KALAMAZOO — In one of college hockey’s toughest environments, it can be hard to remain level headed. The No. 3 Michigan hockey team proved to be no exception, making the penalty box an extension of its bench and constantly fighting the odd-man disadvantage.
The Wolverines(7-1) suffered their first loss, 5-2, to No. 2 Western Michigan (5-2) after having little success in the attacking third. The high-pressure Broncos proved to be Michigan’s final boss, drawing countless penalties against the Wolverines and subsequently making it nearly impossible to gain any traction on the offensive press. Michigan was simply outmatched this time around.
Quickly into the start of the game, Western Michigan applied heavy pressure on the Wolverines. Michigan didn’t find peace on the ice, as in each moment the Broncos treated the puck as their own, and they didn’t want to share. A variety of early penalties against the Wolverines only bolstered Western Michigan’s momentum, and it was the last blow the Broncos needed to finally defeat Michigan’s defense.
The seemingly invincible wall that has been freshman goaltender Jack Ivankovic proved his mortality, allowing a goal while on the penalty kill to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead. For the first time this series, the Wolverines trailed the defending national champions, needing to find an offensive berth if a sweep was in their future.
In the 13th minute of the first period, Michigan found itself in a four-on-four situation. Capitalizing on the extra space, the Wolverines had the room to play around and find its footing. Entering the offensive zone, freshman defender Henry Mews tested a route up center ice. Loaded with pressure, he dropped the puck back to open sophomore defender Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen. Understanding the gravity of the play, he exercised patience before ripping one top corner to set the total at one a piece.
Just like that, the game returned to an even score, allowing either team to steal the victory.
“Similar to last night, it could’ve went either way at different times,” Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said. “It’s good hockey. It’s a good test for us to see where we’re at. You’re not gonna play in barns like this in the NCAA tournament. I think this is a really good test.”
Michigan’s kryptonite was its magnetic pull toward drawing penalties. In an already chippy game, the Wolverines kept finding themselves down a man, then hindering their offensive opportunities. The Broncos rode the momentum gifted their way, and Michigan had to pay for it. The pressure never faltered, and a late second period goal for Western Michigan set the Wolverines back on the chopping block, trailing by a score of 2-1.
“It’s been a lot of special teams with both penalty kill and power play,” senior forward Josh Eernisse said. “And when that happens, it can disrupt the flow of the game a little bit. Some guys are maybe playing a lot in this short span and other guys are sitting around. … But there’s a line where we want to be hard, we want to be physical, we want to be aggressive. And sometimes penalties just come with that.”
Entering the third period, the fate of the game was in the hands of whoever found the back of the net first. The Wolverines needed a goal right away if there was to be a chance at remaining undefeated. However a minute in, Western Michigan piled onto its lead, leaving Michigan trailing by two.
This moment was the final nail in the Wolverines’ coffin. They couldn’t take away the confidence the Broncos cemented into their play. After a series of disorganized and somewhat chaotic goals on both ends, the game’s score elevated to heights deemed out of hand, finishing with a final score of 5-2 to have Michigan conclude its seven-game win streak with a split series.
The Wolverines’ young roster has ultimately encountered the bitter taste of a loss, evading the inevitable for seven games. While Michigan proved its ability to beat the national champions the night before, a lack of discipline in a tough environment impeded the Wolverines’ hopes at a productive offense.
