The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1493247
72 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2023 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE M ichigan and Michigan State went to overtime Feb. 12 at the "Duel in the D" showdown at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, a session that ended with sophomore defen- seman Luke Hughes scoring off a rebound with 0.6 seconds be- fore the buzzer. His teammates mobbed him on the ice, and the Maize and Blue faithful in the crowd were sent into a frenzy. Hughes has been on a tear lately, with 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in the last eight games. In a 5-4 victory over Penn State Jan. 28, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft netted a career-high 4 goals, doubling his season total at the time. "He's a unicorn," interim head coach Brandon Naurato said. "He just put the team on his back. He had 4 goals, but it wasn't just offensively. It was away from the puck as well and just being a leader on the bench, su- per positive when we were down and just building these guys up. So proud of him." That win marked both Michigan's first Big Ten sweep and the second of what became a seven-game win streak for the Wolverines, which included five victories over ranked teams. Following the aforementioned victory over MSU to earn Michigan's third sweep in a row, Naurato insisted that the Wolverines are just getting started. "Seven in a row — that's great, but our goal isn't to win seven games in a row in the regular season," the head man said. "It's to continue to find our identity and be peaking at the end of the year. That's just what we're moving toward." WOLVERINES COME AWAY DISAPPOINTED IN WEEKEND SERIES VERSUS OHIO STATE Michigan's seven-game win streak was snapped with a 3-3 tie at Ohio State Feb. 16. Freshman forward Adam Fantilli ex- tended his point streak to 10 games (it's now at 11), but junior goaltender Erik Portillo allowed 3 goals, making 37 saves, and the Buckeyes won the shootout 1-0 to take the win. Two days later, the Wolverines and Buckeyes met in front of 45,523 fans in the "Faceoff at the Lake" at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, the home of the NFL's Browns. That was Michigan's re- cord ninth outdoor game and the 41st of its kind in college hockey during the modern era. The Maize and Blue fell behind 2-0, fought back to 3-2 midway through the third period but couldn't quite get a grip on the game, with Ohio State scoring less than a minute after Michigan pulled within one. The Buckeyes outshot Michi- gan 37-14 and dominated face-offs 53-26 in their 4-2 win. It was an experience of a lifetime to play in the venue, though, and special for a couple Wolverines. "It was a pretty cool experience. I think it was a lot of fun for my grandparents and family and friends in the area to see me and [brother and Ohio State freshman defenseman] Tyler on the ice at the same time back here in Cleveland," sophomore forward Dylan Duke, a Strongsville, Ohio, native, said. "It was definitely a really cool experience and something me and Tyler will be able to talk about for the rest of our lives." The Wolverines are now 4-4-1 in out- door games, and the loss makes securing second place in the Big Ten standings a tough challenge heading into the final weekend of the regular season Feb. 24-25, when they'll take on Notre Dame in a pair of games on home ice at Yost Ice Arena. Minnesota has already captured the regular-season Big Ten crown with 51 points, and Michigan and Ohio State are tied with 36 points. Michigan State has 34, standing in fourth, and Penn State and Notre Dame are tied in fifth place with 31. The Buckeyes take on Minnesota in their final series of the regular season. Michigan stands No. 3 in the Pairwise rankings and is a projected No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. ❏ Michigan fell 4-2 to Ohio State in the "Faceoff at the Lake" Feb. 18 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, the home of the NFL's Browns, in front of 45,523 fans. It was Michigan's record ninth outdoor hockey game. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS MICHIGAN HOCKEY Michigan Rattles Off Seven Straight Wins