Michigan
16-4-0, 7-3-0
Michigan State
12-4-0, 5-3-0
Michigan Settles for Split With No. 3 MSU in Setback at Yost
12/6/2025 11:00:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Will Horcoff notched his NCAA-leading 19th goal of the season, his eighth on the power play.
» T.J. Hughes and Michael Hage collected assists; Hughes reached 150 career points on the play.
» Jack Ivankovic registered 30 saves on 33 shots from the Spartans offense.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Dreams of a rivalry weekend sweep were dashed for the top-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team on Saturday evening (Dec. 6), as the Wolverines dropped a tightly contested 3-1 decision to No. 3-ranked Michigan State to settle for a home-and-home split as they enter an extended winter break.
The teams traded power-play chances in the first half of the opening period after taking turns in the box for tripping penalties. Neither team converted on their initial try, but Michigan (16-4-0, 7-3-0 Big Ten) took full advantage of its second attempt after a Spartan forward was banished for slashing at the 12-minute mark.
Just 17 seconds after the penalty was called, sophomore Will Horcoff opened the scoring with his NCAA-best 19th goal of the season, his eighth on the man-advantage. His linemate, Michael Hage, created the opportunity by driving into the slot before curling a pass behind his back for Horcoff. Just as the puck reached his blade, the forward maneuvered to his left and deposited a pinpoint shot in the top corner of the net to give Michigan a 1-0 lead.
Captain T.J. Hughes earned the secondary assist on the play for corralling the puck in the neutral zone and kick-starting the rush. That assist marked Hughes' 150th career point, becoming just the 39th Wolverine to reach the mark and first since Carl Hagelin in 2011.
U-M carried a 1-0 lead up the stairs to the dressing room after a scattering of post-whistle confrontations slowed the final minutes of the opening frame. MSU owned a massive 17-4 advantage in shots on goal, but the teams were deadlocked at eight faceoff wins apiece.
Michigan State (12-4-0, 5-3-0 Big Ten) was called for cross-checking at 7:47 to reactivate Michigan's power-play unit. The officials reviewed the play, but chose to leave it as a minor penalty. The Wolverines came within inches of a second tally toward the end of the advantage, but the Spartans netminder made an outstanding save on a dangerous attempt from Horcoff to keep the margin at one goal.
The Spartans finally broke the seal with their first goal of the weekend with 1:16 left in the period to end Ivankovic's shutout streak as it approached 110 minutes. They earned the game-tying goal by crashing the net to bang home a rebound opportunity.
After 40 minutes of rivalry action, Michigan and MSU were tied 1-1. The visitors owned a 25-18 lead in shots on goal after carrying the play to close out the second period, but U-M had pulled ahead 19-13 in the faceoff dot.
Michigan State earned its first lead of the weekend at 1:44 when the first goal scorer slipped a second shot through the five-hole to pull the Spartans ahead 2-1.
U-M searched for an equalizer as the minutes ticked away. A pair of juniors nearly connected to tie the game following a clever cross-crease feed from Jayden Perron onto the stick of Nick Moldenhauer, but the junior's subsequent backhand attempt soared wide of the net.
Freshman goaltender Jack Ivankovic turned in another strong performance for the Wolverines, as he made 30 saves on 32 shots faced before the Spartans tacked on an empty-net goal in the closing minutes to put the game on ice.
The Spartans finished the contest with a 33-31 advantage in shots on goal, while Michigan finished the evening with a 28-24 edge in faceoffs and the game's lone power-play goal.
The Wolverines finished out the first half of the season with a 16-4 record, the program's best through 20 games since the 2007-08 squad began 18-2.
Michigan heads off for winter break before returning for the second half of the season with an exhibition against the United States National Team Development Program's U-18 team at Yost Ice Arena. The Saturday evening (Jan. 3) contest will be streamed live on B1G+, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.
