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

What just happened (TL;DR): Not a whole lot for a period. Then, Michigan turned it UP. Unfortunately, Ryan Bischel was equal to pretty much everything. Drew Bavaro finally broke through on the power play. Rutger McGroarty answered in the third for Michigan. Both teams had chances to win in regulation, but it was not to be. Overtime, again. Ryan Bischel was still the player of the game, even after Bavaro scored his second goal in OT for the winner.

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

Forward Notes.

-LOL are you seeing those numbers? That’s INSANE. Michigan absolutely dominated the second and third period, but just could not get anything by Bischel until midway through the third period. It’s really hard to argue or be anything but just frustrated that Bischel had the game of his career. Sounds like Notre Dame at Yost, I guess.

-Michigan had 10 (!) different guys have at least five attempts (several had multiple more) on net at even strength. After Adam Fantilli was give 5 and a Game, Frank Nazar moved up to the top line with Rutger McGroarty and Gavin Brindley. They looked great. Michigan’s forward group looks like it should be shaping up nicely as the tournaments approach.

-I called out Mackie Samoskevich last night. He responded on Saturday. Mackie was creating a ton again, getting unlucky drawing some iron, early. Good bounce-back for him.

-Adam Fantilli a penalty, major and game misconduct. He was dangerous when he was playing (again), and Michigan just needs him to stay in the game at all costs.

Defense Notes.

-Luke Hughes was probably not 100%, but having him back on the ice sure changed this game for the Wolverines. His ability to rescue pucks and break out of his zone is just irreplaceable. He definitely did some things in the offensive end, as well, but shouldering big minutes corralling loose pucks were the biggest difference.

-Seamus Casey had a better night. He made a nice play down the boards, cutting to the net to set up Michigan’s lone goal. Ethan Edwards also had a pretty strong night, as well. Michigan’s in-zone defense overall was pretty solid all game.

-Luca Fantilli dressed, but didn’t play (as far as I could tell). I’m guessing that was just insurance for Luke Hughes being in his first game back. Naurato seemed to favor Steve Holtz. Holtz did some things well, but was also caught out of position leading to two of the Irish breakaways. Michigan definitely needs Jacob Truscott back for the NCAAs if they want to make another run.

A lot of this, but one good chance for the Irish (David Wilcomes)

SPECIAL TEAMS CHART

Power Play. Michigan’s power play was not a whole lot better than it was on Friday night. They struggled through their first couple of opportunities, not threatening at all. After Notre Dame’s major penalty, the Wolverines power play got better, finally generating chances and getting good scoring opportunities. Like at even strength though, they just could not beat the Red Hot Ryan Bischel.

Penalty Kill. The Wolverine penalty kill was really, really good on Saturday evening. Not only did they kill off a major (including drawing a call to shorten it), but they killed a couple without really giving up much zone time at all. Notre Dame got one decent look in the dying seconds of their last man advantage and Drew Bavaro unleashed a one-timer from straightaway that beat a screened Erik Portillo. So it goes.

Adam Fantilli and Jesse Lansdell both got called for majors and game misconducts on separate plays. I would argue that the game was not necessarily better off for either playing missing the rest of the game.

The one that got away (David Wilcomes)

GOALTENDING CHART

Notes. Erik Portillo didn’t have nearly as much to do as his counterpart Ryan Bischel, but he played just as well when he was called upon to do so. Portillo did a much better job with his recent bugaboos: dropping his stick, catching pucks, and leaving big rebounds. Michigan will need those trends to continue. Portillo was also nails in transition, making big saves on breakaways (including a nice poke-check). Portillo can also thank his posts, as they gave him favorable bounces a couple of times. He also had a double save on a 3v1 that got the game to overtime. He was screened on the power play goal and made the initial save on the 2v1 in overtime. If Michigan gets this Portillo going forward, that will be very encouraging.

ODD MAN RUSH CHART

Notes. Michigan created one real good chance in transition on Saturday night. Gavin Brindley tipped a pass on the penalty kill, and he and Frank Nazar were off on a 2v0. Nazar got in tight and fed the puck back behind Brindley, so no real chance came of it, though.

Hoo boy. Michigan gave up three breakaways, a 2v1, and a 3v1…against a much slower Notre Dame team. Erik Portillo came to the rescue on four of them, making huge saves. He did get a little lucky on the fourth one, as his Iron Friend had his back. This was not an issue last night, but it definitely creeped up, again, as a couple of defensemen got a bit wide and got beaten down the ice.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Definitely a disappointing weekend for Michigan, but their process was good on Saturday night. They just couldn’t finish against an awesome performance by Ryan Bischel. They did collect two points this weekend, which was two more than Ohio State did in Minneapolis. That will secure second place in the Big Ten, giving them a weekend date with Wisconsin next weekend, and –should they advance- the right to host the Big Ten Semi-Final the following weekend. So, all was not lost. They also are holding on to the 4th spot in PWR after St Cloud got beat by UNO. So, despite many frustrations, all is not lost. Next up: Best of 3 vs Wisconsin.