Facing its biggest test of the young season, No. 2 Michigan rose to the occasion, sweeping No. 1 Denver in Colorado. No. 20 Minnesota also tied with rival No. 9 Minnesota Duluth before winning the shootout on Saturday night.
Wolverines Sweep No. 1 Denver
After taking both games from Denver in a rematch of last season's Frozen Four Semifinals, Michigan has now started 6-0-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. The Wolverines jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first game on Friday evening thanks to goals from Jayden Perron, Malcolm Spence and Cole McKinney. The Pioneers were only able to get one by goalie Jack Ivankovic (27 saves on the night) before Spence scored his second of the night to clinch the 4-1 victory.
Denver was the first to score in Saturday night’s contest, but Michigan scored twice in the first period to take the lead behind goals from Garrett Schifsky and Adam Valentini. The margin increased to 3-1 in the second period when Michael Hage and Will Horcoff fed Perron, who tallied a goal for the eighth straight game dating back to last season.
The Pioneers rallied to tie it at three in the third period, but Hage and Nick Moldenhauer (the top two in the country in assists) found Asher Barnett for the game-winning goal with less than five minutes to play.
After the Denver sweep, Michigan will likely be named the No. 1 team in the country when the USCHO poll comes out on Monday. Meanwhile, Perron’s hot streak has put him first in the country in goals (nine) and points (15). More from the Wolverines.
Gophers Tie with Rivals, Win Shootout
After falling to Minnesota Duluth on Friday, Minnesota came back on Saturday to earn a 2-2 tie against its rival. Brodie Ziemer accounted for both Gopher goals, including this nifty between-the-legs shot.
Luca Di Pasquo stopped two of the Bulldogs’ three attempts in the shootout, while Wyatt Cullen scored one and LJ Mooney sealed it for Minnesota.
Up next, the Golden Gophers will host a series with No. 4 North Dakota beginning on Thursday. Minnesota has yet to face an unranked opponent this season.
In other Big Ten action over the weekend:
Take a look at the scores and upcoming schedule here.