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

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

Forward Notes.

-After Minnesota's fast start, Michigan's Hero Line answered. The defense was a little wobbly early on, but once that settled down, Michigan played the better game. They created good chances and finished well. Minnesota also had to get hyper aggressive late just to make it close in the end. After beating Notre Dame in a tightly played physical game, the Wolverines outskated and outskilled the Gophers in a wide open affair. Very good opposite performances going into the NCAA Regionals next weekend.

-Mackie Samoskevich is really starting to pop. He did get a luck bounce on his goal as Samo's pass hit Mike Koster in the slot and the Gopher defenseman redirected it into his own net to give Michigan a 2-1 lead. Mackie also created a few more chances by gaining the zone, creating space, and forcing very nice saves from Justen Close on dangerous chances. He set up Dylan Duke on a 2v1 with a very skilled cross-slot pass. Samo is set to have himself up to have a nice tournament going into what could be a big, big sophomore year.

-The Hero Line struck when Michigan needed them the most. Down a goal 32 second into the game, Matty Beniers beat Brock Faber along the goalline before slipping the puck into the slot where Brendan Brisson beat Ryan Johnson to the spot. Brisson slid the puck inside the far post to equalize just 45 seconds after the Gophers took the lead. While they didn't score again at even strength, they did stabilize a horrific start backed by a raucous crowd. Brisson also added an assist on the Kent Johnson power play goal that proved the be the eventual winner. 

-Thomas Bordeleau also had a very nice night, quietly tallying a couple of assists. He was super smooth moving the puck well with a KJ-like flourish, but not as many dangerous giveaways. All scoring lines are looking Full Go at the right time.

Defense Notes.

-Starting the game, Michigan played a bit sloppy in their own end. They were loose with the puck, turning it over, missing passes, not controlling gaps, etc. The Gophers were able to turn up the pressure and get a number a very dangerous looks. Alex and I discussed  it a bit, and we're mostly going to attribute that to adjusting to Olympic ice. That has happened in previous trips to Minnesota, as well. After that initial stretch, in-zone play was better. Minnesota only recorded six shots in the second period.  

-Maybe one of the best compliments I can give is that I didn't notice much difference regardless who was on the ice pretty much throughout the game. All pairing seemed interchangeable. Everyone had their "Uh Oh" and "Nice play!" moments. When the forwards are scoring goals and creating chances and no one stands out negatively on defense, that is a very good thing.

-The back-checking and in-zone defense from the forward lines was also very good. 

Where all of the equipment goes during a celebration (@stephenrjking)

SPECIAL TEAMS CHART

Power Play. Michigan got several power plays. They could have had a couple of majors called against Minnesota, but that is a discussion for the HockeyCast next week. On their second man advantage, Brendon Brisson fired a pass from straightaway to the right dot, and Kent Johnson one-timed it into the back of the net to give the Wolverines a three goal lead. They did get one five minute major power play and that was a mess. It became a 5v3 for 1:33. Michigan threatened, but did not score. Minnesota got multiple chances, though, once one of their guys got out of the box. This is all about context, though. Michigan had a three goal lead with 13 minutes and a 5 minute power play. Sure, scoring is great, but killing 5 minutes off of the clock is also very good. Unfortunately, they came dangerously close to giving up at least one, maybe two.. In the end, the power play, overall, was just good enough. 

Penalty Kill. Michigan was only called for one penalty for the first 57: 26. They killed it with ease, only allowing two very savable shots. Then came the last few minutes. The Wolverines took back-to-back penalties, Justen Close went to bench, and the Gophers had a 6v3 and 6v4. Unsurprisingly, they scored on the first after Erik Portillo made several saves. Matthew Knies scored on a ticky shot with five seconds left. I'm not really looking at this as killing penalties as I am "Did you maintain the lead and kill enough time?" The answer is that they did. Clearing the puck is nice, but killing time is the biggest factor there. It got tight, but they did enough. 

Erik Portillo got himself some hardware (@stephenrjking)

GOALTENDING CHART

Notes. Erik Portillo was named the Big Ten Tournament MVP. He deserved every bit of it. After having superb back-to-back weekends, Portillo put the cherry on the sundae with a championship performance against the top-seeded Gophers. When Michigan's defense got a bit loose in the first period, he made multiple big saves on high danger chances. He also did have some rebound control issues at times, but none of them came back to bite him. While he wasn't overly busy in the second period, Portillo had one adventurous chance, almost throwing the puck into his crease...from the corner. SCREAM. I don't really put either late goal on him: one was a 6v3; the other was batted out of the air on a 6v4. He made several great saves leading up to the power plays that we all knew were coming.  I'm as confident going into the NCAA Tournament with Erik Portillo's form as I've felt with anyone in Michigan's crease.

SIXTY MINUTES TO A BANNER @stephenrjking

ODD MAN RUSH CHART

Just 30 seconds into the game, Owen Power and Keaton Pehrson are split by Jaxon Nelson for a breakaway. Nelson goes forehand-backhand and finishes over an extended Portillo for a quick lead. The Gophers also got a dangerous 2v1 that resulted in a shot whiff...and a 3v2 where Lacombe walks down the slot, but Portillo is able to reach out and snare the pass. During Michigan's major power play, Minnesota pressures with a 3v1, but the look sailed just wide of the partially open net. Yikes. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was Minnesota, maybe it was the Olympic-sized ice...regardless, Michigan was a little lucky to only give up one goal in transition given the looks that the Gophers created.

With Michigan up 2-1 early in the second period, Thomas Bordeleau sprung Mackie Samoskevich on a 2v1. Samo made a very slick pass across to Dylan Duke who deftly finished the chance inside Close's far post. That was a very skilled, yet fundamental goal. It also built momentum for Michigan that eventually lead to them getting another goal that would put the game (just) out of reach.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Hang banners. That's what elite teams do. Your legacy is defined by what you put in the rafters. Michigan choked away a great chance to hang their first Big Ten Regular Season banner with a poor performance in South Bend. They earned a second chance after defeating a frustratingly annoying Notre Dame team last weekend. After getting down early, these Wolverines responded with four straight goals. They came a minute away from blowing out the regular season champs on their own ice. Who the hell knows what will happen next weekend and beyond, but it feels like Michigan is in as good as shape as one can be in heading into the most nerve-wracking game of them all.