FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Sitting in the upper bowls of Joe Louis Arena last week, wearing a suit he didn’t want to be in, watching the team he usually plays for, Chris Summers’ stomach was tied in knots.

His mind was focused on the game, but for the senior captain’s career to continue, he needed the rest of the Michigan hockey team to take over where he couldn’t. A leg injury against Lake Superior State in the first round of the CCHA playoffs left him in a suit instead of his all-too-familiar No. 4 jersey.

Michigan won then and it won against Saturday, this time with Summers on the ice in a 5-1 win over Bemidji State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. And in many ways, being on the ice - even in shortened shifts with defensive partner Steve Kampfer - was a relief.

Especially after last week.

“Nervous wreck,” Summers said. “That’s the funny thing. I was more nervous for the Joe Louis games than when I’m actually in the game. Just that helpless feeling that you’re not really in control and you’re trusting other guys to get it done.”

Summers, who was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2006, now can end his college career on his own, win or lose, on the ice instead of in the stands.

Those nights in Joe Louis were unlike anything he wanted to experience, including the constant cavalcade of well-wishers saying they hoped to see him on the ice soon.

He moved from seat to seat each game at the Joe, searching for solitude but always finding supporters.

“That was the first time I actually had people come up to me,” Summers said. “It was tough, because nobody knows who anybody is because we have the facemasks on. I tried to sit up in the stands, tried to be by myself. A few of the other guys sat with me, but I was just focused on the game, which was kind of funny.

“But it was tough.”

Watching in the stands provided new opportunities. He saw what it was like to watch from a seat instead of skates. He heard fans yelling instead of teammates and coaches.

And it was odd.

“The second game was a lot more packed than the first game,” Summers said. “So it was kind of funny. I’m sitting up there with the fans, and it’s funny to hear their perspective of the game as opposed to a player’s or coach’s perspective.

“There are obviously certain plays that a lot of people don’t understand, especially defensively. But the game is obviously much easier when you’re looking down on it, even for players and coaches.”

It’s why Summers was more comfortable Saturday in the NCAA tournament skating on 200 feet of ice. Being back felt normal, even if he was more winded than usual because he hadn’t skated for two weeks until Tuesday’s practice.

Now, he and the rest of the Wolverines are one step from where they had imagined they’d be in the preseason - the Frozen Four in Detroit. And in many ways, for Summers to get there, it is fitting the Wolverines have to go through the team they upset a week ago to reach this point.

No. 1 Miami of Ohio.

“If you want to win it all, you’ve got to beat the number 1 team, right,” junior left wing Carl Hagelin said. “So this is our chance to get to Ford Field. We want to be in this Sunday game, that was our goal when we came in and now we’re in, and it’s just time for everyone to show up.”

That includes Summers.

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.