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

What just happened (TL;DR): Michigan lead from start to finish, scoring in every frame. Dylan Duke tallied at even strength and on the penalty kill. Garrett Schifsky and Gavin Brindley both found the net on the power play. Notre Dame got an off game from elite goaltender Ryan Bischel, and the Wolverines took advantage. Jacob Barczewski tallied his second shutout of the season recording 22 saves. Very positive performance from in all areas of the ice.

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

Forward Notes.

-After the first 12 or so minutes, Michigan turned it on and never really stopped. They got to all areas of the offensive zone and challenged Ryan Bischel and Irish defense all night. While the only goal was a Dylan Duke unscreened shot off a faceoff –that Bischel just whiffed- the Wolverines generated plenty of good looks that did not go into the net. Regardless, they did win the even strength battle on Friday night.

-Brandon Naurato finally broke up the Hero Line, moving Gavin Brindley down with TJ Hughes and Dylan Duke. Garrett Schifsky slid up with Frank Nazar and Rutger McGroarty. Pairing Schifsky and Nazar together again will probably work out down the stretch. Giving Duke a creator like Brindley should be fun, as well. Neither line looked unstoppable, but both grew as the game developed.

-Kienan Draper played after missing the Penn State series. I had previously heard that he could be out for a while, but that was clearly not the case. I think Michigan is better with him in the lineup. He hasn’t scored a ton, but he’s developed as a player and has been a part of Michigan’s increased success on the penalty kill.

Defense Notes.

-Once again, when Michigan’s defense plays well, they tend to keep pucks out of their net. After a bit of a slop-fest (from both teams, all over the ice) in the first period, Michigan’s defense locked down the game in the second and third periods. (Spoiler: the OMRs were all on Wolverine power plays). Notre Dame is far from an offensive juggernaut, but mostly keeping the House clean –at the net as well- is something to be proud of this season.

-Again, there was not a guy that stood out either super positively or negatively on the defense corp. And I think that’s a good thing, right now. Just getting consistency up and down the lineup, not having to hide pairings of clench up when certain guys are on the ice is a solid takeaway. Let’s see if they can do it on back to back nights, now.

Dylan Duke Shorthanded Menace (Bill Rapai)

SPECIAL TEAMS CHART

Power Play. Michigan’s power play explodes, again. Not only did they fill the net twice, they created chances and shots aplenty. Both of their goals we both beautiful sequences. Nick Moldenhauer sent a pass from the boards low to Mark Estapa who first timed it up to Garrett Schifsky. Schifsky buried the one-timer from the slot to give Michigan a 3-0 lead. Late in the game Gavin Brindley finished a tap-in after quick passes from Seamus Casey and Rutger McGroarty. Beautiful work.

Penalty Kill. One thing is for sure: Michigan’s penalty kill has improved drastically in 2024. For the second straight weekend, Dylan Duke ripped an opponent at the blue line, skated in alone, and finished a shorthanded goal. This time, he beat Ryan Bischel five hole. When not scoring shorthanded goals, the Wolverine PK is also keeping pucks out of their own net…and off of their netminder. What once was their biggest weakness is starting to become a strength.

Shutout #2 for Jacob Barczewski (Bill Rapai)

GOALTENDING CHART

Notes. Jake Barczewski started in net on Friday night. He saved 22 shots, and recorded his second shutout of the season. For the first couple of period, Jake wasn’t too busy. He did, however, have to come to life in the third period, when Michigan started ceding OMRs like crazy. Barczewski stoned Landon Slaggert on a penalty shot for his capper of the evening. He was also the benefactor of a couple of posts, as well. Sometimes, it’s your night. Tonight was his. Once again, when the defense plays well around him, Jacob Barczewski matches seems to clean up everything else.

ODD MAN RUSH CHART

Notes. Michigan was doing well in transition, keeping Irish skaters in front of them…until the third period when they gave up multiple, ALL on the power play! The post kept Landon Slaggert’s first breakaway out of the net. Seamus Casey tackled Slaggert from behind on his second breakaway, giving Landon a third breakaway on a penalty shot. Jake Barczewski saved that one. Maybe just stay off the power play? Lol.

The Wolverines generated multiple chances in transition, as well. Ryan Bischel denied Josh Eernisse in the first period. He also stopped Philippe Lapointe’s chance in front on a 2v1. Michigan collected a couple more chances, but neither resulted in a shot on goal.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Michigan played encouragingly well on Friday night. The problem is, I basically wrote that after the MSU series, Wisconsin series, OSU series, and PSU series. Each of those series resulted in a loss on Saturday after a less than stellar performance (except for OSU). The question is not “Can Michigan play like a #1 Seed?.” It is “Can they string together #1 Seed performance?” So far, the answer is an emphatic No. A one seed is off the table. Other solid achievements are still in play, if they can mature and carry quality play through a full weekend. We can find out Saturday night at 6:30pm on BTN.