Michigan
27-9-1, 18-8-0
Michigan State
12-23-1, 6-20-0
U-M Offense Overwhelms Spartans to Advance to B1G Semifinal
3/5/2022 10:06:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Captain Nick Blankenburg scored and added three assists for his first career four-point game.
» Erik Portillo finished the weekend with 46 saves on 47 shots and had two assists.
» Seven Wolverines scored, with Johnny Beecher being the lone multi-goal scorer for Michigan.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Fueled by an offensive explosion that saw the home team put up four goals in each of the first and second periods, the fifth-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team dismantled and demoralized Michigan State by an 8-0 score on Saturday night (March 5) inside Yost Ice Arena.
With the win, U-M advances to next weekend's one-game semifinal and puts an end to Michigan State's season. As the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten playoffs, U-M will now host the second-lowest remaining seed at Yost on Saturday evening (March 12).
In putting the finishing touches on Michigan's 11th win in the past 12 meetings between the in-state rivals, U-M won its sixth of the season against the Spartans, a program first.
Erik Portillo was clinical in 54:27 of shutout play. The Swedish stalwart made 23 saves for the second consecutive night to finish the weekend with 46 saves on 47 shots faced (.979). With 5:33 left in regulation, senior netminder Jack Leavy entered to finish off the contest.
In the game's opening minutes, Portillo skated behind his net to intercept a dump-in from the Spartans. The netminder shuffled a pass off to Luke Hughes, who began pushing the puck up the ice before sending a pass over to Thomas Bordeleau in the neutral zone in front of the MSU bench. Bordeleau evaded a Spartan forechecker before walking into the Michigan State end and dialing up a wrist shot that made its way through the padding of Spartan goaltender Drew DeRidder.
Blankenburg broke the puck out of the U-M end with a pass up the ice toward reinforcements including Bordeleau, who made a quick touch-pass up to classmate Kent Johnson. After a KJ attempt was thwarted, Michael Pastujov came gliding in off the bench to start his shift. The fifth-year senior collected the puck on top of the center-ice logo before dashing across the blue line and ripping a hard, low wrist shot that beat DeRidder on the far side to make it 2-0 just 4:25 into the contest. Johnson and Bordeleau collected assists on Pastujov's laser.
Before the halfway point of the period, the Wolverines netted a third goal to chase DeRidder. Beecher had the puck as he drove toward the corner on the right flank of the MSU zone. The junior dropped the puck back to Blankenburg who sent a quick seam pass to Dylan Duke near the left post. The freshman made no mistake and buried his eighth goal of the campaign at 7:23.
A post-whistle scrum at the nine-minute mark resulted in coincidental minor penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct in addition to an extra two-minute minor for U-M skater Mark Estapa to give MSU a power play.
While shorthanded, Johnson acted as a lone forechecker and hounded the new MSU netminder, Pierce Charleson, behind the net. After lifting Charleson's stick and securing the puck, KJ spun around the right post and deposited the puck into an empty net to give U-M a four-goal lead at 10:51. The shorthanded marker was Michigan's seventh of the season, the most for U-M since the team notched seven in the 2012-13 season.
Later in the period, Michigan threatened to score on its second power play of the period but failed to tack on a fifth goal before the advantage expired. MSU had a golden opportunity when their recently-banished skater was sent on a breakaway upon exiting the box, but his shot sailed high and wide over Portillo's left shoulder to dismiss the last real threat of the period.
After a high-octane first frame that delighted the crowd inside Yost, the Wolverines climbed the stairs to their dressing room with a four-goal lead, an 11-9 advantage in shots on goal, and a 14-9 lead in the faceoff dot.
Back for the period of the long-change, the Michigan offense kept on rolling. Ethan Edwards made a crisp breakout pass to the tape of Johnny Beecher, who glided down the ice and into the Michigan State zone before sending a low shot through Charleson's five-hole to make it 5-0 at 2:12. Blankenburg collected the secondary assist to secure his second-consecutive multi-assist night.
Fresh off of his fourth assist of the weekend, Blankenburg was sent to the box for a cross-checking penalty at 7:14 of the second period to put MSU on the power play. The Spartans were unsuccessful and Blankenburg returned to the ice with the team's 5-0 lead intact.
With 8:32 remaining in the second stanza, Duke was taken down behind the MSU net. A minor penalty was called, but after further review, the infraction was upgraded to a major penalty and a game misconduct for slew-footing. Michigan embarked on a five-minute, all-you-can-score power play.
Near the halfway point of the extended advantage, Hughes ripped a shot on net that was deflected and redirected into the back of the net by Mackie Samoskevich from the slot with 6:19 left in the second period. Blankenburg collected the secondary assist to secure his third helper of the night and fifth of the weekend that made it 6-0.
Beecher scored 44 seconds later with a one-timer from the left dot to make it 7-0 and secure his first multi-goal game since January 17, 2020. Pastujov and Jacob Truscott assisted on Beecher's second of the game with 5:35 left before the second intermission.
Continuing the team's rapid-fire approach with the man-advantage, Blankenburg quickly notched a goal of his own just 42 seconds later to make it an 8-0 game with 4:53 left in the second period and set a new career-high with his fourth point of the game. Hughes earned the primary assist while the secondary helper went to Portillo, who secured his first career multi-point game with his second assist of the night.
Portillo's two-assist game is the first for a Wolverine netminder since Strauss Mann notched a pair of helpers in a 9-0 win over Michigan State on January 8, 2021.
Brendan Brisson was called for cross-checking with 1:29 left in the middle period, but the Spartans were assessed a bench minor penalty for too many skaters on the ice halfway through their advantage to even play at four-on-four, which is how the teams ended the period.
After building an eight-goal lead in the first two periods of play, the Wolverines carried a 33-18 advantage in shots on goal and a boatload of momentum up to the team's locker room.
The Wolverines continued to threaten throughout the course of the final frame, with Portillo flashing the leather as needed to keep the Spartans off the scoreboard. With 5:33 left in regulation, Leavy entered the game to man the crease for Michigan and close out the first round.
Michigan ended the night with a 41-24 edge in shots on goal to fuel the comfortable rivalry win.
With the win, Michigan advances to the Big Ten semifinal at Yost Ice Arena next Saturday evening (March 12). Puck drop is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
U-M's opponent will be determined following the culmination of the first round, as the Wolverines will host the conference's second-lowest remaining seed. Series between Wisconsin/Notre Dame and Penn State/Ohio State are both going to a Game 3.
Tickets will go on sale for the general public at 9 a.m. on Monday (March 7).
