Michigan
10-10-6, 6-5-4-2B1G
Minnesota
10-12-4, 7-7-3-0B1G
Two-Goal Second Period Helps Michigan Knock Off Minnesota
2/1/2019 11:45:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Will Lockwood scored in his fifth consecutive game.
» Jack Summers recorded his first career multi-point game.
» Hayden Lavigne stopped 24 of the 26 shots faced for his sixth win of the year.
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (3M Arena at Mariucci)
Score: Michigan 4, Minnesota 2
Records: U-M (10-10-6, 6-6-4-2 B1G), Minnesota (10-12-4, 7-7-3-0 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 2Â -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 7 p.m. CST
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Four different Wolverines scored goals and junior goaltender Hayden Lavigne stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced as the University of Michigan ice hockey team defeated Minnesota, 4-2, on Friday night (Feb. 1) inside 3M Arena at Mariucci. With the win, Michigan is tied for third place in the Big Ten alongside the Golden Gophers with 24 points apiece.
"I thought we were ready to play," said head coach Mel Pearson. "It's not the start we wanted. We took a penalty early, we gave them a power play. An opportunity right off the get-go, but I thought that next goal was going to be important, and we got a big goal from (Will) Lockwood and that sort of set the tone for our team. We'll take it and look forward to it tomorrow night."
Play was fast-paced early on with both teams testing the opposing goaltenders in the opening minutes. Less than four minutes in, a Michigan interference penalty gave Minnesota's power-play unit -- which has scored and a 25.8-percent clip -- its first opportunity of the weekend. Michigan's penalty killers were relentless, led by sophomore forward Dakota Raabe, but the Wolverines could not keep the Big Ten's leading scorer off the board. Rem Pitlick opened up the scoring with a one-timer from above the dot 4:35 into the game.
Less than three minutes after Minnesota took the lead, it was junior forward Will Lockwood getting Michigan on the board with his fifth goal in as many game. Sophomore defenseman Jack Summers had the puck at the left point before throwing a shot on goal through traffic. Lockwood was waiting in front of the goal and smacked at the puck, creating a second rebound of his own that he was able to jam through the Minnesota netminder. Lockwood's five-game goal streak ties the longest of any Wolverine this season and his 11 goals are good for the team lead.
"He (Lockwood) looked good tonight," said Pearson. "You can see his speed and his quickness, and takes the puck to the net and he's good around the net. He's really coming into his own. He's just starting to feel it now. He missed all of second half of last year, took him some time to get going here, but he's playing extremely well. We like him, and he's taking a leadership role now, and he's going a heck of a job now."
About halfway through the contest, the Michigan fourth line of Raabe and freshmen forwards Nolan Moyle and Garrett Van Wyhe held the puck deep in the Gophers' end, cycling the puck into the corner and behind the net for an extended period of time before Raabe threaded a pass to the front of net from behind the Gopher goal line. Van Wyhe was waiting at the top of the crease and quickly deposited the puck in the top-left corner to put the Wolverines up, 2-1, with 11:58 left in the period.
Five minutes later, with the Wolverines outshooting the Golden Gophers 32-12, sophomore forward Michael Pastujov carried the puck into the neutral zone, across the blue line and into the slot all by himself before ripping a wrist shot top-shelf through several defenders and the Minnesota goaltender to put U-M up, 3-1. Michigan netminder Lavigne and Summers picked up assists on Pastujov's fourth goal of the season. After two periods, Michigan outshot the Gophers, 35-17 -- 22-5 in the second period alone.
Lavigne was a steadying presence early in the third period, maintaining the Wolverines' two-goal lead with timely saves. A Wolverine cross-checking penalty midway through the period returned Minnesota's esteemed PP unit to the ice looking to cut its deficit to one goal. Several booming one-timers were turned away before a rebound skittered off Lavigne's pads into the air and across the crease. A Gopher forward was waiting there backdoor to skillfully swat the puck out of the air and into the net make the score, 3-2, Michigan with 8:26 left in regulation.
As time wound down, the Wolverines held a one-goal lead, but U-M was whistled for cross-checking with 3:43 left in the third period. Minnesota's power-play group took the ice once again, seeking the equalizer. Just 19 seconds into the man-advantage, senior defenseman Nicholas Boka provided a short-handed insurance goal. After receiving the puck from the Minnesota end and maintaining possession, Boka skated around the goal for a wraparound look. After reaching the front of the net, he paused for a moment before ripping the puck through a shifting Minnesota goaltender. Summers collected his third assist of the night on Boka's goal, which put the Wolverines ahead for good.
Lavigne finished the game with 24 saves, made key stops throughout the game to preserve the Wolverine lead and collected his sixth win of the season.
Michigan and Minnesota will conclude their weekend series Saturday night (Feb. 2) inside 3M Arena at Mariucci. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST, and the game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Detroit.
