Michigan
20-7-1, 11-6-0
Wisconsin
8-16-3, 5-11-1
Michigan Offense Overwhelms Wisconsin in Friday Night Win
1/28/2022 10:36:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Mackie Samoskevich put seven shots on goal while scoring once and adding two assists.
» Matty Beniers scored a goal and recorded two assists for his 12th multi-point game of the year.
» Defenseman Ethan Edwards collected two assists to secure his first career multi-point game.
Site: Madison, Wis. (Kohl Center)
Score: #4 Michigan 5, Wisconsin 1
Records: U-M (20-7-1, 11-3-0-0-3 B1G), UW (9-15-3, 4-10-0-1-2 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 29 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wisc.), 8 p.m. CST
MADISON, Wis. -- Nine Wolverines recorded points on Friday night (Jan. 28) as the offense clicked for the fourth-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team in a 5-1 road win over Wisconsin at the Kohl Center.
Erik Portillo turned in another outstanding performance with 26 saves on 27 shots faced to earn his 20th win of the season.
The Wolverines opened the scoring 12:15 into the contest when a trio of freshmen finished off an offensive rush with an exclamation point from close to the crease. Mackie Samoskevich caught a pass in the slot beneath the Big Ten logo before dropping the puck back to Ethan Edwards inside the right point. After taking a stride toward the net, the freshman defender fired a low shot that Dylan Duke was able to find in the blue paint and smash across the red line for a rebound goal and a 1-0 lead.
Late in the first period, Wisconsin (9-15-3, 4-10-0-1-2 Big Ten) took a penalty for interference to put Michigan (20-7-1, 11-3-0-0-3 Big Ten) on the power play with 1:15 left. As the period neared its expiration, Thomas Bordeleau worked at the half-wall before moving in toward the right dot and sent a pass to Matty Beniers beneath the goal line. As quickly as he received it, Beniers sent a pass back out to Bordeleau as he moved toward the crease. Bordeleau sent a quick shot toward the net that deflected off of a UW defenseman and into the back of the net. Samoskevich picked up the secondary assist on the goal to put U-M ahead 2-0.
After one period, U-M held a two-goal lead that was fueled by a successful power play, a 12-10 lead in shots on goal, and a 13-8 advantage in the faceoff dot.
Early in the second frame, Wisconsin took advantage of a Brendan Brisson tripping penalty by halving the deficit in their first man-advantage opportunity of the night with an impressive wraparound effort. The goal wound up being Portillo's only blemish on the evening.
Shortly thereafter, the Swede came up big by closing his five-hole to shut down an abbreviated breakaway and push the puck out of harm's way. Michael Pastujov collected and carried the puck in the other direction before threading a pass to Beniers. The Olympian shimmied and deked before walking cleanly around a UW defenseman and putting a shot on net. With the puck loose below Moe's pads, Luke Morgan crashed the net and finished the job by banging home the rebound 5:04 into the second period to reinstate Michigan's two-goal lead, 3-1.
Samoskevich secured his second career three-point night with a gorgeous goal off the crossbar with 7:15 remaining to put Michigan up 4-1 and prompt UW's coaching staff to switch goaltenders. Johnny Beecher picked up the primary assist on the Samoskevich strike, while Edwards earned the secondary helper to earn his first career multi-point game.
Michigan carried a 4-1 lead into the dressing room after two periods along with a 22-16 edge in shots on goal and a 23-16 advantage in faceoffs. In the frame, UW went 1-for-4 on the power play.
With U-M on the power play near the middle of the third period, Wisconsin had a dangerous two-man breakaway after creating a turnover in their own end, but a wrist shot from the left circle found iron behind Portillo before bouncing away from danger.
Beniers finished off a give-and-go from Nick Blankenburg to close out the game's scoring after Michigan's senior captain put a perfect pass on his tape for him to bury and put U-M's lead out of reach at 5-1 with 9:48 to play. Morgan contributed the secondary assist for Beniers' 16th marker of the season.
The Wolverines put the finishing touches on its road victory win, earning three points and remaining atop the league standings. The game's final tally for shots on goal was 37-27 in Michigan's favor, while U-M also dominated in the faceoff circle, 33-24. Each side scored one power-play goal among a host of chances, with Wisconsin going 1-for-6 in the contest while Michigan was 1-for-5.
Saturday night (Jan. 29), the Wolverines and Badgers will reconvene at the Kohl Center to finish off the weekend with U-M looking to clinch the season series. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST, and the game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
