Captain Calderone with his signature snipe [Jamer Coller]

OFFENSE

Analysis: Michigan’s forecheck has been great throughout the weekend and it was on display again in the first period. They did not let Notre Dame out of their zone very often and created a number of solid chances.

Looking at their numbers overall, this is a great offensive performance. They took a lot of attempts and got into the House area for almost half of them. There is a reason that Cale Morris is a Hobey candidate, as was evident this evening. Michigan could have had a few more goals with as many good looks as they had, but Morris stole the show. For their lone goal, Dancs forced a DZTO on the boards, Marody dished to Calderone, and Calderone sniped one just off of Morris’s glove and into the net, therby concluding the scoring.

[After THE JUMP: anatomy of a sweep]

Arby’s offering Cecconi some advice [Coller]

DEFENSE

Analysis: So…these numbers, again. Notre Dame missed the net a lot in the first period but took a volume of attempts, mostly from the perimeter. The second was filled with penalty time, but the Irish were able to generate more chances in the House. Michigan scored late in the second, and as the third period moved along, the gameplay changed. Michigan was mostly content to clear, dump, and change.

The Irish did not have an overwhelming number of shots, but they threw tons at the net. Michigan’s defense was once again very strong. In a 0-0 game, Michigan mostly kept ND away from the slot and broke the puck out with relative ease. Again, as the game ticked down, Michigan set deeper and deeper and the Irish needed a goal. Still, super Grade A chances didn’t really come until Notre Dame pulled their goalie and set up their faux power play.

The Wolverines did get lucky, but they also played some of their best defense against a very stout team. They got their fortunate goal and then bled the game away. That has not been something that has been said about Michigan hockey in a while, and it is a great sign that the Wolverines are showing it is in their repertoire.

This is the appropriate reaction for a Michigan fan, today [Coller]

SPECIAL TEAMS

Analysis: Michigan only gave the Irish two power plays tonight. That is fantastic. Their penalty kill still looks extremely passive. I noticed that Notre Dame was able to enter the zone with ease multiple times. Michigan was also content to have the Irish move the puck around the perimeter without much of a nuisance. This was also evident at the end of the game when the Irish essentially had their third power play with an extra attacker. I’m not sure if this the the plan or if the goal is to never get anyone out of position and just let the power play fire at will from distance, but it is what Michigan has decided to do. The results have not been great, but they got away with it tonight.

Michigan had two power plays themselves and neither looked particularly dangerous. The Irish are very strong on both sides of the man advantage and it showed again. Hughes hit Cecconi on a great cross-ice-through-crease pass, but Morris was, spectacularly, there. Other than that, there was not much.

Dude was an a wall. [Coller]

GOALTENDING

Analysis: Hayden Lavigne was a rock star tonight. He didn’t have as much to do in the first period, as the Irish could not get much on net. However, as the game wore on, the chances started mounting. He had I don’t even know how many game-savers. The last few minutes seemed like a blur as he covered, deflected, and positioned his huge frame to preserve Michigan’s single-goal lead. I did not see many loose rebounds, as most of his deflections seemed to find the corner or a teammate.

Now…he did get lucky, as well, The Irish had three or four looks that just evaded the posts and went wide or into the side of the net. Oglevie had a tip the literally went behind Lavigne, across the crease, and inches outside of the far post. Sometimes, when you play well, it just is your night. Everything worked for him tonight.

ODD-MAN RUSHES

Analysis: There were a couple of almost-OMRs but, they were really played with an extra attacker, so I didn’t count them. So, Michigan gave up a single OMR tonight. It was a 3v2 that Lavigne saved with his chest, I believe. That’s it. Hooray!

Likewise, Michigan also generated a single OMR: a 3v2 that produced a shot that went wide, IIRC. This was the opposite of the Friday game where each team was a little loose defensively. Both teams tightened down and stayed home. M forced a ton of DZTOs, but I cannot track those.

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS

I had: Notre Dame 68, Michigan 63

www.collegehockeynews.com had: Notre Dame 68, Michigan 63