The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531518
FEBRUARY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 47 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE M ichigan averages 10.86 penalty minutes per game — the worst mark in the Big Ten — and that has hurt the Wolverines this season. There's no better example than the 4-3 loss to Ohio State Jan. 3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, the 10th outdoor game in pro- gram history. The Wolverines committed six penalties in the final 30 minutes of the game, letting a 2-0 lead that they carried late into the second period to slip away. Michigan struggled to score while shorthanded, which is often the case for any team, and the Buckeyes made the most of their advantage with two third- period power-play goals. The Wolverines spent 12 of the last 28 minutes on the pen- alty kill. "Some good things 5-on-5," U-M head coach Brandon Naurato said, per The Michigan Daily. "Hockey's an imperfect game, and there are some bounces both ways. I think they were probably better than us the first 10 minutes, 5-on-5. But after that, I think we controlled the game and did some good things." Michigan bounced back with a 3-2 overtime victory over Ohio State at Yost Ice Arena two nights later, with junior forward T.J. Hughes notching his 100th career point in his 100th college game. He added 2 more assists, including on the game-winning goal by junior forward Jackson Hallum. The Maize and Blue split a two-game set at Notre Dame the following weekend, winning 5-3 before losing 7-4. Naurato and Co. are looking to improve the de- fense, with the Maize and Blue giving up 3.09 goals per game, ranking 43rd in the country and third to last in the Big Ten. WILL HORCOFF JOINS MICHIGAN ROSTER Michigan added to its freshman class at midseason, bringing in a seventh mem- ber in 6-foot-4, 181-pound forward Will Horcoff. The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., na- tive was with the U.S. National Team De- velopmental Program the last two seasons and played in 19 tilts for the USNTDP in 2024-25. He registered 4 goals and 4 as- sists, including 1 helper in an exhibition game against Michigan at Yost Ice Arena Oct. 25. Horcoff officially joined the Wolver- ines Dec. 27 and made an immediate im- pact. In his debut in a winged helmet, a 4-3 loss to Ohio State at Wrigley Field Jan. 3, he posted 1 goal and 1 assist, with both of his points coming on the power play. The new Wolverine said his first taste of game action, which happened to come in an outdoor game, will be something he remembers "forever" even though the team came out on the losing end. He feels welcomed by the Wolverine players and is ready to continue to make a difference this season. "They've embraced me," Horcoff said, according to The Michigan Daily. "I al- ready love all the guys a lot. I have a lot of stuff to do in terms of school and hockey, but they've helped me through the whole process." Horcoff has competed in four games so far, and added 2 more assists, one in each night of the two-game series against Notre Dame Jan. 10 and Jan. 11 in South Bend. ❏ ❱ MICHIGAN HOCKEY Up-And-Down Season Continues With Pair Of Series Splits 2024-25 MICHIGAN HOCKEY SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time/Result Oct. 4 Minnesota State L, 5-2 Oct. 5 Minnesota State W, 4-1 Oct. 11 at Arizona State W, 4-1 Oct. 12 at Arizona State T, 3-3 Oct. 18 St. Cloud State W, 3-0 Oct. 19 St. Cloud State L, 4-0 Oct. 25 USNTDP U-18 Team (Exh.) W, 5-4 (OT) Nov. 1 at Boston U. W, 5-1 Nov. 2 at Boston U. W, 5-4 (OT) Nov. 8 Notre Dame W, 2-1 (OT) Nov. 9 Notre Dame W, 4-2 Nov. 22 at Penn State W, 6-5 Nov. 23 at Penn State W, 10-6 Nov. 29 at Western Michigan L, 4-1 Nov. 30 Western Michigan W, 2-1 Dec. 6 at Minnesota L, 6-0 Dec. 7 at Minnesota L, 2-0 Dec. 13 Wisconsin L, 4-0 Dec. 14 Wisconsin W, 3-2 (OT) Jan. 3 vs. Ohio State^ L, 4-3 Jan. 5 Ohio State W, 3-2 (OT) Jan. 10 at Notre Dame W, 5-3 Jan. 11 at Notre Dame L, 7-4 Jan. 17 Michigan State (B1G+) 7 p.m. Jan. 18 at Michigan State (BTN) 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24 at Wisconsin (B1G+) 8 p.m. Jan. 25 at Wisconsin (BTN) 8:30 p.m. Jan. 31 Penn State (B1G+) 7 p.m. Feb. 1 Penn State (BTN) 6 p.m. Feb. 7 at Michigan State (B1G+) 7 p.m. Feb. 8 Michigan State* (BTN) 8 p.m. Feb. 14 Minnesota (B1G+) 7 p.m. (B1G+) Feb. 15 Minnesota (BTN) 6 p.m. Feb. 27 at Ohio State (BTN) 8 p.m. Feb. 28 at Ohio State (BTN) 6 p.m. Mar. 7-9 Big Ten Quarterfinals TBA Mar. 15 Big Ten Semifinal TBA Mar. 22 Big Ten Championship TBA ^ Wrigley Field, Chicago * Little Caesars Arena, Detroit All times Eastern The Wolverines lost to Ohio State, 4-3, outdoors at Wrigley Field on Jan. 3 but bounced back two days later when junior forward Jackson Hallum scored the overtime game-winner to beat the Buckeyes, 3-2, at Yost Ice Arena. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS