The resurgence of No. 7 Western Michigan in the CCHA took its third downward swing, as the ninth-ranked Wolverines held back the Broncos, 5-1, in front of a sellout crowd at Yost Ice Arena.<\/p>\n
Michigan (17-6-3, 11-4-1 CCHA) outshot Western Michigan, 44-23, for the game, including a 29-12 advantage in the final two periods.<\/p>\n
“I think we worked pretty hard. Obviously you have to give Michigan credit,” said Broncos coach Jim Culhane, whose team is winless in its last three. “[Michigan goaltender Josh] Blackburn played very well in net for them. He made the big save when it was a 3-1 hockey game.”<\/p>\n
Blackburn’s save on two breakaways, including a one-on-one stop of Brent Rumble in the second period, kept Western Michigan in check on the way to the goaltender’s 22-save night.<\/p>\n
The Broncos (16-5-3, 9-4-3) started off right, taking a quick 1-0 lead just four minutes into the game on a two-man advantage. Freshman Dana Lattery fought through a scrum around the net and tapped the puck past Blackburn.<\/p>\n
But while Western Michigan didn’t play a horrendous game, the Wolverines fended off the Broncos’ quality chances and took control the rest of the contest.<\/p>\n
“I thought it was a great effort,” Michigan coach Red Berenson said. “Blackburn was solid. They had two golden opportunities. It could have been tied after two periods.”<\/p>\n
With four Broncos and two Wolverines in the top 10 NCAA scoring leaders, the battle of the top scoring talent ensued. But the high-scoring Wolverines dominated the contest. <\/p>\n
Andy Hilbert notched two goals, both which were assisted by another top-10 scorer, Mike Cammalleri. Defenseman Jeff Jillson added a goal and an assist. The trio also led a special teams unit that had two power-play goals and a shorthanded tally.<\/p>\n
Pelted with shots, Western Michigan goaltender Jeff Raynaert’s bad night came to a bitter climax when Michigan defenseman Mike Roemensky tossed a long shot from the Wolverines’ blueline. The puck hit Raynaert’s stick and ricocheted into the net. <\/p>\n
“That’s a one-in-a-thousand chance,” Blackburn said. “I’m glad it wasn’t me.”<\/p>\n
The unusual third-period goal put Michigan up 5-1, a lopsided result that represents a lost opportunity for Western Michigan, which continues its quest to prove it can battle with the CCHA elite.<\/p>\n
Yost Fans dug into the Broncos, chanting “overrated” in the final minutes of the game.<\/p>\n
Berenson disagreed that Western Michigan isn’t up to snuff and credited the blowout score to the direct turnaround from all of his players after last weekend’s split with Ohio State.<\/p>\n
“A week ago, it was hard to point out six players who played well,” Berenson said. “This week it was tough to pick out anyone who didn’t play well.”<\/p>\n
The Wolverines also returned two players into the lineup. Defenseman and assistant captain Dave Huntzicker added 17 minutes, playing for the first time since Nov. 17. <\/p>\n
“I’m not at 100 percent — I don’t think I ever got back to 100 percent at the beginning of the year,” Huntzicker said. “I’m a little ways away, but not far enough to where I can’t help this team.”<\/p>\n
Senior Mark Kosick also re-entered the lineup after Berenson scratched him the past three games and provided a better lift.<\/p>\n
Western Michigan played without one of their leading scorers. Steven Rymsha, out due to a game disqualification, will return when teams will battle it out in Kalamazoo Saturday.<\/p>\n
Mark Francescutti is a sports editor for The Michigan <\/i>Daily.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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