Michigan
13-5-0, 6-4-0
Minnesota
10-8-0, 6-4-0
Pastujov's Hat Trick Propels Michigan to Win Over Minnesota
12/4/2021 10:23:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Michael Pastujov notched his first career hat trick with three consecutive goals for U-M.
» Sophomores Brendan Brisson and Steve Holtz each recorded a pair of assists.
» Mark Estapa scored his first career goal while recording a team-leading six shots on goal.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena)
Score: #3 Michigan 6, #11 Minnesota 2
Records: U-M (13-5-0, 6-2-0-2 B1G), UMN (10-8-0, 6-3-0-1 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Dec. 10 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The third-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team regained its perch atop the Big Ten hockey conference standings with a stellar performance on Saturday night (Dec. 4), defeating No. 11 Minnesota by a decisive score of 6-2 to earn a split at Yost Ice Arena. With the win, the Wolverines sit in first place with 20 points.
Erik Portillo was sound in net, turning aside 21 of 23 shots that Minnesota put on net to earn his 13th win of the season.
Looking to bounce back after a disappointing Friday night loss, the Wolverines came out of the gates with energy and logged a spirited first seven minutes of play, outshooting Minnesota 4-1.
At 9:25 of the first period, the Gophers scored on a backdoor tap-in off a rush to take a 1-0 lead.
Forward Mark Estapa had been flying in his first few shifts with new linemates Thomas Bordeleau and Brendan Brisson, but the freshman was assessed a minor penalty at 11:30 to put the Wolverines down a man for two minutes.
After the Michigan penalty-kill unit dismissed the Gophers' first power play of the night, Estapa was back on the ice for an offensive-zone faceoff. Bordeleau won the draw back to Brisson, who fired a shot on net while Estapa drove to the slot in search of a rebound. After Minnesota netminder Jack LaFontaine pushed the shot out front, Estapa was in perfect position to collect the rebound on his backhand and deposit a behind-the-back shot into the back of a yawning cage to tie the game at 1 with 5:12 left in the opening period.
On the next possession, Steve Holtz took a shot from the point that bounced off of LaFontaine's pad before coming to a stop in the blue paint. Senior Michael Pastujov was crashing the net and poked the puck across the goal line to give Michigan a 2-1 lead with 4:45 to play in the period.
The 27-second span between the team's two goals is the shortest of the season for the Wolverines.
With 1:48 left in the first period of play, Pastujov struck for his second goal of the period with a crisp shot from the left circle that found the back of the net. Matty Beniers and Luke Morgan earned assists on Pastujov's late marker to put the Wolverines up by two goals.
After 20 minutes, the Wolverines had jumped out to a 3-1 lead while outshooting the Golden Gophers 15-8 and owning the faceoff circle 12-7.
Morgan was called for boarding early in the middle frame to give the Gophers their second power play. While killing the penalty, Ethan Edwards turned in an outstanding effort to snuff out a rebound opportunity by jumping headfirst across the crease to bail out Portillo, who was lying flat at the near post after making an equally impressive play to ward off the initial shot.
As Morgan exited the box with 16:06 left in the second stanza and the teams returned to five-on-five play, Pastujov created a turnover at the Michigan blue line and sprinted down the ice. The senior made a slick move between his legs to create separation from the last defender in the slot before ripping a quick shot that deflected off of LaFontaine's pad before bouncing across the goal line for Pastujov's third tally of the night, his first career hat trick in the maize and blue.
Shortly after a power play ended unsuccessfully to drop Michigan to 0-for-2 on the evening, Jay Keranen deflected a long shot from Holtz at the point. Keranen's redirection found the back of the net to put U-M up 5-1 and chase LaFontaine with 6:22 left in the second period. Holtz picked up his second primary assist of the night with his shot from the back end, securing his first career multi-point game, while Nolan Moyle collected the secondary.
With 36 seconds remaining before the second intermission, Moyle finished off a strong Michigan possession by banging a bouncing puck across the line to put the Wolverines up, 6-1. Assists on Moyle's goal went to Dylan Duke battling in front of the net to shuffle the puck over to Moyle, and Brisson, who took the initial shot from the top of the circle to create the chance.
U-M held a commanding 6-1 lead after two periods while dominating in shots on goal 33-16.
Late in the evening, with Estapa serving two minutes for goaltender interference, Pastujov created a beautiful chance for himself with a toe drag around two defenders before being turned aside by the goaltender's stick. Over the course of the game, neither team was able to capitalize on the power play; Michigan went 0-for-3, while the Gophers were 0-for-5.
Minnesota scored its second goal with 3:50 left in the contest after a chaotic netfront sequence.
Playing hard until the final whistle, the Wolverines continued to pour shots on net. At the final buzzer, Michigan had iced a 6-2 win powered by a 44-23 advantage in shots on goal.
With the win, head coach Mel Pearson sits at 199 career victories as a Division I head coach, just one away from milestone win No. 200.
Next week, Michigan travels south for a two-game set on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 10-11) against Ohio State to close out the first half. Friday night's (Dec. 10) game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., while puck drop for the back-end on Saturday (Dec. 11) is set for 8 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
