The Wolverine

February 2012

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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State Jan. 6 was rather pedestrian. Merrill collected the puck behind the end line and passed it up along the boards to freshman Alex Guptill. Mo- ments later, Wohlberg tomahawked a rebound off Guptill's shot, and the Maize and Blue were on the board. When Merrill was credited with B the second assist, the partisan Yost crowd celebrated his aid in the tally. Merrill made a play he's made many times before in his hockey career — BY MICHAEL SPATH y Jon Merrill's standards, his assist on senior forward Da- vid Wohlberg's first-period goal against Lake Superior half of the season, and head coach Red Berenson grinned wryly in dis- cussing Merrill's ascension back to a place of prominence. "I have a lot of confidence in him — he's a special player," Berenson said. "Now that he's back in the fold, he'll be one of our top defenseman. "He's been through a lot, but he's in a great place now and I look for him to have a great second half." Merrill's return isn't quite a feel- Jon Merrill's Return Boosts Defense And Michigan's Playoff Potential Welcome Back though one few defensemen, ama- teur or professional, make as easily — but this was different. Different because it was the first game this season in which the sophomore had donned the maize-and-blue sweater, after sitting out the first 22 contests due to suspension for violating team rules. "He makes that play so effortlessly, but how many other defensemen in our league would have been able to?" Lake Superior State head coach Jim Roque asked, rhetorically. "Most guys get the puck back behind the net and they're worried about the forecheck. They just want to get the puck out of their zone, so they start rushing it up the ice, and it takes them a few seconds to see a forward for an outlet pass. "Merrill sees the play developing as he's going into the corner, with his back to the rest of the ice. He noncha- lantly controls the puck and shifts it up ice to a teammate before our kids can even react, so now they've got the puck in our zone, creating a scor- ing chance that two seconds before wasn't there." Merrill finished with two assists and a plus/minus of plus-3 in his first weekend of action in a Maize and Blue uniform since last April. Fans at Yost chanted his name, team- mates jovially described his poten- tial to make an impact in the second 70 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2012 to threaten his standing as a Michi- gan student-athlete. It is a story that holds the promise to finish positively, but it started un- favorably in October. ACCEPTING HIS PUNISHMENT When Michigan delivered an of- ficial release Oct. 1, hours before its exhibition opener, the contents shocked media and the fans. Mer- rill, quiet and unassuming as a fresh- man in 2011, had been suspended for the first 12 games of the season. He was ineligible to participate in team- related activities for four weeks, in- cluding practice. Berenson has shown no hesitation in removing players from his roster when necessary. In 2011, the hockey program kicked defender Tristin Llewellyn and forward Jacob Fallon off the team, while in 2008 the Wol- verines booted Kevin Quick. There have been others, too, and Berenson does not discriminate between U-M's best players and its healthy scratches; Quick made up one-half of Michi- gan's top defensive pairing when he was dismissed from the team. An apologetic Merrill was afforded a second chance, if he met require- ments outlined by Berenson and ath- letics director David Brandon. But he would have to sit idle for an ex- tended period of time. First for 12 games, and then indefinitely. After a good story. He wasn't forced to watch the first 22 games because of elements outside his control. He sat because he was suspended, because he committed a foul grievous enough month, however, he was welcomed back to practice and team functions. During his enforced sabbatical, Merrill had options. A local team in Plymouth owns his OHL Draft rights, and he could have signed a pro contract, simply slipping out of the shackles U-M had imposed. He could have signed with the New Jer- sey Devils, the NHL club that had selected him in the 2010 Draft, yet the Devils weren't in pursuit (see side- bar), and Merrill made the decision to stay put. "I made a commitment to Coach Berenson and the University of Mich- igan and I thought it was the right thing to do," Merrill said. "I thought it was the right thing for me, and for the team, to stick it out and face the punishment. "I'm glad I did, and I think I'm a better person for it." "Leaving was definitely an option he had," Berenson added. "I know he did the right thing by staying, but you never know what kind of ad- vice he's getting or how people will handle adversity. "He was in a tough spot. And he put himself there. He had a big choice to make, and it was amazing how easy it was for him. He said, 'I'm going to stay here, and I'm going to do this.'" PLAYING HOCKEY AGAIN Merrill began practicing with the Wolverines Nov. 1, but he still wasn't eligible to play in games. Though rust wasn't setting in, the 6-3, 209-pound, Brighton, Mich., na- tive was eager to return to action, and USA Hockey, with Michigan's blessing, was willing to provide that opportunity. Merrill was added to the roster for the World Junior Cham- pionships Dec. 26-Jan. 4 in Alberta. "We wouldn't have offered him this opportunity without Michigan's col- laboration, but we thought he could help our hockey team, and the by- product of that was we could help him stay on the right path," U.S. gen- eral manager Jim Johannson said. "He was excited. Knowing him well, he's a calm, not overly emotional guy. Merrill violated team rules in the fall, earning a suspension that cost him the first 22 games this season, but in his first four games back U-M won three times and allowed only five goals. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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