Michigan Hockey 17-18, Game #20: Notre Dame 2, Michigan 1

Submitted by David on

Guess who’s back, back again… [Bryan Fuller]

OFFENSE

 

 

Corsi

House

Possession %

First Period

12 4 46%

Second Period

20 7 59%

Third Period

13 6 50%

Overtime

n/a n/a n/a

TOTAL

45 17 52%

Analysis: Michigan did not have a fantastic offensive game from a volume standpoint, but they did create a lot of good scoring opportunities from the house area– especially the low slot. Having Quinn Hughes available really does add an extra dimension to the offense. There were multiple times that he took the puck end-to-end or just skated circles around the offensive zone looking for nooks and crannies to drop the puck. Once again, though, regardless of what Michigan was able to create, Cale Morris was up to the task. The only goal came on a rapid-fire rebound for Josh Norris after Hughes got deep in the house and forced a reactive save. Overall, it was an encouraging output against a good defense and an elite goalie. Soon, though, they’re going to have to find the back of the net.

I don’t have a chart for this, yet –or a great place to add this- but I counted Michigan getting three odd-man rushes on offense. They had a 2v1 and a couple of 3v2s. The Wolverines generated one good shot and the puck hopped Hughes’ stick, otherwise he would have had an open look.

[After THE JUMP: cleaning (up shots from the) house]

Also back: Acceptable defense [Fuller]

DEFENSE

 

Corsi

House

Possession %

First Period

14 5 54%

Second Period

14 4 41%

Third Period

13 3 50%

Overtime

n/a n/a n/a

TOTAL

41 12 48%

Analysis: It’s tough to ask for a ton more from the defense. The Irish did not overwhelm with shots, nor did they get a lot of great scoring opportunities. There did not seem to be as many bad turnovers as we’ve been accustomed to seeing. The first Irish goal came when Piazza got caught too far up ice and a 2v0 resulted in a cross-pass for a tap-in goal. That’s not great, but from an overall view, this type of defense should beat most teams. Sounds like Friday night.

SPECIAL TEAMS

 

PP For

PP Against

PP Corsi For

PP Corsi Against

PP Shots/Min For

PP Shots/Min Against

First Period

0/1 0/1 3 7 .5 3

Second Period

0/1 1/2 2 5 .5 .66

Third Period

0/1 n/a 2 n/a n/a n/a

Overtime

n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

TOTAL

0/1 1/3 7 12 .33 1.6

Analysis: Again, not a bunch of special teams to talk about, but what there is to talk about played a large role. Michigan’s power play was blah. They didn’t generate many shots; they didn’t even have that many attempts on net. This is a sore spot for me because this is a unit that needs to be better if they’re going to score goals against quality competition. Michigan has basically 1.5 scoring lines. After Slaker and Norris (assuming Lockwood is out for the foreseeable future) on that second line, there is not a lot of point production. The power play is a great way to scheme goals and tip the balance in relatively even games. Michigan is not doing that. They’re 48th out of 60 teams in PP% (14.8%).

On the flip side, Michigan outplayed Notre Dame in even strength scenarios this weekend. Notre Dame’s power play gave them 75% of their goals, including one Sunday afternoon. After Lavigne made the initial save, the puck was poked five-hole, as he could not readjust his position in time. However, look at all of the shots that the Irish created. They forced six saves on just their first man advantage. Michigan’s penalty kill has not been great for a while now, and it continues to slip. They are 58th out of 60 teams! A paltry 74.7%. Both of these units are unacceptable.

Hayden Lavigne looked in control all weekend [Fuller]

GOALTENDING

 

Shots Faced

Shots from House Faced

First Period

15 4

Second Period

7 4

Third Period

14 3

Overtime

n/a n/a

TOTAL

34 11

Analysis: Hayden Lavigne built off his encouraging outing on Friday with another solid performance on Sunday afternoon. He was tested early and kept Michigan in the game as they struggled to control the puck for the first ten minutes. He also made a few great saves –including a post-to-post reaction save off of a one-timer to keep the game within reach. He does still have some athletic limitations, but Lavigne performed well all weekend against a team that Michigan could not afford to surrender many goals to. It will be interesting to see if Jack LaFontaine gets a shot next weekend after Lavigne’s back to back solid performances.

Josh Norris celebrating his return with a goal [Fuller]

ODD-MAN RUSHES

 

Rushes

Advantages

Escape %

First Period

n/a n/a n/a

Second Period

2 2v0, 2v1 50%

Third Period

1 3v2 100%

Overtime

n/a n/a n/a

TOTAL

3 2v1, 2v0, 3v2 67%

Analysis: Michigan gave up three OMRs on Sunday afternoon. Notre Dame was able to score on their 2v0, as both Michigan defensemen got caught up the ice and were beaten to their own end. The 2v1 OMR was on a Michigan power play, where an attempted offensive zone hold failed and the attacker got out and away with the puck. Three OMRs isn’t awful as a whole. The 2v0 was bad given the situation and how Michigan was controlling the game –it seemed like a pick-6 after a long drive in football. Either way, this is still a thing to be addressed. If one weakness gets addressed, Michigan seems to have another exploited. A bit frustrating, right now.

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS

I had: Michigan 45(17), Notre Dame 41(12)

www.collegehockeynews.com had: Michigan 45, Notre Dame 41

Comments

JJJ

January 8th, 2018 at 8:25 PM ^

I kinda liked the NBCSN broadcast on Sunday a little better that BTN on Friday. The play by play was pretty good for both but BTN really needs to upgrade the intermission report studio and staff.

I’m glad Michigan was competitive with the #1 team in the country but it sucks not to get any points.