9 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