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

What just happened (TL;DR): After an absolute debacle of a game on Friday (and first twenty seconds), Michigan matched and outplayed Ohio State across the board. They got big goals from Jacob Truscott and Gavin Brindley (both their second goals of the year. Mackie Samoskevich open the scoring and Rutger McGroarty closed the scoring…both with SNIPES. Erik Portillo also played one of his better games of the year. It could not have come at a better time for the Wolverines.

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

Forward Notes.

-Michigan’s second line played very well on Saturday night. Gavin Brindley was rewarded with his second goal of the year, but he was very good all game long. He struggled a bit in the first half of the season, but if Brindley plays more like this (and continues to bag a few more goals) that will go a long way of taking some much needed pressure off of the top line.

-Speaking of the top line, Mackie Samoskevich rescued the first period with a great shot inside the far post. Michigan gave up a goal in the first minute, and Mackie got them right back into it a few minutes later. Adam Fantilli wasn’t quite as noticeable as he’d been through most of the first half, but at the end of the day, he had a two point night. Dylan Duke had a great chance on a breakaway, early, but he couldn’t finish it.

Defense Notes.

-After the first 20 seconds where Luke Hughes had his pocket picked and Jacob Truscott deflected a poor angle shot into his net, Michigan defense was very strong for the remainder of the game. They mostly kept Ohio State out of the high danger areas (definitely relative to last night, anyway). They also were able to string quick passes together and not get stuck in their own end. That needed to happen after last night’s debacle.

-Jacob Truscott had a very nice game. He jammed home a goal along the post, beating Jakob Dobes. He also assisted on both Samoskevich’s goal and Brindley’s goal. On the defensive end, Truscott made a handful of nice plays around his net, including a couple big clears on the penalty kill. Honestly, aside from Ethan Edwards, who took a dumb contact to the head major penalty and received a game misconduct midway through the first period, every Michigan defenseman played very well on Saturday night.

Jacob Truscott making plays even on his belly (Bill Rapai)

SPECIAL TEAMS CHART

Power Play. Michigan got their first power play in the first period. They got a few looks, but nothing that was overly dangerous. The Wolverines didn’t get another one until there were about five minutes left. Luke Hughes looked like a top five pick: He juked a guy to the left, passed back to the right dot where Rutger McGroarty was waiting. Rutger fired a laser inside the near post, beating Jakob Dobes across the crease. That all but finished the game for the Wolverines. Some first round pick collaboration right there.

Penalty Kill. Michigan’s penalty kill definitely got better as the night progressed. Ohio State missed two open nets on their first opportunity, but after that, the Wolverines not only slammed the door, but they locked it, as well. The Buckeyes got two shots in their first two minutes and two more shots in their last six minutes. Michigan also killed off a major penalty. Nolan Moyle sliced to the net and drew a two minute call, helping make the kill only three minutes long. Michigan also took advantage of the 4v4 period by taking the lead. After getting absolutely shredded on Friday night, the Wolverines were much more organized on Saturday night, despite still taking four penalties including a major.

A perfect bounce-back effort from the Swede (Bill Rapai)

GOALTENDING CHART

Notes. Erik Portillo started in net after getting blitzkrieg’d on Friday. He had one of his finer games of the year. One of the things that Portillo has struggled with throughout this season has been tracking and catching shots up high. On Saturday, he seemed to see the puck a little clearer, evidenced by few glove shot drops. He also found and froze pucks a lot quicker. Portillo got unlucky on the first goal, as the shot from Thiesing came from a sharp angle and ricocheted off of Truscott’s leg. It looked like he didn’t get his pad down on the second goal in time. That was a tough play on a shot through traffic, though. In the end, Erik gave a great performance all around. Michigan is going to need more of those if their going to make a trek up the Big Ten standings.

ODD MAN RUSH CHART

Notes. Saturday night was a much more controlled night in transition. Ohio State got their only chance in the first period on a 2v1, but the shot went high over Portillo and the net. Michigan got their great chance very early, as Dylan Duke broke free and was in alone, but found the chest of Jakob Dobes.

FINAL THOUGHTS

After last night, I wasn’t sure what to expect. This is what needed to happen. Michigan needed to come out with more intensity and effort and changed a couple things in their own end. They did that for sure. Ohio State is a very good team. Splits are common this season in the Big Ten, aside from odd Sickness Series. Friday night wasn’t exactly erased, but I think we can come down off the cliffs regarding the program and the rest of the regular season. Big series in Minneapolis next week. A split should be fine. Both games are at 8PM EST. Friday on Bally Sports Detroit and Saturday on BTN.