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University of Michigan Athletics

Ice Hockey

Mel Pearson
Mel Pearson
Mel Pearson
Photo by: UM Photography,D.Marshke
Mel Pearson
Mel Pearson
Mel Pearson
Mel Pearson
  • Title:
    Graham Family Head Men's Ice Hockey Coach

Mel Pearson enters his fifth season with the Wolverines for the 2021-22 season after being named the ninth head coach in University of Michigan hockey history on Monday, April 24, 2017.

During his first season as the Michigan Head Coach, he led the team to a 22-15-3 record, and a Frozen Four birth. The Wolverines only suffered losses to three teams following the annual Great Lakes Invitational, which concluded January 2, 2018. Michigan won its last five regular season games in regulation before heading off to the Big Ten Tournament. Pearson guided his team to a quick two game sweep in the first round against Wisconsin, before falling in overtime in the semifinals. He then led the Wolverines to an NCAA Northeast Regional Championship, defeating Northeastern and Boston University to return Michigan to the Frozen Four for a record 25th time.

The following year while posting a 13-16-7 record, Quinn Hughes was a first-team All-America and a finalist for the Hobey Baker trophy. Hughes was one of three that signed entry-level NHL contracts at the conclusion of the season, signing with Vancouver, while Josh Norris inked with Ottawa and Joe Cecconi with Dallas.

Though the 2019-20 season ended abruptly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he had Michigan ready to go on a run in both the  Big 10 and NCAA Tournaments. The Wolverines were ranked No. 17 in the nation and No. 14 in the Pairwise with an 18-14-4 record. As the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament, the Wolverines had posted back-to-back shutouts over Michigan State in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament and were set to play Ohio State in the semifinals. Michigan captured the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament after closing out the second half of the season 9-3-2. The Wolverines went undefeated on the road from January on with a 6-0-2 record to move from last place in the B1G standings (seven points) into a three-way tie for second place with an 11-10-3 conference record. Michigan's scoring offense ranked 44th in the nation during the first half of the year, and is tied for ninth in the second half, improving from 2.16 goals per game to 3.36 gpg. Defensively, Michigan ranked eighth in the nation, holding teams to 2.12 goals per game. 

Pearson was a finalist for the Big Ten Coach of the Year, had seven players named all-conference teams and the Wolverines had a finalist in every major award. Strauss Mann took home Michigan's first ever Big Ten Goaltender of the Year honor and was also a finalist for the Mike Richter Award. Mann also became just the third Wolverine to earn Academic All-America honors, Michigan's first since Zach Hyman in 2011.

COVID-19 halted another season in 2020-21 as Michigan earned its 38th bid the NCAA Tournament. Set to play Minnesota-Duluth in the Fargo Regional, the season was called on the day of the game. The Wolverines made their 38th NCAA appearance - tying an NCAA record for the most all-time. Michigan's high flying offense, averging 3.50 gpg, ranked eighth nationally while the defense limited opponents to just 1.96 gpg, fourth best nationally. Freshman Thomas Bordeleau was named the Tim Taylor Rookie of the Year after capturing B1G Rookie of the Year. Bordeleau along with the other nine members of the freshman class accounted for 49.2 percent of the team's scoring (126 of 256 points). Cam York was named the B1G Defensive Player of the Year and signed with Philadelphia following the season, becoming the 101st Wolverine to play in the NHL.

It was an unprecented draft for Michigan in 2021, as the Maize & Blue took four of the top five selections. Owen Power became the first Wolverine in program history to go first overall, to Buffalo, followed by Matty Beniers becoming the first ever draft selection of the Seattle Kraken at No. 2. Incomigg defenseman Luke Hughes followed at No. 4 by New Jersey and Kent Johnson at No. 5 to Columbus. Incoming forward Mackie Samoskevich went later in round 1 for a total of 5 first-round picks for Michigan.

Pearson returned to Ann Arbor following an impressive six-year stint as head coach at Michigan Tech. There, he led the Huskies to two NCAA Tournament appearances in the last three years while winning a WCHA regular-season title and a WCHA Championship in that span. Pearson registered a 118-92-29 overall record, including a 75-34-14 mark over the past three seasons.

Under Pearson's leadership, the Huskies finished the 2016-17 season ranked in the top 20 for a third consecutive year, all of them featuring 20-win campaigns. Pearson also earned two WCHA Coach of the Year honors in his time at Michigan Tech, which claimed the program's first-ever No. 1 national ranking on Nov. 17, 2014.

