Broncos beat Wolverines 4-1 at Yost Friday Night
By Matt Slovin –
ANN ARBOR – With Michigan finally back in Yost Ice Arena’s friendly confines, and its number of remaining home games dwindling, the Wolverines sure didn’t look comfortable hosting No. 7 Western Michigan on Friday night.
It took the Broncos (11-3-1) about five minutes to find their offensive groove until some unexpected scorers stepped up to dismantle the slumping Wolverines, 4-1. Michigan has now lost six of its last eight games.
“I sit up here like I am supposed to have wise words, but I really don’t have any wise words,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “I feel like we’re just making too many excuses game after game.”
In the first period, the teams exchanged shorthanded opportunities as the referees set the tone for a penalty-filled series opener. All together, 12 infractions occurred with eight of them coming in the opening frame.
Michigan managed to gain a 5-on-3 advantage for around 1:15, but the Wolverines failed to muster a single shot on goal with the two extra skaters. The Broncos defense created an opportunity at the other end, but a shot from sophomore defenseman Garrett Haar hit off the post and Michigan (5-9-2) narrowly avoided an even bigger crisis.
Minutes later, Michigan freshman forwards Andrew Copp and Justin Selman combined for a 2-on-1 while shorthanded. But a cross-crease pass from Copp led to a whiff from Selman, and the shorthanded try was gone as quickly as it had come.
Western Michigan finally struck first after a turnover from senior captain A.J. Treais led to a Ben Warda finished off a goal after an assist from Mike Leone.
Leone would pick up another point as he found defenseman Luke Witkowski after receiving a pass from Dan DeKeyser to put the Broncos up 2-0.
During the second period, Western Michigan extended its lead to three goals after it caught the Wolverines on a line change. Justin Kovacs finished off a 3-on-1 to further bury Michigan.
“The second period has been a bugaboo of late,” Berenson said. “That was a bad change and a bad turnover. We didn’t get the puck in deep and we took a bad penalty. It is disappointing.”
The Broncos’ first three goal scorers — Warda, Witkowski and Kovacs — all scored for the first time this season on Friday.
Michigan finally got itself on the board with 6:11 remaining in the second period. A scrum in front of the Western Michigan net involving Wolverine forward Boo Nieves caused the puck to squirt right to sophomore forward Phil Di Giuseppe who buried it for just his first goal since Oct. 12 against Rochester Institute of Technology — Michigan’s second game of the season.
The Broncos rounded out the scoring in the final period on a empty-net goal from Dane Walters.
Michigan and Western Michigan will complete their two-game set Saturday night with a 7:35 p.m. puck drop from Yost.
“Coming out tomorrow we need to focus on not taking as many penalties, because that’s what changed the game for us today,” said senior alternate captain Kevin Lynch. “We need to jump on them early.”