Hockey Kicks Off New Year With Sweep of UM-Flint

(Howell, MI)-- The #22 ranked Cleary Cougar hockey team picked up right where they left off in 2025, earning a pair of victories over the UM-Flint Wolverines this weekend.

In Game 1 at UM-Flint:  After a sluggish start, the Cleary offense came alive midway through the opening period.  Levi Herauf would score the opening goal, with assists from Landen Engles and Ethan Lindle.  Ninety seconds later, Jared Salminen opened his account, with assists from Bailey Ewonus and Tommy Madden.  The lead would grow to 3-0 two minutes later after Bennett Sheppard put one in the back of the net, with an assist from Braeden Bzovey.  The Cougars' final goal of the period came with just over four minutes to play in the period, as Tommy Madden scored, with assists from Bailey Ewonus and Jared Salminen.

The second period would see Cleary add three more goals to the board.  Tommy Madden scored an unassisted goal within the first ten seconds of the second period to make it 5-0.  Just past the midway mark of the second, Blair Krawchyk added a goal, with assists from Bennett Sheppard and Landen Engles.  Tommy Madden would then get his hat-trick with two minutes to play, with assists from Bailey Ewonus and Jared Salminen.

Jared Salminen would keep things rolling into the third period when he scored his second goal of the game, with an assist from Tommy Madden.  Madden would earn his sixth point of the game four minutes later, when he assisted a goal scored by Bailey Ewonus to make it 9-0 Cougars.  The game's final goal would come from the captain, Dylan Tammadge, when he scored a power play goal, with assists from Bennett Sheppard and Collin Kerchoff, to make it 10-0.

Nick Meyering would earn the win in goal, playing 40:00, and making 16 saves on 16 shots faced.  Ryan Nickerson would play the final period, making 6 saves on 6 shots to combine for the shutout.

In Game 2 vs. UM-Flint:  Where game one had all the offense, game two was a much more cagey affair.  Neither team would score in the first period.  Dylan Tammadge would get things going in the second period, when he scored just sixty-one seconds into the action, with an assist from Billy Simms, to make it 1-0.  UM-Flint would score ten minutes later to tie things up, and the 1-1 score is where things stood heading into the final twenty minutes of action.  The third period was all Cleary, as they were able to score three goals in those twenty minutes.  Bailey Ewonus scored his first goal of the game, with assists from Tommy Madden and Jared Salminen.  Halfway through the period, Dylan Tammadge scored his second goal of the game on a power play, with assists from Bennett Sheppard and Collin Kerchoff.  The game's final goal came late, when Bailey Ewonus scored, with an assist from Landen Engles, to make it 4-1.

Vincent Parent would earn the win in net, making 23 saves on 24 shots faced.

The wins extend the Cougars' win-streak to five games, and now give the Cougars a record of 18-2 overall (14 regulation wins, 2 losses, 4 shootout wins).  The Cougars will play a massive series next weekend, when they take on WHAC perennial power Indiana Tech in a WHAC weekend series.  The Cougars will travel to Indiana Tech on Friday, and will host the Warriors at 140 Ice Den on Saturday, January 17, for a 6:30 PM puck drop.

*Picture Courtesy of Bad Cat Media*