Nick Moldenhauer scored two goals, including the overtime game-winner, while Stephen Peck was steady between the pipes to help Michigan leave Columbus with a 3-2 win over Ohio State on Saturday night.
The No. 1 Wolverines (22-4, 13-3 Big Ten, 36 points) will always take a victory, but they could not have been overly pleased with the run-and-gun shootout on Friday night that ended in a 6-4 victory. Head coach Brandon Naurato had his squad play a more defense-oriented style on Saturday, as neither Michigan nor the unranked Ohio State Buckeyes (8-14-2, 4-9-1 Big Ten, 13 points) generated many high-danger chances through most of the first period.
Late in the first, freshman forward Malcolm Spence was charged with his second penalty of the frame (interference and slashing). However, the Wolverines’ penalty kill was up for the task.
Junior forward Nick Moldenhauer won a puck battle on the sideboard, junior forward Garrett Schifsky exited the zone, raced down the Buckeyes’ left circle, spun and hit a floating Moldenhauer, whose slot wrist shot beat Sam Hillebrandt for the opening tally.
It was far from Michigan’s last visit to the box, as it racked up eight for 27 minutes — the primary contribution coming from Schifsky’s game misconduct over five minutes into the second period.
A few shifts before, Schifsky took a thundering hit behind Ohio State’s net and got up gingerly. He returned the favor when Hillebrandt went to play a puck behind the Buckeyes’ net. Schifsky came flying in, had a bit of a chicken wing elbow and was ultimately sent off for charging.
But Peck and the penalty kill remained steady. Peck was excellent when called upon, and his killers ate as many shots as they could as they wore down Ohio State and survived the major unscathed.
Midway through the third period, freshman forward Cole McKinney did well to retrieve his dump in and poked it free from a grasping Hillebrandt. The puck took a fortuitous bounce off the backboard, and freshman forward Adam Valentini was left alone for the easy tap-in.
On Friday, the Wolverines made sure to shut down the neutral zone and traffic in front of Peck in crunch time. The script flipped on Saturday.
Freshman forward Aidan Park was called for tripping, and on their sixth power play of the night, the Buckeyes finally capitalized. Felix Caron’s high circle shot beat Peck high, though there was a screener in front and Peck had little chance of preserving his shutout.
The bleeding did not stop there; during a 4-on-4 sequence thanks to offsetting penalties for senior captain T.J. Hughes and Ryan Gordon, Ohio State struck again. Nathan McBrayer redirected Max Montes’ shot through Peck’s five hole, clanged the inside post and hit off Peck’s squeezing pads for the tying goal.
It was an unfortunate series of events for Peck, but he looked more comfortable and his confidence (naturally) seems to grow with each start. He ended with 32 saves and remains unbeaten in his five starts.
Pretty, pretty good for the young man who is proving he is far more than just Jack Ivankovic’s backup.
The 3-on-3 overtime period was chaotic as ever, with the best look coming for sophomore forward Michael Hage on a mini breakaway. He had a trailer, but elected to test Hillebrandt and failed.
Minutes later, it was Moldenhauer once again tickling the twine. He swept left through Ohio State’s zone and sizzled a near-side high wrist shot for the game-winner.
Credit to Michigan’s defense core, led by guys like Tyler Duke, Luka Fantilli, Ben Robertson and Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen, who further demonstrated these Wolverines can win games in a variety of ways and look more mature than any of Naurato’s previous groups.
They have not sacrificed the high-flying offense for Peck (even if Saturday was a bit slower) and have handled the loss of Ivankovic better than anyone could have hoped.
The Buckeyes are better than their record and it was no surprise they played their rivals so tough at home. But Michigan continues to figure out how to win games and can now focus its attention on a pivotal series with No. 2 Michigan State next weekend.
The first game is set for Friday night at Yost Ice Arena before they head east for the Duel in the D at Little Caesars Arena.
