All season long, Michigan coach Mel Pearson has said he wants more of his players to get involved in the scoring.
He finally got that this past weekend in Minnesota, where his Wolverines swept the previously No. 10 ranked Golden Gophers by scores of 5-3 and 3-1.
It was junior forward Brendan Warren who found the back of the net three times — including the fourth and fifth goals of game one — to give Michigan the lift it needed.
The road sweep at Minnesota is Michigan's first since the 1976-77 season. Michigan last swept the Golden Gophers in Ann Arbor during the 2008-09 season.
Following the pair of wins, Michigan (10-10-2 overall, 5-7-2 in the Big Ten) entered the USCHO.com college hockey top 20, slotted right at No. 20. Minnesota (13-12-1, 4-9-1) fell from 1oth to No. 13.
For most of the season, the scoring attack has come from senior forward Tony Calderone and junior forward Cooper Marody, who have combined for 58 points. Michigan third, fourth, fifth and sixth highest point scorers combine for 68 points.
In Friday's game one, Michigan got off to a hot start, scoring three times in the first period — including a goal by senior forward Dexter Dancs 14 seconds in. However, Minnesota wouldn't go away, making the score 1-1, 3-2 and 4-3, before Warren scored the game's final goal to make it 5-3.
In game two on Saturday, Michigan again started quickly, with Warren picking up right where he left off, scoring the team's first goal. Freshman forward Josh Norris tacked another on in the first period, and the Maize and Blue went on to win 3-1.
Sophomore Hayden Lavigne started both games in goal, picking up the wins.
Off the ice, both Calderone and Marody were nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, which is the Heisman Trophy of college hockey. Fans can vote for either player online here. Calderone is currently No. 15 and Marody is currently No. 21 out of the 75 player list.
Three Stars Of The Week
1st Star — Junior forward Brendan Warren
Warren was also named first star of the week by the Big Ten. He scored three goals over the weekend, including the game winner on Friday. He's now up to six goals and four assists this season. If he continues his offensive burst, Michigan can be a very dangerous team moving forward.
2nd Star — Junior forward Cooper Marody
Marody was his usual self this weekend — and that means getting points. He scored two goals in the series, one in each game. He is Michigan's leader in points, with nine goals and 22 assists this season. He and Calderone have great chemistry, as their line continues to produce. Calderone had three assists against the Gophers.
3rd Star — Sophomore goalie Hayden Lavigne
Lavigne picked his his fifth and sixth wins of the season and appears to have won the starting goaltender position in a battle with sophomore Jack LaFontaine. He stopped 24 of 27 Minnesota shots on Friday and 17 of 18 shots on Saturday. He now has a 2.73 goals against average this season, and a save percentage of .902. He has a 6-6-2 record.
Stat Of The Week: 2
That's the number of points freshman forward Michael Pastujov scored in Friday's game against the Gophers. He had one goal and one assist. His brother Nick, a sophomore, assisted on his goal. The youngster has played in only nine games this season and now has a total of three points (two goals, one assist).
Up Next
Michigan returns home to face No. 12 Penn State (13-8-3, 6-5-3) on Friday and Saturday at Yost Ice Arena.
Friday's game will be televised on the Big Ten Network and begins at 8 p.m., while Saturday's game starts at 7:30 and is not being televised.
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