Michigan
13-13-7, 9-9-5-2B1G
Wisconsin
12-16-5, 8-10-5-2BG
Mann Records Career-High 34 saves in OT Setback to Badgers
3/1/2019 11:48:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Will Lockwood scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season and is riding a six-game point streak.
» Quinn Hughes recorded his 28th assist of the season and upped his team-leading point total to 33.
» Strauss Mann recorded a career-high 34 saves in his third consecutive start in net.
Site: Madison, Wis. (Kohl Center)
Score: Wisconsin 5, Michigan 4 (OT)
Records: U-M (13-13-7, 9-9-5-2 B1G), Wisconsin (12-16-5, 8-10-5-2 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 2 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), 8 p.m. CST
MADISON, Wis. -- The University of Michigan ice hockey team was unable to hold on to a second-period lead and fell to Wisconsin, 5-4, in overtime Friday night (March 1) in a Big Ten conference showdown at Kohl Center.
As the horn sounded after 60 minutes of play, the Wolverines and Badgers were deadlocked at four, sending the Wolverines into their second consecutive overtime game and ninth this season.
Michigan was unable to capitalize on a power-play opportunity that came at 2:32 of overtime courtesy of a Wisconsin hooking penalty. Wisconsin killed off the penalty, and while it returned to full strength, the Badgers came streaking into the Michigan zone and Dhooge was able to net the game-winner with 27 seconds remaining in the five-on-five overtime period.
Despite the loss, U-M holds its Big Ten Tournament home-ice fate in its own hands. A win by the Wolverines on Saturday (March 2) would secure them hosting a first-round series next weekend (March 8-10). Michigan sits in fourth place in the Big Ten standings and holds a two-point lead over Penn State and three-point advantage over Wisconsin.
The Badgers got on the scoreboard first early in the opening period when John Ess received a pass in the slot from Seamus Malone and he was able to beat freshman goaltender Strauss Mann over his glove to give Wisconsin a 1-0 lead at the 4:38 mark of the first period.
The Wolverines responded when junior forward Adam Winborg took advantage of a Wisconsin turnover behind their own goal line. Winborg gathered the puck behind the Badgers net as redshirt sophomore forward Luke Morgan skated in from the blue line and received Winborgs pass on the tape in the right faceoff circle where he beat the Badgers netminder to tie the game at 1 at the 8:22 mark.
Wisconsin broke the tie early in the second period after Matthew Freytags first shot bounced off the crossbar and back out in front of the net. He gathered his own rebound and beat Mann five-hole to give the Badgers a 2-1 lead at the 2:27 mark.
With U-M on the man-advantage, senior defenseman Joseph Cecconi  fired a slap shot from atop the right faceoff circle that deflected off of the Wisconsin goaltender and out to the left face-off circle where junior forward Jake Slaker got off a quick slap shot to beat the stretched out netminder, tying the game at 2 at the 2:44 mark of the second period.
Michigan gained its first lead just moments later when sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes slid a pass from the point to junior forward Nick Pastujov on the goal line. He was then able to find junior forward Will Lockwood in the slot for his team-high 15th goal of the season, giving the Maize and Blue a 3-2 lead just 3:23 into the second period.Â
Wisconsin closed out the period with a pair of unanswered goals at 8:52 and 17:37 to take a 4-3 lead into the second intermission. The Badgers tied the game at 3 on the power play when Malones initial shot bounced off Mann and into the slot, leaving an open net for Sean Dhooge to bury it home. The Badgers then regained the lead when Roman Ahcan beat Mann on a breakaway.
U-M looked to tie the game early in the third period when they went on the man-advantage at the 47 second mark. While they were unable to capitalize on the power play, the Wolverines tied up the game just after the penalty expired when freshman forward Jimmy Lambert gathered the puck along the boards and skated into the slot where he waited for a shooting lane to open up as he sniped a shot from the slot that beat the Badger netminder to tie the game at 4.
While Lambert's goal was the lone goal of the final period, Wisconsin had two chances to take the lead as they fired a shot off the goal post on a power play and later hit the post again on a breakaway late in the period.
Four different Wolverines scored goals, and Mann made a career-high 34 saves against the Badgers.
Michigan will conclude its regular-season schedule Saturday against the Badgers in Madison, Wisconsin. Puck drop at Kohl Center is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST, and the game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
