By William Kyle Mitchell –
It was another busy weekend for Michigan’s Division 1 hockey programs – here’s a look at how the seven schools fared.
Minnesota sweeps Michigan
On Friday, Minnesota defeated Michigan 5-3, despite goals from Andrew Copp, JT Compher and Zach Hyman. On Saturday, Michigan took an early lead thanks to a goal from Andrew Sinelli 1:31 into the first period. Minnesota responded with four unanswered goals, however, to give Michigan a second loss in as many days. Minnesota goaltender Adam Wilcox improved his personal record to 20-4-5 with a 1.97 goals-against average and a save percentage of .931. Michigan, now 14-9-3, overall will face a 21-4-5 Minnesota squad twice more when they welcome them to Ann Arbor on March 14-15. Michigan’s Michael Downing and Andrew Sinelli were both suspended for a game for separate incidents that occurred in the third period of Saturday’s contest.
Michigan State picks up Saturday win after Friday shootout loss
Michigan State (9-13-7) played back-to-back contests against Penn State (5-19-2) this past Friday and Saturday, in two very close games. Friday the teams tied 2-2, thanks to a game-tying goal by Michael Ferrantino with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. After a scoreless overtime, Penn State prevailed in a shootout. Saturday would see Ferrantino shine again, with assists on both of Michigan State’s goals in their 2-1 victory.
Western Michigan wins shootout, falls to Colorado College
On Friday, Western Michigan beat Colorado College in a shootout after playing to a 4-4 tie in regulation. Western goaltender Frank Slubowski was relieved partway through the second after letting three goals by in less than two periods. Lukas Hafner allowed just one goal after stepping in on Slubowski’s behalf, helping the Broncos rally to force overtime. On Saturday, the story was a bit different, with Western Michigan only notching 17 shots on goal in three periods. Colorado College (4-18-6) shut out Western Michigan (14-11-5), scoring three goals on 30 shots to bring the final to 3-0.
Ferris State Splits with Bemidji
Ferris State cruised to a 4-1 victory over Bemidji State thanks to a three-goal third period Friday night. Cory Kane notched a goal and an assist in the third to help Ferris earn the win. The next night, Bemidji would get the best of the Bulldogs, winning 2-1 despite only putting 17 shots on net, just over half of Ferris State’s 33. Bemidji State’s record is now 9-16-7, while Ferris State is 21-7-3.
Lake Superior State Takes Friday, Northern Takes Saturday
LSSU, whose record now hovers around .500 after this weekend (14-15-1), managed a 5-3 victory over Northern Michigan University (12-16-2) on Friday. There were over 70 shots on goal taken during the game, with Lake Superior State accounting for 38, and Northern for 35. On Saturday, the tables were turned, and Northern poured it on, winning 5-1. Erik Higby scored twice in the second, tallying his ninth and 10th goals of the season.
Alaska Crushes Michigan Tech Twice
Alaska won 7-3 on Friday, and 7-2 on Saturday, scoring 14 goals on 71 shots for the weekend. Alaska also managed to chase Michigan Tech’s goaltender Pheonix Copley both nights, scoring five goals on him each outing. Alaska’s Nolan Huysmans had a seven-point weekend, including a goal in both games. The weekend saw Alaska improve its record to 14-12-4. Michigan Tech’s record, not much worse, sits at 12-16-6.