Rivalry Weekend Rewind

Notes on Michigan's weekend split with Michigan State—from the Dukes' big day to a struggling a power play

Friday, Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing: State Dominates, Korpi Wins

The road to the University of Michigan’s men hockey team’s Friday night win over Michigan State was simple: The Spartans carried play in all phases for the bulk of the night, freshman Wolverines goaltender Cameron Korpi stood on his head, and Michigan scored a 2–1 upset in East Lansing. Korpi wasn’t the South Lyon–born goaltender you’d be expecting to steal a game heading into the weekend, but he did just that, out-dueling his counterpart Trey Augustine (hardly tested, by comparison) en route to victory.

“I thought Cameron was outstanding,” said coach Brandon Naurato after the game. “To be honest, they tilted the ice in their favor. Their possession time probably doubled ours and a lot of scrambles around the net. I thought the team defense was good—just bend, don't break—but Korpi made some big time saves.”

State’s dominance was in fullest effect for the first twelve minutes or so of the second period. During that moment, the Spartans were relentless. They camped out in the Michigan end of the rink and put Korpi under siege, but the freshman answered every volley. On rare moments when the Wolverines cleared the zone, MSU regained position in an instant, attacking again with speed entering the offensive third by exerting utter command over the neutral zone. State racked up 20 shots (compared to just seven for the visitors) over the course of the second. It was a tremendous punch from the Spartans, and Michigan absorbed it for one reason: Korpi.

When asked after the game how much of his team’s ability to withstand that onslaught came down simply to Korpi, Naurato said, “I think it was all him. We were in our zone a lot. It was kind of a goofy game…We had a lot of power plays early, and we [only scored once], so I think obviously that gave them a lot of momentum, and they made a push and Korpi made some big time saves.”

Late in the second and into the third, Michigan—perhaps emboldened by withstanding such a ferocious spell from the hosts without conceding—settled into something of a rhythm. “After we weathered the storm there in the second, we didn’t get scored on, thanks to Korps,” as junior forward T.J. Hughes explained. “We battled through. We started to get on the forecheck and get the O zone going a little bit more. So I liked our third better. Our second wasn’t good at all, but our third was better.”

Eventually, sophomore forward Garrett Schifsky broke a 1–1 tie that had stood for nearly 50 minutes with a beautifully simple goal. Michigan’s top line set about a simple low-to-high cycle from Michael Hage in the corner to Ethan Edwards at the point. Edwards hammered in a slap shot, and Schifsky—dutifully stationed atop the crease, absorbing a cross-check in the back—deflected the puck up over the blocker of Augustine. As Hughes observed after the game, it was the sort of goal you knew it would take to win the tight-checking, hard fought game: “Low scoring, 1–1 all game, it was just going to be a rebound or a tip in front, and Schifs got a nice tip in front and buried it for us.”

Schifsky had his second game-winner against MSU of the season, and that the Wolverines took care of their business with 56 seconds left in regulation (rather than in overtime) was not insignificant for the Big Ten standings and the Pairwise.

Korpi finished the game with 38 saves, conceding just one goal on what College Hockey News tabulated at 4.2 xG for the Spartans. His teammates mobbed him as the final horn sounded, and Korpi himself could finally take a breath. “Just kind of a relief to be honest,” he said of his emotions as the game concluded. “It was a tough game. They’re a good team. It’s hard every time we play them, so just kind of a relief.”

It was an opportunistic win for U-M. The Wolverines played a disciplined game in a hostile environment, had to suffer for long stretches, absorbed serious pressure along the way, and eventually rallied to find a win. It was far from a symphonic performance, but it was enough for a hard earned road victory.

“If I’ve learned anything, it’s that every game is different, and you have no clue what to expect,” said Naurato of the evening’s performance. “Like we’ve talked about before, I think it’s just preparing to play in different types of games, because you never know. We found a way to beat a really good team on the road, and we can enjoy it tonight.”

