KALAMAZOO — The No. 3 Michigan hockey team suffered its first loss of the season Friday against No. 2 Western Michigan. Freshman goaltender Jack Ivankovic conceded four goals, his worst game of the year. The Wolverines took 14 minutes of penalties and, despite outshooting the Broncos, could not get more than two goals past goaltender Hampton Slukynsky.
None of that matters in the long run.
If the Wolverines were told before the season began that they would start 7-1 with a sweep of a top-10 opponent, their only loss coming on the road to the defending national champions, they would’ve taken that in a heartbeat. Michigan should not be cowed by this loss, and it seemingly is not. The Wolverines have more than proven themselves as Frozen Four contenders with their play through eight games, even with the loss.
“I’m not happy with the loss, but there’s also no glaring issues,” Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said. “We got beat by a good team, and we’ve got to clean up some stuff.”
Naurato knows from last year that early season success doesn’t always mean much. The 2024-25 team was 10-3-1 by the start of December and missed the postseason entirely. But by the time conference play started last year, the Wolverines were 5-2-1. They lost the season opener to unranked Minnesota State and got shut out by then-No. 13 St. Cloud State. Sweeping eventual national championship finalist Boston University was a solid statement, but it took overtime and a hat trick from former forward Jackson Hallum to secure it. Michigan was a strong but flawed team, one that wasn’t a national championship contender.
This year’s team is. Naurato used the transfer portal and, particularly, the new CHL rule to his advantage, bringing in junior defenseman Ben Robertson from Cornell, who currently leads the Wolverines defensemen in points. He also added OHL players like freshman forward Malcolm Spence and — crucially — Ivankovic.
But there was doubt about Naurato’s recruiting class. The Wolverines were reportedly in the running for multiple highly-drafted forwards, but landed none of them. Michigan’s drafted players are mostly late first round and early second round picks, who are talented, but don’t have the same perceived star power as players like Penn State forward Gavin McKenna or Michigan State forward Porter Martone. On top of that, the trend in college hockey recently has been veteran teams finding the most postseason success. Michigan is the second-youngest in the country on average, with as many freshmen as sophomores and juniors combined.
On paper, it appeared as though the Wolverines’ roster lagged behind and would struggle. In practice, that has proven resoundingly untrue. Michigan might have missed out on the top end of the first round, but its roster has incredible depth. Freshman forward Cole McKinney was a borderline first round pick and he’s centering the third line. The Wolverines’ top three lines are practically interchangeable with the equality of strength distributed across the lineup. That’s a luxury few other teams have.
Ivankovic has been a revelation for Michigan, who never established a true No. 1 goalie last season. Even with a rough second night performance against Western Michigan, his .931 save percentage is seventh in the country and second in the Big Ten. Even freshman forward Adam Valentini, who some projected would struggle as a 17-year-old in the NCAA, has found his footing and is currently fourth on the team in points with three goals and five assists. Michigan currently leads the NCAA in scoring with 46 goals through eight games.
Perhaps the most surprising advantage for the Wolverines has been their defense. Michigan has had its best defensive start in program history before Friday, conceding just seven goals through seven games. Last year, Naurato was forced to overwork former defenders like Jacob Truscott and Ethan Edwards, because he lacked enough trustworthy d-men. This year, he has no such problem. Naurato must sit at least one capable defenseman every game simply because there is no space in the lineup. If injuries strike the defensive core, the Wolverines will easily be able to fill the gap with equal talent. Even with the five goals conceded to Western Michigan on Friday, Michigan still has the second-lowest goals against per game in the nation with just one and a half.
Ending nonconference play with only one loss to the defending national champions is a big achievement. The Wolverines have proven that they can win with just a few veterans guiding a strong youth core. They have worked their way up the standings from 12th overall preseason to third in the country now. They’ve played the best defensive hockey in program history and on offense, they lead the country in goals with 46.
This team has more than earned the right to be called Frozen Four contenders and even national title contenders. History says that the national champion is typically a veteran team, but there is no reason Michigan could be the one to buck that trend. Everything about their game right now says they could be.
And Friday’s loss to the Broncos doesn’t change that.
