Fantilli hat trick propels Michigan hockey to 5-2 victory
Michigan hockey (4-1) took a road trip to the Upper Peninsula for a weekend series at Lake Superior State (0-2-1).
The Wolverines controlled Game 1 with a strong 1st period, similar to last weekend's home series against Boston.
Brandon Naurato's team secured a 3-0 lead after the opening frame. Freshman forward Adam Fantilli, who scored a hat trick, had two of the team's first three goals.
As the Wolverines showed no signs of slowing down, the 2nd period looked exactly like the 1st early on, as another freshman got in on the action. This time, forward Kienan Draper buried his first career goal, extending U-M's lead to 4-0.
The Lakers showed fight, cutting the lead in half less than a minute into the 3rd period, but it wasn't enough to fight off a strong Wolverines' defensive group, led by defenseman Luke Hughes, who made two stellar plays chasing down Laker forwards on breakaways.
Michigan outshot LSS 40-28, won five more faceoffs, and went 1-for-5 on the power play, which continues to score for U-M. The penalty kill allowed a goal on four kills.
Junior defenseman Jacob Truscott led the team with 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists), while junior goalie Erik Portillo continued his strong play with 26 saves on 28 shots.
The Wolverines & Lakers will turn the page to Sunday at 6 PM when they meet again at Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie.
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