Michigan
Wisconsin
Michigan Takes Point from Wisconsin, Falls in Shootout
11/24/2018 11:55:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Michigan and Wisconsin tied for the second consecutive night, but Wisconsin earned the extra point with the shootout win.
» Luke Morgan recorded his first goal in the Maize and Blue.
» MIchigan has played in three consecutive overtime contests for the first time since Nov. 3-11, 2017.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena)
Score: #14 Michigan 2, Wisconsin 2 (SO, L)
Records: U-M (6-5-2, 2-2-2-1 B1G), Wisconsin (5-7-2, 1-3-2-1 BIG)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 30 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie against Wisconsin on Saturday night (Nov. 24) on Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena to close out their Big Ten weekend series. The Wolverines were unable to replicate Friday night's (Nov. 23) thrilling effort in the overtime period, as the Badgers claimed the extra point thanks to Max Zimmer finding the back of the net in the second round of the shootout.
The first period saw plenty of scoring chances, as each team eclipsed double-digit shots with Wisconsin holding a 14-13 edge.
Wisconsin was awarded a power play 4:21 into the opening frame. Hayden Lavigne made a nice save early in the penalty kill, but the Badgers capitalized on their next opportunity with a Ty Emberson shot from the point that slipped past Lavigne to give the visitors an early 1-0 advantage.
The Wolverines had four power plays in the first period alone, but were unable to convert on them. The best opportunity came at 17:56 into the first period -- a man-advantage highlighted by shots from Jake Slaker and Nick Blankenburg from each face-off dot.
Less than six minutes into the second period, Wisconsin took advantage of a 3-on-2 opportunity that allowed the Badgers to rattle off multiple shots in front of the net, while drawing a Michigan penalty to finish off the sequence. Lavigne made a great save during the PK when a Badger was left all alone in front of the net, and the Wolverine goaltender recorded back-to-back saves from the slot as the penalty expired.
The constant Wisconsin pressure during their power play began to wear down Michigan. Shortly after the Badgers man-advantage expired, a second-chance opportunity off a rebound found the stick of Jack Gorniak, who buried the loose puck to double the visitors lead to 2-0 at the 9:29 mark.
The Maize and Blue answered at 13:14 in the second period, when sophomore Quinn Hughes brought the puck end-to-end on a rush and set up a tic-tac-toe sequence that finished with a Jack Becker snipe from the interior hash marks to cut the Badger lead to 2-1. Josh Norris collected the primary assist, and has now has a point in four of his last five games.
Will Lockwood nearly tied it up at the 2:35 mark, but U-W goalie Daniel Lebedeff made a glove save to temporarily preserve his team's lead as the teams headed into the second intermission.
Michigan outshot Wisconsin 18-9 in the final frame, including four sequences during which the Maize and Blue fired three consecutive shots or more.
The hard work paid off at 12:41 into the third period. Luke Martin executed a stretch pass through the neutral zone to spring Luke Morgan on a breakaway. The redshirt sophomore beat Lebedeff glove side for his first collegiate goal, which tied the game at 2.
With time winding down in regulation, Wisconsin nearly spoiled Michigan's efforts when a shot by K'Andre Miller's shot rang off the crossbar. The scare ended up being the last chance for either team in the stanza as 60 minutes could not decide a winner for the second consecutive night.
Similar to Friday night, the 5-on-5 overtime period came and went without a goal, but not before Michigan was forced to kill off a penalty over the last 1:20 of play. With the Badger power play carrying over into the 3-on-3 session, Lavigne made a big save as the man-advantage was winding down to allow Michigan to clear the puck and end the U-W power play. Lavigne made one more save midway through the fifth stanza to run his total to 40 -- a new season high for the junior netminder.
The sudden-death shootout began with Michigan going first. Lockwood missed the first Wolverine attempt, followed by a Wisconsin miss. Hughes missed on his attempt, but Zimmer converted to give the Badgers the extra point.
The Wolverines will take on in-state rival Michigan State next Friday and Saturday (Nov. 30-Dec. 1) in a home-and-home series. Friday's game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. from East Lansing, Michigan. Puck drop for Saturday night's contest is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. at Yost Ice Arena.
