Division III hockey defeats Michigan-Flint, secures 16th win of season
The Central Michigan men's division III hockey team defeated the University of Michigan-Flint 5-1 Friday night at Crystal Fieldhouse Ice Arena in Burton.
The Chippewas continue their winning streak to six games. They improve to 16-4 (5-4 in Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference). UM-F declines to 7-7-1 on the season now (4-6-1 in MCHC).
The tempo for the Chippewas started out quick and head coach James Cadzow thought CMU “came out buzzing’” in the first nine minutes after the puck dropped at 8 p.m.
And with 12:45 left in the first period, senior forward Nick Wink would put CMU on the board first, scoring his eighth of the season.
The Wolverines would respond with a goal of their own by forward Matthew Daniels with 6:45 left in the period, six minutes after CMU, but this would be their only goal against the Chippewas.
The energy from CMU would dip as they finished the first period and came out in the second, with a lack of offense and slow skating.
Yet they would score again by junior forward Dalton Sutherland in the low left wing side with 7:30 left in the period, giving them a little cushion and a 2-1 lead. Sutherland snatched goal 28 on the season for himself with the score.
Graduate forward Nathan Allgaier would set the Chippewas out on the right foot as they headed into the third when he scored top shelf just over a minute into it, making 3-1. It was goal number 15 for him on the season as well.
“We always start slow, we don’t know why,” freshman forward Ben Hryciuk said. “But we always come back together in the third.”
CMU would make a stronger presence in the third as they made waves to pull away.
Sutherland would be the first to do so when he scored, making it 4-1 with 5:58. It was his second goal of the game and 29th on the season.
And sophomore forward Lawrence Rowe would keep it rolling for CMU as he put the puck in the back of the net for CMU’s last goal of the game with just under a minute left.
With the win secured for CMU, they also went six for six on penalty kills, something Cadzow and the team are proud to have accomplished.
“They’re doing a heck of a job out there,” Cadzow said. “We work on it in practice and the boys came through on it tonight. I always have confidence they’re going to do it well.”
CMU will play UM-F later today at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Isabella Community Ice Arena for the second part of the two game series this weekend.
“We’ll reset (and) come back out to play again,” Cadzow said. “We’re going to put ourselves in the best possible position to win this game.”
