After the Michigan ice hockey team’s disappointing 4-4 tie with unranked Mercyhurst to open the season on Saturday, Michigan coach Red Berenson decided to switch up the team’s top line heading into Sunday’s exhibition contest with Western Ontario.

Berenson moved junior co-captain Luke Glendening from left wing on the team’s third line to right wing on the top line. With two goals and one assist in the Wolverines' 4-2 victory, it’s safe to say Glendening made the move pay off.

The Grand Rapids native spent the latter half of last season playing on a line with senior Louie Caporusso and junior David Wohlberg. The three Wolverines netted a combined 38 goals on the season, with 63 assists.

But to kick off this season, Glendening played on No. 4 Michigan’s third line with sophomore A.J. Treais and freshman Luke Moffat, while Caporusso and Wohlberg added sophomore Chris Brown to their line. While Caporusso scored one goal in Saturday’s game, Wohlberg and Glendening were kept off the stat sheet against Mercyhurst.

On Sunday, after moving Glendening to the top line, the unit exploded offensively. The chemistry and familiarity among Wohlberg, Caporusso and Glendening was evident. They finished the night with a combined twelve shots on Western Ontario netminder Josh Unice.

With Wohlberg at left wing, Caporusso at center, and Glendening at right wing, the line scored three of Michigan’s four goals. Caporusso finished with three assists on the night, and Wohlberg added a goal and assist of his own.

“(The three of us) just know where each other are going to be on the ice,” Glendening said after practice Monday. “We’re used to playing with each other, the spacing and all that. It really helps when we don’t have to think out there and we just have to play and have fun.”

While he's unsure whether he will remain a line-mate of Wohlberg and Caporusso, Glendening would rather not focus on it.

“Any way we can create a formula to win is what we need," he said.

That perspective shows why Glendening was named an alternate captain for Michigan last season — the first sophomore ever to be voted into that position for the Wovlerines.

The other alternate captain last season was then-junior Carl Hagelin, now Glendening's co-captain. Having led by example together before, Glendening is comfortable in the leadership role.

"(Carl and I) are both hard workers and that’s what our leadership styles are," Glendening said. "I think also there’s a time for being vocal and we are both learning that as we go. There are times we need to step up and say something and make sure whatever needs to be said is said, that people aren’t left thinking ‘well what’s going on?’ ”

Tempering his offensive successes from Sunday with his team-first attitude, Glendening will take a level head into Michigan’s upcoming road series against Bowling Green. But as a defensive-minded forward, Glendening knows that while the Wolverines found the back of the net often this past weekend, solid defense will be the key to this team’s ultimate success.

“I think definitely we need to work on defense,” Glendening said. “We need to take pride in that ... If we’re letting up as many goals as we had this weekend, it’s going to be tough to score that many every night.”