Michigan blanks Notre Dame, picks up three needed points
As Michigan hockey teeters on the NCAA Tournament bubble, the race for seeding in the Big Ten continues to heat up. The Wolverines picked up a much-needed three points on Friday night with a 4-0 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
With the win, Michigan improved to 16-12-3 overall and 9-10-2 in conference play this season.
Dylan Duke got the scoring started less than five minutes into the game off an assist from T.J. Hughes. Hughes won a face-off in the Notre Dame zone and Duke whipped it right past Irish goaltender Ryan Bischel.
Duke then added another goal later in the first period. The goal came while Notre Dame was on a man advantage. Duke made a fantastic poke check in the Notre Dame zone, forcing a turnover, and he beat Bischel for the second time of the night.
Freshman Garrett Schifsky capitalized late in the second period as the Wolverines were on the power play. Michigan set up the power play beautifully in the Notre Dame zone, and after some crisp passing, Schifsky slapped a one-timer into the back of the net.
Gavin Brindley added another power play goal late in the third period, and Michigan left Yost Ice Arena with a 4-0 win over the Fighting Irish.
The win was huge for the Wolverines. They now have 31 points in the conference standings, which is tied with Notre Dame for fourth place in the Big Ten. With the way the Big Ten Tournament is set up, the fourth-place spot is a coveted one.
With seven teams in the conference, the top team in the standings earns a bye into the semifinals. Teams seeded two through four earn home ice advantage during the opening round of the tournament, while teams seeded five through seven will hit the road.
At this point in the season, it seems that Michigan and Notre Dame are fighting for home ice advantage. It's also becoming increasingly more likely that the Wolverines and Fighting Irish will face off in the opening round of the tournament.
Notably, Michigan has one more series left in the regular season. It will head to Minneapolis to take on the Golden Gophers next weekend, while Notre Dame remains idle. If Michigan can earn more points in three games than the Irish can earn in one (Saturday night's game), Michigan will earn the No. 4 seed and host Notre Dame in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
The only way Michigan and Notre Dame don't face off in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament is if the Wolverines sweep Minnesota next weekend, in which case Michigan will earn the No. 3 seed and most likely face Penn State.
Saturday night's critical matchup between Michigan and Notre Dame will begin at 6:30 p.m. and it will air on Big Ten Network.
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