Michigan
Michigan State
Michigan Outduels No. 15 Michigan State in Road Victory
2/10/2023 11:13:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» The rivalry matchup was defined by penalties, as the teams combined for 105 minutes.
» Gavin Brindley led all scorers with two goals and one assist for a three-point night.
» Erik Portillo made 30 saves while allowing just two goals to earn the rivalry win.
Site: East Lansing, Mich. (Munn Ice Arena)
Score: #5 Michigan 4, #15 Michigan State 2
Records: U-M (19-9-1, 11-8-0 B1G), MSU (15-14-2, 9-10-2 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 11 -- vs. Michigan State (Detroit, Mich.), 8 p.m.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- In a contest marred by 105 minutes of penalties, the fifth-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team rode a three-goal first period to a 4-2 win over No. 15 Michigan State in an in-state rivalry game on Friday (Feb. 10) at Munn Ice Arena.
Junior netminder Erik Portillo earned the victory in net for the Wolverines by stopping 30 of 32 Spartan shots on goal.
Sophomore Mackie Samoskevich opened the scoring and put the Wolverines on the board just 3:17 into the game. While cycling the puck through the MSU zone, T.J. Hughes worked in the right corner and popped a pass out to Samoskevich in the slot. He immediately clapped a one-timer into the back of the net to give U-M a 1-0 lead. Freshman blueliner Luca Fantilli earned the secondary assist on Samoskevich's 15th goal of the season.
Shortly thereafter, Gavin Brindley swooped low into the crease and cleared a loose puck away from Portillo's cage and out of danger.
Michigan's first power play came at 7:19, and Adam Fantilli only needed 27 seconds to get the puck on his blade in the high slot and lean into a rocket of a wrist shot that soared past the glove to put the Wolverines up 2-0. Brindley handled the puck on the right point and sent a perfect pass into open ice for Fantilli to skate into and place precisely for the goal. Luke Hughes collected the second assist on Fantilli's team-leading 18th goal of the season.
At 11:26, Brindley buried a goal of his own from just beyond the left dot after settling into space and patiently waiting for a perfect pass into his wheelhouse from defenseman Steven Holtz. Brindley's one-timer into a yawning cage put U-M up 3-0. With the primary assist, Holtz picked up his first point in his third game back in the lineup after missing a significant amount of time.
Michigan State's first power play started with 6:39 left in the first period after Dylan Duke was tagged with a minor penalty for holding, but Michigan's penalty killers were up to the task.
The Spartans thought they scored a goal with 1:32 remaining, but the officials waived off the goal on the ice for incidental contact by a Spartan forward with Portillo. MSU challenged the call, in hopes of getting their first goal put back on the board, but the challenge was unsuccessful and the Spartans lost their timeout.
After one period, Michigan held a 3-0 lead and a 14-8 advantage in shots on goal. U-M also was dominant in the faceoff dot through the opening 20 minutes, winning 14 of 20 draws. Michigan scored on its lone power-play opportunity, while the Spartans were stymied.
Luca Fantilli was called for hooking just 1:35 into the second period to give the Spartans their second power play of the contest. Two minutes later, the elder Fantilli exited the box as MSU dropped to 0-for-2 on the man-advantage.
MSU notched ita first goal at 4:54 to make it 3-1 when a Spartan forward drove the net, caught a pass from below the goal line, and buried a quick shot from between the circles.
Both teams were whistled for a pair of penalties in a span of less than 90 seconds to give the fans 37 seconds of 3-on-3 play.
Sophomore defenseman Ethan Edwards laid a stout hit behind the MSU net and no call was made on the ice. Despite MSU's lack of challenge, the officials reviewed the play and determined that a major penalty and game misconduct were to be assessed to Edwards, giving the Spartans a five-minute extended power play.
When there was 3:05 left on Edwards' infraction, Michigan State was penalized for tripping to even play at 4-on-4 for two minutes. Taking advantage of the extra ice, Luke Hughes went for a long skate around the MSU zone before popping a pass out to freshman forward Frank Nazar III, making his collegiate debut, who nearly finished a chance in the low slot before the puck hopped over his blade.
With 5:10 left in the second period, a post-whistle scrum resulted in a pair of game disqualifications for Adam Fantilli and a Spartan defenseman along with an array of lesser infractions on a number of other skaters who remained in the game.
Michigan held a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes of play, but the Spartans had turned the table with strong second period performances in a pair of important metrics: shots on goal and faceoffs.
Michigan State scored on the power play at 5:32 of the third period to make it a 3-2 contest.
Nazar nearly set up a teammate with a pretty pass between the legs to set up a chance in a two-on-one rush, but the puck dribbled to the right of the net and into the end wall.
Jackson Hallum's speed continued to cause problems for opposition, as he collected a puck while crossing the blue line on a zone entry before soaring through the zone, carving around the back of the net, and forcing the MSU defender to take a penalty by pulling him down to the ice.
Near the halfway point of the third period, Luke Hughes' backchecking helped to clear a loose puck out of the blue paint and drive play the opposite way for another Michigan rush.
The Wolverines iced the rivalry-game victory when Brindley netted an empty-net goal with 1:01 left in the game to make it 4-2. Luke Hughes and Dylan Duke assisted on Brindley's empty-netter to finish off the night's festivities.
Punctuating a night of hard feelings, multiple penalties were called for post-whistle infractions.
MSU finished the night with a 32-31 lead in shots on goal, but Michigan led where it counted most to push the team's win streak to six games. With the win, the logjam in the Big Ten standings began to break as U-M moved into sole possession of second place with 33 points.
Saturday evening (Feb. 11) will mark the rivalry's annual "Duel in the D" contest at Little Caesars Arena for the Iron "D" Trophy. Michigan has hoisted the trophy in the Motor City five consecutive times, and the team will look for its sixth straight Motown crown. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
