Michigan
5-5-2, 1-3-2
Minnesota
5-3-2, 1-2-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT 1 | OT 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Michigan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Casey's Shootout Goal Pushes Michigan to Extra Point over Minnesota
11/11/2023 10:47:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» The score was tied 2-2 through regulation and the overtime period, but Michigan won the shootout to claim the extra point over Minnesota.
» Frank Nazar III and Nick Moldenhauer each scored and added an assist for two-point games.
» Seamus Casey and Mark Estapa notched assists, while Casey netted the shootout winner.
» Goalie Jake Barczewski turned aside 37 of 39 shots that he faced to backstop the Wolverines.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The eighth-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie with the sixth-ranked University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and took the extra point by winning the shootout inside Yost Ice Arena on Saturday night (Nov. 11).
Sixty minutes weren't enough to determine a victor, so the game proceeded to the five-minute 3x3 overtime session with the score deadlocked at two goals apiece. Each side added a trio of shots on goal in the extra segment, but neither side could churn up a third, game-winning goal before the buzzer rang once again.
Goalkeeper Jake Barczewski continued his outstanding play for Michigan in the shootout effort, as he turned aside all three attempts that he faced from Minnesota's Jimmy Snuggerud, Cal Thomas and Bryce Brodzinski to give the Wolverines a chance to win. After Michigan's Dylan Duke had pushed a shot wide, Seamus Casey sauntered in on the Golden Gopher goaltender before slowing up, showing off his edgework by opening up his hips, and flipping a backhanded shot into the back of the net to create the loudest cheer of the night.
Nick Moldenhauer scored the first goal of the night when he cycled into the bottom of the left circle and smashed home a one-timer that gave Michigan a 1-0 lead at 13:40 in the first period. Assists on Moldenhauer's second collegiate tally went to Casey and Frank Nazar III, as the goal was a product of exceptional passing. The Gophers had done all they could to avert a goal while scrambling around the zone in pursuit of the puck, but the pressure paid off as U-M scored first for the ninth time in 12 games.
A dangerous possession for the Gophers resulted in a U-M penalty when Philippe Lapointe was tagged for tripping behind the Michigan net with 3:36 left in the second period. The Minnesota power-play unit took to the ice for its second chance of the period, and Michigan came close to killing it off before a Gopher forward ripped a rocket from the top of the right circle that found the back of the net to tie the game with 2:02 left in the second.
Next, it was Michigan's turn to embark on a man-advantage as they received their second power play of the frame with 52.3 seconds remaining thanks to a Minnesota high-sticking infraction. The Wolverines made the opportunity count with 11 seconds left in the second stanza. Nazar received a pass in the left circle, across the royal road from Mark Estapa below the goal line. The sophomore center wasted no time before threading a perfect shot in the top left corner of the net to claw the lead back from the Gophers right before the second intermission. Moldenhauer joined Estapa in assisting on Nazar's strike that made it 2-1.
Despite Michigan's red-hot power play being greenlit for its third attempt at 6:56 in the third period, the unit failed to garner traction like it had in prior chances in the series. U-M's lead remained at one until Minnesota (5-3-2, 1-2-1 B1G)Â tied it with 4:27 left in regulation off an even-strength goal jammed in from the netfront area. With the score tied at 2-2 through the end of regulation, the contest went on to a scoreless overtime period before resulting in a shootout.
Barczewski turned in an excellent performance by recording 37 saves on 39 shots from a talented Gopher outfit. To close out the weekend, the seasoned backstop thrived in the shootout, where he made three saves to ice Minnesota and earn a second point in the Big Ten standings for Michigan after Casey put on a show en route to potting a backhanded shootout winner for U-M.
Next weekend, the Wolverines (5-5-2, 1-3-2 B1G) will host a pair of Big Ten games on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 17-18) against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Puck drop at Yost Ice Arena is set for 7 p.m. on both nights, and the contests will be streamed live on B1G+.
