Michigan falls 4-0 to St. Cloud behind early undisciplined penalties

The No. 10 Michigan hockey team has thrived on the penalty kill so far this season. Holding the Wolverines steady despite a host of penalties throughout the season, the penalty kill units have held rock solid. But it could only hold strong for so long.

Committing sloppy infractions early, Michigan’s (3-2-1) early time in the box sunk any chance to impose its will against St. Cloud State (4-1). Hunting for opportunities to catch up to the Huskies’ early power-play goal, the Wolverines never chased them down in a 4-0 shoutout loss.

Michigan looked sloppy out of the gate. Just two minutes into the game, it committed a bench minor penalty for too many men on the ice. Though the Wolverines staved off St. Cloud’s power-play effort — and even had a few chances of their own — the early penalty was a sign of things to come.

Just three minutes after the penalty expired, junior forward Kienan Draper committed an equally undisciplined penalty. High-sticking a Huskies forward on a faceoff, Draper was sent to the penalty box for a five-minute major. It didn’t take St. Cloud long to capitalize, as a pass by Huskies’ forward Verner Miettinen from the corner of the ice found forward Tyson Gross, who sniped a shot through the five-hole of freshman goaltender Cameron Korpi.

Spending seven minutes on the penalty kill in the first period, Michigan went back to the locker room with a lot to be desired. But once again, Michigan committed a bench minor for too many men on the ice, halting its chance to remedy its mishaps. While St. Cloud committed a penalty of its own that killed its own man advantage, the Wolverines didn’t make them pay.

Playing catch-up throughout the majority of the first two periods, Michigan couldn’t buy a goal. Though the Wolverines largely played in the offensive zone and had numerous rushes, they were stopped time and time again at the net front. Whether it was junior forward Jackson Hallum tripping and slamming head-first into the boards on a quality opportunity or a whiffed shot, nothing seemed to go right for Michigan.

And it took under a minute for things to go from bad to game-ending.

After the Huskies won a draw in their offensive zone, forward Gavyn Thoreson corralled the puck quickly and found a shot that beat Korpi. Down 2-0, the Wolverines never found a response, instead spending more time on the penalty kill. 

Pulling Korpi from the net in favor of an extra skater was Michigan’s last-ditch effort to salvage the game, but an empty-net goal, a penalty and another slick goal sank any hope it had left. Skating off the ice after a poor showing, the Wolverines had no counter for St. Cloud

That’s because Michigan never found its footing, and two early penalties made sure of that.

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