Club hockey loses ‘ugly’ game to No. 1 Davenport

CMU club hockey coach Mike Jakubik did not mince his words when describing the team’s season finale.

CMU was defeated 11-1 by Davenport University in what Jakubik called an ugly, disastrous game Friday in Midland.

“The guys came in knowing the game didn’t mean anything and their heads just weren’t in it,” he said.

CMU was left out of the top 10 of the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s Central Rankings prior to the weekend’s game, eliminating the team from the playoffs.

No. 1 Davenport (26-12-0-2; Central Region) got on the board first and did not look back. Forwards Matt Morang, Ben Dykstra and David Little contributed two goals and an assist in their team’s victory.

Central’s lone goal came on the power play from sophomore forward Dominic Braganini, his seventh of the season.

Jakubik said the team did not limit shots as much as it would have liked. Central freshman goaltender Zach Silver saw 58 shots, more than four times as many as the 14 shots Davenport goalie Scott Knight saw.

The coaches decided to cancel the game originally scheduled for Saturday night after discussing the irrelevance of the outcome for both teams.

“There was no point in having them come all the way out for a game that didn’t matter to either team,” Jakubik said.

Season recap

CMU (11-14-2-2) finished the season ranked 12th in the Central region, missing the playoffs for the first time in five years.

Senior captain Marty Lipar played his fifth and last season with the team. In that time, the team made four regional appearances and one appearance at nationals.

“Overall, it was a good season, though not the finish we wanted,” Lipar said. “I’m happy with my career at CMU, and I had a lot of fun playing competitive hockey in college.”

With a lot of the same guys returning next year, Jakubik said he hopes to have the team improve its overall defense and keep up its offensive play shown this season.