GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The start of a new year kicked off with a pair of games against the University of Michigan's ACHA Division II club team on Friday, Jan. 7 and Saturday, Jan. 8 at Patterson Ice Center. The Wolverines got the better of the Panthers in both contests with a 4-2 win on Friday and a 5-1 victory on Saturday. The team now stands at 6-10 overall.
On Friday, Davenport fired the opening salvo at 2:33 of the first period.
Alexander Brown found the back of the net for the first time this season with
Ryan Gamber on the assist. Then Michigan responded with three straight goals in the second period to take control of the game. Ben Forstner, Cullen Corr, and Jimmy Nelles put the puck in the net for the Wolverines and all three came at even strength. Both teams would finish 0-for-3 on the power play.
Spencer Sandberg cut the deficit to 3-2 at the 9:59 mark of the third period with his sixth goal of the season from
Tyler Blackburn and Brown. Michigan added an insurance goal at 12:39 off the stick of Fischer Matthews who scored his first of the season from Nelles.
On Saturday, the game was played closely for the next nine minutes but then Michigan took over. Ryan Williams started the scoring at 4:05 of the opening period for UM with his 16th tally of the season unassisted. Davenport found the tying goal at 7:20 as Brown scored in back-to-back games with assists from
Luke Nickolaus and
Arian Starin. After that the Wolverines would not allow another goal and score the final four goals of the contest. They added two in the first period, one in the second period, and a final and fifth goal in the third period. Sebastian Culver scored the final two goals of the game for UM. Neither team was successful once again on the power play as DU went 0-for-5.
