It took Michigan less than 30 seconds to punch first in Game 1 against Alaska Anchorage over the weekend, when forward Cole McKinney tapped in a feed from forward Malcolm Spence.
But less than four minutes later, the Seawolves gave the Wolverines a fright when defenseman Ethan Warrener capitalized on a Michigan turnover to level the board.
Fortunately for the Wolverines, the “fright” wouldn’t amount to much more than a “bump in the night.” Michigan proceeded to pile on an avalanche of goals. In the first
period, forward Jack Nesbitt opened his account before forward Garrett Schifsky ripped one shorthand, as the Wolverines ended the first period up, 3-1.
Forwards Will Horcoff and Nick Moldenhauer piled on two more in the second, bringing the lead up to 5-1. And the third turned the matchup into a Michigan onslaught, as forward Jayden Perron and defensemen Drew Schock and Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen joined the fun, while Nesbitt and McKinney each added another.
Final score: Michigan 10, Alaska Anchorage 1
Game Two
Night two was more of the same. Perron lit the first flame about seven minutes into the first, and Schock followed it up about a minute later. Similar to night one, the Seawolves punched back soon after, with forward Jalen Bianchet halving the lead close to the 10-minute mark. But close to the end of the period, McKinney continued his searing hot start with a power-play goal to restore the Wolverines’ two-goal cushion.
In the second period, Perron and Spence piled on a goal a piece to broaden the lead to 5-1, before a blue line snipe from defenseman Cooper Anderson to give Alaska Anchorage another effort. But Horcoff answered back with less than three minutes in the period to extend the lead back to four. The third period passed without much incident, save for a power play goal from Perron that gave him the first hat trick of his Michigan career.
Two games. Two blowout victories. A promising omen ahead of this weekend’s Frozen Four rematch with Denver.
Final score: Michigan 7, Alaska Anchorage 2
