Michigan
3-2-0, 1-0-0
Ohio State
2-1-1, 0-1-0
U-M Scores At Will in Lopsided Home Win Over No. 13 Ohio State
10/20/2023 9:30:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Rutger McGroarty scored one goal and added an assist to extend his point streak to 13 games.
» Josh Eernisse scored twice in the third period, one of eight Wolverines with multi-point games.
» Seamus Casey posted a game-high +4 rating and two assists to push his point streak to 10 games.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 11th season of play in the modern Big Ten hockey conference kicked off in style inside Yost Ice Arena on Friday night (Oct. 20), as the seventh-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team put a 7-1 drubbing on the No. 13th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to earn three conference points in the team's first B1G opportunity of the season.
Shortly after returning killing off an early tripping penalty, Michigan opened the scoring at 4:10 when Dylan Duke drove toward the blue paint while protecting the puck on the right flank. After reaching the netfront area, his continued pressure resulted in the puck crossing the goal line. Duke's tally was assisted by Jacob Truscott and Kienan Draper after Mark Estapa had worked to drive the puck deep into the offensive zone. OSU challenged the play, but the goal was confirmed.
Ohio State tied the game at 8:17 when a netfront scramble prevented Jake Barczewski from covering the puck before it was chipped into the net. Just before the puck was dropped to resume play, the Michigan coaching staff used a challenge of its own for possible goaltender interference. Like OSU's before, the challenge was unsuccessful and play resumed.
Late in the period, the ice seemed to tilt toward the Buckeye net as Michigan spent an extended period of time putting pressure on the net, including a pair of shots that clanked off the post but failed to cross the goal line to regain the one-goal lead.
With 20 minutes in the books, the game was tied at one goal apiece. OSU led in shots on goal (12-10), while each side had won seven draws.
Michigan received its first power play 22 seconds into the second stanza when Truscott was tripped, but the power-play unit was stymied in its first chance of the weekend.
Rutger McGroarty took the lead back for Michigan at 7:34 with a one-timer from above the hash marks. His linemate, Gavin Brindley, had skated into the corner to keep possession before spinning to find McGroarty toward the middle of the zone and put a pass into his wheelhouse. Seamus Casey earned the secondary assist on McGroarty's third goal of the season.
McGroarty, the nation's leading scorer, extended his point streak to 13 games with the second-period goal while Casey pushed his to 10 games with the secondary helper.
A game puck was taken out of circulation at 11:40 when Nick Moldenhauer scored his first goal as a Wolverine by dialing up a wrist shot from the slot that he was able to push through the netminder to make it 3-1. Jackson Hallum and Tyler Duke collected the assists on Moldenhauer's first collegiate tally while another Wolverine collected the puck.
Michigan's power-play unit was reactivated with 3:15 left in the second period following a late hit on Casey. A bit over a minute later, Brindley benefited from swift puck movement to net his third goal of the season. The sophomore set up on the left flank and exploited an opportunity after the Wolverines were able to push the opposing penalty killers out of position. Assists went to the elder Duke, his second point of the night, and McGroarty.
Freshman Garrett Schifsky was penalized for interference with 1:31 left in the second frame to give the Buckeyes their fourth power play of the night.
U-M came out of the gates quickly in the third period when the team thought it scored a fifth goal just over a minute into the frame. Much to the dismay of Michigan's top trio as well as its student section, the officials ruled the whistle had blown before the puck crossed the line.
Shortly thereafter, Josh Eernisse buried his second goal of the year at 2:54 to make it 5-1 from the slot. Philippe Lapointe earned the primary assist by making a crisp pass from below the goal line that found Eernisse's tape. Playing against his former team, Tyler Duke recorded his second assist of the night.
Michigan's power-play unit received its third chance at 9:09 when an OSU defenseman was whistled for high-sticking, but the team failed to capitalize.
Back at even-strength, it was Eernisse once again who punched in another goal from above the left circle to make it 6-1 with 7:49 left in regulation. Marshall Warren and Schifsky chipped in the assists on Eernisse's second marker to make it an all-newcomer scoring line.
The Wolverines were called for a faceoff violation with 6:01 left to give the Buckeyes a fifth try on the man-advantage. After the first four chances had been dismissed by the Maize and Blue penalty killers, the fifth opportunity also went by the wayside as U-M kept the score at 6-1.
A seventh goal for the Wolverines was added on with 45.8 seconds remaining when Draper stationed himself in the slot and redirected a point shot from Casey to give Michigan a six-goal lead. Lapointe notched his second assist of the night on the exclamation point of a tally.
Michigan's power-play unit ended the night at 1-for-3 to help U-M earn all three available points in the Big Ten conference standings. The team's penalty kill unit also turned in a stellar 5-for-5 effort.
Tomorrow night (Saturday, Oct. 21), the longtime conference rivals will resume play for their 161st all-time meeting on ice. U-M will look to earn the sweep when the puck drops at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on B1G+.
