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

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

Forward Notes.

-Mel Pearson took his three best forwards and put them all on the same line. So far, it is completely working out for the best. The line is a terror each time they step on the ice. While it might better if they shot a bit more instead of trying to create silky goals,  They still tallied twice tonight. Brisson buried a loose puck around the net to open the scoring. Matty Beniers doubled the lead early in the second after a sweet dish from Brisson. Alex called this line a buzzsaw. Very apropos.

-Dylan Duke had a great shift late in the second period. He forced a DZTO coming up from the blue line. After that he got to the net and received a great diagonal from Nick Blankenburg. While Murray was able to stone him on his initial attempt, Duke grabbed the rebound and roofed it, making it 3-0, and all but ending the game early. Duke has been up and down at times, but he’s starting to string together some nice games. If he can start finishing a little more, that line with Jimmy Lambert and Luke Morgan will be all the more dangerous.

-Michigan just looked much faster than UMass all weekend. They were able to make up some spacing gaps a number of times. Their speed also forced a ton of DZTOs from the Minutemen, creating quick offense.

-Matt Murray was awesome. Michigan could have pushed close to ten goals if not for his impressive performance.

Defense Notes.

-We’ll see what happens with Jacob Truscott (he didn’t dress again on Sunday) and Steve Holtz (presumed injury), but these pairings worked well this weekend and should going forward as well. Moving Nick Blankenburg to the second pair with Luke Hughes looks like a great decision. Keaton Pehrson has played well with Owen Power, as well…despite this not being Power’s best game in the defensive end. Jack Summers also looked very playable and fits nicely with Ethan Edwards. Pretty sound defensive performance all weekend.

-Ethan Edwards had another nice performance. He made a couple good 1v1 defensive shutdowns in the defensive zone. He also has improved his puck management. Another step forward.

-Without Bordeleau again, the Wolverines really need some offensive creation from their back end. They do have a puck-mover on each pairing…and we continue to see the defense jumping up and creating opportunities. In the last few games, they’ve done that while still staying pretty sound defensively. It’s a fine line to walk, and we’ll see how it continues to develop.

This chance was at even strength, but still a snipe from Beniers (James Coller)

SPECIAL TEAMS CHART

Power Play. Michigan’s first power play yielded one nice look from the BrissonDot…and then the Wolverines could barely get the puck in the zone. On their second opportunity, the Wolverines could have score multiple goals if not for the sorcery of Matt Murray. They moved the puck well got multiple open chances from dangerous areas. By the time they got their fourth chance, the game was all but over, and they used it to mostly shorten the game by two minutes. On their last advantage, the Wolverines gave up an even man rush goal after Hughes couldn’t control the puck after a faceoff. Overall, their numbers and chances looked good. Still…Michigan’s Jekyll and Hyde Power Play remains just that.

Penalty Kill. Michigan looked very good killing the first and third advantages for the Minutemen. They barely allowed UMass to set up or get very good looks. During the second opportunity, Erik Portillo shone brightly. He made four of his six saves at that time. It took the rest of the killers most of the full two minutes to get a clear. All in all, though, a pretty solid night when they were down a man.

Erik Portillo held strong until the game was no longer in doubt (James Coller)

GOALTENDING CHART

Notes. Erik Portillo had a brilliant start to the game on Sunday. He made a handful of save from dangerous areas, giving away no rebounds, as well. He stood strong through a long power play in the second period, too, making a 3-4 more tough saves from short range and with a screen. While he didn’t have too much to do for most of the third, UMass did tally a couple goals late. The first was an even rush that Trivigno beat Hughes to a puck and went far post. Ryan Ufko found the top corner late to make the score a tad closer. There was not a whole lot he could do with either of those. Perhaps not the end he wanted, but still a good game and weekend, overall.

ODD MAN RUSH CHART

Notes. It took Michigan a period to get going, but they created three 2v1s in the second period. Unfortunately for them, Matt Murray was equal to all of their chances that were on frame…including a big stop on KJ on the PP.

Michigan did not give up an OMR all weekend. Clearly, they were faster and therefore able to make up an space advantage, but they really didn’t get out of position very often at all, either.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Once again, Michigan was extremely dominant in the offensive end forcing Matt Murray to have an personal-best night to just keep the score semi-close. The defense softened a little bit, late in the third, making the score not quite as reflective of the game overall.
This was exactly how the Wolverines needed to start their second half: sweeping a top ten program and completely looking the part. On top of all of that, they did not give up an odd man rush all weekend. They will host a struggling Penn State team at Yost, next Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and 7:00PM respectively.