Hunwick, Merrill Snare CCHA Player of the Week Honors
12/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Dec. 13, 2010
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- Senior goaltender Shawn Hunwick (Sterling Heights, Mich.) and freshman defenseman Jon Merrill (Brighton, Mich.) of the University of Michigan ice hockey team were named CCHA Goalie and Rookie of the Week, respectively, the league announced on Monday (Dec. 13), for their performances in U-M's 5-0 victory over Michigan State in The Big Chill at the Big House (Dec. 11), which drew a world-record crowd of 113,411 to Michigan Stadium.
Merrill scored on his first two shots to stake U-M to a 2-0 lead in the first period. His opening tally, which came on the power play, was his first career game-winning goal. The rookie rearguard also earned the game's first star honors. Merrill, who leads all Wolverines in power-play scoring (3-4-7), is tied for third on the team in overall points (5-8-13).
Hunwick made 34 saves for his second career shutout, with 13 of the stops coming during MSU's five power plays. Hunwick is the first U-M goalie to blank the Spartans since Dec. 5, 2003. He has a 3-3-4 record on the season, with a 2.52 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.
The CCHA Player of the Week accolades are the first for both Merrill and Hunwick.
Michigan finished the first half of the season with an overall record of 10-5-4. U-M's 9-3-1 mark in CCHA play has the Maize and Blue in second place in the conference standings. The Wolverines are off until the 46th annual Great Lakes Invitational, when they oppose Michigan Tech on Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Joe Louis Arena.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
