CLICK HERE for Game Recap from Kristy McNeil and other pertinent information.

What just happened (TL;DR): Michigan started slow and sloppy, finding themselves down 2-0. Towards the end of the first, they started to gain some momentum, scoring one before intermission. In the second, they came out flying and rattled off five goals in less than eight minutes. The sloppiness returned, forcing them to hold on into the late third, before finally finishing it 7-4. Opponent caveats, the offense looked strong, while the defense and goaltending left a bit to be desired at times.

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

Forward Notes.

-Michigan dominated attempts in the offensive zone; they just swarmed Lindenwood, especially after the opening 10-15 minutes. They look like they will be able to create plenty of chances. Obviously, there are opponent caveats to be considered, but holy fish these numbers are ridiculous.

-We’ll see how the lines pan out once Nazar returns. Mackie and Fantilli are going to be awesome to watch all year. Gavin Brindley looked fun tonight, too. Jackson Hallum is super fast and looked like he was trying to make plays for others, too. Eric Ciccolini got a goal, which was awesome after missing last year. Rutger McGroarty is going to be good, especially around the net. We’ll see who can get back and play some defense, though.

Defense Notes.

-Oof. Numbers-wise, they were mostly fine…aside from the House Shots Allowed. However, there were a number of just very goofy turnovers and sloppy plays, especially in their own zone. All of the goals could have been cleaned up with better defense. There is plenty to figure out on the backend.

-Jay Keranen played a lot more than I was expecting, especially on the penalty kill. Seamus Casey looks fun going forward, but he has some work to do in his own zone. Steve Holtz was good and times and awful at other times. Luke Hughes looked like he was pressing offensively. In the press box, we debated about who Michigan will go to in Shutdown Times. My first thought might be Truscott and Pehrson. We’ll see.

Jackson Hallum finished his first goal on the power play (Bill Rapai)

SPECIAL TEAMS CHART

Power Play. The Wolverine power play looked the part on Friday, moving the puck all over the offensive zone and creating infinite chances. Jackson Hallum tallied the first goal of his career on a rebound from the side of the crease to get the Wolverines on the board. Mackie Samoskevich poked in a rebound after Dylan Duke got the puck on net to give Michigan their first lead of the season. The top unit of Mackie, Adam Fantilli, Duke, Luke Hughes, and Rutger McGroarty were very good when on the ice. That group should be really fun to watch.

Penalty Kill. Michigan looked good on their first few kills, mostly controlling the puck and not putting very much on their goalie. Mark Estapa and Nolan Moyle were the first forwards out and dominated after a few seconds of silliness. The rest of the unit followed suit and the Wolverines were never in too much danger…until their third Kill. The Wolverines surrendered a dangerous shot from inside the right dot that Portillo deflected into the slot. Ryan Finnegan capitalized on an open net rebound that brought the game within a couple of goals. Overall, the Wolverines were fine outside of poor chances, but giving up four advantages is not great, either. Plenty to fix for Game 2 on Saturday night.

A bit of a floppy, scrambling performance from the Big Swede (Bill Rapai)

GOALTENDING CHART

Notes. This wasn’t one of Erik Portillo’s better games. He looked a little lost on a few chances/covers and gave up a handful of juicy rebounds. To his credit, though, he also made some very strong saves from dangerous chances…especially while the game was tight in the first period. He looked like he had a chance to freeze the puck on the third goal, but never got on top of it. Portillo also deflected a big rebound into the slot on the fourth goal. While his defense around his didn’t do him many favors, Erik definitely has some stuff to clean up tomorrow night.

First 2v1 of the season is the first goal of the season (Bill Rapai) 

ODD MAN RUSH CHART

Notes. Michigan gives up first OMR of the season…and it’s first goal of the season. Not a great start! Keaton Pehrson was back on a 2v1, and, he couldn’t have played it much worse. He took neither the pass or shot, and David Gagnon beat Portillo after a nice cross pass from Ryan Finnegan. The Wolverines also surrendered a 3v2 that Portillo had to come diving out to disrupt. Both were in the first period, though, so we’ll give them a First Period Of The Season Pass…

Michigan created a few OMRs, themselves. Fantilli and Samoskevich almost finished a beautiful 2v1. Luke Hughes also had a chance on a 3v2. Fantilli and Samo almost had another golden chance, but Mackie couldn’t get the pass across.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was a wonky, scoring-fun filled game that was dominated by Michigan statistically. They fell flat a couple of times and looked utterly dominant for long stretches. After the first period, Portillo only faced 11 shots. Wow. The problem was that a lot of those were very dangerous looks. I think we saw the best and worst from Michigan tonight. I expect much to be cleaned up tomorrow and going forward, though. Saturday at 7pm.