Conqu'ring Heroes: Pastujov Talks Scoring First Hat Trick, Leadership
12/9/2021 8:45:00 AM | Ice Hockey, Features
We cover Michigan hockey again this week, as Michael Pastujov stops by to discuss his hat trick on Saturday, the current status of the team after 18 games, his favorite memory with the Wolverines, and a self-scout on himself and the team.
By Conor Stemme
Michigan hockey has a talented roster from top to bottom with many NHL draft picks, meaning anyone can step up on any given night. Last Saturday night against Minnesota, it was fifth-year senior Michael Pastujov who scored three straight goals against the Golden Gophers to net his first career hat trick and the first of the season for the gifted Wolverine squad.
"I felt pretty good, especially coming off a loss, a pretty lopsided loss the night before," Pastujov said on this week's edition of the Conqu'ring Heroes podcast. "(I'm) just happy to contribute, and having three in one night is always a good feeling, but you know, it's even better when the team wins."
Michigan is leading the Big Ten standings after the big win Saturday night. The Maize and Blue showed great resilience in being able to bounce back after a tough loss on Friday as they shifted their focus for the second game and capitalized.
"We really focused on playing smart, not just hard," Pastujov said. "Then our work ethic and our skill eventually just came through."
Pastujov was aware of his hat-trick potential going into the locker room after scoring two goals in the first period, but did not let him cloud his desire for the team to win. On his first shift of the second period, he scored his third goal.
"It was right at the end of the penalty kill, so that was nice. We try to use that for momentum," Pastujov said about his third goal. "It just happened that Matty Beniers was with me on that rush, but the (defense) was flying over and taking him. So I just figured, you know, I'll take it to the net and it ended up working out."
Pastujov has scored two goals in a game four times throughout his 123 career contests so far, but Saturday was his first three-goal night. With his vast experience, Pastujov was chosen as an assistant captain for the second year in a row.
"Nothing's going to get done out there unless everybody's on the same page and everybody's playing for the same purpose," Pastujov said about his leadership philosophy. "It's just instilling that into the younger guys and just leading by example and showing that it's a team effort."
In his five years at Michigan, Pastujov has had some amazing highs and some tough lows. He got the chance to play with his brother, Nick Pastujov, for three years, and scored some important goals, but he has also been a part of two seasons cut short by COVID-19 -- one that ended with his brother playing in what he did not realize at the time would be his final game.
"We have a bit of a chip on our shoulder this year not being able to play in the tournament the last two years," Pastujov said, "We're excited for our opportunity."
Pastujov and the Wolverines are not getting ahead of themselves, though, and are focused on finishing the first half of the season on a high note by beating Ohio State this weekend in Columbus as they close out the first half.
"We both represent universities who kind of clash, and us being Michigan, we want to represent the block M and always beat Ohio State whenever we can," Pastujov said. "These are two huge games going into Christmas break. So I mean, I think the intensity will be there and we'll definitely bring it."
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