Shawn Hunwick is a walking contradiction.

His confidence is veiled in quiet shyness. His ability to play big is often lost in his diminutive stature.

Hunwick is a new man. Yet, he is the same.

To fully appreciate the Michigan hockey team’s senior goalie, one must consider a 10-month journey Hunwick describes with two words.

Surreal. Whirlwind.

The trip has included its twists, turns and surprises. Hunwick has learned to be ready for anything.

Even after playing a large role in last season's improbable run to Michigan's 20th straight NCAA tournament appearance, Hunwick takes nothing for granted.

Certainly not his standing as the Wolverines' starting goalie. In Hunwick's journey, to grasp the good is to appreciate the bad, which, interestingly enough, takes Hunwick and his rise from anonymity back to the same place.

Dec. 29, 2009, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit: Hunwick is on the bench, watching Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute pepper teammate Bryan Hogan with shots.

After two periods and three RPI goals, Michigan coach Red Berenson has seen enough.

Berenson sends Hunwick into the game even though, prior to that night, Hunwick's college career has consisted of a total of 20 minutes of ice time.

Trailing 3-1, Michigan gets two goals - first from Carl Hagelin and then from Kevin Lynch. Hunwick figures with 7 minutes of solid play, he can help the Wolverines to a come-from-behind win.

Forty-seven seconds later, though, Hunwick gives up the game-winning goal as Michigan fails to make the Great Lakes Invitational championship game for the first time since 2005.

Hunwick, a career backup who has never been given the chance to play, is shattered.

"That game really hurt my confidence," Hunwick said this week. "I wasn't really sure I could play in college."

Hunwick wasn't certain he would get another chance. Hogan went back to being Michigan's starter and Hunwick, a former walk-on, returned to the bench, where he had spent the first 2 1/2 years of his career just happy to be part of Michigan's roster.

Then with Michigan fighting for its postseason life, Hogan sustained a groin injury early on in the Wolverines' next-to-last regular-season game against Notre Dame.

Hunwick stepped in for the final 48 minutes, earned his first career victory and shutout in a 4-0 decision with 14 saves.

Afterward, Berenson praised Hunwick, but acknowledged he wasn't certain if Hunwick was ready to be a starting goalie.

Two days later in South Bend, Hunwick gives up five goals in a regular-season finale loss to the Irish, sending the Wolverines spiraling into the CCHA Tournament.

The Wolverines' only shot to reach the NCAA Tournament is for them to win the league title. Michigan - picked to win the regular-season title - enters the playoffs as the No. 7 seed and playing with a goalie unsure of himself.

"Either I was going to sink or swim," Hunwick said. "It wasn't like I was going to get thrown in against softer teams and find my rhythm. I kind of got thrown into the gauntlet."

Over the next four weekends, Michigan faced a do-or-die scenario, knowing that with a series loss, their run of 19 straight tournament appearances would end.

Playing inspired hockey in front of Hunwick, the Wolverines swept Lake Superior State and heavily favored Michigan State to return to Joe Louis, the site of Hunwick's disappointing debut.

Hunwick, the career understudy, was becoming a leading man. Berenson, who jokingly referred to Hunwick as "Rudy," was beginning to see a different side of Hunwick's personality.

"I think he had a lot more confidence than we knew," Berenson said this week. "He couldn't have gone in and did what he did by accident. It didn't blow him away. He wasn't totally amazed or surprised or thought this was impossible. He acted like he knew he could do that."

March 19-20, 2010, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit: Two wins away from earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, Michigan first stunned top-seeded and top-ranked Miami before slipping past Northern Michigan, 2-1, in the CCHA Tournament championship.

Hunwick, who less than three months earlier had his confidence broken at Joe Louis, is named the the all-tournament goalie. Even before Hunwick's name was announced, fans started chanting Hunwick's name as his teammates pushed him toward center ice.

After posing for a photo with CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos, the chants started again.

"M-V-P, M-V-P."

Hunwick had come full circle and more importantly, had carried Michigan on his shoulders. After accepting the award, he credited his teammates and wondered aloud if he was deserving of the MVP honor.

