Michigan
9-2-0, 4-1-0
Penn State
6-4-0, 0-3-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Penn State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Michigan's Offense, Special Teams Click in Win at No. 19 Penn State
11/11/2021 11:59:00 AM | Ice Hockey
» Matty Beniers scored two goals for the third consecutive game.
» Owen Power chipped in three assists for his third straight multi-point game.
» Erik Portillo stopped 33 of 34 shots to bump his record up to 9-2.
Site: State College, Pa. (Pegula Ice Arena)
Score: #2 Michigan 5, #19 Penn State 1
Records: U-M (9-2-0, 4-1 B1G), PSU (6-4-0, 0-3 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 12 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 7 p.m.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Stellar sophomores Owen Power, Matty Beniers and Kent Johnson all extended point streaks with multi-point performances Thursday night (Nov. 11), as the No. 2-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team soundly defeated No. 19 Penn State 5-1 at Pegula Ice Arena.
Erik Portillo was outstanding between the pipes all night, making 33 saves as he put together one of the finest performances of his young Michigan career.
Halfway through the first period, Penn State (6-4-0, 0-3-0 Big Ten) took a penalty for too many men to give U-M its first opportunity on the power play. Following a neutral-zone turnover by the Wolverines, Portillo made a highlight-reel pair of saves stemming from a shorthanded two-on-one rush. The big netminder stopped the initial attempt from the right wing before quickly shifting to his right and stifling a rebound from the slot. The power-play unit moved the puck well, but failed to create high-quality chances as their first attempt came and went without a conversion.
Late in the opening frame, Dylan Duke's ferocious forechecking created a turnover behind the Penn State net. The freshman saw his linemate, Luke Morgan, working to open himself up for a shot at the top of the crease. Duke popped a pass out to Morgan, who blasted a shot from close range into the back of the net to open the scoring at 17:12 and give Michigan (9-2-0, 4-1 Big Ten) a first period lead.
After 20 minutes, the Wolverines led 1-0 despite trailing PSU in shots on goal, 9-7.
With 1:08 of its second power play carrying over to the second period, U-M looked to double the team's lead and silence Pegula's Roar Zone, and the Wolverines needed only 35 seconds to do so.
Power stickhandled at the point while faking out the PSU penalty killers with his gaze toward the net. Beniers settled into the right circle and waited for Power to feed a crisp pass into his wheelhouse. As it arrived, Beniers unleashed a one-time blast that found twine through traffic. Power and Johnson picked up the assists on Beniers' goal.
Halfway through Penn State's first power play, Portillo came up big yet again while scrambling to shut down a melee around the blue paint. The Swedish goaltender continued to see the puck well as pressure ramped up, and Michigan's penalty-kill unit shut down the first PSU attempt.
The home team got on the board to make it 2-1 with 3:26 remaining in the second period after a rebound was deflected into the Michigan net off of a Nittany Lion forward's skate while attempting to stop.
Junior forward Johnny Beecher, U-M's active leader in goals vs. PSU, made his presence felt with his fourth career tally against the Nittany Lions at 18:09. The junior was posted up in the right circle with his stick in the air when he received a crisp cross-ice pass from Steve Holtz at the left point and immediately drove a one-timer past Oskar Autio to reestablish Michigan's two-goal lead. Holtz's helper marked his first collegiate point, while Power collected the secondary assist for his second point of the night and third straight two-assist game.
Up 3-1 with 20 minutes to play, Michigan entered the locker room with a two-goal lead and a 25-19 edge in faceoffs despite trailing 22-13 in shots on goal. The Wolverines had been assessed a tripping penalty as the second period expired, so PSU began the final frame with a full power play.
Luke Hughes weaved through defenders while showing off slick stickhandling skills as he dashed through the offensive zone 3:30 into the third period, but Autio's glove robbed him.
At 8:03, Beecher dropped a pass through his legs for Garrett Van Wyhe after breaking into the zone and peeling toward the corner. Van Wyhe corralled the puck in stride as he rushed in behind Beecher and stepped into the open space that his linemate had vacated. After loading up, VAn Wyhe buried a hard wrist shot low-glove side from the top of the circle to make it 4-1 Michigan.
With the third-period assist, Beecher notched his second two-point game in his three outings since returning from injury. Last Friday (Nov. 5), Beecher scored and added an assist vs. Michigan State.
The Wolverine offense was not done. Beniers ripped a missile from the left dot with 5:10 left to play to make it 5-1 on his sixth goal in three games. Power recorded his third assist on the goal to notch a playmaker while Johnson notched his second helper of the evening with the secondary assist.
After a minor fracas occurred at the final buzzer in anticipation of tomorrow evening's rematch, the Wolverines capped off the win by surrounding Portillo in a congratulatory mob.
In the victory, Johnson's point streak was extended to seven games (three goals, eight assists, 11 points) while Power (0-7-7) and Beniers (6-0-6) bumped their streaks up to three games apiece. On a special night for the U-M offense, its special teams were equally outstanding, going 2-for-4 on the power play, while staying perfect at 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
On Friday night (Nov. 12), the conference foes will finish off the two-game series with a 7 p.m. contest inside Pegula Ice Arena with the Wolverines seeking a road sweep. The game will be streamed live on B1G+.
