Michigan
5-5-1, 1-3-1
Minnesota
5-3-1, 1-2-0
U-M Surrenders Third-Period Lead in Loss to No. 6 Minnesota
11/10/2023 10:21:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Seamus Casey and TJ Hughes led the way for Michigan with two points, a pair of assists, each.
» Forwards Rutger McGroarty, Dylan Duke and Frank Nazar III scored for the Wolverines.
» U-M had 40 shots on goal to Minnesota's 27, but the Gophers scored twice in the third to win.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan ice hockey team's late-game struggles continued on Friday night (Nov. 10) inside Yost Ice Arena, as the eighth-ranked Wolverines fell to the sixth-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, 4-3, after surrendering two goals to the visitors in the final frame.
Netminder Jake Barczewski started in the blue paint for the Wolverines and made 23 saves while giving up four goals and shouldering the loss.
With strong home crowd present at Yost Ice Arena, U-M opened the scoring just 1:37 into play after flying out the gates at a torrid pace. Frank Nazar III was credited with the goal that he put on net before it was knocked across the goal line amidst the chaos. Marshall Warren and Garrett Schifsky assisted on Nazar's tally, which marked the eighth time in 11 games that U-M scored first.
Less than two minutes later, the visitors tied the game by cashing in on their first shot of the night at 3:31 from close to the goalmouth.
The first penalty of the game was called on Tyler Duke for obstructing a Gopher rush at 12:32, but U-M killed off the ensuing chance for Minnesota.
A fast-paced first period of play came to an end with the score knotted at one goal apiece. Each side put 13 shots on goal while Michigan had built up a 12-7 edge in the faceoff dot. The lone power play of the game, belonging to Minnesota, had come and gone without a marker.
Michigan received its first opportunity with a power play at 4:59 when Schifsky had his stick chopped out of his hands. After establishing a presence in the offensive zone, Dylan Duke posted up at the top of the crease and redirected a T.J. Hughes shot-pass to regain a one-goal lead for the Wolverines. Seamus Casey collected the secondary helper on Duke's fifth goal of the campaign.
At 9:12, the U-M power-play unit was reactivated for its second chance of the period. McGroarty doubled the lead for the Wolverines and made it 3-1 just after the halfway point of the period and game. Casey and Hughes notched the assists on McGroarty's sixth tally.
Mark Estapa was assessed a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for a hit in the offensive zone while forechecking. The officials reviewed the play after the Gopher forward exited the ice and decided it was worthy of the extended infraction.
Shortly after Michigan killed off the five-minute major to drop the Gophers to 0-for-2, UMN took a penalty in a post-whistle scrum with 3:31 remaining to give U-M a third power play late in the second. For the first time in three tries, the Wolverines failed to net a power-play goal.
Barczewski made one of his best saves of the night with 1:11 left in the period of the long change when he sprawled out to flash the leather of his glove and deny a Minnesota chance.
On the final rush of the period, a Gopher drove behind the net and popped out the other side before throwing a puck toward the front of the net that bounced off a U-M defender and into the net without giving Barczewski a chance.
After two periods, Michigan held a 3-2 lead off a 28-20 advantage in shots on goal. While the biggest differentiator were the two power-play goals scored by the Wolverines, the home team had also pulled away with a 26-15 lead in faceoffs -- as well as a 15-8 gap in blocked shots.
Michigan dominated the first half of the third period, holding the visitors to just two shots in over nine minutes of play, but Minnesota eventually tied the game at 9:30 when a U-M forward was caught in reverse while having to defend a Golden Gopher rush.
Minnesota pulled ahead for good with 3:28 left in regulation to make it a 4-3 contest. Despite Michigan's wide advantage in shots on goal (40-27) and faceoffs (36-23), the Wolverines failed to close out the win.Â
The teams will meet again tomorrow night (Saturday, Nov. 12) at 7 p.m. inside Yost Ice Arena The game will be streamed on B1G+.
