HOWELL, Mich. -- In an exciting matchup, the University of Michigan-Dearborn men's ice hockey team defeated Cleary (MI) 5-2 on February 9, 2025, improving to a 17-15 record on the season and 13-8 in conference play. Cleary dropped to 19-14 overall and 14-9 in the conference.

The Wolverines set the tone early with a quick 2-0 lead after the first period. Caleb Cathcart opened the scoring just 2:10 into the game, assisted by Will Barrett and Brenden Paden. Zak Januszkowski doubled the advantage at 17:14 with help from Joey Cibor.

Cleary responded in the second period. Dylan Tammadge scored at 0:57, followed by Wes Smith's equalizer at 6:30, assisted by Collin Kerchoff and Billy Simms. Michigan-Dearborn regained control thanks to some late-period scoring. Bailey Byrd netted a power-play goal at 14:53, with assists from Justin Renzi and Jake Emery. Januszkowski struck again at 17:05, assisted by Cibor and Max Hartwell, before Byrd capped the scoring at 17:32 with another goal, assisted by Cathcart and Blake Petterle.

The third period saw no scoring, and Michigan-Dearborn secured the 5-2 victory.

Trevor Heslop earned the win in net, stopping 20 of 22 shots. Cleary's Vincent Parent faced a heavy workload, making 47 saves on 52 shots, but took the loss.

Zak Januszkowski scored two goals, and Bailey Byrd, who contributed two goals and an assist, were key performers in the win. Cibor also had two assists.