Throughout the Michigan hockey team’s recent series against Wisconsin, there was rarely a moment that senior Ethan Edwards, graduate Jacob Truscott and junior Tyler Duke weren’t spotted on the ice. As the trio of defensemen racked up playing time, they cemented themselves as pillars for the Wolverines.
No. 13 Wolverines has experienced multiple difficulties in keeping blue line players healthy throughout the season, increasing the workloads of Edwards and Truscott over the weekends. Duke quickly joined them after spending a few weeks off the ice, recovering from his own injury.
“(Edwards and Truscott) are important pieces to our defensive core,” sophomore forward Evan Werner said Saturday. “They play big minutes and there’s a reason they play big minutes. They do the little things.”
Against the 17th-ranked Badgers, Edwards almost played 55 minutes across the two games. This means he played nearly a full game from his ice time alone, while Truscott and Duke pushed over 40 minutes as well. With a consistent presence from the trio, their sticks interfered with Wisconsin’s offensive momentum throughout the weekend.
Michigan went 6-for-8 on the penalty kill over the series with Edwards, Truscott and Duke, getting time on their respective units. On Saturday, the Wolverines killed three of the Badgers’ power play opportunities. Through a string of big clears from the three defenders, Wisconsin struggled to form a cohesive offensive attack on the power play. And though the three Michigan skaters primarily kept the Badgers to the boards and out of the net-front, they made their mark in the offensive zone as well.
In the first game of the series, Edwards joined the scoreboard, potting his fourth goal of the season. Junior forward T.J. Hughes took an open puck near the right face-off circle, sending the assist to Edwards’ waiting stick in the slot that pushed the Wolverines lead to two. Duke notched a point of his own during the second night as he took a wide shot that bounced off the boards, serving the puck to Hughes who secured a goal for Michigan.
“It’s hard minutes,” Duke said about the three Wolverines’ increased playing time. “You have to be smart about when you’re on the ice and when you get in to change, to not overextend shifts because you need to get back out there.”
Though the trio of defensemen have provided a foundation for the young group of blue line players, the growing amount of playing time might be cause for concern.
Even Duke, who just saw his first full weekend — against Michigan State — since St Cloud State in October, is already logging an average of 20 minutes per game. During his various absences due to injury, the Wolverines were left to put the pieces together, needing to switch various pairings throughout the weeks.
When Edwards took a substantial hit that sent him to the locker room against the Spartans, Michigan coach Brandon Naurato described that moment as “terrifying.” Edwards powered through to return in that same game, but the thought of losing him in the defensive core was enough to shake Naurato.
“(We’re) just trying to get healthy,” Naurato said. “We just need a little bit more out of everybody. If we get the best version of everybody, we’ll be in a good spot.”
The gap in the defense was evident on Friday when junior defenseman Luca Fantilli and freshman defenseman Hunter Hady were both out of the lineup. With Fantilli and Hady out, sophomore Josh Orrico and freshman Will Felicio stepped in on the blue line. But between the two of them, they clocked just 23 minutes, which Edwards and Truscott each did alone. While it makes sense that the seasoned defensemen were expected to lead the way among the younger defensemen, the vast amount of playing time can wear players down quickly.
And though it’s needed for Edwards, Truscott and Edwards to continue commanding the playing time, the long enduring minutes begin to add up. Michigan will need its other defensemen to find space and productivity to aid the trio’s overflowing workload.
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