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BOSTON — After an intense three periods of an offensive battle between the No. 11 Michigan hockey team and No. 5 Boston University, each team had to find a little more to give as the game came down to the final two minutes of overtime.
Matching regulation, overtime was filled with close shots and momentum filled shifts from both sides until the Wolverines pulled away. Sophomore forward Garret Schifsky with control in the neutral zone passed to junior forward Jackson Hallum waiting in the perfect spot in the slot for a game-clinching goal. And with the final shot of the night, Hallum earned himself a hat trick and the Michigan its first sweep of the season.
The Wolverines (5-2-1) in a heated offensive contest bested the Terriers (4-2) in overtime, 5-4. While Hallum notched the final goal of the night, his support through the back-and-forth battle kept Michigan in the competitive contest.
“It helps you prep for the end of the year to play teams like this,” Wolverines coach Brandon Naurato said. “(You want) to be battle tested at home and on the road and see where you stack up to see what you need to do to have success.”
Michigan started the game with the same fast-paced play that caught BU off guard in Friday’s matchup. However, the Terriers were more than accustomed and had little issue taking early attempts, doubling the Wolverines’ shots in the first period.
But BU didn’t expect Michigan sophomore forward Evan Werner to pick up where he left off.
After a two-goal performance the previous night, Werner had little issue finding his stride once again, netting the Wolverines’ first goal of the game. Sophomore forward Nick Moldenhauer slung a shot from the right side, but the puck ricocheted off the Terriers goaltender Mathieu Caron. Werner, who was waiting in front of the crease, with a quick hit put Michigan on the board.
The celebration for the Wolverines only lasted so long with BU responding with a goal of its own less than three minutes later.
“We weather the storm there a little bit,” Junior forward Josh Eernisse said. “There was a bit of time there where we got away from our game (with) some turnovers and didn’t handle pucks.”
It only took thirty seconds into the second period for Hallum to reassert Michigan into the game, though.
Junior forward T.J. Hughes from behind the net sent the puck to Hallum’s stick, and he fired between the pipes. Even with the help of Hallum’s first goal on the night, BU continued to show it wasn’t allowing a continuous run of Wolverine goals. And once again the Terriers added one more goal to the score claiming the lead.
Even with BU having more opportunities in shots and power plays, neither team dominated the other. When Michigan scored, the Terriers delivered a response. The push-and-pull relationship continued throughout the second period with both teams having plenty of chances, but neither being able to separate itself from the other.
The third period went silent on the scoring front with BU hanging to its one-goal lead as the Wolverines clawed for another comeback. Breaking the silence, junior forward Kienan Draper earned his first goal of the season bringing the game back to a tie.
On Michigan’s sole power-play opportunity of the night, it needed to make sure the chance didn’t slip away. Skating onto the ice, Hallum from midrange sent a shot top shelf and scored his second goal of the game. Despite his consistent scoring, the Terriers held strong under the pressure.
Following the tone of the night, another goal from BU brought the Wolverines and the Terriers back to square one — both needing a goal to win the game.
Hallum showed up throughout the entire night, but when Michigan needed one last goal to push it to victory, he was there. One pass later and Hallum made sure the Wolverines were able to bring out the brooms.
“You enjoy it tonight and then you’re back to work on Monday,” Naurato said. “(It gives us) confidence to come back two, third periods on the road against a really good team then to sing that fight song, means a lot.”
Michigan needed this weekend to figure out how to create more opportunities on its offensive side and find the back of the net on a consistent basis. And on Saturday, the Wolverines could thank Hallum for reminding them that they’re capable of winning the fight.
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