Nick Durand has been a Michigan football beat writer for Maize n Brew since 2023, covering games, press conferences and more.
The Michigan men's ice hockey team was back in action this weekend after splitting its season opener against Minnesota State. The Wolverines hit the road to Tempe to take on Arizona State for two games this weekend.
Michigan had some better luck on the ice this weekend overall. Here's a brief rundown of all the action from the ice this weekend.
Friday night's contest got off to a slow start, but it was Michigan that got on the board first with just under two minutes to go in the first period. It was Josh Eernisse that found Garrett Schifsky in front of the net, who buried a point blank shot to give Michigan an early 1-0 lead.
Michigan and Schifsky got right back to work at the start of the second period. Despite being on the penalty kill, Schifsky found the back of the net again to give Michigan a 2-0 edge. Just about three minutes later -- this time on the power play -- freshman Michael Hage got in on the action as well, scoring a goal to give the Wolverines a commanding 3-0 lead less than halfway through the game.
The teams went scoreless the rest of the second period, but Arizona State all of a sudden got on the board in the third via a Ty Jackson power play goal. Michigan added some insurance late to pad the lead, as Schifsky scored one final time to secure a hat trick and the 4-1 win.
Goaltender Logan Stein flashed on Friday, blocking 35 of Arizona State's 36 shots.
In the second game, the teams played to a scoreless first period, but Michigan finally got on the board courtesy of a Tyler Duke goal about five minutes into the second. Arizona State would score, though, before the period ended to make it 1-1 entering the third.
Michigan came out firing to start the third period, as Philippe Lapointe would score to put the Wolverines up 2-1. Hage scored his second goal of the weekend with just over five minutes to play, giving Michigan a late 3-1 lead.
When it looked like the series victory was secured, Arizona State came clawing back. Taking advantage of a late interference penalty from Mark Estapa, the Sun Devils were able to score a power play goal with one minute left in the game. Cullen Potter would score as well just 16 seconds later to make it a 3-3 game. That score would hold leading to a tie, but the Wolverines let this one slip away.
With the conclusion of this weekend's games, the Wolverines now stand at 2-1-1 on the young season. Next, Michigan will return home for a two-game set against St. Cloud State on Friday and Saturday night. Both those games are set to begin at 7 p.m. and can be viewed on B1G+.