Dec. 11, 2009
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• Video: Reaction to Win
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Yost Ice Arena)
Score: Michigan 4, Notre Dame 1
Records: U-M (9-8-0, 5-6-0-0 CCHA), Notre Dame (7-8-4, 4-5-4-2 CCHA)
Attendance: 6,831
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Dec. 13 -- at Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.), 4:05 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Junior center Louie Caporusso (Woodbridge, Ontario) potted a goal and two assists to lead the University of Michigan ice hockey team to a 4-1 victory over Notre Dame (NR USA Today/No. 18 USCHO) on Friday (Dec. 11) at Yost Ice Arena. Freshman defenseman Lee Moffie (Wallingford, Conn.) recorded his first career multi-point game with a power-play tally and helper in the win.
The Wolverines took a 2-0 lead by the game's midpoint with a marker from junior left wing Carl Hagelin (Sodertajle, Sweden) at 8:38 of the first period and an early second-period goal from senior left wing Brian Lebler (Penticton, B.C.). Notre Dame posted a power-play tally at 7:27 of the second period, but U-M responded with its own power-play goal a mere 1:30 later. Caporusso's insurance goal 1:02 into the final period capped the scoring. Junior netminder Bryan Hogan (Highland, Mich.) had 24 saves for the win.
The game featured a battle of Michigan's top-ranked penalty-killing unit (91.7 percent) and Notre Dame's PK, which ranked third (90.7 percent) in the country entering this weekend. The Wolverines saw their perfect penalty-kill streak end at 25 power plays spanning six games tonight, but they also scored on the Fighting Irish's penalty kill, which had allowed only two power-play tallies over 36 chances coming into Friday's game.
With 11:22 remaining in the first period, Hagelin scored his team-best ninth marker of the season to hand Michigan a 1-0 lead over the Irish. Junior center Matt Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) cleanly won the draw and sent the puck back to junior defenseman Tristin Llewellyn (Ann Arbor, Mich.) at the left point, where he wound up and fired off a shot. The puck hit Hagelin en route to the net, which the alternate captain then grabbed and backhanded into the net to extend his point streak to a career-high six games.
Lebler padded Michigan's lead to two goals 3:05 into the middle frame. Caporusso held onto the puck in the left faceoff circle before sending it to Moffie, who quickly pushed the disc forward to Lebler stationed just outside the right goal post. Lebler's shot went off the back of goalie Mike Johnson's left skate and into the net to boost the score to 2-0. Lebler's tally stood as the gamewinner -- his second of the season.
The Fighting Irish drew within one on a power-play tally from defenseman Riley Sheahan 6:27 into the second stanza. Ryan Thang took a sharp-angle shot from the left side of the goal line that deflected off Hogan and directly to Sheahan in the slot, where he found a seam in between Hogan and the right goal post.
The Wolverines responded with a power-play marker of their own 1:30 later to extend the team's power-play goal streak to seven games. Senior defenseman Steve Kampfer (Jackson, Mich.) ripped the puck from the right point that redirected off Caporusso's leg and back to Moffie in the high slot. Moffie snapped a shot on goal that deflected twice and found the back of the net to make it 3-1. Kampfer's helper was his fifth in as many games and ninth of the season to lead U-M defensemen.
Caporusso earned his third point of the night when he sniped a shot from outside the right faceoff circle 1:02 into the final period. His blast beat Johnson just above the goaltender's glove to net his fifth marker of the season.
Notre Dame changed up goaltenders at the 12:27 mark in the closing stanza with the hopes of sparking some offense. While the Fighting Irish recorded 12 shots on goal in the third period, Hogan's strong play kept Notre Dame off the board in the game's last 20 minutes.
The Wolverines will conclude their home-and-home series against Notre Dame on Sunday (Dec. 13) at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Ind. The game will be televised on Comcast (channel 900) with a start time of 4:05 p.m.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
