Wolverines Sweep Saints in Weekend Series
Brenden Paden earned the first star after scoring a hat-trick on Saturday (Oct. 18).
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan-Dearborn 3-3-0-1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Aquinas (MI) 0-9-0-0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquinas (MI) 0-10-0, 0-4-0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Michigan-Dearborn 4-4-0, 4-2-0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Michigan-Dearborn | Aquinas (MI) |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 1 for 3 | 2 for 4 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 4 (8) | 3 (6) |
| Shots on Goal | 43 | 35 |
| Face Offs Won | 0 | 0 |
Aquinas (MI)
| Game Statistics | Aquinas (MI) | Michigan-Dearborn |
|---|---|---|
| PowerPlays | 0 for 7 | 0 for 3 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 4 (6) | 8 (12) |
| Shots on Goal | 26 | 30 |
| Face Offs Won | 24 | 38 |
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The University of Michigan-Dearborn men's ice hockey team picked up a crucial weekend sweep over Aquinas College, winning 5–4 on the road Friday night before closing the series with a dominant 7–3 victory at home on Saturday. The two wins moved the Wolverines to 4–4-0 overall and 4–2-0 in WHAC play.
In Friday's opener, UM-Dearborn stormed out to a 3–0 first-period lead behind goals from Bailey Byrd, Ryan Teets, and Will Barrett. Aquinas clawed back with a power-play tally midway through the second before cutting the deficit to one early in the third. The Wolverines responded quickly as David Dell scored on the power play and Brenden Paden added what proved to be the game-winner less than five minutes later. The Saints made a late push with two more goals, including one on the man advantage at 18:40, but goaltender Trevor Heslop stood tall with 31 saves to preserve the 5–4 win. Byrd (1g, 1a) and Caleb Cathcart (1a) paced the Wolverines offensively in a balanced attack that saw five different goal scorers.
Returning home Saturday, Michigan-Dearborn kept the momentum rolling with one of its most complete performances of the season. The Wolverines struck just 24 seconds into the game when Joey Cibor found the back of the net off a feed from Zak Januszkowski and David Dell. Byrd doubled the lead minutes later, and Carter Allen extended it with his first of two goals early in the second. After Aquinas briefly cut the deficit to 3–1, the Wolverines pulled away behind tallies from Paden and another from Allen.
Paden completed the hat trick in the third period with goals at 11:19 and 17:45, capping a three-goal night and earning First Star honors. Heslop was steady again between the pipes, turning aside 23 of 26 shots to earn his second win of the weekend.
Across the two games, UM-Dearborn outshot the Saints 73–61 and showcased improved special teams play, scoring once on the power play Friday while killing all seven penalties on Saturday. The Wolverines will look to build on their momentum next weekend when they face off against Indiana Tech in another key WHAC matchup.