With less than four minutes of the third period, it was a waiting game. After almost a full 60 minutes of a back-and-forth grind for both the No. 2 Michigan hockey team and No. 10 Wisconsin, something had to give — or someone.
Sophomore forward Will Horcoff snagged the puck midair before taking it down the ice himself. He dragged it up the right side before snipping a shot into the corner of the net. Although it wasn’t the final goal of the night, it was the game-defining one for the Wolverines.
Michigan (10-1 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) built upon its lead in the first two periods against the Badgers (6-1-2, 2-1), dominating the last few minutes for the momentum-filled matchup to secure a 7-4 win.
“Through 11 games now, there’s been a lot of different games,” Wolverines coach Brandon Naurato said. “We’ve been up, we’ve been down, but that’s a sign of a good team. We’re finding ways to win.”
Though Wisconsin currently sits at the bottom of the top 10, its stats and performances continue to tell a different story on its season thus far. And as Michigan attempted to bulldoze its way through the offensive zone early in the first period, the Badgers were quick to break any cohesion the Wolverines could form.
But that cohesion came when Michigan’s newly renovated fourth line, one that specializes in speedy play, took the ice three minutes into the game. With a backhand pass from freshman forward Aidan Park, junior forward Garrett Schifsky put the puck away in the net front for the Wolverines’ first of the night.
The rest of the period remained a stalemate as Michigan and Wisconsin’s defense continued to battle, but both defended its respective offensive zones aggressively. While the Badgers aren’t considered a headlining team in the Big Ten, they were doing everything in their power to remind the Wolverines that they were a threat — one to take seriously.
Just three minutes into the second period, Wisconsin defenseman Luke Osborn proved that offensive ability by putting the Badgers on the board. The tied game lasted for two minutes before Wisconsin put another one away to take the lead.
“It shows character, it’s tough to respond,” sophomore forward Michael Hage said. “At times it feels deflating when teams score goals like that at the wrong time. But it’s a group effort and the bench energy was good. There was just a lot of belief on that bench the whole way and glad we were able to stick with it.”
But as the Badgers were looking to run away with the win in the second period, Michigan took the reins. Even as Wisconsin continued to clog the slot and minimize offensive chances, the Wolverines were forced to find ways to score without relying on their usual net-front presence.
As Michigan tried to create their own chances, Badgers’ goaltender Daniel Hauser handed one to the Wolverines. Hauser went behind the net until junior forward Jayden Perron stole possession. With a goaltender nowhere to be found, Spence received the pass and notched the goal with ease. Three minutes later, senior forward Josh Eernisse rode the momentum by finding a goal of his own and taking the lead for Michigan in the process.
By the start of the third period, Michigan settled in with its one-goal advantage. With half of the third period left, Spence took a penalty, giving Wisconsin the moment it was waiting for to notch a goal. Before the Wolverines regrouped or responded, Wisconsin added another goal to the board less than a minute later.
Michigan wasn’t willing to give up just yet, and continued the back-and-forth battle as sophomore forward Michael Hage tied the game once again for the Wolverines. After Horcoff’s moment in the spotlight, an open-net goal from Hage and senior forward T.J. Hughes finished the game.
“I don’t know if it was our best game,” Naurato said. “We weren’t bad, but we have a lot more. Just proud of our guys for responding, continuing to fight and getting the comeback.”
In the final minutes of the game, Michigan dominated the offensive front to notch four goals in the third period. And though the final score shows a complete dominant performance, the Wolverines’ victory was truly a result winning a constant battle.