Not exactly the game Michigan expected to play but found the path it needed to a win.

Saturday, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit: When the Levee Breaks

The following evening’s Duel in the D rematch was not so different in flavor from Friday’s game, or at least not to start. Once again, MSU got on the front foot with an early power play goal, but the Wolverines actually found some attacking traction earlier in the game than they had the previous night at Munn.

Tyler Duke tied the game 11:26 into the second, a goal Michigan had been building toward over the course of the period. However, this time around, when the Spartans made a push of their own, they made it count on the scoreboard, and U-M never found an answer.

Gavin O’Connell countered Duke’s goal in just over two minutes to put State back in front, and a bit more than two minutes after that, Mikey DeAngelo made it 3–1 in favor of the Spartans. On the first goal, MSU caught Michigan in the midst of a line change, making it entirely too easy for O’Connell to gain the zone then walk toward the slot. He picked his corner perfectly on a partially screened shot over Korpi’s glove. The third goal saw Michigan State take advantage of a failed Wolverine clear and proceed to dominate possession by winning race after race to set up a flurry of chances, until Shane Vansaghi and DeAngelo overran the U-M crease and forced a goal through Korpi.

“We always talk about that. When you score a goal or give one up, how do you respond in any situation?” Naurato said after the game, of MSU seizing momentum after Duke’s equalizer. “I thought we were starting to get to our game, and Duker scored the goal, and then just a line change and they go in on the rush and score, so you got to try and fight and get that momentum back.”

Joey Larson made it a three-goal State lead barely a minute into the third, compounding the challenge of a Wolverine comeback on the way to a 6–1 win MSU victory for their second consecutive Iron D Trophy, one they very much deserved.

“I think reviewing this weekend, that’s a really good team over there,” Naurato said of the split after Saturday’s defeat. “They’re a one seed in the Tournament. One, two overall in the country. That’s the bar. Playing a team like that on the road, playing a team like that at LCA, that’s the level that we have to be at. So understanding inside of our game, it’s not structure or tactics, but, as an individual, management of games, taking advantage of opportunities, and just trying to be the best versions of ourselves and just doing it as a group.”

State proved a measuring stick the Wolverines could meet once but not twice over the weekend.

The Day of the Dukes at LCA

Though it didn’t quite conclude in storybook fashion, Saturday was a wonderful day for the Duke family at Little Caesars Arena.

First, Dylan Duke—called up from AHL Syracuse around the time the Wolverines were wrapping up their victory in East Lansing Friday night—made his NHL debut in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 6–3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The elder Duke brother became the 120th Wolverine alum to play in the NHL.

In the third period of that victory, Dylan scored a goal U-M fans saw him score over and over during his time in Maize and Blue. A rebound popped out into the slot, and Duke was there to deposit it in the net. ESPN cameras captured a delightful shot of the Duke family—parents Steve and Sharon, sister Alyssa, and brother Tyler (who arrived to LCA early to take in the matinee before playing in the evening game)—leaping to their feet to celebrate.

“Obviously very proud of Dylan and getting the call, and watching him on TV and then he scores a big goal,” said Naurato after the game. “Seeing the family and seeing the smile on his face. Then, Ty sent me a text today that he was gonna get one too.”

The younger Duke made good on his promise to his coach with the second period goal. After the game, he said, “It was a pretty surreal day with my brother making his NHL debut right before our game. I got down early, and I was fortunate enough to watch him make his NHL debut, so yeah, that was really special.”

Tyler Duke has missed time this season due to injury and also played through injury. His presence and health are an obvious boon to the Wolverines blue line. This screenshot from College Hockey News of Michigan’s allocation of ice time from the Friday win tells a clear story about the state of the Wolverine D corps:

To get that win in East Lansing, Michigan relied almost exclusively on four defensemen: Ethan Edwards, Jacob Truscott, Duke, and Luca Fantilli. All four of those players are cast into highly taxing roles, and when Duke was unavailable, that formula was even more difficult. A healthy Duke is a delight to watch because of the uniquely relentless motor that puts him into the middle of everything at both ends of the ice. He is as comfortable clearing bodies in front of his own crease as he is activating to join the rush. His goal Saturday came from a confident release—staring down Augustine one-on-one from some distance and beating him cleanly—to live up to his guarantee to Naurato.

