'DMC' Line Rises to Challenge in NCAA Opening-Round Victory over Northeastern
3/24/2018 11:58:00 PM | Ice Hockey, Features
By Kyle Prudhomme
WORCESTER, Mass. -- "Roll to the rock, rock to the roll." Run DMC said it; Michigan's "DMC" line did it.
Moments after the Huskies leveled the game at two apiece, the Wolverines' top unit produced the decisive effort with four minutes remaining. Dexter Dancs (23 points this season), Cooper Marody (46 points) and Tony Calderone (40 points) each touched the puck during the game-winning sequence to lead Michigan past Northeastern in a 3-2 battle at the DCU Center.
Despite the attention placed by national media and hockey aficionados on Northeastern's top-scoring line, which featured a pair of Hobey Baker finalists in Adam Gaudette (60 points) and Dylan Sikura (54 points), alongside senior captain Nolan Stevens (42 points), the Wolverines were simply unfazed.
Through the ebbs and flows and tradeoffs in momentum in the game, when the pressure rose, the Maize and Blue depended on its own game-controlling trio which welcomed the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with one of the toughest units in the nation.
As the game ticked on, the point-scoring crews from each team were present and accounted for, with each line scoring at least once in the tilt. But as unlikely as it might have sounded going into the game, the night was owned by Michigan's "DMC" line which produced all three goals for the Wolverines.
"All week we heard talk about that line being the best line in college hockey," said Dancs about squaring off with Northeastern's feared threesome. "We play for those challenges. They are awesome players and it was a challenge -- they could be the best line in college hockey. But we wanted that challenge, we wanted to show everyone that the Big Ten is a really good league and we play against great players all year."
After a goal from Marody opened the scoring in the middle period, Dancs took charge to ignite the third as the Wolverines gained a 2-1 goal advantage in the closing 20 minutes. With 14:15 left, the senior forward broke a 1-1 tie when he fought off a blanketed defender and willed a backhanded shot into the far side of the net in spite of the near-impossible angle.
After a goal from Northeastern's Eric Williams leveled the game at 2, the "DMC" line re-emerged, this time with Marody finishing up-close following fluid passing from his line-mates.
"Dexter made a great play to Tony getting the puck up ice. The whole game Dexter made great plays on the wall," said Marody. "Tony made an awesome play, he's usually shooting pucks, but he showed off that he is a good passer as well. I didn't have to do much -- it was all Tony and Dexter there."
Even though the Brighton, Michigan, native credited his teammates for setting the stage for his late go-ahead marker, Marody shouldered the offensive load for the Wolverines in the victory with his second consecutive multi-goal contest. The junior grabbed early energy for his team in the middle frame when he gingerly moved the puck around the back of the net, rotating to the top of the zone where he tucked the puck into the top-right ninety degree of the net with lightening quickness.
"Marody, Calderone, and Dancs all week, they asked us if we could play against Northeastern's top line," Michigan head coach Mel Pearson said following his first NCAA tournament victory at the helm of Wolverines hockey. "I thought they did an outstanding job. That's the story for me -- I"m really proud of that line."
With the win, the Wolverines picked up the program's 15th first-round victory, but it was not easy as the transition game highlighted the contest at a seemingly unsustainable pace. With the quarterfinal matchup against Boston University starting less than 24 hours from the start of Saturday's game, there is little time to recover and prepare for the red-hot Terriers who are unbeaten in their last eight outings, which includes a Hockey East Championship over Providence on March 17.
"BU has a really good team. They have more depth, they have more weapons and we are gonna have to understand that. But we do, too. I like the depth of this team," Pearson said in his glance toward the quarterfinal meeting Sunday night (March 25). The second half (of the season) we have seen that. We have seen some guys step forward. Some of our freshmen and sophomores have taken a big stride and that's one reason that we had a great second half like we did. I like our depth and we talked about that, that's what makes us dangerous. It's gonna be a heck of a hockey game,"
The 4 p.m. puck drop signifies the first postseason meeting between the two prestigious collegiate hockey programs since 1997 when the Terriers bested the Wolverines, 3-2, to advance to the national championship. With a combined record of 27-6-4 since Jan. 7, the final matchup before the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota, will settle who the king of hockey is in the Northeast region for the 2017-18 campaign.
