The excitement from the 4-0 start the Michigan Wolverines' hockey team got off to has faded a bit over the past week or two, with the Maize and Blue getting swept at Notre Dame Nov. 27-28 before splitting a two-game series at Penn State late last week.

U-M's overall record now sits at 5-3, with the club residing in third place in the Big Ten (behind Minnesota and Wisconsin, respectively). Michigan's series at Penn State began with a 3-1 triumph Dec. 2, with junior goaltender Strauss Mann's 38 saves playing a large factor in the victory.

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Junior forward Nolan Moyle got the Maize and Blue on the board first, converting a goal 4:10 into the matchup to put U-M up 1-0. Junior forward Garrett Van Wyhe and freshman defenseman Jacob Truscott tallied assists on the play.

Michigan expanded its lead to 2-0 when senior forward Michael Pastujov scored at the 7:21 mark of the middle period, shimmying around a diving Penn State goaltender before cashing in on the open cage.

The Nittany Lions inched closer with a goal with nine minutes remaining, trimming U-M's lead to 2-1. Freshman forward Matty Beniers helped ice things though with an empty-net goal from the neutral zone to put U-M up 3-1 with just 1:42 left in regulation.

"Goaltending, goaltending, goaltending, goaltending," head coach Mel Pearson exclaimed when asked how U-M came away with the victory. "We took advantage of a couple chances we had early.

"We started on time, got the lead and then played with a lead. It's hard when you have to play catch up."

Michigan couldn't carry its momentum of the 3-1 victory into the second game the following night, however, falling 9-5 in a high-scoring affair. The offensive outburst set the tone early, with the two teams scoring three goals in the opening 2:44.

The Nittany Lions tallied the first two, before junior defenseman Nick Blankenburg got the Wolverines on the board to make the score 2-1. A second goal from the junior defenseman saw the game tied up at 2-2 at the end of 20 minutes.

U-M actually held leads of 3-2 and then 4-3 at 5:18 of the middle frame, but Penn State went on top 6-4 at the 11:17 mark of the second period. Mann was pulled after this, with freshman goaltender Erik Portillo making his debut in net.

Freshman forward Brendan Brisson registered a goal to cut Penn State's edge to 7-5, but the Nittany Lions responded with two goals in the final 1:44 to seal their 9-5 victory.

"We have to be a lot more disciplined," Blankenburg said after the loss. "We have to play a team game, and that starts in our D-zone. Playing as a team is the most important thing.

"We can't cheat for offense and just have to do things more simple — not doing things individually, but as a team. It's about being patient with the game."

• Junior goaltender Strauss Mann — Though he struggled in the 9-5 loss in State College, Mann put on a clinic in the 3-1 win over the Nittany Lions; he tallied a season-high 38 saves on 39 shots faced.

• Junior defenseman Nick Blankenburg — He was one of the key cogs in the offensive outburst in the series finale at Penn State, scoring two goals and adding an assist for an impressive three-point night.

• Freshman goaltender Erik Portillo — He made his collegiate debut in relief of Mann in Thursday's 9-5 loss at Penn State, stopping 15 of 17 shots over 28:39.

Michigan will next host Minnesota in Ann Arbor Dec. 8-9, with Tuesday's game beginning at 8:30 and Wednesday's at 6:30. The two matchups will serve as a stiff test for the Maize and Blue, with the Golden Gophers having gotten off to a hot 6-0 start.

Each of the six other conference members have at least three losses.

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