MADISON — First, he threw one fist into the air, stick still in hand.
Next, he balled up both fists, pumping them in and out as he dropped to his knees, still skating.
And finally, Kason Muscutt rose back to his feet, shaking his fists some more before spreading out his arms as his ecstatic teammates mobbed him with celebratory hugs. It was three phases of joy in a moment of magic: the freshman forward’s first goal for the No. 2 Michigan hockey team. The goal tied its contest against No. 13 Wisconsin, which it eventually won, 3-1.
“Really good story,” Wolverines coach Brandon Naurato said. “And a credit to him as a person and his character, like how well he’s acclimated into the group, and to see how excited the guys were when he scored was really cool.”
If a little over six weeks ago, you’d told Muscutt that he’d be scoring a game-tying goal for Michigan, he himself might’ve found it hard to believe; because a little over six weeks ago, Muscutt wasn’t even a Wolverine.
A surprise midseason addition for Michigan following the departure of former forward Teddy Spitznagel, Muscutt saw just three minutes of the ice in his first pair of games as a Wolverine against Minnesota. He worked his way onto the line sheet for Michigan’s series with Ohio State, spending time on the penalty kill unit, and has since mostly spent time as an extra forward — until tonight, when he found himself on the third line alongside freshman forwards Cole McKinney and Adam Valentini.
In less than six weeks, Muscutt has gone from a depth-replenishing midseason pickup to a contributor worthy of a spot on the top-three lines. And now he has a goal, a tangible reminder that his fight to earn that spot has paid off. That’s cause for celebration.
“I love that kid,” senior defenseman Luca Fantilli said. “He’s a psycho, though, he’s got a screw loose, but he’s honestly such a good guy. He’s fit in so well on the team right away. He fit in like he was here the whole time, and he’s a great kid, and he’s a great player, and I’m honored to be his teammate.”
Muscutt’s joy was about more than just hockey, though. It was also for Shreveport, Louisiana.
Muscutt is believed to be the first Michigan hockey player from Louisiana in the program’s century-long history. The Pelican State, along with the rest of the Deep South, is far from a hockey hotbed — in Southeastern Conference territory, football, baseball and basketball all hold far more weight culturally.
For 103 years, a kid from Louisiana had never played hockey for the Wolverines. Tonight, one scored for them. That too is cause for celebration.
“That’s really what it’s all about,” Muscutt said. “Obviously we do it for the guys in the room, 100%, but you know, you got to remember where you came from. And I feel the support in Wisconsin from Shreveport, 100%. It means a lot.”
The goal itself, by virtue of the moment in which it came, was one befitting the occasion. Seven minutes into the first period, with Michigan having already fallen behind 1-0, sophomore defenseman Ben Robertson unleashed a shot from deep, which Muscutt deflected in with an audacious no-look attempt.
The Wolverines badly needed a burst of inspiration, with the Badgers outplaying them through the start of the period; even one goal would’ve been enough to wake them up, to give them something to build on and a wave of momentum. And so stepped forward Muscutt, with his back turned to goal, almost casually.
What wasn’t casual was the subsequent burst of unbridled joy, the exclamations, the hugs, the fist-pumping. But it couldn’t have been casual, because of how much it meant to so many different people. For Shreveport, Louisiana, it was a hometown hero’s first true step onto a greater stage. For Michigan, it was a lifeline, an infusion of energy that brought them back into the game.
But most importantly, to Kason Muscutt, it was the culmination of six weeks of work to find his place amongst one of the best teams in the country. It was the climax of a story that seemed like a fairytale not even two months ago.
