Michigan
10-5-1, 4-2-0
Minnesota
15-2-1, 8-0-0
Michigan Suffers Second Shutout Against No. 4 Minnesota
12/7/2024 9:32:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Cameron Korpi's strong play carried over from Friday, stopping 35 of 36 the shots he faced.
» The Michigan penalty kill unit finished the night at 5-for-6 against a talented Minnesota group.
» U-M was shut out in consecutive games for the first time since the 1942-43 season.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- A strong defensive effort kept the sixth-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team off the scoreboard for the second straight night, as the Wolverines dropped a 2-0 decision to fourth-ranked Minnesota on Saturday evening (Dec. 7) at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
One night after entering in relief to stop every shot that he faced in the third period and mitigate the damage, freshman goaltender Cameron Korpi started in the blue paint. The netminder starred for the Wolverines, making 35 saves on 36 shots that he faced from a potent Minnesota attack to set a new career high in saves despite shouldering the loss.
Special teams received an early spotlight when the Golden Gophers were whistled for tripping less than one minute into the contest. Michigan's power-play unit compiled an impressive stretch of offensive-zone possession time but failed to notch an early marker before the game returned to even strength.
Michigan (10-5-1, 4-2-0 Big Ten) put together a strong start to flip the script from Friday night. The Wolverines carried the play for the first six minutes of the game, racking up eight shots on goal compared to just one for Minnesota. Meanwhile, the Wolverines continued their impressive performance in the faceoff dot to win seven of the first 10 draws.
The Gophers (15-2-1, 8-0-0 Big Ten) embarked on their first power play at 12:54 following the period's media timeout. Senior defenseman Ethan Edwards was tagged with a minor penalty for elbowing to create the opportunity for the home team and activate Michigan's penalty-kill unit.
A post-whistle scrum in front of the Michigan crease at 14:13 resulted in a lengthy stoppage after penalties were assessed to two Wolverines in addition to one Gopher. Following an official review, U-M blueliner Tyler Duke's infraction was upgraded to a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct.
The home team started a long stretch of power-play time with a two-skater advantage, but U-M dismissed that initial threat to drop it to a single-skater disadvantage. Korpi was the group's best penalty killer as they worked to keep the game scoreless, but the Gophers struck at 17:08 to open the scoring on the power play with a goal through traffic from the point.
After one period of play, Minnesota rode a surge of special teams time to a 1-0 lead and a 16-11 advantage in shots on goal. The Wolverines wrapped the frame with an 11-7 edge in the faceoff dot after successfully limiting the damage from a slew of first-period penalties.
The Gophers power play returned to the ice at 1:54 when Hunter Hady was called for slashing while defending in the Michigan zone. The penalty killers held Minnesota to just two shots on goal before play returned to full strength with the deficit still at one.
Near the midway point, Kienan Draper put a dangerous shot on goal after dashing into the offensive zone on the left flank, but his attempt was turned aside by a quick leg save.
Moments after Christian Humphreys was taken down by a Gopher to neutralize an opportunity for a breakaway, fellow Wolverine forward Nick Moldenhauer was boarded in the corner to earn a power play for U-M at 16:39.
Nothing came from Michigan's power play before the teams resumed 5-on-5 play two minutes later.
Following a quieter second period, Minnesota maintained its 1-0 lead and owned a 24-17 edge in shots on goal. U-M owned a narrow 20-19 lead in faceoffs, but the team was still searching for its first goal of the weekend.
The Gophers power-play unit was welcomed back onto the ice for their fifth opportunity after Mark Estapa was banished to the box for holding at 7:11 of the third period. A late shot rang off the post, but the U-M penalty killers dismissed the chance to preserve the one-goal deficit.
Korpi continued to be a bright spot for the Wolverines, as a dazzling glove save with a bit over three minutes left in regulation preserved the one-goal deficit while the Wolverines continued to search for an equalizer.
Down on the other end of the ice with just over two minutes remaining, the Wolverines created one of their best chances of the night but failed to finish off a series of attempts from close range.
With Michigan's cage empty in favor of an extra skater, the Gophers iced the puck with 45.2 seconds left to give head coach Brandon Naurato a chance to call the team's timeout and draw up a plan.
Minnesota scored an empty-net goal with 11.5 seconds left to ice the game at 2-0. After the goal, Evan Werner was sent off with a major penalty for cross-checking to force the Wolverines to finish out regulation shorthanded.
Minnesota ended the night with a 37-22 lead in shots on goal as well as a 33-27 edge in the faceoff dot. Korpi's 35-save effort marked the most prolific outing of his young career, as his season save percentage improved to .912 following the high-volume weekend.
The second consecutive shutout loss marked the first time that Michigan has been shut out in back-to-back games since the team was blanked in four straight to end the 1942-43 season.
Next weekend, Michigan welcomes Wisconsin to Yost Ice Arena for a two-game series on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 13-14) to close out the first half of the season.