Even without both victories, Saturday was a great day for the Dukes, veritable U-M hockey royalty.

PP Woes Define Michigan’s Weekend

I would submit that the biggest factor in State’s ability to control play over the weekend’s two games was their success on the penalty kill. The Michigan power play—which has been a strength throughout the second half, not least because of the arrival of Will Horcoff in the middle of the action—struggled to take advantage of its opportunities all weekend.

On Friday, the Wolverines scored a five-on-three goal to tie the game in the first period but finished the night at just 1 for 5. U-M could easily have taken complete control of the evening’s game by cashing in on a few more opportunities, and instead, the Spartan PK was excellent. After that Friday game, Naurato said of his man advantage, “I think we want a lot more. Credit to their penalty kill, but we can be a lot better.”

Instead, Saturday’s game saw Michigan’s PP become even more of a momentum sap than it had been the previous evening. The Wolverines finished scoreless in six power play tries, and worse still, they never seemed especially close to creating anything of consequence.

“I thought special teams had a big deal to do with the game,” said Naurato Saturday night. “Obviously, they scored [a power play goal] early, and our power play—credit to their penalty kill. They did a good job this weekend, and our power play never really got going. So that’s kinda where you want to take that momentum back, and we missed some opportunities.”

The glaring issue across both games was entries. The Wolverines struggled all weekend to gain the offensive zone, committing a slew of turnovers at the blue line and setting up easy Spartan full-ice clears.

As State coach Adam Nightingale pointed out Saturday night, MSU’s success at the face-off dot helped expose Michigan’s struggles with gaining the zone. “Penalty kill, if you can win a face-off, if we can win it and clear it, you’re shaving off 25 or 30 seconds,” he said. “I think our forecheck’s been good and recognizing when to pressure. I think our guys are getting a good feel.”

Given the success Michigan has enjoyed on the power play since the start of the new year, I wouldn’t be overly pessimistic about the weekend’s results portending doom for what remains of the season. Clearly, the Wolverines could have used Seamus Casey and his patented one-man entries over the weekend, but even without him, U-M should have the personnel at its disposal to put together better than it managed over two nights against Michigan State.

Is It Korpi’s Net Now?

The biggest lingering question from the weekend is whether Cameron Korpi did enough Saturday in follow up to Friday’s master class to stake his claim to being Michigan’s number one option moving forward.

U-M has generally split starts between Korpi and Logan Stein throughout the season in large part because neither goaltender has made a decisive case to start all of them (nor has either had such a disastrous outing as to take himself out of the running).

Friday’s performance made it obvious to give Korpi a second look at MSU Saturday, but while he certainly wasn’t the reason Michigan lost Saturday, the effort did allow the season-long ambivalence around goaltending options to linger. Again, Korpi was by no means poor against State Saturday, and in fact he made a few more excellent stops to keep Michigan afloat early. However, the fourth Spartan goal (which game early in the third) was certainly less than stellar, and the overall performance (thirty-four saves on forty shots) at the very least opened the door for Stein’s return to action.

Coming out of the weekend, I would be surprised if U-M opts to run out Korpi every night over the regular season’s four remaining games. At the end of the day, this close to the finish line, I think there is a logic to keeping both goaltenders engaged. However, you’d have to expect Michigan to want a clear first choice number one heading into the postseason, and after Friday’s effort, Korpi played his way into being the favorite for that distinction.

Thanks to Michigan Athletics for this week’s preview image. Please also check out THN.com/Detroit for daily Detroit Red Wings coverage.