Michigan
4-1-0
Lake Superior State
0-2-1
Fantilli Hat Trick Leads Michigan to Series-Opening Win Over Lake Superior State
10/21/2022 11:03:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Adam Fantilli notched his first career hat trick to lead the Wolverines' attack.
» Jacob Truscott recorded a four-point night, scoring once and adding three assists.
» The win marks Michigan's sixth consecutive victory over Lake Superior State.
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. -- Freshman phenom Adam Fantilli dazzled the crowd inside Taffy Abel Arena by authoring a three-goal effort to lead the No. 5-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team to a convincing 5-2 victory over Lake Superior State on Friday evening (Oct. 21).
Junior goalie Erik Portillo was outstanding once again in net for the Wolverines, stopping 26 of the 28 shots he faced to keep the Lakers at bay and earn his fourth win in five games.
Entering the weekend in a tie for the nationwide lead in scoring, Fantilli added to his hot start by scoring his second goal of the season just 45 seconds into the game. Linemate Dylan Duke collected a puck from the wall at center ice before breaking into the offensive zone on a 2-on-1 rush with Fantilli to his right. As he reached the top of the circle, Duke squeezed a pass into Fantilli's wheelhouse, and the left-handed rookie made no mistake as he blasted a one-timer past the goalie. Mackie Samoskevich was credited with the secondary assist after creating the turnover at center ice.
Fantilli impressed with the puck once again, walking through the offensive zone before putting a shot on net that LSSU's goaltender could not contain. With the rebound up for grabs in the crease, the puck deflected off of a Laker to cross the goal line and double Michigan's lead at 10:45. Fantilli was rewarded for his effort with his second goal of the game -- and 10th point of the season -- while Jacob Truscott and Samoskevich earned assists on the play.
Late in the period, Gavin Brindley worked his way across the blue line as he led the Wolverine attack into the Laker zone. After driving down the right wall to create space for his teammates, Brindley dropped a pass back to Truscott at the right point. As he walked the blue line toward the middle of the offensive zone, Truscott faked a shot that forced the Lakers to commit and tense up in the slot. After taking an extra stride to take advantage of the space he created with the fake, the junior defenseman unleashed a firm shot from distance to put Michigan ahead 3-0 with 2:10 left. Brindley scooped the primary assist for his work to create the chance for Truscott, while Rutger McGroarty picked up the secondary helper.
Freshman Kienan Draper notched his first collegiate goal 5:11 into the second stanza to bump Michigan's lead up to 4-0 after making a strong move to the net following a short pass in-tight from classmate T.J. Hughes. Draper took possession of the puck near the bottom of the left circle and took two hard strides toward the center of the ice before forcing a shot through the five-hole as he was tripped to the ice. Truscott continued his big game by tallying the secondary assist, his third point of the night.
The Lakers struck back with a well-crafted goal of their own at 8:55 to make it 4-1. An LSSU forward found some space in the slot and made himself available for a pass. When his teammate noticed, he sent a shot-pass from the left half-wall that deflected off the stick and past Portillo.
Portillo made a series of impressive stops to stymie a number of Laker chances throughout the waning minutes of the second period and preserve the three-goal lead.
Lake Superior State began the final frame with more than 90 seconds of power-play time, and the home team took advantage of the opportunity by forcing a shot across the goal line 58 seconds into the third period to cut Michigan's lead to two at 4-2.
Late in the game, with Michigan flexing its muscle in the faceoff dot and the shot chart, it was the man of the evening, Fantilli, who buried the empty-net goal from distance with 26 seconds remaining to clinch his first-career hat trick as a Wolverine. Truscott put the finishing touches on a stellar, career-best performance by assisting on the empty-net tally for his fourth point of the contest.
Finishing with a 40-28 advantage in shots on goal along with a 33-28 edge in faceoffs, the Wolverines celebrated a 5-2 victory over their old CCHA rivals, with the win marking the sixth consecutive triumph for Michigan over Lake State.
On Saturday evening (Oct. 22), the Wolverines and Lakers will finish off the two-game series at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Puck drop for game two is set for 6:07 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on FloHockeyTV.
