The No. 4 Michigan hockey team has an image to maintain. And Friday night, that image was reinstated. After a less than ideal night for the Wolverines Thursday, the second game of the series was an opportunity to shoot down any questions of capability.
Michigan (6-0) trounced Robert Morris (0-2), 10-2, to remain undefeated. The result was a bounceback response from what was a disappointing night before for the Wolverines, that somewhat leaked into the first period. Nonetheless, Michigan reinstilled the confidence it emulated in games prior with the help of its fourth line made up of freshman forward Aidan Park and senior forwards Kienan Draper and Josh Eernisse.
An early Robert Morris goal three minutes into the first period brought the Wolverines back to the night before, conceding shocking goals that deviated from the play they had identified itself with earlier in the season. It once again brought to question if an upset was in its future.
The Wolverines’ inability to strike first eerily mirrored the issues from their previous matchup against Robert Morris. Small mistakes lead to greater problems, putting Michigan in an uncomfortable position. In order to prevent a similar delay in offensive pressure, junior forward Jayden Perron found himself wide open in front of the Colonials’ net, going bardown off a backhanded shot to level the score, 1-1 with two minutes of play left in the first period.
But ties don’t win games and the Wolverines’ offense required a shift in performance to emerge victorious. And that’s when the fourth line picked up the phone.
Thirty seconds after Perron’s goal, Draper won a faceoff in the Wolverines’ defensive third. Senior defenseman Tyler Duke obtained possession of the puck before picking his head up to see Eernisse making a dash towards the attacking third. Duke made a quick pass across the ice, delivering it to Eernisee as he charged full speed ahead, only the goaltender blocking his view of the net. In a swift move, he placed the puck in the top right corner to snatch the lead from Robert Morris as quick as Michigan had given it away.
In a typical game, much of the attention goes toward the first line and its production. But Michigan’s fourth line changed the narrative, emerging as the group that cracked Robert Morris’ code earliest. Constituting for three of the Wolverines’ first five goals, the fourth line revived Michigan’s offense from the dead, putting up numbers relative to the team’s previous showings.
And it wasn’t before long that this line’s trend infiltrated the habits of its peers. The Wolverines went on to post 10 goals against the Colonials’, reminding the NCAA of the offensive potential the team possesses.
A shaky start gave room for talk to continue regarding Michigan’s credibility as a championship-contender, however an early effort from the fourth line kickstarted offense the Wolverines knew was possible. The image of a goal scoring machine was given back to the minds of Michigan to bring forth to the season ahead.
