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

What just happened (TL;DR): Jakob Dobes outplayed Erik Portillo in a bit of a back and forth affair. Michigan’s defense was a bit lost without Luke Hughes and Jacob Truscott. The Wolverines were tight for 35-40 minutes and then the wheels came off and were always chasing. Ohio State was much better on special teams, in net, and in their own end. They will take the three points, season tie-breaker, and control their own destiny for the Big Ten #2 seed next weekend in Minneapolis.

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

Forward Notes.

-Michigan created quite a few good looks throughout the afternoon, but Jakob Dobes was a wall of velcro, making saves and not giving any rebounds. Adam Fantilli hit the post early, a sign of things to come for the Wolverines offense…good chances, but just could not beat Dobes. Gavin Brindley finally did with a shot from distance through a screen that Dobes probably didn’t see to open Michigan’s scoring. Mackie Samoskevich has been a bit more inconsistent at even strength since being moved off of Adam Fantilli’s line. That will be a bullet point of note going forward. 

-Frank Nazar had a very nice entrance, dropped the puck to Jackson Hallum, who fired the puck from close range. Dobes finally gave up a rebound, and Eric Ciccolini grabbed the rebound and dunked it to bring Michigan back within one at 3-2. Nazar is starting to pop a little bit, creating more chances. That will also be something to keep an eye on next weekend against Notre Dame.

Defense Notes.

-Luke Hughes didn’t play Saturday afternoon after aggravating something in Thursday’s game. Michigan held their own for a while, but as the game wore on, the Wolverine defense wore down. Michigan hemorrhaged OMRs in the last couple of periods. They also struggled to clear the puck, breakout, or clear rebounds. Eventually, the Buckeyes were able to finish their chances.

-Casey looked a little better, moving well, and creating some offense. He didn’t score but the Wolverines need his puck movement and space creation. He had a couple of really good chances, but like the rest of the team, he just couldn’t beat Dobes…who remains the story of the game.

“Why do we keep playing outdoors?” (Alejandro Zuniga)

SPECIAL TEAMS CHART

Power Play. Michigan had a couple of really good power plays, especially early. Rutger McGroarty, unfortunately missed a wide open net from inside the dot. Seamus Casey also had a couple of really nice chances that were shut down by Dobes. As the game and power plays progressed, it seemed to get worse for the Wolverines. The vaunted Buckeye penalty kill got stronger and stronger. OSU forced a turnover and finished a poorly cleared 2v1 going the other way. No one cleared the original rebound and Tyler Duke hit the open net. Michigan now went 0/12 on the power play in the series.

Penalty Kill. The Wolverines killed their first four power plays pretty well. After that, it went downhill. They fell asleep on the fifth one, leaving Jake Wise alone in front of the net for a one-time chip. Stephen Halliday also banked in a poor angle shot off of Portillo in front on their sixth chance. Ohio State was always going to be favored in a special teams battle…and that’s what they got. They looked great on their power play and their penalty kill. Michigan needed a lot of 5v5 time. That did not happen.

GOALTENDING CHART

Notes. Erik Portillo had two different games. One before the break to fix the ice with 4:59 left in the second period…and a frustrating one after that. He played one of the best 35 minute stretches of the season, making plenty of good saves, including killing off a penalty basically on his own. This was the guy that Michigan wanted and needed all season. After the break…oof. Just not the same guy. The first goal was a 2v1 and a hard shot, but he saw it all the way and probably would like it back. The third goal…he just never recovered from his first save and fell over his stick trying to get back up? The fourth might have been some bad luck, but the shot went off his out-poked stick and went behind him. Not great. His defense didn’t help him out a ton, but Michigan needs a more complete performance in net.

ODD MAN RUSH CHART

Notes. One of the biggest stories of the game was the transition chances that Ohio State created. They got four in the second, scoring on two of them. Cole McWard beat Portillo on a 2v1 to open the scoring. They also added a back-breaker on a 2v1 on a Michigan power play. Portillo made the original save, but no one grabbed the rebound. It got to Tyler Duke at the top of the slot. He fired into the open net, as Portillo never fully positioned after his original save. The Buckeyes also got a couple of breakaways in the third period, but couldn’t add to their lead. It was obvious that they were hurting with no Luke Hughes or Jacob Truscott, but what a rough night in transition.

Michigan did not create a single OMR.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Michigan played pretty well for the first 35 minutes, but once the ice went to hell and the period break came a few minutes early, it was a different game. OSU came out on fire and Michigan took a penalty and started giving up goals. They added two more goals after the restart in the ensuing five minutes. Watching all four games between the teams, I think Ohio State is a better team. Obviously, Hughes being out had something to do with the last couple, but OSU pushed them around in three of the four games. Michigan is going to need a big weekend against ND next weekend…and some help from Minnesota. Friday at 7pm on BTN+.