Michigan
18-7-1, 9-6-0
Minnesota
14-9-0, 9-4-0
Late Penalty Haunts Michigan in Overtime Loss at No. 11 Minnesota
1/21/2022 11:59:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Dylan Duke scored his fourth goal of the season to open the scoring in the second period.
» Erik Portillo made a number of exceptional stops, making 23 saves on 25 shots faced.
» U-M's streak of consecutive penalties killed, dating back to Dec. 11, ended in OT at 27.
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (3M Arena at Mariucci)
Score: #11 Minnesota 2, #3 Michigan 1 (OT)
Records: U-M (18-7-1, 9-6-0 B1G), MINN (14-9-0, 9-4-0 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 22 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 6:30 p.m. CST
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Sixty minutes were not enough to determine a winner on Friday night (Jan. 21), as the third-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team earned a point in the Big Ten standings before falling 2-1 in overtime to No 11 Minnesota at 3M Arena at Mariucci. A major penalty late in regulation gave the Gophers an extended power play that they converted in the OT session to break U-M's streak without allowing a power-play goal.
Erik Portillo was spectacular for the Wolverines throughout the night, making 23 saves on the 25 shots he faced to keep it a low-scoring affair.
Four minutes into the game, Matty Beniers made an outstanding defensive play while backchecking to break up a two-on-one rush by swatting away a midair pass.
Minnesota (14-9-0, 9-4-0 Big Ten) was sent to its first power play 30 seconds later when Beniers was called for holding. The Gophers nearly scored to end U-M's long streak without allowing a power-play goal, but a dangerous attempt near the blue paint was pushed away by a sliding Portillo, the team's best penalty killer.
Eight minutes in and back at even strength, the Wolverines were still looking for their first shot on goal when senior Jimmy Lambert sent a rebound opportunity wide, putting the puck through the crease and across an open goalmouth.
The Golden Gophers went to their second power play of the night with 10:14 left in the first period, but the man advantage was dismissed for the second time in as many tries.
Michigan (18-7-1, 9-6-0 Big Ten) received its first power play of the game after Minnesota was penalized for hooking. U-M put together a string of dangerous chances, including a Kent Johnson one-timer from the circle, but each attempt was turned aside and the home side returned to full strength.
Minnesota received another power play after Nolan Moyle was sent off for goaltender interference. A huge opportunity for the Gophers halfway through the power play came from a netfront scramble, but Portillo continued to be stout and ensured that the PK streak carried on.
With five seconds left in Minnesota's third power play of the opening frame, Portillo was bowled over by a driving Gopher forward to put Michigan back on the power play.
The Wolverines failed to convert in the first 1:12 of the ensuing power play before the horn sounded for the first intermission. After one period, the Wolverines had 48 seconds of time with the extra attacker carrying over to the middle frame, but the game remained scoreless. Minnesota had jumped out to an early lead in shots on goal, 9-4.
Back at even strength, Ethan Edwards set up a grade-A chance after looping behind the Minnesota net and chipping a pass back into the slot for a pair of Wolverines to chop at. The netfront opportunity drew a penalty to put Michigan back on the power play for a third time.
U-M peppered the Minnesota net but failed to open the scoring despite two minutes of sustained pressure with the man advantage. Halfway through the game, the teams were each 0-for-3 on the power play.
A few minutes later, the lone Minnesotan on Michigan's roster, Keaton Pehrson, sent a long shot toward the net from the right point that was tipped by Johnny Beecher into the body of Mackie Samoskevich in front of the net. The puck dropped to the ice in the slot where Dylan Duke was waiting to slam it into the back of the net and give U-M a 1-0 lead with 7:36 left in the second period.
With 2:28 remaining in the middle frame and Michigan nursing a one-goal lead, Samoskevich was penalized for tripping to give Minnesota a fourth power play.
Down a skater, Portillo came up big once again to rob Minnesota's Matthew Knies, a recently-minted U.S. Olympian, to keep the Gophers off the scoreboard and run Michigan's streak of consecutive penalties killed to 27.
After two periods, Michigan led 1-0 with a 20-14 advantage in shots on goal. Through 40 minutes, the teams were a combined 0-for-7 on the power play.
Minnesota's Knies got the home team on the board in the third period by batting in a low shot for an equalizer at 4:42, setting up a 15-minute sprint to the finish line with the game tied at 1.
Michigan relentlessly searched for a second goal to no avail. Johnson nearly banged one home off a rebound opportunity, but the puck hopped over his blade and away from danger. Less than a minute after Johnson's near-miss, it was Beecher's turn to nearly score on a yawning cage, but the junior put the puck into the goaltender's crest for a whistle.
With 2:09 remaining in regulation, Jacob Truscott, who had come up with a number of critical blocked shots throughout the game, was sent off for a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for checking from behind.
Michigan's long penalty kill streak first appeared to come to an end with 12.1 seconds remaining when Blake McLaughlin willed a puck across the goal line for Minnesota. After an official review, it was determined that the puck was scored with a kicking motion, and the goal was disallowed.
At the end of regulation, the game was tied at one goal apiece, but Minnesota carried 2:51 of power-play time over to the extra session. By virtue of reaching the extra session, each side had clinched at least one point in the conference standings.
The vaunted Michigan penalty kill, which had gone 41 days without allowing a power-play goal, finally cracked when Minnesota captain Ben Meyers scored the game-winning one-timer from the right circle 1:08 into the extra session. The final tally for shots on goal was 27-25 in Michigan's favor, but the Gophers seized the extra point in the Big Ten standings with the overtime win.
Saturday evening (Jan. 22), the storied programs and conference rivals will return to Mariucci to face off once again and close out the regular-season series. Puck drop is set for 6:30 p.m. CST and the game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
