by Graham BarkerJanuary 11, 2025
The No. 9 Michigan hockey team’s power play has been clicking as of late. And in Friday’s win over Notre Dame, that was no different.
Both times the Wolverines got a man advantage against the Fighting Irish, they made it count. Those two power play goals proved crucial, too, in a game ultimately won by that same margin.
After Michigan found itself in a 2-0 hole midway through the first period, a hooking penalty committed by Notre Dame became an opportunity that Michigan was looking to capitalize on. The Wolverines needed a momentum shift and an energy boost, and a power play goal could provide exactly that.
Michigan started its first power play by finding several good shot opportunities, including a great look for freshman forward Will Horcoff, but none got past Irish goaltender Nicholas Kempf. The Wolverines didn’t relent, though, sustaining pressure and continuing to fire off shots.
“I think the biggest thing about the power plays — it’s not the set plays,” Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said. “It’s when you shoot the puck and getting it back and getting set again or attacking off that pressure.”
Eventually, with just over 10 seconds remaining on the penalty, junior forward Jackson Hallum found senior forward Mark Estapa right in front of the net. Receiving the puck at the goal line with his back to the goal, Estapa quickly turned around and flipped the puck around Kempf for the Wolverines’ first goal of the game and Estapa’s first of the season. The strong net-front presence on the power play paid off.
“We just have guys at the net and we’re getting pucks back and finding ways to get bounces,” Naurato said.
Estapa’s power play goal certainly gave Michigan a boost, as it went on to score three more consecutive even-strength goals by the early stages of the second period before getting their second look at a power play. After coincidental penalties had each team already down a man, an additional Notre Dame penalty gave the Wolverines 30 seconds to play with a four-on-three advantage. Michigan already had promising opportunities to score with the four-on-four, but again continued to get pucks toward the net.
Just as play returned to five-on-four, junior forward T.J. Hughes received a pass in the left faceoff circle and immediately fired it across the ice to junior defenseman Ethan Edwards. Before Kempf had time to react, Edwards slid a one-timer right by him into the back of the net.
“For us, coming into games, it’s just mentality,” graduate defenseman Jacob Truscott said. “We’re just trying to get pucks at net and retrieve those pucks and get them back. The power play’s been good lately and we gotta keep going.”
Friday’s performance is a continuation of last week’s power play success. In their three games since the winter break, the Wolverines are 5-for-9 with a man advantage.
Michigan’s two power play goals bookended a five-goal scoring run that essentially put the Irish away. When things weren’t looking good early on, the Wolverines’ power play produced a goal and helped turn the tides. Starting with that opportunity in the middle of the first period, Michigan’s power play made a big difference in Friday’s win.
