Mike Pomichter

Mike Pomichter is an American ice hockey coach and former left wing who was an All-American for Boston University.[1]

Mike Pomichter
Born (1973-09-10) September 10, 1973 (age 50)
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight212 lb (96 kg; 15 st 2 lb)
PositionLeft wing
ShotLeft
Played forBoston University
Indianapolis Ice
Cornwall Aces
Portland Pirates
St. John's Maple Leafs
Jacksonville Lizard Kings
Chicago Wolves
Baltimore Bandits
Springfield Falcons
Cincinnati Mighty Ducks
Saginaw Gears
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
New Haven Knights
Manchester Monarchs
Delaware Federals
Pennsylvania Blues
Danbury Titans
National team United States
NHL draft39th overall, 1991
Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career1991–2016

Career

Pomichter was a highly rated prospect and was selected in the second round of the 1991 NHL Draft. He began attending Boston University the following fall and played well for the hockey team. Pomichter finished second in scoring for the Terriers as a freshman and helped the team earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament. His numbers declined slightly as sophomore but Pomichter missed a few games to play for Team USA at the World Junior Championships. While BU finished 2nd in the Hockey East standings and tournament once more, they were still afforded the second eastern seed for the NCAA Tournament. They handled Northern Michigan in the quarterfinals to make the Frozen Four but were soundly defeated in the national semifinal. While the season didn't end as they would have liked, BU was the only team to beat Maine that season, preventing their conference rival from posting an undefeated record.

In Pomichter's junior season he began showing the talent that led him to be a second-round pick. He led the Terriers in scoring by 10 points and led the team to a program record 34 wins.[2] Pomichter was named an All-American and helped BU win a conference title, enabling the team to receive the top eastern seed in the NCAA tournament. The Terriers won their first two games by identical 4–1 margins and reached the championship game. They faced off against a surprising Lake Superior State who had knocked them out the year before and were looking for a measure of revenge. Instead, BU was stunned by a dominating performance and were handed the worst championship defeat in over 30 years. Pomichter assisted on Boston University's only goal of the game and ended up as the runner-up after a 1–9 loss.[3]

Despite having a year of eligibility remaining, Pomichter left school in 1994 and began his professional career. He spent his entire first season with the Indianapolis Ice but didn't produce anything like he would have wanted. Despite the low offensive numbers, Pomichter joined the US national team for the World Championships. He helped the team finish atop their bracket but they lost their quarterfinal match and finished the tournament in 6th place. The following season, Pomichter's right were traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs and he began a life as a hockey vagabond. For four consecutive years, Pomichter played for at least three different teams, wearing 10 different uniforms across 4 minor leagues. His last real chance at an NHL stint came with a 25-game tryout contract with the expansion Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins but he was released after 16 games.[4] Pomichter returned to the United Hockey League the following year and retired in 2002.

After 9 years away from the game, Pomichter returned for a handful of games in the Federal Hockey League. After his final game in 2016, Pomichter turned to coaching, appearing as an assistant for the New England Prospects in the 2019 Quebec pee-wee tournament.

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

  Regular Season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1991–92Boston UniversityHockey East3511273814
1992–93Boston UniversityHockey East3016143023
1993–94Boston UniversityHockey East4028265437
1994–95Indianapolis IceIHL761392247
1995–96Indianapolis IceIHL40000
1995–96Cornwall AcesAHL60110
1995–96Portland PiratesAHL20000
1995–96St. John's Maple LeafsAHL192464
1996–97Chicago WolvesIHL20000
1996–97Jacksonville Lizard KingsECHL6137407726
1996–97Baltimore BanditsAHL4213430000
1997–98Jacksonville Lizard KingsECHL35052
1997–98Springfield FalconsAHL20761314
1997–98Cincinnati Mighty DucksAHL26681418
1998–99Jacksonville Lizard KingsECHL331018283121230
1998–99Cincinnati Mighty DucksAHL2522414
1998–99Saginaw GearsUHL1082100
1999–00Wilkes-Barre/Scranton PenguinsAHL1612311
2000–01Springfield FalconsAHL10002
2000–01New Haven KnightsUHL713125564780660
2001–02Manchester MonarchsAHL10000
2001–02New Haven KnightsUHL581630463730220
2011–12Delaware FederalsFHL23140
2012–13Pennsylvania BluesFHL31560
2015–16Delaware FederalsFHL10000
NCAA totals105556712274
AHL totals1202024446730000
IHL totals821392247
ECHL totals9752581105921230
UHL totals139555711284110882
FHL totals646100

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
1993United StatesWJC4th70224
1995United StatesWC6th61232

Awards and honors

AwardYear
AHCA East First-Team All-American1993–94[1]
All-NCAA All-Tournament Team1994[5]

References