From his spot on the Michigan hockey team's bench, Shawn Hunwick had seen Bryan Hogan go down before.

So when the veteran Michigan starting goalie fell to the ice Thursday night, Hunwick didn't think anything of it.

But when Hogan didn't move after suffering a groin injury in the first period of the Wolverines' 4-0 win over Notre Dame, Hunwick realized it was time to play.

"I thought he was going to all right, but then when somebody looked at me and said, 'You better start stretching out,' I figured it was pretty serious," Hunwick said. "Coach gave me the word, and you know you've just got to go in."

Thursday night, there were no time for nerves. Less than 24 hours after Michigan's shut out win at Yost Ice Arena, Hunwick was one of two goalies in practice slated as the starter for Saturday night's regular-season finale at Notre Dame.

The start will be Hunwick's first since the 2006-07 season, when he registered a 17-9-2 record in goal for the North American Hockey League's Alpena Ice Diggers. Since then, he has spent his tenure at Michigan as an understudy.

Hunwick's lone appearance came in December when he stopped three of the four shots he faced against RPI in the Great Lakes Invitational. The goal he allowed proved to be the game-winner that kept Michigan from reaching the championship game against rival Michigan State.

"I think maybe in the RPI game, I showed a little nerves that maybe everybody saw a little bit," Hunwick said Friday. "But going into (Thursday night), I said I was just going to play - play the game I play all summer every day in practice and just have some fun with it."

Hunwick played on instinct, swiping a Notre Dame shot out of mid-air with the Irish on a 5-on-3 advantage on the first shot he faced.

Hunwick's challenge Saturday will be to put together a complete-game effort against Notre Dame, which has plenty to play for after suffering Thursday night's loss.

"Let's face it, it's going to be a little bit of a change," Michigan coach Red Berenson said Friday. "Twenty-four hours ago, he had no idea he was going to be playing and he had no idea he'd be walking out of here having won his first game. Now he's in the middle of it."

Hunwick spent time Friday with Michigan goaltending coach Josh Blackburn, who spent Thursday night watching Hunwick's shutout performance from the press box. With each shot Hunwick faced - 14 in total - Blackburn said the junior picked up confidence.

It's a self-assurance, Blackburn said Friday, that will help calm Hunwick's nerves when it comes time to take the ice Saturday against the Irish.

"He's going to have a few days to think about it and prepare, and I think that will definitely help him," Blackburn said. "He's got that experience of playing well and knowing he can do it and that he can compete."

Although the Irish are out of the running for a top-four finish, they could spoil Michigan's chances of earning a first-round bye in the CCHA Tournament. Hunwick will treat the start like any other game, armed with the knowledge that if he plays well, the Wolverines' chances of climbing up the CCHA standings improve.

"They're definitely going to come out with a hard game," Hunwick said. "They can't be happy coming in here and getting shut out. So they're going to come out throwing a lot of pucks at the net. I'm still a little bit unproven, and they'll want to see what I've got.

"So you definitely have to be ready to go from the get."

Jeff Arnold covers Michigan hockey for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at jeffarnold@annarbor.com or 734-623-2554. Follow him at Twitter @jeffreyparnold.