Michigan
5-5, 3-5-0-1-0B1G
Minnesota
8-0, 8-0-0-0-0B1G
Wolverines Drop Finale, Swept by No. 4 Gophers
12/9/2020 10:08:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Erik Portillo made 17 saves without allowing a goal in 32:48 of relief.
» Luke Morgan led Michigan with five shots on goal.
» U-M finished the first portion of the regular-seaspm schedule at 5-5.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Yost Ice Arena)
Score: #4 Minnesota 4, #5 Michigan 0
Records: U-M (5-5-0, 3-5-0-1 B1G), Minnesota (8-0-0, 8-0-0-0 B1G)
Next U-M Event: TBD
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team fell, 4-0, to No. 4 Minnesota on Wednesday night (Dec. 9) at Yost Ice Arena. With the loss, the Wolverines were swept by the Golden Gophers.
Both teams had an early feeling-out period before the visitors opened the scoring. Goaltender Strauss Mann made an initial save before a persistent Gopher attack forced the loose puck to trickle across the goal line for a 1-0 lead at 4:24 in their fourth shot of the game.
Action was sparse until the Wolverines and Gophers were whistled for coincidental minors at 11:43. With the teams playing four-on-four, Luke Morgan intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and moved in on Minnesota goalie Jack LaFontaine, but Morgan failed to beat his former teammate's glove.
Battling in the U-M end, Michigan (5-5-0, 3-5-0-1 B1G) took a two-minute minor penalty for holding at 14:48. Shortly thereafter on the ensuing power play, Walker buried a rebound from within five feet of the net to go up, 2-0. After one period, the Golden Gophers outshot the Wolverines, 12-11.
In the second period, Michigan continued to struggle with penalties. U-M was called for tripping at 6:21. Minnesota (8-0-0, 8-0-0-0 B1G) converted on the man advantage 22 seconds into the power play to take a 3-0 lead at 6:43, then scored 22 seconds later, at the 7:05 mark, to extend its lead to 4-0. After allowing two goals in short succession, Mann was relieved by freshman Erik Portillo.
LaFontaine made flurries of saves at several points in the middle frame as chances piled up at both ends without many breaks in play. After two periods, Minnesota had built up a 4-0 lead while outshooting the Wolverines, 24-22, and leading in faceoffs, 28-15.
Early in the third period, the Golden Gophers failed to convert on their third power play of the evening. Minutes later, the Wolverines received a long-awaited opportunity of their own after the visitors were nabbed for slashing at 9:11. Despite producing several high-grade scoring chances, there was no conversion for Michigan on the power play as their search for a tally continued.
Despite shooting 34 times -- led by Morgan's five -- the Wolverines could not find the back of the net and the game ended in a 4-0 decision. Mann stopped 13 of 17 shots that he faced before Portillo entered and turned away all 17 shots taken on him in 32:48.
The finale against Minnesota also ended the first portion of Michigan's schedule. The release of the schedule's second phase is to be announced.
