Wolverines Drop a Pair on Opening Weekend
The Wolverines lost in a shootout on Friday (Sept. 19).
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The University of Michigan-Dearborn men's ice hockey team battled through two tightly contested matchups on the road at the University of Louisville this past weekend, but came up just short in both contests.
On Friday (Sept. 19), the Wolverines fell 3-2 in a shootout. After falling behind 1-0 in the first, UM-Dearborn equalized in the second period on a goal from Liam Summitt. The teams traded goals in the third—Brenden Paden tallying for the Wolverines—but neither side could break through in overtime. Louisville's Andrew Murray netted the decisive shootout marker, while goaltender Trevor Heslop turned aside 32 shots for UM-Dearborn.
In Saturday's (Sept. 20) rematch, offense was on full display as Louisville edged UM-Dearborn 5-4. Will Barrett opened the scoring for the Wolverines in the first, and Paden added his second goal of the weekend in the second period. The third saw a flurry of action, with Max Hartwell and Matt Cunningham each finding the back of the net, but the Cardinals answered with three goals of their own, including the game-winner from Tyler Detreux. Heslop made 24 saves in goal, while UM-Dearborn outshot Louisville 38-29.
Despite the two losses, the Wolverines showed strong offensive balance and special-teams resilience, setting the stage for valuable lessons early in the season.
