This weekend the first-place Marquette hockey team has the chance to push its impressive home winning streak to 18 games as it plays a less-than-splendid University of Michigan-Flint squad.
The 14-4-1 Golden Eagles are heavily favored against 4-11-3 Michigan-Flint. The Wolverines have lost eight games in a row, including five losses of five or more goals.
Marquette looks to prolong Michigan-Flint’s losing streak behind the formidable first line of freshman Lee Barnes, junior Johnny Stillman and sophomore Brian Kennedy. Stillman’s 14 goals and Kennedy’s 13 have led a lethal attack all season, which has propelled the Golden Eagles to first place in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Pacific Region. Driven by the first line, Marquette has scored at least seven goals in seven games this season, three times eclipsing 10 offensive tallies.
The team is fresh off an impressive showing at the Clash in the Corn tournament in Sioux Center, Iowa, last weekend, where Marquette won two out of its three games, including a 5-3 victory over Colorado State. The only loss of the tournament was a thrilling 6-5 fall at the hands of tournament champion Nebraska.
The X-factor against Michigan-Flint, as well as the remainder of the season’s first half, will be penalties committed. The Golden Eagles have struggled as of late, having allowed opponents to strike with power-play goals letting teams like Missouri State and Nebraska back into the game.
This series will close out the first semester schedule for the club team. When the Golden Eagles return from winter break, they will have only six more games before the playoffs begin in mid-February.
