Rochester, MI -  The Wolves kicked off their conference opening match-up tonight against the Oakland University Grizzlies with a 6-1 loss.Tonight's loss however was twice as hard to digest for Michigan-Dearborn (2-1-0, 0-1-0) because of an injury that occurred late in the second period.

In the first period, the refs wasted no time calling penalties.The Grizzlies received 4 powerplays in the opening frame and cashed in on three of them.With sophomore James Marchese in the box just minutes in, the Grizzlies got their first on the board.

Later in the period, with both sophomore Kyle Horn and senior Brian Kassa serving their minors, the Grizzlies lit the lamp on the two-man-advantage to take a 2-0 lead.

But the biggest call came with 5:34 remaining as Horn was sent to the dressing room after receiving a 5 minute major for checking from behind as well as a game misconduct.With a short bench for the rest of the period (and the game) the Wolves surrendered one last PP goal while killing off the major penalty.

In the second period, Coach Clouston stuck with Junior Josh Khan in net after a shaky first period.The Wolves were able to draw an early penalty but were unable to cash in on their opportunity.The momentum suddenly tilted to the other side as the Grizzlies tallied twice in just 49 seconds to jump to take a demanding 5-0 lead just 3:37 into the second period.Junior Micah Collier came in to replace Josh Khan at this point and he held his ground the rest of the way.

With just 35 seconds to go in the period, a collision at center ice saw the Wolves get the worst of it as senior star forward Rob Zubke skated to the bench favoring his right arm and after being aided to at the bench while in a lot of pain, Rob was sent to the dressing room for a better look.

When the third period began Michigan-Dearborn's bench was now two men short as Kyle Horn (misconduct) was joined by Zubke who was unable to continue due to a separated shoulder.

In the third period, the two teams exchanged goals with the last tally of the game coming with just over 4 minutes remaining as a shot from the point found its way through traffic. The Wolves broke the shutout for Oakland's Matt Toter with freshman Cody King receiving credit for the goal.

With Zubke quite possibly out for some time, the Wolves will have to rally as a group and come out strong next Saturday when they face the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor at 8:30pm at the Arctic Coliseum in Canton, MI.