Michigan
26-7-1, 17-6-1
Minnesota
11-20-2, 7-14-1
Freshmen Seize Baton in Michigan's Senior Night Victory Over Minnesota
2/27/2026 10:45:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» T.J. Hughes scored once and added an assist to drive the offense in his 150th career game.
» Defenseman Asher Barnett netted the game-winning goal in the third period.
» Malcolm Spence had a goal and two assists, his first three-point game since the season opener.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- On a night dedicated to celebrating the program's seniors, it was freshmen who led the way offensively for the second-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team as the Wolverines rebounded with two third-period goals from first-year skaters to secure a 4-2 win over Minnesota and reclaim the Mariucci-Renfrew Trophy for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
By notching its 26th win, Michigan finishes the regular season with its most victories since the 2007-08 group headed into the postseason with 27 wins.
Freshman Jack Ivankovic started between the pipes, and the netminder ended the evening with 25 saves on 27 shots from the Golden Gopher offense to help Michigan earn the victory.
Michigan (26-7-1, 17-6-1 Big Ten) opened the scoring 1:50 into the contest when captain T.J. Hughes redirected a shot past the Golden Gopher goaltender while tied up with a defender near the hash marks. His classmate, Tyler Duke, notched the primary assist for putting the shot on goal, while freshman blue-liner Asher Barnett earned the secondary for his effort in moving the puck to his defensive partner in a position to make a play.
Minnesota (11-20-2, 7-14-1 Big Ten) earned the first power play of the night at 8:35 when senior forward Kienan Draper was banished for tripping while chasing down a Golden Gopher skater. The penalty-kill dismissed the chance to regain full strength.
The Wolverines embarked on their first power play at 14:59, and the unit kept possession in the offensive zone until Malcolm Spence tapped in a perfect backdoor feed from Michael Hage. The marker was wiped off the board after Minnesota successfully challenged the play for a missed game stoppage following a hand pass.
Less than 20 seconds after U-M had a goal disallowed, a second Gopher penalty gave the Wolverines a 5-on-3 power-play attempt. The team worked the puck around the zone but failed to crack Minnesota's penalty killers before both skaters returned to the ice.
The Wolverines owned a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes, in addition to healthy advantages in shots on goal (14-7) and faceoffs (11-4). The team finished the opening frame 0-for-2 on the power play after Spence saw his PPG taken away by a coach's challenge.
Minnesota notched a game-tying goal from the top of the blue paint 1:39 into the second period after a U-M skater fell to the ice to give his man room in front.
Spence got his goal at 15:16 when Cole McKinney sprung him for a breakaway down the center lane. The rangy forward skated in before releasing a firm shot that beat the netminder's blocker to pull the Wolverines back in front, 2-1.
The Golden Gophers tied it up at 2-2 with a hard-earned goal of their own at 17:21.
Michigan nearly buried another tally on the ensuing shift, but Jayden Perron was taken down by a hook in the slot to draw a penalty, which put an end to the immediate threat with 1:47 left.
The game was tied at two as the teams headed into intermission with one period left in the series. Michigan maintained a 26-19 lead in shots on goal in addition to a 22-11 advantage in the faceoff dot through 40 minutes.
Desperately searching for a third go-ahead goal, U-M sent its power-play unit back onto the ice at 5:41 in hopes of setting off the goal horn. Just 12 seconds later, a Wolverine was sent off to dash those aspirations and even things up at 4-on-4.
Freshman blue-liner Asher Barnett scored his fifth goal of the season at 13:31 to give Michigan a 3-2 lead that they did not surrender. The first-year defender collapsed in on the left flank in search of the most advantageous position while Spence won the puck in traffic on the right side of the ice. He walked in toward the slot before feeding Barnett, and the defenseman wasted no time before cashing in on the golden opportunity. Hughes pocketed the secondary helper to claim sole ownership of 26th place on the program's all-time scoring list with 169 points.
Nine seconds after the Wolverines claimed momentum from Barnett's tally, Draper was sent off for a major penalty and game misconduct when his check ran high on a Gopher in the neutral zone. The visitors embarked on a five-minute power-play chance, but Michigan's penalty killers delivered when it counted most to send a grateful arena into an uproar.
With the goalie pulled and the Wolverines defending their end, Spence sent a clearing attempt off the half wall and down the ice that bounced off the side of the net. Rather than accept an icing, McKinney won the race to the goal line and deposited the rebound to ice the game with 1:02 remaining. With the assist on McKinney's marker, Spence secured his first three-point outing since the season opener.
The Wolverines put the finishing touches on a 4-2 win to salvage a series split before switching gears for the program's annual Senior Night celebration. U-M ended the contest with a 33-27 advantage in shots on goal, and the Wolverines also owned the faceoff dot (27-19). The lengthy penalty kill late in the game was the difference-maker.
The class of 2026 was celebrated in the postgame Senior Night ceremony. As it stands, U-M's senior class has assembled a 93-49-10 record in addition to reaching two Frozen Fours and winning one Big Ten Tournament Championship.
Michigan was set to be the lone Big Ten team on a bye to close out the regular season next week, so the program scheduled an exhibition to keep the squad fresh before it begins postseason play the following week. On Thursday (March 5), U-M will face off against Simon Fraser in an exhibition contest at Yost Ice Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on B1G+.
