» Gavin Brindley He scored the winning goal and had a game-high five shots on goal.
» Keenan Draper They took the lead in the first period by scoring their fourth goal of the season.
» The University of Michigan has won four straight games by one point for the first time since 1926.
Minneapolis, Minnesota — The 11th-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team made its third straight appearance in the Big Ten Tournament in Minnesota. Although the meeting was held one round earlier than the previous two matchups, the result remained the same, with UM defeating the No. 6 Golden Gophers 2-1 on Saturday night (March 16) inside 3M Arena in Mariucci. He has qualified for next weekend's big match. 10 championships in East Lansing.
Michigan's four consecutive one-goal wins marked the first time in 98 years (March 1926) that the Wolverines had won four consecutive games by one goal.
goaltender jake barczewski He was outstanding between the pipes for the University of Michigan (21-13-3), making 23 saves in the program's league-record 20th Big Ten Tournament victory.
Minnesota (22-10-5) made the play early, with the Wolverines' first two shots on goal just over three minutes into the game. chase pletzke He dashed across the blue line on the left side of the ice and took the team's first shot off the Golden Gopher goaltender's pads. After pushing the rebound into the slot. Keenan Draper He came flying through the slot and knocked the puck into the 5-hole, giving Michigan a 1-0 lead at 3:12.blue liner Seamus Casey It was Draper's fourth assist of the season and his second.
The game's first goal was the 28th time in 37 games that Michigan has taken the lead.
A few minutes later, senior forward philippe lapointe He drove to the back of the net, curled it, and fired a pass to Collapse. Luca Fantilli Then the sophomore defenseman put the puck in the back of the net and appeared to take a 2-0 lead. However, Minnesota contested the goal due to an offside error. After an official review, the goal was wiped off the board because the officials determined the puck had just left the zone.
After one period of play, the University of Michigan led 1-0. The Wolverines were outscored 14-6 at the faceoff dot, but the Gophers led 10-7 in shots on goal through 20 minutes.
Late second period, Marshall Warren I received a D-to-D pass from ethan edwards Before releasing a 2-line diagonal pass, Gavin Brindley Cross the opposite blue line. He took a few more steps towards the goalie and fired a perfect shot into the top left corner of the net with 1:24 left in the period to put Michigan up 2-0.
After 40 minutes, the University of Michigan had a two-goal lead. In the second period, the Wolverines outscored Minnesota 17-5, increasing their overall advantage to 24-15. UM also found an advantage on the dot balloon on the faceoff, making it 25-15.
UM created a series of strong chances in the third period, aiming for the third goal. nick moldenhauer And a chance to escape frank nazar iiibut both were sidelined.
Minnesota, skating with an open net, scored from the top of the right circle through traffic to make it 2-1 with 1:19 left in regulation.
With the score cut in half, the Wolverines fought through the final 79 seconds of tense regulation to earn a one-point victory and earn a spot in next week's Big Ten Championship Game.
The Wolverines had a 31-24 advantage in shots on goal and finished with a 36-20 performance at the faceoff dot. With the win, UM qualified for its fifth conference title game. The Wolverines hold the record with three wins in the Big Ten Tournament, all against Minnesota.
Next Saturday (March 23), Michigan will travel to Mann Ice Arena to take on Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship game at 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
