Senior Chris Welch tallied his first goal of the season in a 6-2 loss to No. 3/4 Michigan Saturday night. |
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Niagara University men’s hockey team (2-3) had its two-game winning streak snapped when it lost 6-2 to No. 3/4 Michigan (7-1) Saturday night in front of 6,643 fans at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Michigan turned a 4-2 game early in the third period into a four-goal lead in a matter of minutes. The Wolverines tallied their second power-play goal of the game when Andrew Ebbett scored at the 9:45 mark. Just over a minute later Charlie Henderson recorded an unassisted goal.
After trailing 4-0, Niagara rallied late in the second period to draw within two goals when graduate student Andrew Nahirniak got his first goal of the season, unassisted, at the 16:10 mark. The Purple Eagles’ second goal came when senior Dave Hominuk broke out of the Niagara zone, hit junior Barret Ehgoetz with a pass at the right faceoff circle and Ehgoetz bounced the puck off the right boards to a streaking Chris Welch (Tonawanda, N.Y.) for a break away. Welch deeked Michigan’s Al Montoya and put it by the sophomore on the right side at the 19:14 mark.
Michigan took a 4-0 lead at the 6:58 mark of the second period when Ebbett hit Mike Brown across ice and Brown put it in the right corner of the net.
The second period opened with Michigan scoring :39 seconds into the period. Eric Nystrom hit a streaking Tambellini across ice at the right faceoff circle, Tambellini shot, recovered his own rebound and put it between Jeff VanNynatten.
Niagara found itself down 2-0 after the first period. Michigan tallied its first power-play goal of the game at the 11:39 mark when Brandon Rogers passed from the right point to Jeff Tambellini on the left point for a shot. VanNynatten made the save, but David Moss converted on the rebound.
Just over a minute later, VanNynatten was pulled out of his net to the left side and Eric Werner found David Rohlfs at the right of the Niagara net for a wide open shot.
Niagara returns to action Nov. 7 when it travels to Bowling Green, Ohio, to face Bowling Green at 7:05 p.m.
