Michigan
17-14-4
Michigan State
15-18-2
Wolverines Shut Out Michigan State in B1G Playoff Opener
3/6/2020 10:40:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Strauss Mann made 25 saves to secure his fifth shutout of the season.
» Jake Slaker recorded the game-winning goal in the first period with his team-leading 13th tally.
» Michigan's power play went 2-for-5 on the night, while the penalty-kill unit spoiled all five MSU chances.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Yost Ice Arena)
Score: Michigan 3, Michigan State 0
Records: U-M (17-14-4, 11-10-3-2 Big Ten), MSU (15-18-2, 11-11-2-0 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 7 -- vs. Michigan State (Ann Arbor, Mich.), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore goaltender Strauss Mann made 25 saves to notch his fifth shutout of the season and lead the University of Michigan ice hockey team past Michigan State, 3-0, in Game 1 of their 2020 Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal series on Friday (March 6).
After a pair of Spartan minors gave Michigan a two-man advantage for 1:17 in the middle of the first period, the Wolverines methodically moved the puck around the opposing zone before Jake Slaker buried the game's opening goal from the doorstep 9:54 into the contest. Assists on Slaker's team-leading 13th goal went to Will Lockwood, who took advantage of a broken MSU stick to find Slaker backdoor with a seam pass, along with Nick Blankenburg from the blue line.
Less than three minutes into the middle frame, U-M doubled its lead when a Jacob Hayhurst shot deflected off of Johnny Beecher and trickled into the MSU net as the talented freshman drove toward the net front. Senior defenseman Luke Martin also picked up an assist on Beecher's tally.
Mann was at his best as U-M killed off three minor penalties over the course of the second period, withstanding an onslaught of Spartan shot attempts without giving an inch.
After a late penalty was called on Michigan State with 10 seconds left, it took Nick Pastujov just 2.3 seconds to scoop the puck off the ensuing faceoff win and squeeze a perfectly placed wrist shot between the post and MSU goaltender John Lethemon to bring Michigan's lead to 3-0. Jimmy Lambert picked up the lone assist on Pastujov's team-leading sixth power-play goal.
The story of the opening two periods was the success of Michigan's special teams, going 2-for-4 on the power play while maintaining a perfect 4-for-4 penalty kill.
Michigan put the finishing touches on the victory with a strong all-around performance in the third, featuring a fantastic effort from each special-teams unit. In addition to ending the night 5-for-5 on the penalty kill, Michigan's power play looked dynamic while going 2-for-5.
Mann's fifth shutout of the season moves him into a tie for second-most in the nation while Martin's three blocked shots place him in a tie for the most in all of college hockey with 83.
Saturday night, U-M and MSU will face off in Game 2 of their best-of-three quarterfinals series at 7 p.m. inside Yost Ice Arena. The game will be streamed live on BTN Plus.
