The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 57 BY ANTHONY BROOME T he U-M hockey program will have four representatives in the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Champi- onship. Sophomores Owen Power (defenseman) and Kent Johnson (forward) will represent Canada, while sophomore forward Matty Beniers and freshman defenseman Luke Hughes will participate for Team USA. Power, who was the No. 1 over- all pick of the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft, turned heads early on in Canada's camp. He did not participate in World Juniors last year due to missing too much school time. This has been a new experience for him, which he ad- mitted played a part in returning to Michigan this season. "I didn't get the chance to play in the World Juniors last year, so being able to come back and having the opportunity to play in it defi- nitely played a role in me deciding to stay in school," Power told TSN. In addition to Beniers and Hughes, the Wolverines had three other players at Team USA's camp, which is headquartered in Plymouth, Mich. Sophomore defenseman Jacob Truscott and freshman forward Mackie Samoskevich missed the cut for the 25- man roster, while sophomore forward Thomas Bordeleau was released on Dec. 12 after testing positive for COVID-19. He lives with Beniers and Truscott, who were fully vaccinated and tested nega- tive. Bordeleau did not travel with Mich- igan to its series with Ohio State on Dec. 10-11. "It's really tough," Beniers told NHL. com. "We're all going to miss him. He kind of caught COVID at a time when [Truscott and I] were away from the team. He was going to be a really huge part of this team, so that's why it's such a tough hit. I'm not totally sure if there's anyone that can really fill his boots. "So some guys are going to have to step up; that's going to be an important part of this." Unfortunately for Bordeleau, it will be the second time in two years he is forced to miss the event. He was a close contact to a false positive test last De- cember, which knocked him out of the 2021 tournament for Team USA. The World Junior Championship runs from Dec. 26, 2021, to Jan. 5, 2022, and will take place in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. All games will air live on NHL Network. WOLVERINES RANKED THIRD HEADING INTO DECEMBER BREAK Michigan's December slate started with a two-game series at Yost Ice Arena against Minnesota. The Wolver- ines (14-6, No. 3 in the country as of Dec. 13) dropped a 5-1 decision on Dec. 3, but rebounded with a dominant 6-2 win the following night. Head coach Mel Pearson was not happy with the effort in the first game of the series, which put his team on notice heading into the Satur- day outing. "We were pissed [after the first game against Minnesota]," Pear- son told The Michigan Daily. "If you [walked] out of this locker room and you weren't upset, you shouldn't be playing the game. When I say upset, not so much losing, you have to hate losing, but just how [we] played and com- peted." Sophomore forward Thomas Bordeleau, who scored the lone goal in the 5-1 loss on Dec. 3, called the first game a gut-check moment. The blowout win the night after spoke volumes about the team's response. "After that first performance, we kind of had to look ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves, 'Is this what you want from the season, or do you want to actu- ally show up every day and work hard?'" Bordeleau said. "I think we responded." The Wolverines went to Co- lumbus the following weekend (Dec. 10-11) and split the series with Ohio State. The team was without Owen Power and Kent Johnson, who traveled to report for World Juniors for the Ca- nadian national team. Michigan grabbed a 5-2 win over the Buckeyes in the first game of the se- ries while also losing defenseman Steve Holtz (upper-body injury) and Jay Ker- anen (ejection). "I just couldn't be more proud of the effort and the commitment and the blocking shots and just everything that they put into this game," Pearson said. "I've been doing this for 40 years. I don't know if I've been more proud of a group of young men." The Wolverines lost 6-1 on Dec. 11 in Columbus, giving them their sixth loss of the season. The team has 18 days off before hosting the Great Lakes Invita- tional in Ann Arbor Dec. 29-30. They will take on Michigan Tech and Western Michigan, respectively. ❏ The Wolverines sent seven players to the World Juniors camp, with four earning the opportunity to participate in the tournament from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Freshman defenseman Luke Hughes (above) is one of two who will represent the United States. PHOTO BY RENA LAVERTY / USA HOCKEY'S NTDP MICHIGAN HOCKEY Hockey Sends Four To World Juniors