By Michael Caples –
The United States Hockey League’s season has almost come to an end, but there are seven Michigan natives still alive and battling for the league championship.
When the puck drops on Game 1 of the best-of-three Clark Cup Finals match-up between the Indiana Ice and the Waterloo Black Hawks, seven Michigan natives will be suiting up – and six of them play for Indiana.
Cameron Johnson, a Troy native, is the lone Michigan representative on the Black Hawks roster, and he’s currently the back-up goaltender behind NHL-drafted Cal Peterson. It’s too bad that he’s stuck behind Peterson; Johnson held a 11-1-1 record with a 1.86 goals-against and .939 save percentage since being acquired in a trade from the Fargo Force.
Meanwhile, Johnson will be watching six of his Michigan friends compete for the Indiana Ice team – a program which will go dormant next season. Here is the full list of Michigan natives playing in the final series:
Indiana Ice
Ryan Mantha – Clarkston
6-foot-5, 225-pound defenseman
University of North Dakota commit
Aidan Muir – Saline
6-foot-3, 195-pound forward
Western Michigan commit, Edmonton Oilers draft pick
Alex Talcott – Kentwood
6-foot-1, 198-pound forward
University of Michigan commit
Matt Roy – Canton
6-foot-1, 185-pound defenseman
Michigan Tech commit
Josh Jacobs – Shelby Township
6-foot-2, 196-pound defenseman
Michigan State commit
Jacob Pritchard – Macomb
6-foot, 179-pound forward
St. Lawrence University
Waterloo Black Hawks
Cameron Johnson – Troy
6-foot-1, 199-pound goaltender
University of North Dakota commit