Confidence intact, Hunwick's everyday side was shining through. It came to no surprise to those who know him best.

"He's always had a confidence or a cockiness about him," Hunwick's brother, Matt, a defenseman with the Colorado Avalanche said Tuesday. "I think when you get to college, it's more of a quiet confidence because you are in that back-up role. But I always think he believed in himself, and I don't think he ever let the success go to his head."

That brings us to the here and now. Hunwick is again Michigan's starting goalie thanks, ironically, to another Hogan groin injury. After splitting weekends with Hogan for the first two months of the season and enduring his ups and downs, Hunwick has won nine of his last 10 starts.

The run began in emergency fashion in Michigan's 5-0 victory over Michigan State in The Big Chill in The Big House. It continued last weekend when Hunwick made saves on 73 of the 76 shots he faced in a sweep of No. 19 Alaska.

After struggling with certain aspects of his game prior to Hogan's injury, Hunwick - who had won only three games prior to his Big Chill shutout - has worked himself into a good rhythm.

"He's carrying experience now. and that's huge," Michigan goaltending coach Josh Blackburn said. "He had a great stretch at the end, and he had all summer to think about it. Now he's got some confidence and he's got some wins, and that always helps."

Hunwick stops short of comparison his current stretch with his playoff performance of a year ago. Michigan, ranked No. 6 in the national polls, is in first place heading into a game Saturday with Michigan State at Joe Louis (8:05 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit) with nine CCHA games remaining before the playoffs begin.

As much as he gained from last year's confidence-building run, Hunwick understands experience - while helpful - does not guarantee anything.

"This is just the dog days of winter right now," Hunwick said. "If you want to win the CCHA again, the NCAA Tournament (games) again, we're going to have to go on the same roll as we did, and we're going to have to play a lot better than we are right now."

Hunwick counts himself among those that can stand to play better. Even with as well has performed over the past 10 games, the fact Hogan returned to practice last week causes some anxiety.

Berenson said this week he won't consider how Hogan's return could change Michigan's goalie situation. For Hunwick - who was clearly trailing Hogan to become the Wolverines' full-time starter before Hogan was injured, his teammate's pending return pushes him to keep getting better.

"Let's be honest - who knows if I would be playing two nights if Bryan didn't get hurt," Hunwick said. "Hogie was playing phenomenal hockey, and I was playing average hockey. I don't want to say I got to this point because I played well - I got to this point because Bryan got hurt and I started to play well.

"Playing on Friday and Saturday night is definitely an honor, but I know I've got to battle to keep that spot."

That said, Hunwick appreciates the rewards that have come during his 10-month journey. Once a third-tier goalie who remained after practice as a freshman allowing Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik to pelt him with shots to build his confidence, Hunwick is in a different place.

Prior to coming to Michigan, Hunwick made a bet with Porter, whose older brother, Mike, appeared in four career games at Michigan State under former coach Ron Mason. Hunwick, who initially was set to play at Adrian College before Steve Jakiel's departure left the Wolverines in need of a third goalie, was determined to surpass Mike Porter's career mark.

Last weekend, Hunwick made the 30th appearance of a career Berenson expects will extend to next year.

"It's crazy how expectations change," Hunwick said. "I was going to be happy to be the second goalie for a year and now, I'm not happy if I'm not going to get to play in games on Friday and Saturday night."

Shawn Hunwick is a walking contradiction.

He is confident and yet, hasn't allowed his success to blur his focus. He is the starter and yet, he is fighting for his job.

He is satisfied, and yet, he remains hungry. Some things never change.

"Even with the success he's had, he still finds things that motivate him - whether if it's what people say about him or how he's perceived- he always finds things to keep him ready," Matt Hunwick said.

"He has kept himself sharp, and he hasn't let anything to go to his head. He hasn't really gotten comfortable in that position, which I think is really good."

Jeff Arnold covers Michigan hockey for AnnArbor.com and can be reached at (734) 623-2554 or by e-mail at jeffarnold@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffreyparnold.