A solid performance in net from Mike Mantua and the return of team captain Dana Lattery factored heavily in Western Michigan’s 5-1 downing of CCHA rival Nebraska-Omaha Friday night.<\/p>\n
2,819 fans saw Lattery in the lineup after missing the opening weekend with a wrist injury. They also saw a solid performance from senior netminder Mantua, who turned away 30 shots on the night in his third consecutive start.<\/p>\n
The early minutes of the first period saw play deep in the Maverick end, as WMU forces several turnovers with a high-pressure five-on-five attack. <\/p>\n
Pat Dwyer opened the scoring for the Broncos at 7:56 of the first when his pass deflected off a UNO stick and beat Maverick goaltender Chris Holt.<\/p>\n
The Broncos closed out the second period when Lucas Drake, who had a career night, put his stick on a loose puck in front of the Maverick goal.<\/p>\n
WMU skated away with a 2-0 lead and an 11-3 shot advantage through one.<\/p>\n
The second period found UNO shifting its play into a higher gear, and the Mavericks began to dominate on the offensive end. The Mavericks outshot the Broncos 20-8 for the period and got on the board with Mike Gabinet’s top-shelf backhander at 3:52.<\/p>\n
Second-period scoring was capped by Bronco forward Vince Bellissimo, whose swat at a loose puck trickled inside the left post at 14:56<\/p>\n
After being dominated in the second, the Broncos took the intermission to regroup.<\/p>\n
“That really came from within (the team); a lot of it was self-coached, the things they needed to do to be successful,” said Bronco head coach Jim Culhane of his team’s adjustments between periods.<\/p>\n
Third-period play saw the Broncos retake control when Lattery scored from the slot at 8:02. Lattery later tallied his second goal of the night when his wrister found the top corner of the net at 15:49.<\/p>\n
Despite his effort, Lattery preferred to focus on the team accomplishment: “It feels good, but to get the win out there, two points is bigger than any two goals you could ever score.”<\/p>\n
For the game, the Mavericks were unable to convert on four man-advantage situations, including a 5-on-3 opportunity against a WMU penalty kill that has yet to beaten on the season. The Bronco power play didn’t fare any better, going 0-for-6.<\/p>\n
The loss leaves UNO winless in its last 11 games (0-10-1) dating back to last season. WMU improves to 2-1 for the year.<\/p>\n
The Broncos will face the Mavericks in a rematch Saturday night at Lawson Arena.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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