Michigan Hockey Recap: Wolverines look sharp in return to action

After more than a month away from the ice, the Michigan men’s ice hockey team was back in action this weekend for a two-game set against Stonehill. The Wolverines were coming off a split against Notre Dame in early December and didn’t miss a beat, winning both games against Stonehill in Ann Arbor.

In the first game, Michigan wasted no time getting things started, as Gavin Brindley found the back of the net just 17 seconds into the contest. Stonehill quickly responded with a power play goal just two minutes later, but Michigan would end the period with three more goals. Just like that, the rout was on.

The Wolverines continued to blitz Stonehill on the offensive end, finding the back of the net six times in the second period, giving Michigan nine unanswered goals and making the score 10-1 heading into the third period.

Stonehill would find some success in the third period, striking for three unanswered goals to make the score 10-4. Michigan, however, kept attacking, scoring the final two goals of the game to make the final score 12-4. The Wolverines had a 46-19 shot advantage in the first game.

Saturday night’s series finale went pretty similar to Friday night’s game. Stonehill was fortunate to open up the scoring just three minutes into the game, but Michigan would dominate the rest of the way.

The Wolverines responded to Stonehill’s opening goal with seven unanswered goals of their own. Sophomore T.J. Hughes would find the back of the net twice in the game, as would junior Mark Estapa. Michigan secured a 7-1 victory, giving it a 19-5 scoring advantage for the weekend.

With the pair of wins this weekend, the Wolverines are up to three straight wins and pushed their overall record to 10-7-3. Michigan will hit the road next weekend to take on in-state rival Michigan State.