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Thursday, May 6, 2021

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS

When college hockey resumes in 

the fall, Michigan will have a new 
starting goaltender.

Strauss Mann — who spent his 

sophomore and junior years as the 
starter in goal for the Wolverines — 
will not return for his senior season, 
instead opting to pursue a professional 
career, according to an announcement 
on Twitter. 

“I’m looking forward to my next 

chapter as I pursue a professional 
hockey career,” Mann’s statement 
read. “As I solidify my plans, I feel both 
excited for the future and immensely 
appreciative 
for 
everything 
the 

University of Michigan has given me.”

In 
his 
three 
seasons 
with 

Michigan, Mann was a solid and 
consistent presence in net, posting 
a career save percentage of .926 and 
tallying 11 shutouts in 77 games. His 
sophomore year, Mann earned Big 
Ten Goaltender of the Year honors, 
while also finishing as a finalist for 
the Mike Richter Award in both his 
seasons as the Wolverines’ starter. 
Last season, he was also Michigan’s 
first goalie to be named captain in 78 
years. 

At 22 years old, Mann is ineligible 

for the 2021 NHL Draft. Still, he 
should have plenty of suitors as an 
undrafted free agent. In March, The 
Athletic’s 
Corey 
Pronman 
ranked 

Mann as the No. 3 free agent from the 
NCAA or Europe and the top goalie on 
the list. 

Having an NHL career after going 

undrafted isn’t uncommon — Luke 
Glendening, 
for 
example, 
played 

briefly in the minors after graduating 
from Michigan, and has since played 
eight NHL seasons with the Detroit 
Red Wings. 

The biggest obstacle for Mann 

moving forward will be his height. 
Standing at just six feet, Mann would 
be undersized as a modern NHL 
goaltender. In 2020, for example, 
only one NHL goalie, Pittsburgh’s 
Casey DeSmith, stood at the same 
height as Mann. Of course, size isn’t 
a dealbreaker — Henrik Ludqvist and 
Jonathan Quick are both only an inch 
taller than Mann — but if it sows doubt 
in the minds of NHL scouts, it will 
make Mann’s transition to the pros 
that much more difficult. 

Still, Mann’s height clearly was 

never a problem for the Wolverines, 
and that’s part of the reason why 
they’ll miss him so much. Erik 
Portillo, who started five games for 
Michigan as a freshman and recorded 

a solid .935 save percentage, will 
likely take on the permanent starting 
role, but it’s unclear who will fill 
in as the Wolverines’ backup next 

season. Michigan coach Mel Pearson 
will need to pick up either a late 
commitment or a transfer in the next 
few months. 

At the end of the day, though, it will 

be hard for anyone to replicate what 
Mann did as Michigan’s goalie. 

Michigan pulls off historic win over archrival Ohio State

For the first time in Michigan 

men’s lacrosse program history, 
the Wolverines advanced to the 
Big Ten tournament semifinals 
with a win against Ohio State. 
It was also their first win over 
their rivals in three tries this 
season.

Michigan (3-8 Big Ten) pulled 

off a historic victory for the 
program against their biggest 
rival, Ohio State (4-7), with a 
15-11 win in Columbus. 

Heading 
into 
Saturday’s 

matchup, the team had nothing 
to lose against the Buckeyes.

The 
Wolverines 
have 

struggled mightily this season 
with maintaining leads. Both of 
Michigan’s previous two losses, 
to Penn State and No. 8 Rutgers, 
were a result of the team failing 
to hold onto a lead. Both games 
culminated in one-goal losses 
for the Wolverines. 

In order to beat Ohio State, 

Michigan needed all hands on 

deck and had to make minimal 
mistakes. 

The first quarter saw the 

Wolverines start off fast with a 
3-0 lead. Strong defensive clears 
and successful rides allowed the 
defense to be involved in the 
offensive attack — the first three 
goals all came from defensemen. 

“They 
ran 
their 
routes,” 

Michigan 
coach 
Kevin 
Conry 

said. “I think over the last 
couple of games we left a couple 
of things on the table by not 
completing 
our 
routes 
and 

finishing our runs, so it is good 
to see our guys be aggressive in 
transition, finish their routes 
and then get rewarded with 
those opportunities.” 

Ohio State would respond 

with three goals of their own 
in the span of a little under 
three minutes to tie the game. 
It seemed as though Michigan 
would continue its trend of 
dropping 
leads 
and 
turning 

games into close losses, but that 
image quickly disappeared.

A combination of strong zone 

defensive plays and offensive 
opportunities 
in 
the 
second 

quarter allowed the Wolverines 
to take a 7-4 lead at halftime — 

led by a three goal effort in the 
second quarter from freshman 
attackman Michael Boehm. 

Michigan was able to keep the 

ball out of the hands of the Ohio 
State offense, with aggressive 

defense forcing seven turnovers 
in 
the 
second 
quarter. 
The 

Wolverines had nine shots on 
goal compared to the Buckeyes’ 

three. Michigan’s ride allowed 
their offense to capitalize on 
turnovers, which in turn led to 
easy goals. 

“I thought our ride was our 

biggest 
boost.” 
Conry 
said. 

“(Junior attackman) Bryce Clay 
made some big plays in the ride, 
which allowed us to get extra 
possessions and score a couple 
cheapies.” 

The second half of the game 

was 
much 
more 
contested, 

as 
Ohio 
State 
managed 
to 

capitalize on faceoffs in the 
third 
quarter. 
The 
Buckeyes 

mustered four goals in the third 
quarter, cutting the lead to 10-8 
heading into the fourth.

Momentum appeared to be 

swinging towards Ohio State, 
until a timeout by Michigan 
late 
in 
the 
third 
quarter. 

Reinvigorated, the Wolverines 
started 
the 
fourth 
quarter 

with a 3-0 scoring run led by 
sophomore 
attackman 
Josh 

Zawada. The Buckeyes would 
manage to score three of their 
own, but it wasn’t enough — 
a strong performance in net 
by 
junior 
goaltender 
John 

Kiracoffe in the fourth sealed 
the deal. 

 MARK PATRICK
Daily Sports Writer

Strauss Mann to leave Michigan to pursue professional career

BRENDAN ROOSE
Senior Sports Editor

RYAN LITTLE/Daily

Michigan goaltender Strauss Mann will be leaving Michigan and pursuing a professional career. 

KATE HUA/Daily

Michael Boehm’s big day fueled Michigan’s historic win. 

Read more at michigandaily.com

