Michigan Looks to Secure Big Ten Title in Final Weekend at Notre Dame

Friday, February 25

South Bend, Ind.

7:30 PM

Michigan

Notre Dame

Brendan Brisson (Michigan Photography)

Michigan Looks to Secure Big Ten Title in Final Weekend at Notre Dame

2/23/2022 6:25:00 PM | Ice Hockey

By: Kristy McNeil

» Michigan has won 11 of its last 12 games, including seven straight.
» Luke Hughes earned B1G First Star back-to-back weeks.
» Michigan needs four points to secure the Big Ten title.

• Complete Game Notes (PDF)

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The University of Michigan of Michigan hockey team faces Notre Dame this weekend (Feb. 25-26) in the final games of the regular season. On a seven-game win streak, the Wolverines need four points to secure the Big Ten title and the tournament's top seed. The teams face off in South Bend, Ind. on Friday (Feb. 25) at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday (Feb. 26) at 6 p.m., with both games being streamed on PeacockTV.

Wolverine Bites

• Michigan is 25-7-1 after sweeping Ohio State (5-3, 3-0) and celebrating the team's seniors last week.

• This week, U-M checks in at No. 2 in the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls. The Wolverines garnered 10 first-place votes in the USCHO, plus four in the USA Today.

• With the team's four Olympians back in the fold, Matty Beniers returns to the top of the stat sheet with 36 points (16 goals, 22 assists). Forward Brendan Brisson (17G, 15A) is tied with red-hot freshman blueliner Luke Hughes with 32 points (16G, 16A) apiece. Kent Johnson returns to the lineup with 30 points (6G, 24A) while last season's leading scorer, Thomas Bordeleau, has points in 10 of his last 12 games and sits at 28 points (9G, 19A) along with a stellar 58 percent track record in faceoffs. Owen Power returns to anchor the blue line with 26 points (3G, 23A).

• Freshman Mackie Samoskevich (7G, 16A) has been excellent in the second half to sit at 23 points while fifth-year senior Michael Pastujov (9G, 13A) has posted a career-best 22 points.

• Captain Nick Blankenburg leads the team with 38 blocked shots and has added 12 goals.

• Sophomore Erik Portillo has started every game in net for the Wolverines this year. He has a 25-7-1 record including three shutouts, a .927 save percentage, and a 2.12 goals-against average. The Swedish stalwart is second in the NCAA with 882 saves and 25 wins and was named a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award on Tuesday (Feb. 22).

The Series

This weekend marks the 154th and 155th contests between the two programs on ice. The visiting team has won 10 straight games in the rivalry, a streak dating back to February of 2019. U-M enters the series with a narrow historical advantage in South Bend, 29-27-2.

Scouting the Irish

• Coach Jeff Jackson's ninth-ranked Notre Dame squad sits in fourth place in the Big Ten, but is within striking distance of OSU, which is idle in third. The Fighting Irish are 23-9 and sit in 11th in the PairWise rankings.

• Bowling Green transfer Max Ellis leads the team with 16 goals and 28 points as well as 124 shots on goal. Feshman Ryder Rolston has been an impactful addition with 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points, while the Slaggert brothers have combined for 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points.

• On the back end, Spencer Stastney paces the team with 18 assists along with six goals for 24 points. UConn transfer Adam Karashik leads the Irish with 72 blocked shots.

• ND boasts two talented goalies in Ryan Bischel and Cornell transfer Matthew Galajda, who paces the duo with a .927 save percentage and 2.02 goals-against average with a 13-5 record.

Up Next

• Big Ten Tournament -- Date/Time TBD