Michigan
19-4-0, 10-3-0
Minnesota
8-13-1, 4-7-0
No. 1 Michigan Roars Past Minnesota in Series-Opening Road Win
1/16/2026 11:23:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Stephen Peck stopped 17 of 18 shots to earn a win in his first collegiate start.
» Five different Wolverines found the back of the net; in total, 11 Wolverines recorded a point.
» Michigan outshot the Gophers 52-18 and dominated the faceoff dot (37-24).
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Two of college hockey's bluest bloods faced off in the Twin Cities on Friday night (Jan. 16), as the No. 1-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team stormed out the gate to overwhelm Minnesota 5-1 at 3M Arena at Mariucci and open the weekend series on a winning note in pursuit of the Mariucci-Renfrew Trophy.
With his classmate injured, freshman goaltender Stephen Peck stepped into the spotlight for his first collegiate start. He was up to the task, as he made 17 saves on 18 shots faced to earn the win.
Michigan (19-4-0, 10-3-0 Big Ten) roared out of the gate to start the contest, as the Wolverines were responsible for the first 10 shots on goal. With the Gophers still searching for footing, defenseman Tyler Duke worked a shot through traffic to cap off a pressure-laden start and dent the twine to open the scoring at 5:14. A pair of freshmen, Cole McKinney and Adam Valentini, collected the assists on the first marker of Duke's senior campaign.
Later in the frame with Minnesota (8-13-1, 4-7-0 Big Ten) on its heels, Duke was sent off for cross checking to grant the home team a major opportunity. As they neared the end of their two-minute opportunity, the Gophers finished off a rebound to tie the game with 1:27 remaining in the frame despite a number of impressive stops from a sprawling Peck.
The Wolverines finished up a dominant first period with a 16-7 advantage in shots on goal, but the game was tied after 20 minutes. U-M also owned a slight 11-9 edge in the faceoff dot.
Michigan killed off a pair of minor penalties in the second period before unleashing its offensive attack for a two-goal spurt over a 20-second span. Michael Hage started the fun by sniping a shot past the Gopher netminder at 9:03 to make it 2-1 following an impressive display of poise from freshman defender Drew Schock, who withstood pressure in the neutral zone to fit a pass into a narrow window and spring Hage for the chance in transition.
Twenty seconds later, junior Jayden Perron finished off a crafty play in proximity to the goalmouth to extend the lead to 3-1. The chance was created by freshman forward Malcolm Spence, who intercepted a pass behind the Gophers net before spinning a quick pass out to Perron atop the crease.
After two periods of conference action, Michigan carried a two-goal lead into the dressing room as well as a 30-16 advantage in shots on goal and a 23-18 lead in the dot.
The Big Ten's reigning First Star of the Week, Nick Moldenhauer, slammed home a one-timer from below the left dot off a perfect pass from captain T.J. Hughes, to bump the lead up to 4-1 at 6:42 of the third period. Freshman defenseman Asher Barnett earned the secondary helper for his 10th assist of the year.
Hage was hooked to the ice in the offensive zone with 6:13 left in regulation to earn a third power play for the Wolverines. With the top unit on the ice, a rocket of a shot from Will Horcoff deflected off Hughes in the slot. Hughes had attempted, and failed, to jump out of Horcoff's lane. Instead, the puck bounced off Hughes, onto the ice, and into the net to increase Michigan's lead to 5-1.
The Wolverines skated out the remainder of a dominant effort before mobbing Peck in celebration of a successful first start. His teammates aided him all night by possessing the puck and applying pressure in the Minnesota end. In total, Michigan finished with a massive 52-18 advantage in shots on goal as well as a 37-24 gulf in faceoff wins.
On Saturday night (Jan. 17), the conference foes will finish out the series at Mariucci. The weekend finale is set to begin at 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be streamed live on B1G+.
