UM-Dearborn Cuts Hockey's Season Short After WHAC Tournament Defeat

UM-Dearborn Cuts Hockey's Season Short After WHAC Tournament Defeat
February 16, 2024

(Dearborn, MI)-- The Cleary Cougar hockey team saw their season come to an end, as they fell to the host and #3 seed UM-Dearborn Wolverines in the first round of the WHAC Tournament Friday evening in Dearborn.

Cam Thomas would give the Cougars a 1-0 lead just five minutes into the game, when Devon Campbell sent a perfect pass up the ice for Thomas who was left alone with only the goalie to beat, and Thomas slotted it in giving Cleary a 1-0 lead.  The remainder of the period would be a balance of attacking opportunities by both teams, with neither scoring, and Cleary held the one goal advantage after the first period.

UM-Dearborn would tie the game in the first minute of the second period, when the puck deflected off a Wolverine player and past goalie Tyler Krasofsky.  Cleary would respond two minutes later, as Ben Gledhow scored, with an assist from Bennett Sheppard, to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead.  A pair of power play goals for the Wolverines took that lead away, and UM-Dearborn led 3-2 with 20 minutes to play.

Things would go from difficult to bad in the third period, as the Wolverines doubled their lead halfway through the period, and with Krasofsky pulled to give Cleary the extra skater, UM-D scored an empty net goal to make it 5-2.  Cleary would get a late power play goal from Jonny Gardiner, but the deficit would be too much to overcome.

Tyler Krasofsky would suffer the loss in goal, as he made 33 saves on 37 shots faced.  

Cleary ends the historic season 16-21 overall, 10-14 in the WHAC.

*Picture Courtesy of BadCatMedia*