Michigan
Minnesota
Roos' OT Winner Pushes Michigan Past No. 4 Minnesota
11/10/2017 11:30:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Alex Roos registered his first career multi-point game as a Wolverine and delivered his first overtime game-winner of his Michigan career
» Cooper Marody tallied multiple points for his fifth consecutive game and has 13 points (3G, 10A) over that span.
» The Wolverines won a game in which they trailed by three goals for the first time since Dec. 4, 2015, at Wisconsin (W, 6-4).
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena)
Score: Michigan 5, No. 4 Minnesota 4 (OT)
Records: U-M (6-3-0, 2-1-0-0 Big Ten), Minnesota (7-3-1, 3-1-1-0 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 11 -- vs. Minnesota (Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena), 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Michigan ice hockey team defeated the No. 4-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, 5-4 in overtime, Friday night (Nov. 10), on a goal from graduate student Alex Roos.
Roos, senior Tony Calderone, senior Dexter Dancs and junior Cooper Marody led the way for the Wolverines with two points each as Michigan came back from 3-0 down to defeat the No. 4 Golden Gophers. It marked the Wolverines' first comeback victory from a three-goal deficit since a 6-4 win over Wisconsin on Dec. 4, 2015.
Despite being outshot, 12-10, in the first period, the Wolverines had the three highest-quality scoring chances. The first two were turned away by Minnesota goaltender Eric Schierhorn. At the 9:50 mark, with the Wolverines on the power play, Schierhorn made a tremendous save coming across his net on a grade-A chance for Marody from just inside the right circle. Less than two minutes later, Wolverines senior Niko Porikos shook loose and got off a short-range attempt, but Schierhorn was up to it again, shouldering it wide of the goal. With just a minute remaining in the period, Schierhorn was sent scrambling by a flurry of Wolverines shots and the puck ended up dropping to Michigan sophomore Will Lockwood, who was unable to direct the bouncing puck into the open net.
The Golden Gophers appeared to seize control of the game early in the second period. Just over a minute into the period, with Minnesota on the power play, Golden Gophers senior Mike Szmatula slipped free and forced Michigan sophomore goaltender Jack LaFontaine into two big near-post stops.
Only 15 seconds later and off the ensuing faceoff, Szmatula scored on a deflection off a shot from the right circle by sophomore Rem Pitlick.
The Golden Gophers converted another power-play opportunity just a few minutes later, with junior Tommy Novak tallying a goal off a feed from junior Tyler Sheehy.Â
Minnesota kept up the pressure and scored again at the 7:51 mark. Novak made a great no-look tip-pass off the wall in his own zone to spring junior Brent Gates Jr., who skated the puck into the Michigan zone on a 2-on-1 rush and then passed it over to Sheehy, who slotted it past LaFontaine to give the Gophers a 3-0 lead.
Michigan was quickly able to get a goal back and stop the Gophers' momentum. Off a turnover in the neutral zone, the Wolverines created a 2-on-1 chance and Roos made a spectacular, spinning, backhand pass to sophomore Nick Pastujov, who directed it into the open net for his second goal of the season at the 9:14 mark, cutting the Minnesota lead to 3-1.
Michigan scored another goal at the 18:59 mark off another odd-man rush, during which Marody slid the puck over to senior Dancs, who tipped it to senior Calderone, who buried his fifth goal of the season into the top-left corner from the left circle.
Early in the third period, the Wolverines managed to tie the score up at 3 off a tremendous effort by Calderone. He made a strong takeaway in the neutral zone, then pivoted and skated into the attacking zone where he slid it over to Dancs, who buried it into the top-left corner at the 3:15 mark for his fifth goal of the season.
The Golden Gophers immediately answered, claiming the lead again just 33 seconds later, with Novak providing the setup for a Gates goal from short range that hit LaFontaine and trickled past the goaltender into the net.
It took less than three minutes for the game's next goal, this one by the Wolverines. Sophomore Jake Slaker smashed in a close range shot off a Marody pass from behind the net, and the game was tied up at 4 at the 6:45 mark of the third period.
Michigan went on a power play with less than four minutes to play in regulation after a checking-from-behind penalty on the Golden Gophers. The Wolverines had two shots on the power play but were not able to capitalize with the game-winner.
The game headed to overtime tied at 4 after Lafontaine made a kick save on a Minnesota shot with less than a second left in regulation. Each team registered 31 shots in regulation.
Minnesota was called for a tripping penalty at the 3:16 mark in overtime, and on the ensuing power play, off the faceoff, freshman Josh Norris whipped a pass over to Lockwood, whose one-timer hit the post, bounced into Roos' helmet and ricocheted into the net. The goal was Roos' third of the season.
LaFontaine made 27 saves for the Wolverines and improved his record to 4-1-0 on the season.
Marody's five consecutive multi-point games is the longest streak since Tyler Motte recorded multiple points in seven games Jan. 15 -Â Feb. 12, 2016 (12G, 8A).
The Wolverines will close out the weekend series against Minnesota on Saturday (Nov. 11) at Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena with puck drop at 7:30 p.m.
