Michigan
19-7-1, 10-6-0
Minnesota
14-10-0, 9-5-0
Michigan Scores Four Straight to Beat Minnesota, Secure Four-Point Weekend
1/22/2022 10:43:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Erik Portillo made 39 saves on the 40 shots he faced to earn his 19th win of the season.
» Four different Wolverines scored in the victory: Brendan Brisson, Matty Beniers, Michael Pastujov and Nick Blankenburg.
» With the win, Michigan is tied with Ohio State atop the Big Ten standings.
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (3M Arena at Mariucci)
Score: #3 Michigan 4, #11 Minnesota 1
Records: U-M (19-7-1, 10-6-0 B1G), MINN (14-10-0, 9-5-0 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Jan. 28 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), 6 p.m. CST
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Fresh off of a tough overtime loss on Friday night, the third-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team ceded the first goal in Saturday's (Jan. 22) contest before rattling off four straight tallies to knock off 11th-ranked Minnesota by a decisive 4-1 score. With the win, Michigan secured four points in the conference standings on the weekend to remain tied for first place with Ohio State at 33 points.
Erik Portillo capped off another outstanding weekend with a 39-save performance to lead U-M.
Minnesota opened the scoring 2:43 into play after flying out the gates and dominating early on. The situation continued to deteriorate in the early-going as Ethan Edwards picked up a tripping penalty to put the Gophers on the power play at 5:41, but U-M killed it off to keep the deficit at one and the Wolverines within a shot of tying the game.
That shot came with 5:21 remaining in the first period when Brendan Brisson tied the contest with a low-angle one-timer from below the right circle. Edwards created the opportunity by sending a perfect feed from the left point to Brisson's wheelhouse through the heart of the Minnesota zone. Jimmy Lambert picked up the secondary assist on the game-tying goal.
Just over a minute later, Michigan's super sophomores finished off a rush by burying the team's second goal in as many shots. Kent Johnson carried the puck into the zone on the left flank before slowing up to dish it back to Owen Power at the point. Power made a quick touch-pass to Matty Beniers on the right wing, and he wasted no time before snapping a far-side wrist shot past the Minnesota netminder and into the back of the net to give the Wolverines a 2-1 lead.
The Gophers held a commanding 15-7 lead in shots on goal after one period, but Portillo's 14 first-period stops ensured the Wolverines could carry a one-goal lead into the dressing room after 20 minutes.
Senior Michael Pastujov doubled the U-M lead seven minutes into the second stanza when he pounced on a loose puck in the slot to rip a shot that trickled through the goaltender's equipment and across the goal line. Thomas Bordeleau collected the lone assist on Pastujov's ninth goal of the season. The marker was also Pastujov's 10th career tally versus Minnesota.
Less than a minute after Pastujov's goal extended the U-M lead, Beniers checked a Gopher near the boards at center-ice and received a penalty for hitting from behind to put Minnesota on their second power play of the night. Facing constant pressure, Portillo continued to be the team's best penalty killer as the Michigan penalty-kill unit dismissed another opportunity.
As the second period neared its culmination, Johnny Beecher won an offensive-zone draw before firing a shot off the left pipe and out. Moments later, it was Mackie Samoskevich who found the left post before flipping the ensuing rebound attempt off the right post. The Wolverines came close to notching their fourth goal on a handful of occasions, but the iron had other ideas.
After two periods of play, Michigan held a 3-1 lead despite trailing in shots on goal (33-14) and faceoffs (25-17). With 20 minutes left in regulation, the Wolverines were still searching for their first power play of the game, while the Gophers were 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
The freshman blueliner Edwards continued his stellar play at both ends of the ice in the third period as U-M continued to grow more comfortable with a multi-goal lead.
With 8:31 remaining in the third period, a Golden Gopher blatantly batted a puck into the net with his glove after a rebound fluttered up into the air. Without hesitation, the referee signaled that it was not a goal and the faceoff was moved out of the Michigan zone.
U-M's captain, Nick Blankenburg, capped off a strong night for the Michigan defensive corps by wiring a shot from the left dot to the top-left corner of the net to stretch the team's lead to 4-1 with 7:38 left to play. Power secured his second primary assist of the night after finding Blankenburg with a useful feed in space; Beniers notched the secondary helper to earn a two-point game.
A late scrum in the neutral zone stemming from a Minnesota hit with 42 seconds left resulted in a minor penalty for boarding, but the final buzzer rang before Michigan could add onto their lead. Despite being outshot 40-19, the Wolverines earned a 4-1 win to move to 33 points in the Big Ten Hockey conference, good for a tie for first place in the standings.
Next week, the Wolverines will travel west for the second straight week for a two-game series at Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday (Jan. 28-29). Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. CST on Friday (Jan. 28) and the game will be streamed live on B1G+. Saturday's contest is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. and that game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
