Michigan
23-4-0, 14-3-0
Michigan State
21-6-0, 12-5-0
Michigan Storms Back, Finishes Off No. 2 MSU in OT on Perron's Power-Play Marker
2/6/2026 11:14:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» T.J. Hughes extended his active point streak to 10 games with a two-assist performance.
» Michigan scored the final three goals of the night to overcome a two-goal, third-period deficit.
» Kienan Draper joined classmate Hughes as the lone Wolverine with multiple points.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The eyes of the collegiate hockey world were set upon Yost Ice Arena on Friday night (Feb. 6) and the University of Michigan ice hockey team roared back from a two-goal third-period deficit to defeat No. 2 Michigan State 4-3 after a power-play goal in overtime from Jayden Perron helped the team claim an extra point in the Big Ten standings.
The game was the 350th all-time showdown between the foes and marked the first time in the history of the rivalry that the teams faced off while ranked No. 1 and No. 2.
Early in the overtime period, after an odd-man rush for the Wolverines was stymied by an extra roll of the puck, Will Horcoff was taken down along the boards to earn U-M's first power play of the night with 3:24 left in the extra session.
Embarking on a 4-on-3 power-play opportunity with the game on the line, Michigan moved the puck around the Spartans' zone while searching for cracks to exploit in their penalty kill structure. After the Wolverines had spent more than a minute pressuring, Michael Hage found Perron on the left wing. The junior forward powered a shot through a sliding netminder to clinch the win. Hughes collected the secondary helper on Perron's game-winner.
Freshman goaltender Stephen Peck put his 5-0 record on the line in his fifth-consecutive start for the Wolverines, and the netminder made 31 saves on the 34 shots he faced from MSU to improve to 6-0. With the win, Peck became the second U-M goaltender to begin his career with an unblemished record through six games this season.
The first 15 minutes were played at a frenetic pace, with each side testing the opposing netminder from a variety of angles, including one attempt from the Spartans that rang off Peck's helmet and away from trouble.
Michigan State (21-5-0, 12-4-0 Big Ten) notched an ice-breaker at 15:14 when a centerman looped back through the slot to redirect a shot from his linemate near the half wall. Entering the weekend, U-M was 4-3 in games when the opponent scored first.
Michigan (22-4-0, 13-3-0 Big Ten) struck back less than two minutes later following a faceoff win in the offensive zone. Team captain T.J. Hughes snapped the draw back to defenseman Drew Schock near the boards. The freshman collected the puck as he began to skate toward the middle of the ice as his teammates dispersed throughout the zone. As Schock approached the center of the ice, he snapped a low shot that was redirected past MSU's netminder by junior winger Nick Moldenhauer, continuing his hot streak after his first career multi-goal game in his last outing.
With the secondary assist, Hughes notched his 161st career point to claim sole ownership of 29th place on the program's all-time scoring list. The helper was also his 20th career point vs. MSU and extended his point streak to 10 games.
After one period of high-level action, the in-state rivals were deadlocked at 1-1. Michigan trailed 10-7 in shots on goal but owned a 14-9 advantage in the faceoff dot. The period was fiercely competitive but remained penalty-free while the teams searched for vulnerabilities.
Neither team missed a beat when they returned for the second period. At the first media timeout, shots on goal were even at 14-14. Fresh out of that break, each team sent a skater to the box after a spirited disagreement on whether or not a Spartan shot was sent on net after the whistle.
As the game's midpoint came and went, the skill level of the nation's top two-ranked teams was evident. Each rush down the ice produced chances, with goaltenders reigning supreme through 15 minutes of play in the period of the long change.
The Spartans pulled back in front at 15:04 when their skater carved in on net from the left flank and protected the puck before moving it to his forehand to fire a shot top-shelf as he approached the crease and claim a 2-1 lead.
MSU followed it up by doubling its lead at 17:43 when a defender fired a shot through traffic that found twine after a successful give-and-go through the right circle.
The visitors carried a 3-1 lead into the dressing room after 40 minutes of play, along with a 24-17 advantage in shots on goal. U-M expanded its lead in the faceoff dot in the second period to sit at 29-20 at the second intermission.
The Wolverines stormed out for the third period with a concerted push in search of a tally to chip away at the deficit. They pressured offensively while locking down defensively, preventing the Spartans from tallying a third-period shot on goal until the eight-minute mark.
Freshman defenseman Asher Barnett netted a second marker for the Wolverines at 10:27, driving the center lane.
A few minutes later, U-M was whistled for interference to give the first power play of the game to the Spartans.
Less than a minute into the MSU man advantage, senior Kienan Draper broke into the MSU zone and wired his first short-handed goal of the season into the back of the net to tie the game at 3-3 with 7:08 remaining in regulation.
Moldenhauer nearly secured his second straight multi-goal game with three minutes left in regulation after Perron set him up with a perfect feed from his perch in the corner, but the junior's point-blank opportunity was smothered in the chest of the Spartan goaltender to earn a faceoff.
Neither team could find the go-ahead goal the rest of the way to send the game into overtime and set up Perron's game-winner.
Michigan put the finishing touches on the OT win to finish the night with a narrow 35-34 edge in shots and a wide 45-30 lead in the faceoff dot. For MSU, the loss marked its first of the year in a game in which it opened the scoring.
On Saturday night (Feb. 7), the in-state rivals head to Detroit for the annual "Duel in the D" showcase at Little Caesars Arena. Puck drop inside the sold-out arena is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network. The teams will be playing for the Iron "D" trophy, which U-M has won in six of nine previous meetings.
