By Aarif Deen, Assistant Sports Information Director
DEARBORN, Mich. – The University of Michigan-Dearborn men's ice hockey team fell to Indiana Tech in the championship game of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Sunday at the UM-Dearborn Ice Arena.
The Wolverines scored first, but trailed by three goals early in the second period and were unable to dig themselves out, falling 5-2 to the Warriors and dropping to 28-3-1 heading into the ACHA National Tournament.
The loss snapped a 17-game win streak for the Wolverines and is the first time UM-Dearborn has been defeated since the calendar turned to 2019.
Tyler Groat gave UM-Dearborn the early lead, beating the netminder from the left circle on a Wolverine power play. Just over a minute later, Matej Krasny tied the game off a shot that bounced off goaltender Thomas Proudlock's glove and into the net. Indiana Tech added two goals in the final two minutes of the first, including one on the power play to take a 3-1 lead into the second.
Trailing 4-1 in the third, UM-Dearborn capitalized on the man-advantage as Andrew Spiegel added a goal five minutes in to make it a two-goal game. The score would stand until the Warriors sealed it with an empty-netter in the final seconds of regulation to capture the 2019 WHAC Playoff Tournament Championship.
Billy Brock finished with two assists for the Wolverines, while Kevin Bechard and Dawson Richard added one each. Spiegel finished with 11 shots and took a team-high 33 faceoffs. Proudlock recorded 23 saves as the Wolverines outshot the Warriors 42-28.
UM-Dearborn's focus will now shift to the ACHA National Tournament. The No. 2 Wolverines return to action against the winner of No. 15 Oklahoma University and No. 18 Drexel University at 5 pm on Friday, Mar. 22 at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas.
WHAC Tournament Results:
Friday, March 8
No. 4 Lawrence Tech 5, No. 5 Concordia 2
Semifinals: Saturday, March 9, 2019
No. 1 UM-Dearborn 4, No. 4 Lawrence Tech 1
No. 2 Indiana Tech 7, No. 3 Aquinas 1
Championship: Sunday, March 10
No. 2 Indiana Tech 5, No. 1 UM-Dearborn 2
