Michigan
12-9-3, 5-7-2
Wisconsin
20-5-1, 11-3-0
Michigan Splits With No. 3 Wisconsin After OT Setback in Finale
1/27/2024 10:17:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Gavin Brindley notched a three-assist playmaker in addition to five shots on goal.
» Dylan Duke scored a pair of power-play goals to tie Brindley for the team lead with 15 tallies.
» Frank Nazar III scored and added an assist to cap off a five-point weekend.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan ice hockey team earned four points on the weekend, but it was a sour finish to the series as the University of Wisconsin Badgers escaped with a 6-5 overtime victory on Saturday evening (Jan. 27) at Yost Ice Arena.
It was a heavy-scoring first period with the Wolverines holding a 4-3 lead after 20 minutes. Wisconsin (20-5-1, 11-3 Big Ten) scored the lone goal of the second period to even things at 4 and the teams traded goals in the third to set up an extra period.
In overtime, the Michigan (12-9-3, 5-7-2 Big Ten) threatened first before Wisconsin possessed the puck and entered the U-M zone. At the 0:57 mark, the Badgers cashed in on a shot to the top-left corner of the net for a 6-5 win and an extra point in the conference standings.
Michigan won the special teams battle as the nation's top-ranked power play went 3-for-5 against the nation's top penalty kill. The Wolverines PK unit went 4-for-5. Since the break, Michigan is converting 55.6 percent on the power play (15-for-27), and penalty kill is at 81.8 percent (18-for-22).
Special teams took center stage early on when the Badgers were called for interference 46 seconds into the contest. Fifty seconds later, Dylan Duke pounded a rebound opportunity home to give Michigan an early 1-0 lead and extend his point streak to 12 games. Gavin Brindley and Seamus Casey assisted on Duke's 15th marker of the year.
Wisconsin struck back at 2:01 to tie the game after U-M was unable to clear the puck out of the defensive zone from the corner and instead sent a pass into the slot.
The Badgers pulled ahead at 7:26 when a UW forward forced a shot through traffic that found the back of the net to make it 2-1. Just after denting the twine, the player followed through with a hit on a Wolverine who had been on one knee to pick up a minor penalty. He skated through the goal line before crossing the ice to serve the penalty and put U-M on the power play.
Once again, the U-M power-play unit came through for the Wolverines when Nick Moldenhauer lasered a shot from the slot that bounced off the tight netting of the top-right corner of the UW goal to tie the game at two. Frank Nazar III earned the primary assist on Moldenhauer's strike for his save to keep the puck on the right side of the blue line when the Badgers had tried to clear the zone.
From the left circle, Josh Eernisse scored at 9:38 by finishing off a slick feed from Kienan Draper below the goal line. The big sophomore duo connected on the one-time chance to pull Michigan ahead 3-2. Tyler Duke notched the secondary assist from the point for keeping the blue line and cycling the puck down to Draper.
Wisconsin scored its third goal to tie the game at 13:35 off a rush chance in transition.
Michigan's red-hot power-play unit took to the ice for a third time at 14:03 after Barczewski took a stick to the ribs after making a save and freezing the puck. Seven seconds later, Dylan Duke buried his second power-play goal of the period to reclaim a 4-3 lead for the Wolverines. Brindley and Casey assisted on Duke's marker at 14:10.
After one action-packed period of play, Michigan held a 4-3 edge on the scoreboard as well as a narrow 15-14 lead in shots on goal. UW won 15 of 28 faceoffs in the first period to hold a slight advantage.
The Badgers embarked on their third power-play chance of the night just 1:03 into the middle period when Jacob Truscott was sent off for cross-checking while defending. Forty-one seconds later, a UW defender put a low shot on goal that was redirected into the back of the net to tie the game, 4-4.
The remainder of the second period saw tightly contested play as the crowd was treated to a competitive frame. With 40 minutes in the books, the score was deadlocked at four while the Badgers had taken a 26-23 lead in shots on goal and maintained a 25-22 edge in faceoffs.
Nazar reclaimed the lead for Michigan at 5:18 by slipping a slot shot through the goalie's five-hole for the team's fifth goal of the contest. McGroarty collected the primary assist for threading a pass from below the goal line, while Brindley notched the secondary.
Wisconsin tied the game at five with 8:19 left to play when a shot was redirected from the netfront area through Jake Barczewski.
U-M nearly pulled ahead with 2:48 left, but Eernisse's point-blank shot was robbed by a fine save from the Wisconsin goaltender.
Despite falling in the extra session, Michigan became the first team to score five goals on Wisconsin, and they did it in back-to-back games. Through 26 games of the Mike Hastings era in Madison, U-M is responsible for 15 of the 49 goals that the Badgers have allowed this season.
Next week, Michigan hits the road to face off against Ohio State. The rivals face off on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 2-3) at Value City Arena inside the Schottenstein Center. Puck drop for Friday is set for 7 p.m., and the game will stream live on B1G+, while Saturday's rematch will start at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
