Before the No. 2 Michigan hockey team’s second game against Ohio State began, junior forward Nick Moldenhauer had five assists. By the end of the night, he was up to eight, adding more than half of his previous season total in just over 20 minutes of on-ice play. It was also more than he had recorded in a game in his career.
Saturday night was a dominant performance from Moldenhauer, who has quietly been one of Michigan’s most valuable players this year — even if the stat sheet doesn’t always reflect it. His versatility has improved dramatically since joining the Wolverines, and he’s converted from a one-dimensional shooter into an everyman who throws the body, kills penalties and still scores goals. His on-ice vision has improved, allowing him to make more plays, and he’s a much more dynamic force for the Wolverines than he has been in previous years.
“He’s been awesome,” senior forward Kienan Draper said. “Stepping up big time for us. He makes plays every single game that go kind of unnoticed, and it’s nice to see him get rewarded tonight. And he’s such a key piece for our team, and we know he’s going to be huge for us for the rest of the first half here.”
The assists Moldenhauer made were critical as well, not empty-calorie assists. On sophomore forward Michael Hage’s goal in the second period. Moldenhauer saw Hage hurtling towards the goal and managed to backhand an awkward deflected pass from sophomore forward Will Horcoff to Hage, who didn’t miss. The play likely would have died without Moldenhauer’s contribution.
His third assist was to senior forward T.J. Hughes on the penalty kill, where he took advantage of a poor stick handle from Ohio State forward Landen Gunderson to make the play. Moldenhauer managed to bat the puck away from Gunderson as the Buckeyes overhandled it and lost control, knocking it towards Hughes who had just changed on. Moldenhauer then served as the second man down the middle with freshman forward Adam Valentini to his left and Hughes on his right. It forced Buckeyes defender William Smith to pick between defending the pass options or defending the shot. He picked to defend the passes, as is conventional in 2-on-1s, leaving Hughes open to pot the Wolverines’ sixth goal of the night.
Perhaps his best assist of the night, however, was a stretch pass to Horcoff, who had long left the offensive zone and was calling for the puck far up ice, knowing that Moldenhauer could make the intended play. Moldenhauer’s pass was practically right on the tape and Horcoff was able to smoothly receive the puck and keep his lead over the Ohio State defenders, leaving him 1-on-1 with Buckeyes goaltender Kristoffer Eberly, who stood no chance. Horcoff pointed down the ice to Moldenhauer as his goal, recognizing his teammate’s critical role in the goal. He also got the team’s game puck postgame, according to Naurato.
“I feel like he’s a guy that does a lot of really good, winning hockey plays for this team,” Naurato said. “And maybe he deserves more in the stat column.”
Moldenhauer added significantly in the stat column tonight. His three assists put the game out of reach for Ohio State and were an integral part of Michigan completing the sweep over its rivals.
