Persistent Miller earns his spot between the pipes
October 15, 2015 | Men's Hockey, Andy Baggot
After injury-plagued start, senior walk-on opens final season as Friday night starter in goal
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. -- There was a time not long ago when the notion of Adam Miller starting in goal for the Wisconsin men's hockey seemed almost folly.
It was right around the time that Miller was having four surgeries – two were to repair sports hernias; two were to fix torn labrums in his hips – in a span of 14 months.
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It was right around the time that he was receiving cortisone injections in his groin to ease the pain.
It was right around the time that Miller, then 18, was thinking that maybe his body was sending him a not-so-subtle message of surrender.
"There was a thought," he said. "But I'd worked so hard and it had always been my goal to play college hockey and possibly even beyond that I wanted to do whatever it took to get myself to that level.
"It definitely crossed my mind that maybe after all this it wasn't meant to be, but I didn't want to look back 10, 20 years down the road and think, 'What if I'd tried?' There's no point in not trying."
Which brings us here: After sitting on the bench for three seasons behind departed seniors Joel Rumpel and Landon Peterson, Miller, a senior walk-on and aspiring surgeon from Long Grove, Illinois, sits atop the goaltending depth chart for the Badgers.
Miller was the opening night starter Oct. 9 and made 32 saves to help Wisconsin come away with a 2-2 non-conference overtime draw with Northern Michigan at the Kohl Center.
True freshman Matt Jurusik made his college debut in the series finale the next night, turning away 22 shots during a 3-3 overtime tie with the Wildcats.
Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves said he plans to stick with that rotation – redshirt freshman Gabe Grunwald is another option – when the Badgers play at Boston College on Friday night and at Boston University on Saturday night.
"I think it's a feel-good story in that, yes, he's paid his dues, but it's also preparation meeting opportunity," Eaves said of Miller.
Curiously, Miller is one of five current Badgers who saw action the last time they played at BC in 2013. He made the trip because Rumpel was sidelined with a knee injury. When Peterson was strafed for six goals in the opening 21 minutes, 45 seconds, he was pulled in favor of Miller, who finished with 24 saves in the 9-2 loss.
"Down 4-0 after the first I'm thinking I might get a chance to go in," Miller recalled this week. "All the nerves started to store up. I hadn't played in a year and a half."
Not only were Miller's parents, Amy and Jordan, in attendance at Conte Forum, his sister, Megan, was there, too. She was a goaltender for the BC women's hockey team at the time. She subsequently transferred to Wisconsin where she's a backup to starter Ann-Renee Desbiens.
Adam allowed three goals in his second career appearance for the Badgers, but made a half-dozen highlight reel saves during his 38:15 of action.
"I was thinking if I get the chance, just go in and have fun with it," he said. "My first or second shot was (soon-to-be-crowned Hobey Baker Award winner) Johnny Gaudreau coming down on a breakaway. Luckily (the shot) just happened to hit me. After that I kind of built some confidence and went from there."
Miller said he'll have a much different mindset for the first road start of his college career Friday night.
"Completely different," he said. "I have a chance to be the starter this year. Thinking the same thing – be calm and relaxed – but have a little bit more of a focused mindset right off the bat."
After some early-game jitters, Miller said he got more and more comfortable as the season opener vs. Northern Michigan. It was his first start since 2011-12 when he played for the Jersey Hitmen of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.
"It definitely feels good to get some of the rust off and get that confidence back," he said.
Miller is merely applying the lessons he learned from Rumpel, who played 115 career games, and Peterson, who played in 42. Both predecessors finished in the top 10 in program history for career save percentage.Â
"It was great being here for three years and watching them and how well they did day-in and day-out," Miller said. "Petey was always a big battler, so work ethic definitely (came) from him. Joel always had this calmness about him where he seemed to be focused and ready to go. Obviously, both those guys are people I look up to and guys I learned a lot from."
Miller was regarded as an elite recruit when he was a teenager, but then came a torrent of health issues.
He said he was first diagnosed with a sports hernia on his right side at age 17. Four months after that was repaired, one was isolated on the left side.
Several months later Miller was still having issues. The initial diagnosis was scar tissue had built up in the surgically repaired areas, so he was administered four shots of cortisone.
"That was one of the more painful experiences of my life," Miller said.
When the injections didn't help, Miller was examined again. This time he was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his right hip. Rather than tempt fate, he had the other side checked and another tear was found. The surgeries were done six months apart. Six months after those were done, he was back skating.
Why did Miller stick with it? His sister knows.
"He was always determined and he saw his potential," Megan said. "He never let anyone else ever tell him otherwise.
"He didn't let setbacks get in his way. He always pushed through them."
Megan firmly believed the day would come when her brother's hard work would pay off with genuine playing time with the Badgers.
"I always knew what he was capable of," she said.
That explains why tears were shed during pregame introductions prior to the season opener.
"It's embarrassing to say, but when they announced the starting lineup I started bawling," Megan said. "My parents were sitting next to me and they had to calm me down."Â
A silver lining in the health issues Adam Miller endured is that he figured out what he wanted to do with his life. He wants to be an orthopedic surgeon.
"It's something where if I can help someone in the same situation as me, I have a close, personal tie to it," he said.
Miller took the Medical College Admissions Test in January and received what he said was a score that's average for accepted students nationally. Miller began applying to more than a dozen med schools around the country. Three have said no – including Wisconsin – but 10 replies have yet to come.
"I'm hoping to get some good news in the next few weeks," he said.
Miller said having his younger sister living two blocks away – they have dinners just about every Sunday – is a bonus in his adaptation process from backup to starter.
"Having that support system so close has been really special," he said.
They have a lot to talk about these days.
