Michigan
23-5-0, 14-4-0
Michigan State
22-6-0, 13-5-0
Michigan Settles for Split After Loss to No. 2 MSU at Duel in the D
2/7/2026 9:46:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Nick Moldenhauer scored for the third straight game to become the fifth Wolverine with 10 goals or more this season.
» Jayden Perron netted Michigan's first goal of the night after scoring the game-winning goal in OT on Friday.
» Michael Hage notched his 25th assist of the season, trailing only T.J. Hughes.
DETROIT, Mich. -- The Wolverines-Spartans rivalry detoured to Motown on Saturday night (Feb. 7) to finish off their regular-season series in the annual "Duel in the D," as the top-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team fell 5-2 to No. 2 Michigan State in front of more than 19,000 fans at Little Caesars Arena.
With the loss, U-M drops into second place by one point in the Big Ten standings.
Goaltender Jack Ivankovic returned to the blue paint to make his first start since being injured in a game on Jan. 10 at Yost Ice Arena. The freshman turned aside 32 of the 36 shots he faced from a high-powered Spartan offense while shouldering the loss.
Michigan State (22-6-0, 13-5-0 Big Ten) scored on its ninth shot of the night at 9:48 to take a 1-0 lead for the second night in a row. The Spartans found a trailer entering the U-M zone who tucked a shot past Ivankovic.
Michigan (23-5-0, 14-4-0 Big Ten) was forced onto the penalty kill at 15:09 when it was whistled for the first minor infraction while disrupting a scoring chance. Just over one minute later, MSU doubled its lead with 3:48 remaining in the opening frame off a crisp shot from the left dot that took advantage of a well-placed screen.
Freshman defenseman Asher Barnett laid a sizable hit in front of the U-M net with just over 90 seconds left to erase a chance for the opposition and provide a spark.
After one period in Detroit, Michigan State held a 2-0 lead, fueled by a 14-8 advantage in shots on goal and a successful conversion on the game's lone power play. Michigan continued its strong play in the faceoff dot, racking up an 11-8 edge.
MSU continued to carry the play to start the second period and generated a pair of goals in the first six minutes to break it open at 4-0.
The Wolverines embarked on their first power play of the night at 7:31, but it came and went without a much-needed marker. The teams continued to trade penalties as each carved a well-trodden path to the box, but neither altered the score until late in the period.
Junior forward Jayden Perron got Michigan on the board with 1:04 left when his effort to crash the net paid off as he flipped a rebound opportunity into the yawning cage with a backhanded shot from below the left dot, injecting a bit of energy into the U-M bench. Seniors Josh Eernisse and Tyler Duke recorded the assists on Perron's second goal of the weekend.
With 40 minutes in the books, Michigan trailed 4-1 in addition to lagging behind 25-17 in shots on goal. MSU also used a strong period in the dot to claim a 22-18 advantage in that category.
U-M dented the twine for the second time in a row at 5:01 after Luca Fantilli drove the center lane and sent a shot squarely off the right post. As the puck settled in the crease, junior Nick Moldenhauer swooped in from the corner to pound it across the line.
Michael Hage notched the secondary helper for finding Fantilli in the slot as the senior defenseman dashed toward the net-front area. With the tally, Moldenhauer extended his goal-scoring streak to three games.
The Wolverines continued to carry play in the third period; shots were 9-3 in Michigan's favor as the 12-minute mark came and went, with MSU often choosing to ice the puck and relieve pressure as needed.
Another power-play chance was earned by Garrett Schifsky in the neutral zone with 6:10 left, but the team failed to generate a tally. Michigan State added an empty-net goal at 17:10 to put the contest on ice and secure a weekend split.
The Spartans ended the night with the upper hand in shots on goal (37-27) and faceoffs (38-34) to deliver a regulation win as the in-state rivals continue to jockey for position atop the Big Ten standings.
Next week, Michigan hosts sixth-ranked Penn State in a pair of games on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 13-14) at Yost Ice Arena. Puck drop for the first contest is set for 6:30 p.m., while the weekend finale will start at 5 p.m. Friday's game will be streamed live on B1G+, and the second matchup will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network.
