Wolverines Capture First-Ever CCWHA Tournament Championship with 4-1 Win Over Indiana Tech
The Wolverines secure the automatic bid into the ACHA National Tournament next month.
DEARBORN, Mich. — History was made on Sunday afternoon as the University of Michigan-Dearborn women's hockey team defeated Indiana Tech, 4-1, to capture the CCWHA Tournament Championship—the first in program history—and secure an automatic bid to the ACHA National Tournament next month.
After surrendering an early power-play goal at 5:46 of the first period, the Wolverines showed immediate resilience. Just over a minute later, Grace Taylor evened the score off assists from Cadence Pero and Pallavi Hari, igniting a dominant stretch for the home side.
Michigan-Dearborn wasted little time taking control, as Finnia O'Neill Di Mascio netted the go-ahead goal at 8:34 of the opening period—ultimately standing as the game-winner. The Wolverines outshot Indiana Tech 17-10 in the first and carried a 2-1 lead into the break.
The momentum continued into the second period. On the power play, Megan Kosempel extended the lead to 3-1 at 11:46, finishing a setup from Andi Evers and Zoe Zaifman. Later in the frame, Taylor struck again for her second goal of the game—once again assisted by Pero and Hari—to give Michigan-Dearborn a commanding 4-1 advantage.
Defensively, the Wolverines were locked in down the stretch, allowing just three shots in the third period and 17 total in the game.
In net, Kenna Borso delivered a steady performance, turning aside 16 of 17 shots to backstop the championship victory. Michigan-Dearborn finished with a 34-17 edge in shots and went 1-for-4 on the power play.
With the win, the Wolverines not only claim their first CCWHA Tournament title in program history, but also punch their ticket to the ACHA National Tournament, where they will look to carry their championship form onto the national stage.
