Michigan
Notre Dame
Wolverines, Irish Set for B1G Tournament Semifinal Saturday at Yost Ice Arena
3/9/2022 3:38:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Michigan leads the Notre Dame series 83-67-5 but has lost the last four to the Irish.
» Michigan's fourth-ranked power play (26.1 percent) meets Notre Dame's second-ranked penalty kill (90.3 percent).
» Owen Power leads Michigan against Notre Dame with seven points in eight games.
THIS WEEK: Big Ten Tournament Semifinal
Saturday, March 12 -- vs. Notre Dame (Yost Ice Arena), 6:30 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network | Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video | U-M Vaccination Policy
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
• Social Media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tik Tok
The No. 2 seed University of Michigan ice hockey team (27-9-1) will host No. 3 seed Notre Dame in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal on Saturday (March 12) at Yost Ice Arena. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network at 6:30 p.m., with tickets for the game at standing room only.
Note: Effective Jan. 1, 2022, the University of Michigan has instituted a proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative-test protocol for indoor athletic events. Face masks continue to be required and must be worn during all home indoor athletic events. [ U-M Vaccination Policy ]
Wolverine Bites
• Michigan is 27-9-1 after sweeping Michigan State last week in its Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal series.
• U-M checks in at No. 4 in the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls this week.
• A finalist for B1G Player of the Year, Matty Beniers sits atop the U-M stat sheet with 38 points (18g, 20a) and a B1G-leading 10 power-play goals, while B1G Rookie of the Year finalist Luke Hughes is the nation's top-scoring defenseman with 17 goals and 36 points. Next is Brendan Brisson (17g, 16a) with 33 points and a team-leading five game-winning tallies. Kent Johnson enters the weekend with 33 points (7g, 26a), while last season's leading scorer, Thomas Bordeleau, sits at 31 (10g, 21a) along with a 56.5 percent track record in faceoffs. Sophomore stalwart and B1G Defensive Player of the Year finalist Owen Power returned from Olympic play to anchor the blue line with 27 points (3g, 24a). Freshman Mackie Samoskevich (9g, 17a) has been excellent in the second half of the season to sit at 26 points in his first campaign, while fifth-year Michael Pastujov (10g, 14a) has posted a career-best 24 points.
• Power leads the Wolverines with 43 blocked shots, while captain Nick Blankenburg is second with 40. Blankenburg has also set career highs offensively with 14 goals and 28 points.
• Sophomore Erik Portillo has started every game in net for the Wolverines this season. He has a 27-9-1 record including four shutouts, a .929 save percentage and a 2.06 goals-against average. The Swedish standout is third in the NCAA with 978 saves and second with 27 wins. He was recently named as one of 11 semifinalists for the Mike Richter Award and a finalist for B1G Goaltender of the Year.
Scouting the Fighting Irish
• No. 8-ranked Notre Dame is 27-10 overall and finished the regular Big Ten season in third place with 47 points after sweeping U-M in South Bend to close out the conference p>
• No. 3 seed Notre Dame lost on Friday vs. No. 6 seed Wisconsin before winning two straight to advance.
• Up front, Max Ellis (16-12-28) leads the Irish in goals and points, while freshmen Ryder Rolston (10-17-27) and Trevor Janicke (15-9-24) along with the Slaggert brothers -- Landon (11-13-24) and Graham (11-12-23) -- follow.
• UND's defenders contribute at both ends of the ice. Spencer Stastney (7-20-27) and Nick Leivermann (6-20-26) lead offensively, while Adam Karashik leads with 87 blocked shots.
• Notre Dame has utilized both Matthew Galajda and Ryan Bischel in net. Galajda, a graduate transfer from Cornell, has taken the reins with a .932 save percentage and a 1.92 GAA.
Up Next
Saturday, March 19 -- Big Ten Tournament Championship Game (Site and time TBD)
