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TEMPE, Ariz. — Plastered in block letters on the wall of Mullett Ice Arena, Arizona State has a slogan: fear the fork. But for the Michigan hockey team Friday, those words weren’t taken to heart.
Leaving the dishes to dry early in the second period, the Wolverines (2-1) peppered the net time and time again after costly mistakes by Sun Devils (1-2). With crisp passes and spicy shots, Michigan punished Arizona State for its mistakes en route to a 4-1 victory.
As the puck dropped, the Sun Devils came out blazing and kept the Wolverines on their heels. Though Arizona State’s pressure afforded it numerous opportune chances, Michigan graduate goaltender Logan Stein turned the Sun Devils away at every chance.
With Stein’s rock-solid play early, the Wolverines needed to break out of their own defensive zone to take the weight off their backs. And when Michigan did, it capitalized. Junior forward Josh Eernisse found sophomore forward Garrett Schifsky in front of the net, and pocketed a goal between the post and Arizona State goaltender Gibson Homer’s blocker.
Though graduate defenseman Tim Lovell was sent to the box late in the first period, the Wolverines weren’t content with complacency on the penalty kill. After an Arizona State turnover at the blue line, junior forward Jackson Hallum blasted down the ice and set up Schifsky — again in front of the net — for his second goal of the game, this time shorthanded.
Just moments later, Michigan took a man advantage and took a lesson from the Sun Devils’ poor power play showing. With time winding down on the power play, freshman forward Michael Hage redirected a shot from junior forward T.J. Hughes right by Homer, handing the Wolverines a commanding 3-0 lead.
Behind with a period to play, Arizona State sped up its pace of play, but wasn’t able to control the puck. With the lead solidly in hand, Michigan was more than happy to slow the game down and control the puck. Though the Sun Devils led the third period in shorts, it failed to generate meaningful opportunities behind its own offenses.
Though the buzzer didn’t ring for the remainder of the period, the damage had already been done. Keeping on their toes, Wolverines didn’t emulate Arizona State’s complacency. They avoided costly turnovers, Stein held strong and the defensemen kept the Sun Devils’ forwards in front of them. And even a late goal by Arizona State forward Ty Jackson was too little too late. Schifsky got that goal back late — again shorthanded — and silenced the crowd while earning a hat trick.
Staying composed and capitalizing on mistake after mistake, Michigan rushed to a win before the Sun Devils had a chance to respond. In dominant fashion, the Wolverines played the game on their terms, happy to let Arizona State shoot itself in the foot.
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