Eliot: Wolverines end skid in convincing fashion Saturday night

By Darren Eliot – 

After surrendering two two-goal leads the night before and ultimately losing 5-4 in OT, coach Red Berenson was looking for a more committed effort from his team Saturday. Well, the legendary bench boss got just that. The first period saw the Wolverines take a 1-0 lead courtesy of to a fine rush and feed from Zach Hyman to Tyler Motte. Hyman continued his new-found offensive prowess with two assists on the night, giving the junior winger 11 points over his past eight games. Prior to that, Hyman had 21 points in 99 career games.

More pertinent than the goal in the first for the Wolverines – after all, they held a 3-1 lead after twenty minutes just twenty-four hours earlier – was their stout defense, despite losing captain Mac Bennett in the first after being felled by a forechecking hit delivered by David Glen. The Nittany Lions could only muster five shots on goaltender Steve Racine. This after firing 44 the night before. This after scoring both shorthanded, on the power play and in the game’s final five seconds to improbably send the game into overtime. Not on this night. No, the Wolverines made sure they didn’t let the Lions loose in the second, as was the case in Game 1. The Wolverines pummeled goaltender Matthew Skoff with 22 shots on goal in the second period. Instead of squandering a first-period lead, they built on it with goals by Alex Kile and Phil Di Giuseppe.

Both would score again in the third period and the final ended 5-2. The Wolverines ended a four-game skid and did it convincingly. Having freshman defenseman Michael Downing and his physical presence back after serving a one-game suspension helped immensely against the heavy Penn State forwards. Seeing freshmen Kile, JT Compher and Motte lead the effort along with sophomore Andrew Copp and Hyman was a reminder that this Berenson team is the second youngest in the nation. Seeing the compete level throughout this contest also reminded us of what this team is capable. But, with Hyman on the top line and Kile elevating to the second line – and producing – and with junior Alex Guptill out of the line-up as a coach’s decision, Berenson got his team to get back to winning ways while reinforcing accountability.

And that might be the most important reminder of all to come out of this one.