The Wolverine

2012-13 HOCKEY PREVIEW "I wouldn't say he fell into our lap, but the timing worked out for Jared and for us," assistant coach Billy Powers said. "We liked him, liked his potential and his pedigree — he has always been the go-to guy since he was 15 — but he had a choice to make, and fortunately he was inter- ested, and we were able to fill that goalie spot we needed." who backstopped the U.S. National Development Team Program for two years, had not yet made up his mind on a future, opting for the collegiate route over major juniors. Though a bit undersized by to- day's standards, the 5-11, 176-pound Rutledge is a technician that relied on his fundamentals to post a .902 save percentage en route to a 16-8-1 mark with the Under-18 squad. His greatest asset, though, should be a deep and veteran blue line and an entire Michigan team committed to strong defense in front of him. "We can't expect him to stand on his head as a freshman," senior cen- ter Kevin Lynch said. "When Hun- wick first started games for us my freshman year in the playoffs, the whole team rallied around him and really played outstanding defense. Then I think we sort of took that for granted a bit the past two years, and relied on Hunwick to bail us out, and he did, but we can't expect Rutledge to save us. Freshman Jared Rutledge, who was part of the United States National Team Development Program from 2010-12, will enter the season as U-M's No. 1 goalie. PHOTO BY TOM SORENSEN/USA HOCKEY "I like our goalies and our depth; we just don't have the experience." Michigan scooped up Rutledge in the fall of 2011 after five-stars Jack Campbell (committed but never signed) and John Gibson (signed letter of intent) backed out on the Wolverines before stepping foot on campus. Goalies, Al Montoya Marveled In His First Start Among Rookie When Michigan kicks off its 2012-13 season Oct. 11-12 against RIT, fresh- man Jared Rutledge will most likely be stationed between the pipes. U-M has routinely relied on rookie goaltenders, and has seen those first-year Wolver- ines enjoy great success. Among the freshman debuts, no one was better than Al Montoya on Oct. 11, 2002. Montoya stopped all 29 shots he faced, including 12 in the third period, in a 3-0 victory over Niagara on Oct. 11, 2002. FILE PHOTO "As seniors, we want to go out with a bang, and we know that if we put our freshman goalie in a situa- tion where he has to stop 30-40 shots every night then we're not helping him and we're not going to give our- selves a chance to finish on a high note. So while it's about helping him, it's really about our own legacies as seniors." Development Program, Montoya was considered the best goalie in his recruiting class, capable of leading Michigan to the national title in his first season. On opening night, he didn't disappoint, leading to inflated expectations he would largely meet throughout the 2002-03 campaign. Welcoming Niagara to Yost Ice Arena, A product of the U.S. National Team Gibson announced his decision just weeks before he was supposed to enroll as a true freshman in 2012. The Maize and Blue were able to survive because Hunwick had a fifth year of eligibility, but they absolutely could not afford another goalie reneging on them. Fortunately for U-M, Rutledge, Rutledge will receive the first crack, but the success of the entire team is Berenson's first priority, and if the freshman isn't up to the task, Racine, who is 6-2, or Janecyk or Dw- yer could replace him. U-M has done that before to one of its rookies, split- ting Sauer's starts with senior Noah Ruden, and going with Ruden in the postseason. "I don't know who it will be, but I'm confident one of them will step up," senior captain A.J. Treais said. "Hunwick left a void, and we need someone to step into that starting job and be someone we can count on. He toya recorded during his rookie sea- son and 13 in his three-year career. He wound up starting 41 of 43 games as a freshman, finishing with a 30-10-3 mark, a 2.33 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in back- stopping U-M to the Frozen Four. — Michael Spath U-M showed the rust of a long offsea- son, barely outshooting the Purple Ea- gles 30-29. The Wolverines made their chances count, scoring three times, including the first career marker from rookie winger Jeff Tambellini. Mon- toya, though, stole the show and the game for the Maize and Blue, turn- ing aside all 29 shots he faced, with a game-high 12 stops in the third pe- riod when Niagara tried desperately to get back into the contest. The shutout was one of four Mon- OCTOBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 57

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