Michigan ties Notre Dame, squanders extra point in shootout loss
Michigan hockey squandered a major opportunity on Friday night as it tied Notre Dame at Yost Ice Arena, 3-3. The Wolverines are now sitting at 37 points in the Big Ten standings, which is not exactly the best possible outcome.
The game started with fireworks. Michigan struck first, just 4:18 into the game when T.J. Hughes went coast-to-coast on the power play to give the Wolverines a 1-0 lead.
Notre Dame quickly answered with two goals of its own. The Fighting Irish scored a power-play goal of their own, and they followed it up with an even-strength goal to take a 2-1 lead over the Wolverines.
Brandon Naurato's team wasn't trailing for long, though, as Gavin Brindley tied things up at two goals apiece less than a minute later.
The teams combined for four goals over the first nine minutes, and it was trending toward a high-scoring series opener.
Things calmed down in a huge way after the first nine minutes.
Neither team found the back of the net in the second period, and the third period was scoreless for more than five minutes before Notre Dame broke the 2-2 tie. Michigan goaltender Erik Portillo was beat over his left shoulder, and the Wolverines were trailing once again.
With just 1:57 to play in the third period, freshman star Adam Fantilli scored a game-tying goal — his 20th of the season.
The game went to overtime, and despite Michigan's constant offensive pressure, the Wolverines couldn't find a game-winning goal, and the two teams went to a shootout as they fought for the extra point.
Notre Dame connected on its first shot in the shootout, which was all it needed as Michigan went 0-3 on shots from Mackie Samoskevich, Fantilli and Rutger McGroarty.
The Fighting Irish were awarded the extra point, and it'll go down as a missed opportunity for Michigan, which needs every point it can get for seeding purposes.
The good news for Naurato's squad is that the one point it earned is enough to ensure that the Wolverines will have home ice in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals next weekend. The opponent for next weekend's best-of-3 series is still to be determined.
Michigan and Notre Dame will face off again on Saturday night from Yost Ice Arena at 8 p.m. The game will air on Big Ten Network.
---
Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards
Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer
Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @lucasreimink, @JaredHalus
Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify
Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube
Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram