Michigan
4-1-0
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Western Michigan
3-0-0
Michigan Stumbles in Series-Opening Loss to No. 17 Western Michigan
10/22/2021 10:46:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Luke Hughes scored U-M's first goal and assisted on the second for his first collegiate multi-point game.
» Kent Johnson tallied his second goal of the season for Michigan's second of the contest.
» U-M's power play unit entered 7-for-14, but went 0-for-6 vs. WMU .
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena)
Score: #17 Western Michigan 5, #1 Michigan 2
Records: U-M (4-1-0), WMU (3-0-0)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Oct. 23 -- at Western Michigan (Kalamazoo, Mich.), 7:05 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Taking the ice as the No. 1-ranked team in the land for the first time in just over a decade, the University of Michigan men's ice hockey team was unable to hit its stride on Friday night (Oct. 22), falling 5-2 to visiting No. 17 Western Michigan at Yost Ice Arena.
Western's experienced group of skaters started the game with gusto, maintaining possession in the Michigan end and pressuring goaltender Erik Portillo in the opening minutes. U-M withstood the early push from their former CCHA foe, but at the same time, failed to capitalize when early chances presented themselves at the other end of the ice.
Michigan's power play, the nation's most effective heading into the contest, took the ice at 5:17 and 10:06 after Mackie Samoskevich was taken down twice in the neutral zone. Kent Johnson threatened for the first group, surveying his options from the right circle while fellow Canadian Owen Power quarterbacked at the point, but the highly-skilled duo failed to convert and open the scoring. Each unit created chances, but the Wolverines began 0-for-2 with the man-advantage.
WMU won an offensive-zone faceoff to the right of Portillo with just under one minute left in the opening frame. After a D-to-D pass to the middle of the ice, a Bronco shot from the blue line found the back of the net to give Western an early 1-0 lead with 53 seconds remaining.
After 20 minutes, WMU clung to a 1-0 lead while owning a slim 8-7 edge in shots on goal.
The Broncos doubled their lead on a broken play in transition 2:09 into the second period. After breaking into the zone and partially fanning on a shot from the left circle, the puck skittered from one WMU forward to another in front of the net. That skater connected, burying the bouncer past a scrambling Portillo.
On Western's first power-play opportunity of the evening, the Broncos capitalized to take a 3-0 lead with 7:08 left in the middle frame.
Grappling with WMU's rough-and-tumble play, U-M's power play unit embarked on its fourth attempt before the game's midpoint. Eight seconds after the advantage expired, the pressure they'd created with the extra skater paid off when Luke Hughes put Michigan on the board with his second goal of the season. Sensing that netfront chaos may evolve into a scoring chance, Hughes crept toward the net in the right circle and opened himself up to launch a one-timer. Fifth-year senior Michael Pastujov sent a pass in the freshman blueliner's wheelhouse to earn the primary assist while Dylan Duke scooped the secondary.
With 7:27 left, Western Michigan regained a three-goal lead, taking advantage of a late U-M line change with a laser of a wrist shot that made it 4-1.
After two periods, Michigan trailed by three but looked to mount a third-period comeback. U-M's power-play units seemed poised to capitalize in the third after starting the game 0-for-5.
Hughes recorded another dominant shift three minutes into the third period, single-handedly creating a flurry of chances while holding the blue line and showing off his skating prowess. WMU's Brandon Bussi continued his strong play to keep the score at 4-1 in his team's favor.
Shortly after returning to full strength following a successful penalty kill, U-M's deficit was cut to two when Johnson scored a critical goal at 11:04. Hughes and his defensive partner, Jacob Truscott, picked up assists for facilitating Johnson's tally.
Michigan's comeback attempt received a fatal blow with 2:37 left in regulation when Western converted for another power-play goal to again regain its three-goal lead at 5-2. Netminder Bussi made 23 saves in the win, taming Michigan's high-powered offensive attack.
Portillo stopped 21 shots while shouldering his first loss of the season.
Saturday evening (Oct. 23), U-M's top-ranked icers will travel 98 miles down I-94 to finish out the home-and-home series in Kalamazoo at Lawson Ice Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on NCHC.tv.
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