The Wolverines were back in form in Los Angeles last night, keeping Loyola Marymount off the board for the first 59 minutes while putting up 12 of their own to get the 10-goal win.
LMU hasn't been a high-scoring team so far this season, but for the Wolverines' top two defensive units to keep a perennial top-25 squad completely off the board is impressive in itself.
Someone who was in attendance let me know that, had this game been played on better field conditions (apparently Leavey Field's grass was pretty torn up), it could have easily been double the score. Another contributing factor was a slow pace of offense by LMU, possibly to keep the margin a bit more respectable.
Tempo Free
From the Michigan recap, here's your tempo-free breakdown:
| Loyola Marymount | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Loyola Marymount | Michigan | ||
| Faceoff Wins | 5 | Faceoff Wins | 12 |
| Clearing | 10-20 | Clearing | 17-22 |
| Possessions | 30 | Possessions | 44 |
| Goals | 2 | Goals | 12 |
| Offensive Efficiency | .067 | Offensive Efficiency | .273 |
The Wovlerines haven't faced an elite faceoff specialist yet (as far as I know), so it might be a little early to say, but... they certainly are going to hold their own, if not dominate. Brian Greiner (10/12) has been a huge revelation there. Edward Ernst (2/5) was OK, but it sounds like he didn't play until late in the game.
In the ride/clear game, it seems like Michigan's ride is up to its old tricks. LMU had a terrible time getting the ball out of their own end, and though Michigan didn't get many of their goals on broken clears, it certainly helped them dominate possession.
In terms of efficiency, Michigan wasn't particularly good (though certainly better than they were against Oregon), but they just destroyed the Lions' offense on the other end of the field. Truly a dominating performance.
Notes
Starting on the offense, it was a more balanced effort than the first couple games have been. Tom Paras led with a 2-1--3 scoring line, while Trevor Yealy and Willie Steenland each potted two goals, and Joey Hrusovsky and Chad Carroll had a goal and an assist each.
The Wolverines made the standard halftime switch of the keepers, with Stone getting the start and making four saves, while Fowler let in both goals, but made 8 saves. Someone who was in attendance let me know that Fowler looked VERY good, making several excellent saves before the final minute. "They deserved the shutout," said he of the goalies.
As mentioned above, Michigan's depth players got a fair amount of time. Second and third units were in the game before halftime, as this one was never in doubt.
I mentioned him above, but Brian Greiner deserves a shoutout for not only his excellence on faceoffs, but also a great goal. He scored the GB on one of his many faceoff wins, charged past a couple defenders, and finished the play by putting it in the net.
Up Next
The Wolverines play their biggest game of the young season at #3/5 Chapman. Though the Panthers lost Connor Martin from last year's team, they're a strong squad, expected to be a national contender this spring. This game may be streamed on Collegelax.tv, so keep an eye out.
If Michigan can get the road win, they're set up to have a very good shot at the #1 seed in the MCLA tournament for the fourth consecutive year.
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