Minnesota completed a key sweep in a tightly contested 2-0 victory over No. 12 Michigan at Mariucci Arena. The win propels Minnesota into a tie for first in the Big Ten standings.
Adam Wilcox earned his 11th career shutout, stopping all 26 Michigan shots, including a critical save in the last minute just before Kyle Rau scored an empty-net goal.
“Adam got back on top his game,” said Minnesota coach Don Lucia. “The save at the end was kind of what we are used to here, that he would make the game-changing save and he did.”
“Both teams were stingy,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “Both goalies played well. You gotta score a goal to win a game, and we couldn’t score one.”
The only goal of the game came at 4:01 of the first. Seth Ambroz opened the scoring on a screened wrist shot from the top of the left circle. The play was set up by a hustling Leon Bristedt, who picked up a loose puck in the far left corner and dumped a no-look backhand pass to Ambroz.
“I thought our team played harder,” said Berenson. “We played well. We wanted to get that first goal and wouldn’t you know it ends up being the winning goal.”
“It was a great play by Leon working his bag off down low to get the puck back,” said Ambroz.
Outshooting the Wolverines 8-2 to start the second period, the Gophers controlled play. Michigan goaltender Steve Racine stood strong, making a few critical saves, including stonewalling Travis Boyd on a rebound from in the paint.
The Wolverines gathered momentum in the middle of second period, balancing out play. The flow became end-to-end, with no sustained pressure for either team or quality scoring chances.
The Gophers regained control of the play late in the stanza, drawing a late hooking call in the process. The shots finished 18-9 in favor of Minnesota.
The first period was a hard-fought competitive stanza. Neither team could generate time and space. The Wolverines were a different team from Friday night.
The Gophers ended the first period on a power play. The best scoring chance came on a two-on-one short-handed rush for Michigan with 20 seconds left in the period.
Minnesota forward Vinni Lettieri took a puck to the head while blocking a shot. He did not return to the game, but was seen walking around after the game with no obvious side effects.
“Everyone is buying into the system, buying into the team, and it is a lot of fun to be a part of,” said Ambroz. “We got guys selling out their bodies and making plays that are critical in the game.”
“Along with me and the whole team, we got our game; we found our confidence,” said Wilcox.
Next weekend, Michigan plays Ohio State in a home-and-home series, while Minnesota is on the road at Penn State for two games.
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