Cleary Hockey’s Strongest Season Comes to an End with Semifinal Defeat

Cleary Hockey’s Strongest Season Comes to an End with Semifinal Defeat
February 22, 2025

(Howell, MI)-- The Cleary Cougars ACHA Hockey team traveled down to Fort Wayne, Indiana this afternoon for the Semifinal round of the WHAC Hockey Playoffs. They would take on the #1 seed and #14 team in the nation Indiana Tech Warriors. 

 

Indiana Tech would come out of the gates looking to prove why they deserved the #1 seed in the WHAC tournament and an extra day off. Less than two minutes into the game the Warriors would get on the board and take an early 1-0 lead over the Cougars. Cleary would settle in and leave the first period with no response. Heading into the second period, Cleary looked to give Indiana Tech a piece of their own medicine as Levi Herauf tied the game just over two minutes into the period. Indiana Tech would fight back and take the lead by adding two more goals before the second period could end. With the Cougars down 3-1, they needed to work quickly in the third period. JC Garbacik would get the Cougars back within one with roughly 15 minutes left to play. As the time winded down, the Cougars looked to pull the goalie for an extra man on the ice hoping to tie the game up. Indiana Tech would gain control of the puck and ice the game with an empty net goal to send home the Cougars with a 4-2 loss. 

Nick Meyering (12-9) would suffer the loss in net making 35 saves on 38 shots. 

Cleary finishes the year 20-18 overall which is their best record to date. It also marks the first time the program finished with a .500 record or above and the first time with 20 wins in a single season.