Michigan eliminates No. 7 WMU to earn Weekend Split

Michael Hage then scored the GWG Will Felicio buried his first career goal in the first period.
Cameron Bodies turned aside 17 of the Broncos' 18 shots to earn his fourth victory.
UM went 7-1 in November and will finish the year 6-3-1 against non-conference competition.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. A raucous home crowd over the holiday weekend helped the University of Michigan's sixth-ranked ice hockey team defeat the seventh-ranked Western Michigan University Broncos by a score of 2-1 on Saturday night (Nov. 30) at Yost Ice Arena. With the win, the Wolverines defeated their NCHC opponents from Kalamazoo to within 10 wins.

Freshman Cameron Bodies started in the blue paint for the Wolverines, and the Michigander stopped 17 of the 18 shots he faced from a familiar WMU lineup to earn a crucial win for the Wolverines as they salvaged a non-conference split after the loss on Friday evening at Lawson Arena.

Western Michigan appeared to strike first at 6:37 on a booming play, but after an official review the play was ruled offside.

The first power play of the night was awarded to the Broncos at 8:58 TJ Hughes was banned for rough work. Two minutes later, the alternate captain left the penalty area and resumed play after a successful penalty.

Freshmen soon after Will Felicio took advantage of traffic in front of the net to score the first goal of the night and give Michigan its first lead of the weekend. The blueliner crossed the blue line and skated into a loose puck during an offensive zone possession for the Wolverines before firing a shot into the top left corner of the net for his first career collegiate goal at 13:14. Nick Moldenhauer scored the only assist on Felicio's first marker.

Twenty-five seconds after Michigan began its first power play of the evening, Jacob Truscott was whistled for stumbling to even play 4×4. UM's penalty killers moved to 2-for-2 that evening by taking away the opportunity.

After one period at Yost, Michigan had a 1-0 lead and a 10-6 edge in shots on goal up the stairs to the locker room. UM also held a 9-7 lead through 20 minutes in the faceoff.

Early in the second, Michigan then doubled its lead Michael Hage broke out a flight path to skate from a high somersault Jackson Hallum. The freshman grabbed the puck before outrunning the goalie and putting the puck in the net. Truscott collected the secondary assist to secure possession and propel the puck toward Hallum, who had just enough space to turn the puck high into the offensive zone and send Hage on the breakaway for his ninth goal of the year.

At the next service, Filip Lapointe was called for a cut to give WMU a third power play opportunity. Once again, Michigan's penalty killers hampered the opportunity.

Michigan's power play was reactivated with 2:52 remaining in the second period Jos Eernisse was given a penalty for hooking. The unit fell to 0-for-2 after spending time in Western's zone but failing to produce shots on goal.

While time is ticking, Tyler Duke spun around the UM net with the puck on his stick in hopes of skating out the clock until the break. Western's backchecker had other ideas, as they took a late penalty for high-sticking with 3.4 seconds left when a stick-lift attempt struck a healthy part of Duke's facemask.

With one period remaining on the season's non-conference schedule, Michigan had a 2-0 lead going into the second intermission. The Wolverines had a commanding 19-9 edge in shots on goal, in addition to a 22-13 advantage in the faceoff.

Fresh Ice failed to create a goal on the Michigan power play as the advantage came and went without incident in the opening minutes of the third period. Western later took its own turn on the power play at 2:42 when Eernisse was called for interference on a reverse hit while waiting for a play down the boards.

Just over halfway through the ensuing WMU advantage, Hallum used his speed to draw a tripping penalty while on shorthand to create 49 seconds of 4×4 play before a shortened power play could begin. When all time was served, play continued at full speed with the score still 2-0 in Michigan's favor.

The Broncos emptied their net with two and a half minutes remaining, still searching for their first marker of the match. Finally, with 2:01 to go, they broke through and made it a 2-1 game. For the second time, Michigan quickly challenged the play hoping it was offside. After a lengthy review, the game was on the ice as it should be and the teams started the final two minutes with the deficit reduced to one goal.

Strong goaltending and a solid defensive effort helped Michigan close out the one-goal win and snap the weekend series.

Michigan's 2-1 win over a strong WMU team was made possible by a 30-18 edge in shots on goal and a strong effort in the faceoff circle (31-27). The penalty kill was outstanding for the Wolverines as they held Western to 0-for-4 with the extra skater to ensure a victory.

With a one-goal win in the bag after the 124th all-time rendition of the rivalry along I-94, Michigan's lead in the series is now 40 games (77-37-10). This weekend also marked the highlight of non-conference action for the Wolverines this season, as they finish with a 6-3-1 record against top competition.

Michigan heads west next weekend to resume B1G play with a two-game series against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 6-7). Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM CT for the first game, while the second game starts at 5:00 PM CT. Friday night's match will be broadcast live on FS1, while Saturday's match will be streamed live on B1G+.