Michigan
12-12-6,8-8-4-2B1G
Notre Dame
15-10-3, 8-8-2-2B1G
Michigan Falls to No. 15 Notre Dame in Midweek Matchup
2/12/2019 11:27:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Will Lockwood scored his team-leading 14th goal of the season.
» Garrett Van Wyhe scored on a shorthanded breakaway for his fourth goal of the season.
» The Wolverines will next take the ice against Ohio State on Feb. 22-23 in the final home series of the regular season.
Site: South Bend, Ind. (Compton Family Ice Arena)
Score: #15 Notre Dame 5, Michigan 2
Records: U-M (12-12-6, 8-8-4-2 B1G), ND (15-10-3, 8-8-2-2 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 22 -- vs. Ohio State (Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena), 7:30 p.m.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Michigan ice hockey team was unable to mount a comeback Tuesday night (Feb. 12) and fell, 5-2, to No. 15-ranked Notre Dame at Compton Family Ice Arena. The game served as the back end of the two-game series that began Jan. 5, when U-M defeated the Irish outdoors at Notre Dame Stadium.
On the first shift of the game, the starting line of juniors Will Lockwood and Nick Pastujov alongside sophomore Jack Becker created an early chance before a Wolverine interference penalty put U-M on the penalty kill 27 seconds into the game. Michigan was able to get in shooting lanes and block several quality shot opportunities, but Notre Dame cashed in with a power-play goal 2:11 into the first period to take a 1-0 lead.
As Michigan began its first power play of the night at the 12:03 mark following a Notre Dame high-sticking penalty, the puck was worked around the zone as the Wolverines unsuccessfully tried to set up a backdoor one-timer. With 45 seconds left on the man-advantage, Pierce Crawford poked the puck away from a Wolverine defenseman at the point. Crawford sped off on a breakaway and flipped the puck past Hayden Lavigne to score his first collegiate goal and put the Fighting Irish up, 2-0, with 7:57 left in the opening frame.
The Wolverines would threaten to cut the deficit several times, including a Jake Slaker wrist shot that rung off the crossbar, but they could not crack Notre Dame All-America goaltender Cale Morris.
The second period was filled with scoring chances. Jimmy Lambert had the best chance, a failed redirection off a 2-on-1 rush, before Lockwood got the Wolverines on the board with an unassisted goal 12:33 into the period. After collecting a takeaway in the Michigan end, Lockwood skated up the ice and stickhandled through traffic just inside the Notre Dame blue line. The junior calmly deked before burying the puck for his 14th goal of the season past a sprawling Morris, cutting the lead to 2-1.
Fifty seconds later, the Fighting Irish re-established their two-goal lead. Two shifts after, ND's center won a faceoff in the Michigan zone to the right of Lavigne, pulled the puck back just enough for his crashing winger to pick it up and wrist it short-side to put Notre Dame up, 4-1, with 5:52 remaining in the second period.
Three and a half minutes into the third, Michigan went on its second power play of the evening after Slaker was hit from behind into the boards behind freshman Strauss Mann, who began the third period in net for the Wolverines. For the second time, the Maize and Blue power-play unit moved the puck around the zone efficiently with shooters constantly popping out to test the Irish goalie with one-time opportunities, but to no avail.
Just over halfway through the final period, a long goal review took place after the Fighting Irish appeared to score while the Michigan net was being pushed off its moorings after a net-front scrum bubbled over into the crease. After the officials conferred for several minutes, it was ruled "no goal" due to goaltender interference. With the game winding down, the Wolverines took back-to-back minor penalties. The score remained 4-1 until freshman forward Garrett Van Wyhe picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and skated down to bury a shorthanded breakaway opportunity through Morris' five-hole. Sophomore Dakota Raabe picked up an assist on Van Wyhe's fourth goal of the season, which cut the Wolverines' deficit to 4-2 with 4:11 left in the contest and 1:12 left on the penalty kill.
Twenty-five seconds later, Notre Dame converted for its second power-play goal of the night, cementing its lead and sealing the game. Michigan finished with 38 shots to Notre Dame's 30.
"We worked hard to try and get our goals and it just wasn't our night tonight," said head coach Mel Pearson. "I like both our goalies and how they played; however, it wasn't our night. I thought we skated well for the most part."
The Wolverines will be off this weekend before hosting rival Ohio State for the final home regular-season series of the season on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22-23, at Yost Ice Arena. After Saturday's contest, the Wolverines will honor their three seniors -- Nicholas Boka, Joseph Cecconi and Brendan Warren -- on Senior Night.
