Michigan
10-3-1
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Western Michigan
9-2-1
Michigan Knocks Off No. 7 WMU to Earn Weekend Split
11/30/2024 9:59:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Michael Hage scored the GWG after Will Felicio buried his first career goal in the first period.
» Cameron Korpi turned aside 17 of 18 shots from the Broncos to earn his fourth victory.
» U-M went 7-1 in November and will end the year at 6-3-1 against non-conference competition.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A raucous holiday weekend home crowd helped the sixth-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team knock off the seventh-ranked Western Michigan University Broncos by a score of 2-1 on Saturday evening (Nov. 30) inside Yost Ice Arena. With the win, the Wolverines beat their NCHC opponents from Kalamazoo to the 10-win mark.
Freshman Cameron Korpi started in the blue paint for the Wolverines, and the Michigander stopped 17 of the 18 shots he faced from a familiar WMU lineup to earn a critical win for the Wolverines as they salvaged a non-conference split after Friday night's loss at Lawson Arena.
Western Michigan appeared to strike first at 6:37 off a bang-bang play, but following an official review, the play was deemed to be offside.
The first power play of the night was awarded to the Broncos at 8:58 when T.J. Hughes was banished for roughing. Two minutes later, the alternate captain exited the box and rejoined play following a successful penalty kill.
Shortly thereafter, freshman Will Felicio took advantage of traffic in front of the net to score the first goal of the night and give Michigan its first lead of the weekend. The blueliner crossed the blue line and skated into a loose puck during an offensive-zone possession for the Wolverines before zipping a shot to the top left corner of the net at 13:14 for his first career collegiate goal. Nick Moldenhauer notched the lone assist on Felicio's first marker.
Twenty-five seconds after Michigan began its first power play of the evening, Jacob Truscott was whistled for tripping to even play at 4x4. The U-M penalty killers moved to 2-for-2 on the night by denying the opportunity.
After one period of play at Yost, Michigan carried a 1-0 lead and a 10-6 edge in shots on goal up the stairs to the dressing room. U-M also held a 9-7 lead in the faceoff dot through 20 minutes.
Early in the second, Michigan doubled its lead when Michael Hage broke out a fly route to skate into a high flip from Jackson Hallum. The freshman corralled the puck before outlasting the goalie and tucking the puck into the net. Truscott collected the secondary assist for securing possession and propelling the puck toward Hallum, who had just enough space to flip the puck high into the offensive zone to send Hage on the breakaway for his ninth goal of the year.
On the following shift, Philippe Lapointe was called for slashing to give WMU a third power-play chance. Once again, Michigan's penalty killers stymied the opportunity.
Michigan's power play was reactivated with 2:52 remaining in the second period when Josh Eernisse drew a penalty for hooking. The unit dropped to 0-for-2 after sustaining time in Western's zone but failing to produce shots on goal.
With time ticking down, Tyler Duke wheeled around U-M's net with the puck on his stick in hopes of skating out the clock until intermission. Western's backchecker had other ideas, as they took a late penalty for high-sticking with 3.4 seconds left in the frame when a stick lift attempt caught a healthy piece of Duke's facemask.
With one period left in the season's non-conference slate, Michigan owned a 2-0 lead as they headed into the second intermission. The Wolverines held a commanding 19-9 lead in shots on goal in addition to a 22-13 advantage in the faceoff dot.
Fresh ice failed to create a goal for the Michigan power play, as the advantage came and went without incident in the opening minutes of the third period. Western later took a turn of their own on the power play at 2:42 when Eernisse was called for interference on a reverse hit in anticipation of a play along the boards.
A bit over halfway into the ensuing WMU advantage, Hallum used his speed to draw a tripping penalty while shorthanded to create 49 seconds of 4x4 play before an abbreviated power play could begin. When all the time was served, play carried on at full strength with the score still 2-0 in Michigan's favor.
The Broncos emptied their net with two and a half minutes left in regulation, still searching for their first marker of the contest. Finally, with 2:01 remaining, they broke through to make it a 2-1 game. For the second time, Michigan quickly challenged the play in hopes that it was offside. Following a lengthy review, the play stood as called on the ice, and the teams embarked upon the final two minutes with the deficit trimmed to one goal.
Strong goaltending and a stout defensive effort led Michigan to close out the one-goal victory and clinch a split in the weekend series.
Michigan's 2-1 win over a strong WMU team was powered by a 30-18 advantage in shots on goal as well as a strong effort in the faceoff circle (31-27). The penalty kill was excellent for the Wolverines, as they held Western to 0-for-4 with the extra skater to help ensure a victory.
With a one-goal victory in hand following the 124th all-time rendition of the rivalry along I-94, Michigan's lead in the series now stands at 40 games (77-37-10). This weekend also marked the culmination of non-conference action for the Wolverines this season, as they finish with a 6-3-1 record against top-tier competition.
Michigan heads west next weekend to resume B1G play with a two-game series against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 6-7). Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. CT for the first game, while the second contest will commence at 5:00 p.m. CT. Friday night's game will be broadcast live on FS1, while Saturday's will be streamed live on B1G+.
