The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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For many of the Michigan icers, the Frozen Four loss to Denver was the end of the line for their U-M careers. One of the biggest question marks, though, concerned the status of head coach Mel Pearson's contract. As of April 14, the head man's con- tract was set to expire April 30, and there were rumblings about if/when it would be extended. "I'm glad you care about me," Pearson said when asked after the loss to Den- ver about his future. "But I'm just going to talk about the game and our team tonight." If he returns, at least one huge build- ing block will be back with him. The Wolverines will reportedly return one of the biggest contributors from this year's squad in goaltender Erik Por- tillo. Sportsnet.ca's Elliotte Friedman re- ported April 12 that Portillo planned to return for his junior season at Mich- igan rather than signing with the Buf- falo Sabres, the team that owns his rights. Por tillo star ted all 42 games for Michigan this year. He turned away 92.6 percent of shots faced with a 2.14 goals-against average, finishing 31- 10-1 with three shutouts. The sophomore earned Most Out- standing Player honors in the Big Ten Tournament after stopping 90 of 95 shots in leading Michigan to four straight wins to gain the Big Ten title. Por tillo was outstanding early in NCAA Tournament games against AIC and Quinnipiac. His defense faltered in front of him in the latter, but he was a big reason Michigan held a 4-0 lead heading into the third period. "He's the MVP of our team, and you saw it again tonight," Pearson said. "He made some saves in that first period. We scored early, then we got away from it and they pushed." Por tillo also came up big in a 3-2 loss to Denver at the Frozen Four. He helped keep Michigan in it when the Pioneers carried the play for much of the first two periods. The 6-6, 225-pound native of Go- thenberg, Sweden, earned second- team All-Big Ten honors this year and NCAA All-Region recognition. He was a Big Ten Goaltender of the Year final- ist and a member of the Big Ten All- Academic team. More potentially positive news — both Friedman and ESPN's Emily Kaplan have reported that defenseman Luke Hughes is leaning toward returning to Michigan for another season. Hughes dominated offensively this year with 17 goals and 22 assists in 41 games. He led all NCAA defensemen in goals and points and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. He also was named the Big Ten Co-Fresh- man of the Year. That's where the good news ends. De- fenseman Owen Power, the NHL's No. 1 overall pick last year, signed with the Buffalo Sabres. He inked a three- year entry-level deal after notching three goals and 29 assists for the Wol- verines this year. Power earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the Wolverines. "Buffalo's going to get a real good hockey player," Pearson said after U- M's loss. "I hope maybe one more year we can get out of him." It wasn't to be. Sabres general manager Kevyn Ad- ams sat in a suite with owner Terry Pe- gula at the game. He told the Buffalo News he was impressed with what he saw despite the loss. "I thought as the game got tighter and tighter, he elevated more and more, which is a great sign," Adams said. "You could see that he wanted the puck. He wanted to be on the ice. He was barely off the ice in overtime, which is great. "I really see him as an all-situations guy that's going to be out there up a goal, down a goal, power play, pen- alty k ill. When you get in big mo - ments, you could see he wants it." Michigan standouts Kent Johnson and Nick Blankenburg, meanwhile, both signed deals with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The sophomore Johnson inked a three -year, entr y-level contract be - ginning this season, general manager Sophomore goalie Erik Portillo was named the Big Ten Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, and he led the Wolverines to their record 26th NCAA Frozen Four. As of April 12, Portillo was reported to be returning for another season at Michigan rather than leaving for the NHL. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL 32 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2022 Offseason In Flux