SATURDAY DECEMBER 19 | SUNDAY DECEMBER 20 2015 |
THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
SPORTS
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CHARACTER COUNTS Fun-loving, high-scoring Mikhaylov lifts GBN’s spirits — and hopes BY BILL MCLEAN, SPORTS@NORTHSHOREWEEKEND.COM
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t was a late-arrival school day at Glenbrook North last week, first class beginning at 10 a.m. Nick Mikhaylov, a junior hockey player for the reigning state champion Spartans, entered a classroom. A wonderful aroma accompanied each of his steps. Mikhaylov was toting a … crepe, ready for consumption. He had decorated it with powdered sugar and a sweetened Nutella spread. Reading, writing and … tasting. Show and … inhale. “I didn’t get in trouble,” Mikhaylov, a 5-foot-10, 152pound forward, says, a sneaky smile making a brief appearance. “The teacher was lenient, probably because it was late-arrival day.” Call Mikhaylov “a character,” go ahead. His coaches call him that. So do his teammates. He embraces the description, wears it proudly, daily. Our wobbly, violent world needs more laughter, and the Spartans’ leader in points (35 goals and 25 assists, through Dec. 13) is more than willing to generate it, on and off the ice. His superstitions are super serious to him, hilarious and curious to others. A sampling: Mikhaylov must eat some kind of sushi and play with some kind of ball before every game. Mikhaylov must get dressed 14 minutes before the start of every hockey game, not one minute earlier, not one minute later. Mikhaylov and senior captain Kyle Fisher, another forward, engage in a unique handshake before every game. Mikhaylov has to score a buzzer-beater at the end of a game’s pregame session or risk having a terrible game. “Nick, he’s always joking around and constantly looking to have fun,” Fisher says. Nobody laughs at his hockey game. Blessed with quick hands and covetous eye-hand coordination, Mikhaylov paces a 33-12-2 club in goals (35) and power play goals (11) and averages a Patrick Kane-ish 1.29 points per game.
there, in front of the net, ready for a tip-in or a rebound. He’s got great vision, too. He made this one lengthy pass to me, this season, that I couldn’t believe. I still don’t how he saw me, how he got the puck got to me. It was a diagonal pass, a great assist. Beautiful.” Fisher is informed of the Mikhaylov story involving a crepe and a classroom. Fisher smiles and shakes his head. It does not surprise him in the least, his funloving buddy and hockey mate doing something that probably had never been attempted in a public school on U.S. soil. “Nick probably talked his way out of getting in trouble,” Fisher says. “He’d be a great salesman someday, wouldn’t he?” Notable: Glenbrook North won three games in two days at Culver Academy in Indiana last weekend, routing the hosts 7-2 on Dec. 11 and topping Gilmour 5-0 and Shattuck 3-2 on Dec. 12. Forward and alternate captain Joe Day had two goals and assisted on another in the win over Culver. Defenseman Matthew Rosen tallied once and slid a pair of assists. Forwards Jesse Lowell and Andrew Slovis each finished with a goal and an assist, and D Jack Elowe provided two assists. Brett Zera (18CENTER OF ATTENTION: GBN’s Nick Mikhaylov (middle) receives congratulations from teammates Joe Day (No. 11) and Jesse Lowell (No. 18) 4-2, 2.98 goals-against average, after scoring a goal against Loyola Gold. Mikhaylov has scored 35 goals in 47 games. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER six shutouts) and Tyler Laarveld His assist total (25) ranks fourth Nick is a fun kid.” with a big brother … a lot of my good advice, reminding me to (14-7, 2.22 GAA, two shutouts) The kid’s other time-consum- competitiveness came from com- dress well and to be polite. I have shared time in goal for the Sparamong teammates, behind defena curfew; it’s a strict one.” seman and alternate captain Jack ing sport, until the age of 12, was peting with my brother.” tans. … Day struck for two goal Elowe (26), defenseman Zach tennis. He slapped winners in Grandpa Vladimir, of GlenMikhaylov played in 72 games in the shutout of Gilmour, with Knudson (28) and forward Jesse sanctioned tennis tournaments view, was there, from the begin- for the state champions last Elowe and forward David Rubin Lowell (29). before becoming really good at ning, when a young Nick needed winter, scoring 14 goals and contributing two assists apiece. “He’s got, maybe, the best slapping shots past goaltenders. help tying his skates. Nick’s dishing 15 assists. Only one other Kyle Fisher, Zach Knudson and hands, the quickest hands, I’ve His father, Gary, has a tennis grandpa attends every Glenbrook sophomore on the 2014-15 Jason Ward scored GBN’s other ever seen,” Spartans coach Evan background. His 24-year-old North game and continues to varsity team, Knudson (three goals. … Laarveld made 16 saves, Poulakidas says. “Nick is spec- brother, Phil, played varsity tennis make sure Nick’s hockey boots are goals, 25 assists, in 73 games), and Elowe had two more assists tacular in close, scores often [from at Glenbrook North for three tied securely, ready for game skated significant minutes. Time in the win over Shattuck. Day, tight spaces]. Very skilled, too. His seasons. The three like to smack action, for producing the soothing atop a rink, any rink, is Mikhay- Ward and junior forward Nick skating has improved, and if it ping-pong shots in the basement kish-kish sound across a rink. lov’s favorite time, a chance to do Mikhaylov notched the goals in improves some more, he’d be even at home, welts emerging as their “My grandpa, along with my what he loves with his friends. the 3-2 decision. … GBN got a more dynamic of a player than he bulbous badges of courage after parents (Gary and Marina), has His favorite spot on the ice is goal and an assist from Mikhayis now. an intense game or two. been an inspiration, always sup- anywhere near a goal-crease lov in a 5-4 shootout loss to “He does,” the coach adds, “ask “There were times,” Nick porting me, always making time doorstep, the puck either on his visiting Loyola Gold on Dec. 9. a lot of questions, drives me nuts. recalls, “when I’d wrestle with my for me,” Nick says. “He has never stick or hissing toward an oppos- Day, Brian Baruck and Charlie He probably does the same thing brother at home, big brother- missed a game. My parents have ing goaltender. Alcorn also scored for GBN, to his teachers. Fun kid, though. little brother stuff. Growing up been great. My mom gives me “Nick,” Fisher says, “likes to be which led 3-1 after one period.