Michigan
15-6-1
UMass
10-5-2
Michigan Knocks Off Defending National Champ UMass to Open Weekend Series
1/8/2022 8:15:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Brendan Brisson scored twice and added an assist for a three-point game.
» Kent Johnson was named first star after scoring a goal and chipping in two assists.
» The victory is Michigan's 51st all-time win against defending NCAA Champions.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Yost Ice Arena)
Score: #6 Michigan 4, #10 Massachusetts 1
Records: U-M (15-6-1), UMass (10-5-2)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Jan. 9 -- vs. #10 Massachusetts (Yost Ice Arena), 4 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A raucous crowd at Yost Ice Arena and a three-goal third period carried the sixth-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team to a 4-1 victory over defending national champ No. 10 Massachusetts on Saturday evening (Jan. 8).
Erik Portillo, manning the Michigan crease for the 22nd consecutive game, looked outstanding as he turned aside 28 of 29 shots that he faced to earn his 15th win of the season.
Brendan Brisson quickly opened the scoring for the Wolverines with the first shot of the game. The sophomore forward was hounded by a Minuteman forward for a full shift before he was able to find space in the high slot to blast a shot into the back of the net 1:14 into the contest. Kent Johnson and Jack Summers picked up assists on the early goal, with the secondary helper being Summers' first point of the season.
The first UMass shot came nearly six minutes into the game, when Portillo was able to push a hard wrister from inside the dot into the corner and away from trouble with his stick.
The Minutemen took a penalty for holding with 8:08 remaining in the first period to give Michigan the first power play of the game. Both units threatened, but neither could convert before UMass returned to even strength.
UMass tied the game with 4:11 to go in the opening period after a slick goal-line pass was deflected past Portillo's skate and into the back of the net.
The first power play for the visitors came with 1:24 left in the first, after U-M was assessed a slashing penalty. UMass failed to register a power-play goal before the end of the period, so 36 seconds of time with the man-advantage rolled over to the middle frame.
After one period, the game was tied at one goal apiece while U-M held an 11-9 advantage in shots on goal.
Michigan killed off the remainder of the first penalty to start out the middle frame before giving UMass another power play when the Wolverines were called for too many men 4:41 into the period.
Michael Pastujov prevented a goal with a hard backcheck from the neutral zone to the blue paint, swatting out of harm's way a puck that was destined to cross the goal line. The Wolverines ultimately killed off the penalty for the second time in as many tries.
With 7:30 to play, Johnson broke out of the Michigan end with the puck, headmanning a two-on-one rush. He considered dishing the puck to Brisson, who was skating with him stride-for-stride, but chose to look off the pass and lean into a hard wrist shot that he rocketed off the top of the right post and out.
Shortly thereafter, Luke Hughes showed off his edgework while U-M possessed the puck for an extended shift in the UMass end, gliding through the zone with ease before narrowly missing on a would-be go-ahead goal when his backdoor pass missed Pastujov's stick by inches. Their pressure paid off when UMass was whistled for tripping to put U-M on the power play for the second time with 5:50 left to play in the second period.
The advantage came and went without a goal, with both teams dropping to 0-for-2 on the power play. Michigan closed out the period with several more grade-A chances, but UMass netminder Matt Murray stood tall to ensure the game remained tied at 1 after two periods.
With 20 minutes left to play, each side continued to search for the go-ahead goal
Fresh off of a shortened stint at the World Junior Championship, Mackie Samoskevich was flying as he began the final frame with two great chances. The freshman deflected a shot from the point before cycling back to the high slot, receiving a pass and firing a quality shot on net after creating space for himself with a crisp toe drag around a UMass defender.
The deadlock was broken with 12:02 left to play when a neutral-zone turnover evolved into a three-on-one rush for the Wolverines. Matty Beniers created the turnover and dished the puck to Brisson, who burst into the zone on the right flank with Johnson on the far left while Beniers collapsed to the middle. After the lone defenseman laid out on the ice and Beniers hit the brakes between the hashes, Brisson sent a perfect saucer pass over the defender to Johnson, waiting backdoor to bang home the go-ahead goal to put Michigan up, 2-1.
Michigan continued to pressure the UMass end, pouring chances toward the net as it extended its lead in shots on goal to 36-25 with five minutes left in the contest.
Head coach Mel Pearson took advantage of a stoppage in play with 4:11 remaining to challenge a hit that had occurred prior to the break for a possible major penalty. The officials gathered in the penalty box to review the play, but determined there was no penalty, so Michigan lost its timeout following the five-minute pause in play.
One minute later, Michigan turned another neutral-zone turnover into a goal when Johnson picked off a pass and fed Brisson as he crossed the blue line for a two-on-one rush. Brisson made a quick touch-pass to Beniers, who immediately fed the puck back to Brisson for a one-timer. The shot deflected off of the UMass defender's skate before the bouncing puck hopped off the ice and into the net to extend Michigan's lead to 3-1. Beniers and Johnson collected the assists on Brisson's second goal of the game with 3:12 left.
With the UMass net empty for an extra attacker plus an extra man-advantage with the Wolverines on the penalty kill, Portillo passed the puck out to Pastujov on the half-wall. The senior absorbed a heavy hit to make a pass up the ice to Johnny Beecher. The junior forward skated the puck up-close to the empty net before depositing the team's fourth and final goal of the night into the back of the net. Portillo picked up his third career assist for his effort.
The Wolverines outshot UMass 41-29 en route to the 4-1 victory, but the Minutemen dominated the faceoff circle with a 40-30 advantage over U-M. With the win, Michigan moves to 51-53-3 all-time in games against defending NCAA champions.
On Sunday afternoon (Jan. 9), the teams will return to Yost to face off once again and close out their two-game, non-conference series. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
