DETROIT — Zach Hyman entered the press room after Saturday’s loss teary-eyed, but understandably so.
He knew his season was over. He knew his Michigan career was over. He knew his incredible year, one in which he tallied 22 goals and notched over 50 points, had ended sooner than he planned.
And he knew that his time playing next to freshman Dylan Larkin — the other half of the team’s dynamic duo — was done.
Michigan coach Red Berenson found solace, though, knowing that Hyman did everything he possibly could to extend the Wolverines’ season.
“You could see how he drove the net and he had a guy on his back,” Berenson said of Hyman’s goal on Saturday. “He just powered through the trap to the front of the net, and then beat the goalie. He singlehandedly tried to take the team on his back, and he’s been doing that all year.
“It’s been a pleasure for me to coach him and watch him emerge as the player he’s become, and as a person and so on.”
Hyman was the centerpiece of this Michigan hockey team. When the team needed a goal, Hyman was there. When the team needed a talking-to for lackluster play, Hyman was there. But now, Hyman won’t be there anymore, at least while wearing a Michigan hockey sweater.
“I’m upset because my career is over here,” Hyman said before taking a big gulp of water. “I’m not upset because of the way we played.”
Still, the atmosphere in the locker room after the game was one each Michigan player will remember forever, and not for the right reason. Freshman defenseman Zach Werenski had never experienced such sorrow on his teammates’ faces.
“I can’t say I have,” said freshman defenseman Zach Werenski. “The locker room, it was devastating. It was very hitting in the locker room, seeing the seniors’ faces. It’s not what you want to do. It’s not what you see.”
And for Michigan, it was especially hard to see Hyman’s sorrow.
“Hats off to him for the year he had,” Werenski said. “I feel bad for him, this being his last game. But he’ll have a great career in hockey.”
Mike Komisarek, Michigan’s newest assistant coach who played two seasons for the Wolverines before a 11-year career in the NHL, expressed a similar sentiment, noting the future is bright for not only Hyman, but for Michigan.
More notably, Komisarek emphasized that a team can rebound from such a gut-wrenching blow.
“Very few teams and individuals get to finish their season on a winning note,” he said. “I think you never forget the feeling coming off the ice, watching the other team celebrate, or hearing them from the locker room through the walls. It’s something you use for fuel and motivation.”
Werenski, who is arguably Michigan’s best defenseman, knows he will hear about this game for some time, adding to any motivation he already has for next season.
The 17-year-old has multiple friends that play for Minnesota. Defenseman Ryan Collins was one of them. He and Werenski played for Team USA together, most recently at the World Junior Championships in late December.
Werenski and Collins coincidentally exited the Joe Louis Arena at the same time through the same door. That meeting could’ve been tough for Werenski, knowing a close friend ended his impressive freshman campaign.
But Werenski and Collins hugged, and no hatred was spewed. Werenski knows he’ll have another chance to get the last laugh, even though it will take some time to crack a smile.