Michigan
20-4-0, 11-3-0
Minnesota
8-14-1, 4-8-0
No. 1 Michigan Earns First Road Sweep at Minnesota Since 2018
1/17/2026 10:35:00 PM | Ice Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Junior Jayden Perron capitalized on a turnover to score the game-winning goal in overtime, as the No. 1-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team sealed a 3-2 victory and completed a weekend series sweep of Minnesota at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Perron collected the puck at the Minnesota (8-14-1, 4-8-0 Big Ten) blue line and walked in before beating the netminder with a quick release at 2:08 of overtime to give Michigan (20-4-0, 11-3-0 Big Ten) its first road sweep of the Gophers since Jan. 12-13, 2018.
Michigan took an early 1-0 lead before Minnesota answered with back-to-back power-play goals in the second period. Captain T.J. Hughes netted an unassisted marker in the waning minutes of the middle frame, and the game was settled in 3-on-3 overtime.
Freshman goaltender Stephen Peck made his second straight start for the Wolverines and delivered his busiest performance of the season, stopping 26 of 28 shots against a desperate Golden Gopher attack. Peck improved to 3-0 on the year.
Michigan opened the scoring before Minnesota recorded a shot on goal for the second straight night. Pressing early in search of the series sweep, the Wolverines executed a picturesque passing play that cracked the defensive structure and placed the puck on a platter for Garrett Schifsky, who buried the chance from the top of the crease to make it 1-0 at 5:54. Senior Tyler Duke earned the primary assist by threading a pass from the side of the net, while Kienan Draper collected the secondary helper after making an intelligent play on the re-entry to move the puck to Duke before absorbing a hit in the middle of the offensive zone.
Minnesota was whistled for the game's first penalty, giving Michigan an early power-play opportunity. The Wolverines maintained possession for extended stretches and peppered the Minnesota net with shots, but the Gopher netminder made a series of stops to force a return to even strength.
Momentum never waned for Michigan, which carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission along with commanding advantages in shots on goal (15-3) and faceoffs (11-7).
Early in the second period, freshman defenseman Asher Barnett rang a shot off the post before Michigan was sent off for hooking at 4:31, giving Minnesota its first power-play chance of the night. Peck made a number of exceptional saves, but a loose puck in the blue paint was eventually poked across the goal line by the Gophers' captain at 5:43 to tie the game.
Minnesota took its first lead of the weekend at 8:14 with another power-play goal, marking all three of the Gophers' goals through four-plus periods of play as man-advantage tallies.
With the Wolverines in need of an equalizer, Hughes stepped up. The captain broke into the offensive zone and zipped a low strike past the netminder with 1:04 remaining in the period to even the score at 2-2.
The goal was Hughes' 58th as a Wolverine, moving him into a tie for 32nd place on the program's all-time scoring list alongside Bill MacFarland and Gord Wilkie. All three now sit at 156 career points in maize and blue.
Michigan headed into the second intermission tied at 2-2, holding advantages in shots on goal (29-23) and faceoff wins (21-18), though the home team turned in its strongest period of the weekend.
Back for the final period, Michigan turned the pressure back up following a lull in the middle frame. The Wolverines were credited with the first eight shots on goal, and it took more than eight minutes for Minnesota to register an attempt, a weak trickler that Peck covered to summon a media timeout.
Freshman centerman Cole McKinney was whistled for tripping behind the U-M net, but a stout penalty-killing effort helped Michigan kill off an infraction for the first time in three chances.
Michigan continued to carry the play at even strength, building a 10-2 shot advantage in the period and generating countless high-pressure chances as Minnesota iced the puck repeatedly to relieve the pressure. The Gophers called timeout with 8:07 remaining as the Wolverines continued to funnel dangerous looks toward the net.
For the second night in a row, the shot counter became increasingly lopsided. Michigan pumped 16 shots on goal in the third period alone but was unable to find a go-ahead tally in regulation.
The game headed to overtime tied at 2-2. Michigan carried a commanding 45-27 advantage in shots on goal and a 31-27 edge in the faceoff circle, but strong goaltending and a handful of frustrating bounces kept the puck out late in regulation.
Perron ended the contest early in the extra session, and Michigan finished the night with a 48-28 advantage in shots on goal and a 32-28 edge in faceoffs. With the overtime win, the Wolverines secured five of six points from the series and remained firmly entrenched in first place in the Big Ten standings.
Michigan will have next weekend off before traveling to Columbus for a two-game series against Ohio State on Jan. 30-31. Friday's contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by a 5 p.m. ET puck drop on Saturday. Both games will be streamed live on B1G+.
