Western Michigan devours Michigan in 4-1 win

Though the day after Thanksgiving is usually spent recovering from a feast, Western Michigan waited until Friday night to devour the Michigan hockey team’s winning streak instead.

The seventh-ranked Broncos (9-1-1) controlled the ice to take a decisive 4-1 win over the sixth-ranked Wolverines (9-3-1). With each check into the boards, the Broncos served up their goals while denying Michigan room to breathe.

In the first period, Western Michigan cracked the scoreboard with a quick assist from behind the net to the waiting stick of forward Robby Drazner in the slot. The Wolverines searched for an answer, but spent the majority of the period fighting for ice space as the Broncos dominated with defensive pressure. 

As Michigan spent more time in its defensive zone and on the boards, it couldn’t piece together the offensive cohesion they craved.

With under five minutes left in the first period, sophomore forward Garrett Schfisky cleared the puck out of the Wolverines defensive zone for a routine line shift. But Western Michigan goaltender Cameron Rowe launched the puck past Michigan’s blue line to forward Tim Washe snagging a goal before the Wolverines realized what was happening.

Holding onto their two-goal lead, the Broncos defensive pressure stuffed Michigan’s offense through the second period. Western Michigan delivered constant physicality making it difficult for the Wolverines to clear the puck and causing turnovers in the neutral zone. 

Without the ability to string together passes and plays, Michigan struggled to score goals while the Broncos kept firing. Western Michigan used one of its opportunities to create chaos in the net-front to push the puck past graduate net-minder Logan Stein to make it 3-0. 

The Wolverines attempted to combat the Broncos’ commanding offensive with their own physical style of play, but instead of success, it landed them in the penalty box. Though the Broncos were unable to convert two man-up opportunities, Michigan kept pushing itself further behind.

Through the third period, the Wolverines stayed silent before finding success at the hands of sophomore forward William Whitelaw. Whitelaw took a pass from the top to sneak a puck past Rowe in a net-front goal. Though Western Michigan earned its win through the first and second period of the game, the Wolverines finally got on the scoreboard.

After spending the night fighting through Western Michigan’s defensive front, the Wolverines couldn’t put together a response. And even a last-minute goal for Michigan wasn’t enough to spoil the Broncos’ meal.

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