The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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"This team has been resilient all year. We found a way to come back," Pearson said. "… To find a way to win this game in a tough building says a lot about their character. And … we've got a goalie." Michigan captured its Big Ten title six years to the day after beating the Gophers for its last tournament cham- pionship. A week later, Michigan handled American International College in a first-round NCAA Tournament con- test, getting out to a big lead and win- ning 5-3, and then beat Quinnipiac 7-4 March 27. U-M took a 4-0 lead into the third period but gave up three in a row midway through the period. The Wolverines answered with an empty net goal with less than four minutes remaining and held on to ad- vance to the Frozen Four. "The main thing is we're on to Bos- ton," Pearson told ESPN2.com. "I didn't like our third period, but give them all the credit. They never gave up. They worked hard, and they had us on the ropes there. "But our guys found a way, and that's all that matters at this point." The loss to Denver was next, and it was a tough one. Still, the young Wol- verines said they'd never forget the ride. "Looking back at just this last year and just thinking about how I was able to be the captain of this team and — you look at all the NHL draft picks, and you look at all the guys who are going to have successful NHL careers, it means the world to me," senior cap- tain and defenseman Nick Blanken- burg said. "Just to be a Michigan guy and to be able to be the captain of this team and be able to lead these guys — I'll definitely cherish it forever, and it's something that nobody can ever take away from me." "I think just adding on to what 'Blanks' was saying, they're just un- believable teammates, unbelievable guys on and off the ice," senior for- ward Garrett Van Whye added. "And they worked their asses off. They gave us everything, everything they've got. So, I'm really proud of them. I'm really proud to be one of their teammates." The Wolverines finished 31-10-1 and third in the final USCHO.com rank- ings, behind Denver and finalist Min- nesota State. But they're still No. 1 in the hearts of a Michigan hockey fan base that gave great support all year, traveling in droves in the postseason to support their favorite team. ❏ Sophomore defenseman Owen Power, the NHL's No. 1 overall pick last year, signed with the Buffalo Sabres after the U-M season concluded, having notched three goals and 29 assists for the Wolverines this year. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY MAY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 33 Jar mo Kek alainen announced on NHL.com. Johnson, selected by the Blue Jackets in the first round, fifth overall, at the 2021 NHL Draft, joined the team days later. " K e nt J o h n s o n i s a re m a r k a b l e young man both on and off the ice," Kekalainen said of the Michigan for- ward. "He is a highly skilled and cre- ative player who can bring you out of your seat whenever he's on the ice. "We're thrilled that he is taking the next step in his career and look for- ward to his growth and contributions as a Blue Jacket for years to come." Johnson finished his college career with 17 goals and 47 assists for 64 points, with seven power-play goals and five game -winning goals. He notched 127 shots and a cumula- tive plus-41 plus/minus rating in 58 games over two seasons at Michigan. Blankenburg signed a one-year, en- try-level contract for the remainder of the 2021-22 season, Kekalainen announced. The 23-year-old ser ved as Michi- gan's captain this season and set ca- reer highs in goals (14), assists (15) and points (29). Blankenburg also finished the sea- son tied for second among all NCAA defensemen in goals and power-play goals and tied for 15th in points. " We watched Michigan a lot this season and each time came away more and more impressed by Nick and the way he plays the game," Kek- alainen said. "He is a talented, smart, really competitive player with great leadership qualities. We are thrilled to welcome him to our organization." Blankenburg had a cumulative plus- 50 plus/minus rating in 133 games from 2018-22. He was honorable mention All-Big Ten and earned con- ference All-Academic honors in each of his final three seasons at Michigan. Finally, sophomore for ward Matt Beniers inked with the Seattle Kraken after earning unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honors. He was the confer- ence scoring champion with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 18 games. He also had 10 multiple-point games, four more than the next best player in the league. Seattle's first-round pick in the 2021 draft (No. 2 overall) scored a goal in his first game with the Kraken April 12. He also added an assist and is viewed as a key part of the team's future. — Chris Balas