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Zach Attack
February 9, 2015
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Zach on the Attack

Michigan Senior Hyman Emerges as Scoring Threat

by Jashvina Shah/Staff Writer

 (photo: Jashvina Shah)

(photo: Jashvina Shah)

 

Underneath Detroit’s Stanley Cup banners, Michael Downing slid the puck to Zach Hyman, stationed just outside the net. Hyman stopped the puck, collected it and backhanded it over Jake Hildebrand’s right shoulder to give Michigan a 2-0 lead.

 

It was a moment emblematic of the player's, and the team's, recent run.

 

“He’s got the confidence now. He knows he can score,” Michigan coach Red Berenson said.

 

The senior assistant captain scored both game-winning goals as Michigan earned the 50th Great Lakes Invitational title, despite playing without linemate and freshman sensation Dylan Larkin. Still, Hyman finished the weekend with three points.

 

“With him it’s not just one example to pick up the team. He just kind of does it,” junior captain Andrew Copp said. “[The GLI] could be a huge momentum swing looking back on our season. We feel like we have a lot of momentum right now and I think a big part of that’s just the way [Hyman] plays and the way he carried himself at the GLI.”

 

With 26 points through 19 games, Hyman has already set a career high. He has also 11 goals, eight multi-point games and recorded his first collegiate hat trick.

 

"I’ve kept the same mindset throughout the year. But at the same time I guess I’ve put a little but more pressure on myself now that I’m a senior and I have a big role on the team as a forward, as a leader and a captain,” Hyman said.

 

Hyman has spent the season playing with Dylan Larkin, the team’s top freshman. Along with Alex Kile, the trio have helped Michigan’s offense rise to second in the nation.

 

“They have a lot of communication,” Copp said. “On the ice, they talk about plays on the bench and in practice about, ‘Hey when this guy’s jumping here I’m jumping there and put your stick in this lane.’”

But for Hyman, scoring wasn’t always as easy as his backhanded flip in the GLI.

 

The Freshman Wall

When Hyman arrived at Michigan three years ago, he was an offensive prospect ready to wear Maize and Blue. He was named the 2010-11 CJHL Player of the Year after scoring 102 points in 43 games with the Hamilton Red Wings.

 

In his first collegiate game, Hyman netted two points.

 

But then something happened.

 

He wasn’t scoring anymore.

 

“He’s been a classic case of a player who came in with really outstanding credentials and just wasn’t as ready for this level as we thought,” Berenson said.

 

Hyman — who originally committed to Princeton before switching after Guy Gadowsky departed for Penn State — finished the season with nine points, ending his freshman campaign on a 16-game scoreless streak.

 

“It just didn’t work out for him. He had a lot of tough puck luck and after a while I think he lost his confidence,” Berenson said. “He never quit working, but his role on the team slowly slipped where he was more considered a checker than he was a scorer.”

 

As the scoring drought forced a change in Hyman’s role, the forward learned to contribute in different ways. 

 

“I appreciate what kind of role every player plays on the team, because I’ve been in almost every role on this team,” Hyman said. “Even though it may be hard, whatever helps the team win is the mentality that I’ve had since my freshman year.”

 

Hyman continued working on the ice and in the weight room, but his offensive statistics remained stifled.

 

“It’s definitely hard when you don’t get there results, but at the same time it’s been an amazing learning experience to face adversity,” Hyman said.

 

With three more years of college ahead of him, Hyman spent his time learning from the upperclassmen and improving his defensive play. 

 

“Coach Berenson’s been amazing teaching me and all the other coaches have been great in just instilling how to play in my D zone and how to be a good two-way player,” Hyman said.

 

“The biggest thing that I’ve learned being here is that to play at college, to play at a higher level, you have to be a two-way player.”

 

Hyman added nine points his sophomore campaign before breaking out with 17 points as a junior. With Hyman turning into one of the team’s top right wings, Berenson expected a breakout senior season.

 

“I was never disappointed in Zach’s progress,” Berenson said. “I just wanted him to be able to appreciate the fact that he was becoming a better player even tough he might not see it in his statistics. And now he can understand that.”

 

The Leader

 

When Andrew Copp arrived on campus his freshman year, he searched for players to emulate.

 

He picked Hyman.

 

“He’s the ultimate role model for a young player. He was one of our hardest workers in the weight room, on the ice, every day in practice. He does the right thing, he’s clean cut, he’s one of our top students,” Berenson said.

 

“He’s a player that you can’t help but look up to. So when he says something in the locker room, you listen. Because he does it.”

 

This season, Hyman has served as a role model for his freshman linemate, Dylan Larkin.

 

“[Zach’s] been through a lot all four years and [you know how] mentally tough he is,” Larkin said. “Even if you have a bad shift, he’s always there to remind me that we’re going to be all right and just keep working hard.”

 

Hyman speaks up when needed, but it’s rare for the assistant captain. Hyman, whom Copp calls a model citizen, prefers leading by example on and off the ice.

 

“In study hall he’s not one who’s messing around or talking or anything like that he gets right to his work,” Copp said. “All the freshman and the underclassmen see that and follow.”

 

Playing together for three years, Copp has witnessed Hyman’s hard work every day on the ice and in the weight room. Copp called Hyman one of the strongest, fastest skaters on the team.

 

“I would put Zach Hyman up against anybody in college hockey to go down and back and down and back twice, which is a tough skating drill,” Berenson said. “Because he will compete hard, he’s ready, he’s confident, he’s in great condition.”

 

Hyman’s 26 points are tied for fifth in the country, and he leads Big Ten players in scoring.

 

“I’m a good example of hard work paying off and I’m just happy to be where I am right now,” Hyman said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t keep working hard and having a good attitude and staying positive.”

 

The 6-foot-1 forward’s learning curve serves as a lesson to younger players, many of whom struggle as freshmen.

 

“They have to understand that just because it doesn’t come easy, you don’t go home and complain about your role on the team or complain about the coach. What you do is you buckle down and you work harder every day. You’ve got to play with determination and perseverance,” Berenson said.

 

“Zach has earned it the hard way and he’s earned it the right way. So that’s what those young players need to understand. You don’t just get handed success, you have to earn it.”