has a lot of confidence. He���s come a long way in the past year, and he���s given us the confidence that we don���t have to run out and recruit a goalie because we lost our freshman; Janecyk can be our backup.��� ��� Michael Spath 52��� the wolverine��� ������ October 2011 never relinquished the post, going 14-4 with a 2.06 goals-against average in leading the Wolverines to the CCHA regular-season crown. In the NCAAs, he went 3-1 with a 1.50 goalsagainst average and a .953 save percentage for the Maize and Blue, which played for the national title. ���Last year he was the best player on the team by the end of the year,��� junior forward Jeff Rohrkemper said. ���He kept us in games. ���It���s his fifth year, he has a ton of experience and confidence, and he���s going to be one of our best players. We���ll rely heavily on him.��� Michigan will depend on him every night, and while Hunwick has nothing left to prove to his teammates or his coaches, he has yet to prove he can be his best for six consecutive months, starting only nine of 45 games in 2010 and 35 of 44 contests a year ago. ���He���s shown glimpses of everything you can ask for from a goalie, and now he has a chance to put it all together for an entire season,��� Berenson said. ���There is no question in my mind he can do it. If he���s getting good support and he���s not overworked ��� he���s not seeing 45 shots a game ��� he can get his rest during the week in practice. ���You can play him every game, and that���s been proven year in and year out by teams and goalies we���ve had. On the other hand, I won���t be afraid to play our backup goalie at times either. But right now Hunwick is the guy, and I have a ton of confidence in him.��� Even before Gibson announced his decision in August, Hunwick was preparing like he would start the majority of games, conditioning his body to a greater degree than ever before, while watching his diet. ���I knew I needed to have a good summer,��� he said. ���I feel like I���ve gotten stronger and faster. I knew I needed to take care of myself better. Nutritionally, I ate better than in the past. I used to be a pizza and Taco Bell kind of guy. But I���m trying to stay a little leaner. ���I don���t think there is any extra pressure on me with John gone. Obviously, I want to play every game, and that���s been the same the last few seasons. It���s fun to know I���ll get the opportunity this year. ���I���m sure there are some people that don���t know if I can carry the load from