CLICK HERE for game Recap from Kristy McNeil and other pertinent information and HERE for current Pairwise Rankings.

Setting The Stage: The #8 Wolverines (5-4-1) host the #6 Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-3-1) in a two game set this weekend in their first meeting since Michigan defeated the Gophers 4-3 to win the Big 10 Tournament Championship last March. Both teams have gotten off to slow starts in Big 10 Conference play this season, so this two game series is sure to bring some late season intensity to it. Michigan’s depth will be tested this weekend with the announcement earlier in the week that Jackson Hallum was done with a season ending knee injury and Steven Holtz is on the shelf for at least Friday’s game with what appears to be a knee injury. The Wolverines have dressed freshman Josh Orrico as the 6th defenseman and have listed Grad forward Chase Pletzke as the 7th defenseman for this game.

The Battle: With the reigning Hobey Baker winner, Adam Fantilli, in the house to drop the ceremonial first puck the Wolverines lit the lamp just 1:37 into the first period with a goal by Frank Nazar III as he knocked in a rebound for his 5th of the season from a point shot by Marshall Warren. Minnesota responded just under 2 minutes later to tie the game and the teams finished the first period tied at 1. In the second period, Michigan’s potent powerplay went to work scoring on their first two chances to open up a 3-1 lead by the mid-way mark of the period. The game looked to be well in hand until a defensive lapse allowed Minnesota to score with 1.5 seconds left in the period to cut the lead to 3-2 after two periods. In the third period, despite outshooting Minnesota 12-7 the Golden Gophers managed to cash in on a couple of offensive chances to score twice and skate away with a 4-3 victory.

[AFTER THE JUMP: Breakdown]

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

             (Dylan Duke in ‘Close’ – Bill Rapai)

Forward Notes:

Michigan did an excellent job in the faceoff circle throughout the game, which gave them the puck possession which allowed them to spend a good amount of the game in the offensive zone, but unfortunately they spent most of it on the perimeter and didn’t generate a lot of scoring chances from the high danger areas. Michigan’s top 2 lines of Nazar III centering Schifsky on the left and Eernisse on the right and Brindley centering Dylan Duke on the left and McGroarty on the right wing provided consistent offensive zone time for the Wolverines throughout the game with Nazar III scoring the team’s only 5 on 5 goal of the night. The cycling game was good and they did a decent job of creating some scoring chances, but on too many occasions they were ‘one and done’ after getting off a shot. Their ability to fight through Minnesota’s defense to get those second chance opportunities was thwarted most of the night, and other than Dylan Duke and Josh Eernisse, the desire to fight through the tough area in front of net, especially late in the game, just wasn’t there. The 3rd line with Hughes centering Lapointe on the left and Moldenhauer on the right rarely made an offensive impact, in fact as a unit they didn’t see much ice time in the 3rd period. The 4th line started off with Estapa centering Tanner Rowe on the left and Kienan Draper on the right but that changed in the 2nd after Estapa received a 5 minute penalty for Head Contact which also game with a Game Misconduct. His ejection had the coaching staff move Pletzke back up to that line to help fill the void. Their unit didn’t see a lot of ice time, and barely saw the ice in the 3rd.

Michigan Faceoff Statistics

    (Tight coverage from Luka Fantilli – Bill Rapai)

Defense Notes:

This looked to be a tough night for the defense before the puck even dropped when the lineup sheet had Steven Holtz name missing and Josh Orrico listed as the 6th defenseman and forward Chase Pletzke listed as the 7th defenseman. In all fairness to Orrico and Pletzke, neither was on the ice for any of the 4 goals that Minnesota scored but it was evident that the blueline was suffering from the lack of depth. The pair of Truscott and Warren are still getting used to each other and had their hands full when they lined up against Minnesota’s top line of Nelson, Nevers and Bodzinski who play a heavy game down low but overall did a good job as a unit. The trouble for the defense started in the 2nd half of the 2nd period and extended into the 3rd when after moving Pletzke back up front, they essentially went with a 5 man rotation and the lack of familiarity cost them in goal at the end of the 2nd and the two goals in the 3rd.

     (Scoring on the Power Play – Bill Rapai)

Special Teams:

Power Play: The only problem with the power play tonight was that they didn’t get more opportunities. What makes it so dangerous is that every player on the ice for Michigan is a threat to score from any position in the zone. When you add that to their ability to snap the puck around the box and through the seams it’s no surprise they have one of the top power plays in the country.

Penalty Kill: After being shredded last week by Wisconsin, the penalty kill was perfect tonight against Minnesota, including killing off a 5 minute penalty in the 2nd period where they only gave up 2 shots. Excellent positioning, quick sticks and good read and reaction to when to attack the puck when a Gopher player had mishandled it highlighted the penalty killers body of work tonight.

     (Barczewski closing the door – Bill Rapai)

Goaltending Notes:

As a Michigan fan, you would have liked to have seen a miraculous save on one of the goals against, but it is really hard to fault Barczewski for any of the 4 goals he surrendered tonight as they were all scored within 5 feet of the crease by a player who was left wide open. Aside from the goals against, Barczewski faced 14 other shots from the ‘House’ that he stopped and a number of those were second chance opportunities. Minnesota is a team that likes to forecheck hard below the goal line and get pucks to the front of the net quickly.

Final Thoughts:

Even though it’s still only November, Michigan is in a spot where they need to pull out a win on Saturday. The best way for them to do that is by generating offense and their best offense comes from the power play. To get on their power play they need to play fast and they need their forwards to go to the tough areas of the ice and force Minnesota to have to take penalties to slow them down. It’s no secret that Michigan’s defense, especially if Holtz is out again on Saturday, is not very strong right now but if they can play the game in the offensive zone as much as possible, they can beat the Gophers.

Next Game:

Saturday November 11 vs Minnesota – 7pm at Yost Arena