Michigan
5-3-1, 1-1-1
Wisconsin
8-1-0, 3-0-0
No. 4 Michigan Surrenders Third-Period Lead in Loss At No. 5 Wisconsin
11/3/2023 11:00:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Gavin Brindley scored his team-leading eighth and ninth goals of the season.
» Seamus Casey extended his longest-career point streak to 14 games with an assist.
» Michigan's power-play unit was 0-1 while Wisconsin went 2-4 with the extra skater.
MADISON, Wis. -- A pair of rapid responses to first-period goals were not enough for the fourth-ranked University of Michigan men's ice hockey team to hang on against the fifth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers on Friday night (Nov. 3), as the Wolverines fell 5-4 after surrendering two third period goals.Â
Michigan (5-3-1, 1-1-1 B1G) held a 4-3 lead heading into the third person, but Wisconsin (8-1-0, 3-0 B1G) rallied late and scored consecutive goals within a 30-second span to flip the lead. The momentum shifted in favor of the Badgers with 6:11 remaining when Michigan was whistled for holding. Wisconsin embarked on its third power play of the night, and it was nearly spent before the Badgers capitalized with four seconds left on the advantage to tie the game at 4-4 with 4:15 left in regulation.
Twenty-nine seconds later, the Badgers scored again and pulled ahead for the first time since late in the first period and make it 5-4 with 3:46 left. U-M received the lone penalty from a post-whistle netfront scrum to give the Badgers another power play with 3:02 left, but the advantage was dismissed by Michigan's penalty killers.
The Wolverines pulled netminder Jake Barczewski in search of a game-tying goal but failed to find one before the final buzzer sounded on a hard-fought Wisconsin win.
Michigan ended the night with a 32-29 edge in shots on goal but couldn't solidify a lead where it mattered most. UW outworked the Wolverines in the faceoff dot, winning 33 of 59 draws en route to the victory.
The Wolverines carried the play out of the gates. Looking to ignite the crowd inside the Kohl Center, the Badgers made their first shot of the game count at 4:14 when they capitalized on a counter-attack by burying a backdoor feed on an odd-man rush to take a 1-0 lead.
Despite the setback, the Wolverines kept pushing by testing the netminder from all angles. Sophomore center Frank Nazar III turned in a terrific effort in the offensive zone to secure possession of the puck and continue driving north. After working his way below the goal line, Nazar threaded a pass out to freshman linemate Garrett Schifsky, who quickly snapped home a shot from the slot that tied the game at one.Â
Less than two minutes later, Wisconsin (8-1) regained its lead after a smooth passing play and a slick finish next to the left post made it 2-1 at 13:20.
Turning in a clear response for the second-straight time, Gavin Brindley netted his eighth goal of the campaign to tie it at two with 4:53 remaining in the first frame. The sophomore sniper took advantage of a drop pass from Tyler Duke, who had driven into the zone to put the defensemen on their heels. Brindley scooped up the puck and ripped a crisp shot from the right circle that found the far-side of the net to knot it for the visitors. Josh Eernisse picked up the secondary assist for his aid in exiting the defensive zone and transitioning up the ice.
With his blade still hot from the team's first goal of the contest, Schifsky rang a shot off the post for a near-miss with 1:55 left to notch the last grade-A chance of the period for U-M.
Nazar had a breakaway chance a bit over four minutes into the middle stanza, but his initial shot and a follow-up attempt were both turned aside by the Wisconsin goaltender. Less than a minute later, a second-successive breakaway for the Wolverines was also denied to keep it tied at two.
To start the second period, Michigan put up seven of the first eight shots on goal and won four of six faceoffs through the first 6:15 to set the tone while they searched for a go-ahead goal.
Nazar pulled U-M ahead with a goal just over a minute after Jackson Hallum was taken out by an unpenalized hit that riled up the Michigan bench. It was Schifsky who carried the puck into the zone and put the initial shot on goal after a toe drag to create space for the shot. The goaltender turned the freshman's attempt aside, but the puck went right to Nazar's blade to bang in the rebound. Schifsky and defenseman Marshall Warren notched assists on Nazar's marker.
Brindley buried his second tally of the night with 6:10 left in the second period to claim a 4-2 lead for the Wolverines. The dynamic forward corralled a long breakout pass off the boards in the neutral zone from Rutger McGroarty before walking into the zone and working his way from the left flank toward the middle of the ice. After taking a few extra strides to forge a shooting lane, Brindley beat the netminder's glove to double the lead. McGroarty and classmate Seamus Casey assisted on Brindley's ninth goal in the ninth game of the season.
Wisconsin received its first power play of the night when Nazar was tagged with a minor penalty for cross-checking at 14:16. Less than a minute later, the Badgers scored to make it a 4-3 game with just under five minutes to play in the second period.
Barczewski manned the blue paint for U-M, stopping 24 of 29 shots that he faced from a potent Wisconsin offense while shouldering the loss.
Saturday night (Nov. 4), the Wolverines and Badgers will face off at the Kohl Center to close out the weekend series between top-five programs. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed live on B1G+
