Poor special teams play and the penalties that created them spoiled Michigan’s attempt to sweep Minnesota in their home rink in Minneapolis this past weekend.
The Wolverines followed up a convincing 4-2 victory Friday night with a frustrating 4-3 loss Saturday in which Michigan clawed back from a three-goal deficit.
Failures to convert on their own power-play opportunities combined with allowing the Gophers too many power-play chances cost the Wolverines a valuable weekend road sweep.
Over the two-game series, each team had 14 power-play chances. Minnesota converted two of those opportunities each night, while Michigan went scoreless with the man advantage.
Minnesota senior forward Tommy Novak scored one of the weekend’s four Gopher power-play goals six minutes into the third period to put Minnesota ahead for good, 4-3, in game two.
“Tough loss,” Michigan head coach Mel Pearson said of the Saturday near-miss. “We’re inconsistent. We’ve got to learn that to be a really good team you have to play harder after a Friday game. I thought, when it was 3-0, we weren’t playing very good, took a lot of penalties tonight. It ended up killing us in the end of the game.
“I think [there were] eight power plays for them in [the last] three games. You have to learn, and if you don’t learn you’ve got to put guys in the lineup who do the job.”
Michigan fought back from an early three-goal deficit on Saturday with a pair of goals by sophomore forward Mike Pastujov and a single score from sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes, all three within a five-minute span early in the second stanza.
“We did a good job in the second [period] to get back in it,” Pearson said. “I give our team credit for hanging in there, being down, working hard to get back in the game and giving ourselves a chance. We just took too many penalties and one last one caught us. It’s no secret.“
Pearson found Saturday’s lapses all the more frustrating because Friday’s victory gave encouraging signs that Michigan was ready to take a step forward with a weekend sweep.
After an early Minnesota goal Friday, Michigan responded with three straight goals, taking control of the game with a second period 22-5 shot advantage.
Asked about limiting the Gophers second-period shot total, Pearson responded: “It was five [shots] and they got three of them, four of them right in the last minute there. We did a really good job. I thought we played our systems well. We did what we needed to do. We controlled the puck and when you have the puck, the other team’s not going to get opportunities. The worse lead in hockey is that two-goal lead. You don’t want to sit back.”
“I thought we were ready to play,” Pearson noted on the overall Friday performance. “It’s not the start we wanted, to take a penalty early and give their power play, that’s really hot, an opportunity right off the get go. I thought the next goal was going to be important. We got a big goal from Will Lockwood. That sort of set the tone for our team. I thought we skated well and created a number of great opportunities.
“I thought we had a strong second period. Hung on a little bit in the third because of penalties. Most of our penalties we’re not saving a goal. They’re at the far end of the ice in our offensive zone. A lot of guys played hard tonight. Really impressed with [freshman forward] Garrett Van Whye and [sophomore forward] Dakota Raabe.”
Michigan Junior goaltender Hayden Lavigne played well Friday with 24 saves, but needed Saturday replacement by freshman netminder Strauss Mann for the second straight weekend.
Michigan Three Stars Of The Weekend
First Star — Sophomore Forward Mike Pastujov
Pastujov scored the game-winning goal in Friday’s win and added two more markers in Saturday night’s near-miss comeback bid.
Second Star — Junior Forward Jake Slaker
Slaker fueled Michigan’s Saturday second-period response to Minnesota’s 3-0 lead with first assists on all three of the Wolverines’ replying goals.
Third Star — Freshman Defenseman Jack Summers
Summers had three of his own first assists on Friday night in addition to numerous blocked shots, finishing with a plus-three plus/minus total in the victory.
Quote Of The Weekend
“We didn’t start on time. We didn’t show up. You could tell by the comments of their coach that they were going to compete harder. We knew that. Good teams can come in and finish the weekend off. We’re just an okay team right now.” — Michigan head coach Mel Pearson after Saturday’s loss
Up Next
In-state rival Michigan State visits Yost Ice Arena this coming Friday night for the first of two weekend games. The annual “Duel in the D” matchup with the Spartans follows on Saturday night when the two Michigan-based combatants take their tussle to Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit.
Other Big Ten Hockey Weekend Action
Wisconsin 1 at Michigan State 4 (Fri.)
Wisconsin 2 at Michigan State 2 (OT) (Sat.)
No. 11 Notre Dame 2 at No. 4 Ohio State 4 (Fri)
No. 11 Notre Dame 0 at No. 4 Ohio State 2 (Sat)
No. 15 Penn State idle
Big Ten Hockey Standings
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