Michigan
14-12-3, 9-8-2-1
Michigan State
14-14-1, 10-8-1-0
Slaker's Two Goals Propel Michigan to Victory at MSU
2/14/2020 9:24:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Jake Slaker scored two goals for his third multi-goal game of the season.
» Goaltender Strauss Mann stopped 26 of the 27 shots he faced.
» Luke Martin scored and added an assist for his third career multi-point game.
Site: East Lansing, Mich. (Munn Ice Arena)
Score: Michigan 5, Michigan State 1
Records: U-M (14-12-3, 9-8-2-1 B1G), MSU (14-14-1, 10-8-1-0 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Monday, Feb. 17 -- vs. Michigan State - Duel in the D (Detroit, Mich.), 7 p.m.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Jake Slaker continued his second-half surge with his 11th and 12th goals of the season, while Strauss Mann made 26 saves to help lead the University of Michigan ice hockey team to a resounding 5-1 win over rival Michigan State on Friday night (Feb. 14) in a strong showing on the road at Munn Ice Arena.
Slaker opened up the game's scoring with an early power-play goal after an MSU forward was sent off for slashing just 5:34 into the contest. After 30 seconds of pressure to start the man-advantage, captain Will Lockwood received the puck from the half-wall between the circles and sent a pass up to defenseman Nick Blankenburg at the point. As quickly as he received the puck, Blankenburg dished it down to Slaker's wheelhouse below the dot where he was waiting to send a one-time blast to the back of the net.
Minutes later, the Michigan lead was doubled after a display of passing and cycling the puck resulted in senior defenseman Luke Martin scoring his first goal of the season to make the score 2-0 in favor of Michigan at 8:30 of the first period.
Freshman Cam York carried the puck behind and around the net, attracting defenders to his path toward the corner. York noticed Nick Pastujov settled into the right point and sent the puck in his direction up the boards. Pastujov pivoted as he gathered the pass before zipping the biscuit to the left point where Martin was waiting to rip a one-timer just inside the post. The tally was Martin's first since Nov. 11, 2017 when he scored against Minnesota at Yost Ice Arena.
Michigan carried its 2-0 lead into the first intermission with a 15-8 advantage in shots on goal.
Before the ice was dry for the middle frame, Michigan's lead was extended once again. It took just 19 seconds for Jacob Hayhurst to glide in on a partial breakaway, switch to his backhand, and wait out John Lethemon before depositing a backhander past the sliding MSU goalie to make it 3-0. Martin and Mann, U-M's netminder, picked up assists on Hayhurst's goal.
Defenseman Jack Summers' fourth goal of the season, and Michigan's fourth goal of the night, came at 12:37 of the second period when his point shot found its way through traffic and into the back of the net. Keaton Pehrson and Dakota Raabe earned assists on Summers' tally.
Michigan ended the period on the power play after York took a punch to the back of the head while backchecking. With 1:12 remaining on the power play, U-M took a 4-0 lead into the room for the second intermission with shots at 27-17 in their favor.
U-M could not capitalize on the power play that carried over as the third period got underway. Shortly after, the first Michigan penalty of the game was called when the Wolverines were whistled for tripping at 3:26. A minute and a half later, MSU scored when Sam Saliba redirected a useful shot-pass from defenseman Dennis Cesana past Mann's pad to spoil a shutout.
Halfway through the third, the large swath of Michigan fans who made their way to Munn were rewarded again when Slaker secured his third multi-goal game of the season at 12:01 of the final stanza. Slaker's marker was set up by an impressive cross-crease feed from Luke Morgan, who battled with Spartan defenders near the side of the net before winning the puck and creating the space needed to swing a pass across to Slaker, waiting to bury his 12th of the year and regain Michigan's four-goal lead.
Slaker's tally would do it for scoring, but U-M's firm response to MSU's lone goal paid off as the team rallied around Mann for the final eight minutes and put the finishing touches on a dominant win over its in-state rivals to gain a critical three points in the Big Ten standings.
With the win, Michigan (30 pts) sits just three points behind first-place Penn State in a tight championship race.
Michigan and Michigan State will resume play on Monday (Feb. 17) to close out the regular-season series with the "Iron D" Trophy on the line at the annual "Duel in the D" at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Detroit.
