A fresh start By Stephanie Offen Daily Sports Writer When Michigan captain Sean Peach asked about fellow defenseman Roemensky, he replied, "Are you talking about Dale?" Just a little over a month ago, the answer to that would have been yes. But not anymore. In one short month, the Wolverines, in an unprecedented move for the Michigan hockey team, added a player to the squad in the middle of the season. Not to be confused with former winger Dale Rominski, the Wolverines added defensman Mike Roemensky to the team just before the Great Lakes Invitational Tournament on Dec. 29. And no matter how hard he tries, Mike will forever be associated with Dale, if not for their similar names, then for the number they share. In his four seasons playing at Michigan, Dale donned the number 23. So does Mike. But it was by coincidence, he swears. "We just went over the numbers on the phone and I decided to go with 23," Roemensky remembers. "Later that day I was flipping through the media guide and I saw that Dale was No. 23 and my eyes got wide. Even though I remember seeing him play, I didn't know before that his number was 23." But in his short time here at Michigan, Roemensky has made an identity all his own. Mike was immediately thrown into the lineup, playing in Michigan's second game of the new semester, only a few weeks after joining the team. His play has been noticed by Michigan coach Red Berenson, who has called him a "solid, smart player." It may be a little early for the Yost fans to be able to recognize their new No. 23 by face, but Roemensky has already made the crowd stand up and take notice of his quiet but effective style of play. In his first game against Miami on Jan. 14, Mike entertained the Yost crowd with an amazing hit, flipping a RedHawk flat on his face. And while the crazy students in the front row pounded the glass to praise Mike, they probably didn't have the slimmest idea who they were cheering for. The recruitment That hit may have been a little unusual for the player who was originally described as "plain and ordinary" by the Michigan coaching staff. "Mike first caught our eye in the 1998-99 season," Michigan associate head coach Mel Pearson said. "We originally bypassed Mike because he is one of those defensemen that you just don't notice on the ice. But that can be a good thing - it means that he wasn't making mistakes." In late November, while watching one of next year's recruits, Andy Burns, in an all-star tournament for Compuware, the Michigan coaching staff took notice of Roemensky. They noticed how he might be able to help with the season's defensive woes. After the game, Pearson approached Mike with the offer of joining the team right after Christmas. Mike was also given the option of joining in the fall, but decided that with three defenseman coming in next season, the former option would give him more of an opportunity to play. "The whole thing was a real shock to me," Roemensky said. "I didn't even know that it was a possibility. It was totally out of the blue." Or, if you will, out of the Blue. The decision But there was a flip side. Roemensky lost a semester of eligibility and had to get acclimated to a new team and university life, when everyone else had already found their niche. The difficulty of getting acclimated to a new school and new teammates was compounded by a family tragedy. His mother died from cancer right before he came to Michigan. "We were concerned that he had so much to deal with when he first came in here," Pearson said. "But with everything he had to deal with, he was amazing. He looked good right away and he is getting better every day." And Roemensky's father was incredibly supportive in every step of his decision. Mike grew up in a hockey family, so his father knew his added pressures. "It was tough because his mother died the same day that he made the decision," said David Roemensky, Mike's father. David played hockey at Northern Michigan from 1967 through 1971, but didn't try to sway his son to attend his alma mater. "I may have had a little allegiance to that school, but I can't tell him what to do," Mr. Roemensky said. "He was old enough to figure that out for himself." And for Roemensky, the decision was a no-brainer - playing at Michigan had always been a dream for him. He also already had a core group of friends at Michigan. Last season, Roemensky played with current freshmen John Shouneyia, Mark Mink and J.J. Swistak on Compuware's national championship team. "I had other offers," Roemensky said. "Northern was looking at me and so were St. Lawrence and Michigan State. But the opportunity to play at Michigan is second to none." Unlike the other players, Roemensky was not placed in a dorm room with another athlete. And although he sometimes misses the comfort of his own home in White Lake, he found his place at Michigan quickly. There was a flip side for the Michigan coaching staff as well. With such an impulsive decision on a player, Berenson said that he really didn't know exactly what he was getting into until Roemensky got to Michigan. When Berenson watched Roemensky play for Compuware, a week before he was supposed to start at Michigan, Roemensky struggled. But, at that point, there was nothing Berenson could do besides accept his decision and hope for the best. And that's what he got. The move Four weeks after he received Michigan's offer, Roemensky packed up his bags and left his home in White Lake. He left behind Compuware, his father, and the ponds where Roemensky and his brother used to skate when they were little. But just like his brother, who left home to try to walk onto Western Michigan's hockey team, Roemensky was also making the move to the collegiate level. As soon as he arrived at Michigan, he was thrown into practice. His first day at Yost, he was thrown onto the ice and into the drills. He immediately became part of the team. "I was nervous," Roemensky recalls. "I was kind of looking around at everyone, wondering what I should do." He figured it out right away. Berenson praised Roemensky for the fact that, under all the circumstances he faced, he was able to fit right in. He said that he stepped right in, and played the kind of hockey that a Michigan defenseman is asked to play. Peach, a fellow member of the defense, also noticed Roemensky's amazing acclimation to the team. "He solidifies our defense and gives us an extra body," Peach said. "He has the potential to be a great defenseman here at Michigan." And this Saturday, as Roemensky skates onto the ice to face Ohio State, the Yost fans might still not know who he is. They may scratch their heads, look at the name and number on the back of his jersey and say "Rominski?" But now that Roemensky has unpacked his bags, he will have three-and-a-half years to set himself apart from his predecessor. It might not take that long. DAVID KATZ/Daily Some may mistake new freshman Mike Roemensky for last year's captain because of their similar names and numbers, but the new No. 23 is quietly making an identity that is all his own. Originally on page 12A in the 1-27-2000 issue of the Daily.