Michigan
3-5-2, 0-3-1-0B1G
Minnesota
4-4-2, 1-1-2-2B1G
Wolverines Fall to Minnesota in Series Finale
11/9/2019 8:44:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Emil Öhrwall scored his second goal as a Wolverine.
» Johnny Beecher collected his team-leading fifth point with an assist on Öhrwall's goal.
» Strauss Mann continued his solid play, stopping 21 of the 23 shots he faced.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena)
Score: Minnesota 3, Michigan 1
Records: U-M (3-5-2, 0-3-1 B1G), Minnesota (4-4-2, B1G)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Nov. 14Â -- vs. Michigan State (Yost Ice Arena), 6:30 p.m
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore Emil Öhrwall scored a third-period goal to cut the Wolverines' deficit to one but it wasn't enough as the the University of Michigan ice hockey team dropped its series finale against Minnesota, 3-1, on Saturday night (Nov. 9) at Yost Ice Arena.
Following Friday night's (Nov. 8) 1-1 draw in which the visiting Gophers secured an extra point in the Big Ten standings in 3-on-3 overtime, the squads began Saturday's game with speed.
The Wolverines wasted no time in testing Minnesota's freshman goaltender, Jared Moe, putting five shots on net in the game's opening five minutes. Halfway through the opening period, the Wolverines went a man down when they were whistled for tripping. After a successful penalty kill, defenseman Nick Blankenburg found Eric Ciccolini coming out of the box for a breakaway opportunity. The freshman from Vaughan, Ontario, deked several times but could not get enough air on a backhand attempt to beat the goaltender's pad.
Less than a minute after the first Michigan power play was killed off, the visitors raced down the ice on a 2-on-1 rush. Michigan's lone defenseman was able to deflect the cross-crease pass, but the puck trickled toward the far post where a Gopher was patiently waiting to tap it in and give Minnesota the early 1-0 lead on a broken play 2:32 into the game. After one period, the Maize and Blue led in shots (11-9) but trailed by one.
The second frame began much like the first, with back-and-forth play. After the 10-minute mark, that fast-paced action began to manifest in grade-A chances. Michigan continued shooting the puck from all angles but saw several great opportunities turned away by solid goalkeeping from Moe.
With just under four minutes to play in the second, Minnesota embarked on another odd-man rush. This time around, the cross-crease pass was received cleanly, but goaltender Strauss Mann was in position to make a spectacular glove save on the subsequent backdoor wrist shot. In search of a spark, the Michigan power play unit was 0-for-3 through two periods, and 0-for-9 on the weekend. The home team led in shots, 20-18, but still found themselves behind, 1-0, entering the second intermission.
After the Maize and Blue came out with energy to start the third period, their momentum was curtailed when Minnesota struck again just 2:52 into the final frame off a fluke play. As Mann skated behind the Michigan net to retrieve a puck that the Gophers had dumped into the corner, it took an odd bounce off the boards and landed in front of a freshly vacated net. There was nothing Mann could do but watch as the puck deflected off of a streaking Gopher and into the back of the empty net, doubling the Minnesota lead.
With 10:18 to play in the third period, the Wolverines found the score sheet to trim the deficit to 2-1. U-M kept the puck in the Minnesota end for several shifts before the pressure paid off and freshman forward Johnny Beecher threaded a cross-ice pass through traffic to Öhrwall. The newcomer fired a one-timer past the sprawling Minnesota goaltender for his second goal of the year. Beecher's assist was his fourth on the season and brought him to a team-leading five points.
As the final minutes ticked down, Michigan threw a multitude of shots on goal but could not crack the Minnesota netminder for a second time. After Mann was pulled for an extra attacker, Golden Gopher captain Sammy Walker sealed the game for Minnesota with an empty-net goal. Michigan outshot the Golden Gophers by a 15-shot margin, 39-24, and Mann finished with 21 saves but shouldered the loss for the Wolverines.
Michigan will return to play on Thursday (Nov. 14) when in-state rival Michigan State comes to Ann Arbor for a 6:30 p.m. conference matchup inside Yost Ice Arena. On Saturday (Nov. 16), the rivalry will relocate to Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing to close out the series at 7 p.m. Thursday night's matchup will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
