The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/956415
APRIL 2018 THE WOLVERINE 15 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Many wondered how the Michigan hockey team would respond with having to replace legendary coach Red Berenson (1984-2017), but new head man Mel Pearson has answered the bell in a big way. He led the Maize and Blue to a 20- 14-3 record heading into the NCAA Tournament. One of the main reasons for the Wolverines' success was senior defenseman Sam Piazza, who set career highs in games played (35), assists (13), points (15) and shots (64). The senior revealed that the coaching transition from Beren- son to Pearson has gone incred- ibly smooth. "I have a lot of respect for Coach Berenson and it was sad to see him go before I graduated, but Coach Pearson has done a great job," Piazza said. "The rest of the staff — Coach [Bill] Muckalt and Coach [Brian] Wiseman — have been great as well. "We've gotten so much better as a team since the beginning of the season, and even since Christmas." Piazza, who is a mechanical en- gineering major at U-M, noted that balancing a full academic workload and hockey responsibilities is actually quite manageable if all the assistance the school provides is taken advantage of. "There's no secret to it — you just have to use your time wisely and make sure you get enough sleep," he explained. "It's also important to capitalize on the resources at Michigan's academic center. "There are tutors and advisers there to help you. A lot of swimmers here are also mechanical engineers, so we wind up doing our homework together — we bounce ideas off each other." The Darien, Ill., native's outstanding work in the classroom led to him winning the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the second straight season, as well as being named a finalist for the Senior CLASS award, which recognizes student-athletes who excel both on and off the ice. "It's great to be recognized by the Big Ten," Piazza said. "It's a very special award — I'm not exactly sure who picks it, but it's still a huge honor." While the defenseman explained he's certainly appreciative of the recognition, he said he's most proud to just simply be excelling in such a challenging major. "Getting my diploma from Michigan's engineering school will be my biggest ac- complishment of all," he said. "None of it could've been done without all the help from my coaches — especially Coach Berenson while he was here. He helped me out so much and gave me days off to study whenever I needed them. "Finally getting that degree will just be a blessing. So much work has gone into it, and I can't stress enough how much others have helped me along the way. My parents played a big role and so did my sister, Cara, who is also an engineer." Although he doesn't have his diploma in hand quite yet, Piazza's academic excellence is already paying dividends. "I actually have a job offer in Chicago from a company called Citadel that I'm probably going to take," he revealed. "I have that lined up as a potential non- hockey option." Piazza added that he's not sure yet if he wants to continue his hockey playing career after graduation, but will make that decision once the season ends. — Austin Fox Student-Athlete Of The Month Ice Hockey Senior Defenseman Sam Piazza Piazza won the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the second straight season this year. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL THE WOLVERINE PO BOX 2331 • DURHAM, NC 27702 1-800- 421-7751 Visit our online store: TheWolverineOnDemand.com GRIDIRON III STAND BAG Item #1218 $ 179 00 BUCKET II COOLER CART BAG Item #1217 $ 199 00 ON ALL GOLF BAGS FREE SHIPPING More golf bags available online!