Pearson served as a U-M assistant coach from 1988-89 through 1998-99 and as associate head coach from 1999-2000 through 2010-11. He played an integral role in developing the Michigan program into one of the most successful in the country. During his tenure, the Wolverines posted a 667-243-71 record while capturing 11 Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season titles, nine CCHA Tournament crowns, two NCAA championships (1996 and 1998), and making 11 NCAA Frozen Four appearances.

Pearson assisted head coach Red Berenson with on-ice coaching and performed many of the program's administrative functions. He was also heavily involved in the Wolverines' recruiting efforts, helping Michigan land the core of its 1996 and 1998 NCAA champion teams.

After he helped Michigan to the 1999-2000 CCHA regular-season championship, Pearson was awarded the Terry Flanagan Award by the American Hockey Coaches' Association, which honors an assistant coach's career body of work. Pearson also served as a coach with the 1996 United States World Junior Championship team, and helped the Americans to a silver medal, the country's second-best finish at the event.

Perhaps destined to coach with the Wolverines, Pearson's prep (Willard Ikola) and college (John MacInnes) mentors earned varsity letters as goaltenders at Michigan. Pearson was a standout high school player for Ikola (1952-54) at Edina East (Minn.) High School, while playing his collegiate career out at Michigan Technological University under MacInnes (1946-50), one of college hockey's legendary coaches.

As a collegian (1977-81), Pearson collected 56 points (21-35-56) in 97 games, helping Michigan Tech to a third-place finish at the 1981 NCAA Championship. Ironically, Pearson's most "famous" goal was scored against the Wolverines in the championship game of the 1979 Great Lakes Invitational. He broke a 4-4 tie at 2:28 of the third overtime to give the Huskies the GLI title. The game still stands as longest in the 43-year history of the tournament.

After earning his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1981, Pearson remained at his alma mater to serve as an assistant ice hockey coach on the Huskies' staff from 1982-88.

The Flin Flon, Manitoba, native comes from a hockey family. His father, George "Mel" Pearson, played 15 seasons of professional hockey with the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and with Minnesota of the World Hockey Association. His brother, Ted, played for the University of Wisconsin and spent time in the Calgary Flames organization.

Pearson and his wife, Susie, have three children -- Kim, Sarah and Paul -- and reside in Saline, Michigan.


THE PEARSON FILE 

Born: February 8. 1959
Hometown: Flin Flon, Manitoba
College: Michigan Tech, 1981
College Honors: GLI Champion (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980)
Coaching Honors: Flanagan Award (2000), WCHA Coach of the Year (2012, 2016)
Family: Wife, Susie; Children, Kim, Sarah, Paul, Grandchildren, Finnley, Isla

Coaching Accomplishments
Michigan Assistant (1988-90)/Associate (1990-11)
NCAA Championship 1996, 98
NCAA Frozen Fours 1992, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 01, 02, 03, 08, 11
CCHA Regular Season Champions 1992, 94, 95, 96, 97, 00, 02, 04, 05, 08, 11
CCHA Tournament Champions 1994, 96, 97, 99, 02, 03, 05, 08, 10
Michigan Tech (2011-17)
NCAA Tournament Appearances 2015, 17
WCHA Tournament Champions 2017
GLI Champion 2012
Michigan (2017-present)
NCA Frozen Fours 2018
NCAA Tournament Appearances 2018, 20

 

Year Team Record Pct League Record Finish
2011-12 Michigan Tech 16-19-4 .462 11-13-4 8th
2012-13 Michigan Tech 13-20-3 .405 8-16-4 10th
2013-14 Michigan Tech 14-19-7 .438 12-11-5 5th
2014-15 Michigan Tech 29-10-2 .732 21-5-2 2nd
2015-16 Michigan Tech 23-9-5 .689 18-7-3 T-1st
2016-17 Michigan Tech 23-15-7 .589 15-7-6 2nd
2017-18 Michigan 22-15-3 .588 11-10-3 3rd
2018-19 Michigan 13-16-7 .458 9-10-5 6th
2019-20 Michigan 18-14-4 .555 11-10-3 T-2nd
2020-21    Michigan 15-10-1 .596 11-9-0 3rd
Career 186-147-44 .552 85-59-24 (WCHA)
42-39-11 (B1G)