The Wolverines were not sharp in the first quarter but soon found their game and cruised to a 19-5 win over the Cleveland State Vikings. Here’s how it went down:
The Michigan Wolverines (4-2) started slow, but eventually woke up en route to a 19-5 blowout of the Cleveland State Vikings (2-4) Tuesday night.
The first quarter felt a lot like last week’s slow start versus Canisius . Once again facing an inferior opponent, Michigan did not play with its typical swagger and aggression. The Vikings jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and for a moment, it appeared this would not be another easy victory.
The defense was a bit lackadaisical and the offense was not crisp enough. It made too many tough feeds into traffic and the shots were not falling.
There was no sign of starting goalie Hunter Taylor, as freshman Joseph Budington took his place between the pipes. Budington did his part, stopping four shots and allowing five goals, but something was off with head coach Kevin Conry’s group in the first quarter.
However, that all changed once the offense started converting its shots and the defense started imposing its will. The Wolverines rattled off seven consecutive goals and by the end of the first half, they led 9-3.
After scoring another five goals just over five minutes into the second half, this one was all but wrapped up at 14-3.
Nick Roode was a star on Tuesday, exploding for five goals and an assist while primarily operating around the crease. The Peterborough, Ontario native showed off some classic Canadian skills with in-tight finishes and quick-stick releases. He was an absolute problem off the ball and continuously found space against Cleveland State slides.
This is a nice development for the Michigan offense as it may have finally found its true crease attackman. Bo Lockwood has seen time there, but he is better suited as a feeder from X or up top, finishing the day with a goal and two assists.
Ryan Cohen once again displayed some smooth sweep dodges from the top left and was feeling it with his left-handed shot. He had two goals and an assist.
It was an overall balanced and selfless product from the offense. Fifteen different Wolverines tallied a point, including midfielder Josh Ford and FOGO Jack Rideout notching their first career goals.
Emmett Houlihan and Brandon Plemmons showed off their chemistry with each assisting the other on fourth-quarter goals. Aidan Mulholland (two goals), Lukas Stanat (one goal, one assist), John Morgan (one goal, one assist) and Jack Jenkins (two assists) all recorded multiple points, too.
LSM Jimmy Pisani had a busy day, as he was a valuable piece on the wings and even took three faceoffs late in the game. Early in the second half, Pisani scooped a ground ball off the faceoff and ran downfield before burying a high-to-high shot for his first of the season.
Speaking of faceoffs, Rideout was terrific. In addition to his goal, he went 14-of-20 on draws and collected four ground balls in a heavily tilted matchup. Nick Lauderback relieved him and went 2-of-3.
Defensively, it was more of the same. Fantastic one-on-one coverage from both the poles and the shorties, and even without Taylor leading the unit, Budington seemed poised in the cage.
Pace Billings returned to the lineup and made his presence felt all day long. He was a complete magnet with eight GBs, two caused turnovers, several nice clears and more venomous slap checks.
Mason Whitney added five GBs in a commanding effort. Defensive midfielders Jack Marlow and Justin Ennis also combined for seven GBs along with some sturdy individual defense.
Aside from a few sloppy inside looks and plenty of unlucky bounces off the pipe (nearly ten total posts hit), this was a phenomenal performance by Michigan. The Vikings are among the weakest teams the Wolverines will face this season, but credit to them for playing with fire and hustle until the final whistle.
Now, the fun begins.
The Wolverines head to Cambridge on Saturday for a huge tilt against No. 12 Harvard before closing out non-conference play at home against No. 2 Notre Dame .
These two tests will answer plenty of questions about Conry’s bunch. Is this team a real threat to make a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance or have they simply looked good lately because of the opponents?
We will find out in the coming weeks.