Michigan
8-11-2, 3-7-1-0B1G
Notre Dame
10-8-3, 5-4-2-1B1G
Mann, Michigan Blank No. 14 Notre Dame in Series Opener
1/10/2020 11:17:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Strauss Mann earned his second shutout of the season with 32 saves.
» Nick Pastujov tallied the first goal of the game and now has scored in each of the last two games.
» The shutout was Michigan's first at Compton Family Arena.
Site: South Bend, Ind. (Compton Family Arena)
Score: Michigan 3, #14 Notre Dame 0
Records: U-M (8-11-2, 3-7-1 Big Ten), ND (10-8-3, 5-4-2 Big Ten))
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 11 -- vs. No. 14 Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.), 6 p.m.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Sophomore Strauss Mann made 32 saves for the University of Michigan ice hockey team is it blanked No. 14-ranked Notre Dame, 3-0, on Friday night (Jan. 10) at Compton Family Arena. It was the Wolverines' first shutout there since it opened in 2011.
Mann set the tone from the opening whistle proving he was on point. At 6:40 in the first period, he thwarted Mike O'Leary on a 2-on-1 with linemate Trevor Janicke, who made a pass to O'Leary on the right side and Mann made the slide in time to push the puck aside with his right pad.
Less than a minute later, Michigan got on the board as it converted on its first power-play opportunity at 7:04. Senior Nick Pastujov scored his second goal in as many games, and now has five on the season. The Wolverines moved the puck well on the man-advantage with the elder Pastujov scored the goal with his brother, junior Michael Pastujov, and freshman Eric Ciccolini earning the assists.
Ciccolini is coming off of an impressive month of play during which he scored three points in five games in December to represent the Big Ten on the national rookie of the month ballot.
Mann closed out the first period with a series of highlight-reel saves before Jake Slaker was able to clear the puck out of the defensive zone with Jimmy Lambert drawing a slashing call as he made his way down the center of the ice.
Mann continued his solid play in the middle frame with a big stop on Cal Burke just 19 seconds into the period.
Senior Will Lockwood had the team's best chance to score in the second period when he tried to bury a pass from Johnny Beecher, who came around the back of the goal and got his own rebound for a second-chance effort, both denied by Notre Dame goalie Cale Morris.
The new line of Nick Granowicz, Beecher and Lockwood had a breakaway opportunity with Morris clamping down on Lockwood's try on the right side with three minutes left in the second.
In the third period, after the Wolverines killed off their third penalty of the game, Granowicz scored his first career goal with assists by Beecher and Lockwood to push Michigan ahead, 2-0, at the 1:47 mark.
Morris was pulled for the extra attacker at 16:44, and after five saves by Mann, graduate student Jacob Hayhurst gained possession of the puck and made his way down the ice playing a give-and-go with Garrett Van Wyhe. Hayhurst buried the puck into the empty net for his second goal of the season to cap the scoring at 17:47 in the third period.
Michigan and Notre Dame will face off again Saturday night (Jan. 11) night at 6 p.m. inside Compton Family Arena in game two of the series. The game will be streamed live on NBCSports.com.
