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What just happened (TL;DR): A tight first period saw Michigan and Ohio State fight to a draw. After that, though, Michigan’s skating and shooting took over. Rutger McGroarty, Nick Moldenhauer, and Gavin Brindley gave Michigan a nice three goal cushion going into the third. To the enjoyment of the raucous Yost crowd, Josh Eernisse tallied twice and Kienan Draper added a goal before the final buzzer to pour it on the overmatched Buckeyes. What a performance from the Maize and Blue.

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

Forward Notes.

-Ohio State outplayed Michigan in the first period (albeit buoyed by a couple of power plays), but then Michigan started to turn it up, creating more and more chances…and finishing them. The Wolverines speed and skill took over, as they started sniping Buckeye goalie Logan Terness. Gavin Brindley circled the ice after a Forever Shift and found an open Rutger McGroarty in the slot to give the Wolverines a 2-1 lead. Rutger would later return the favor later on the power play to give each high draft pick a two point night.

-Nick Moldenhauer had a very noticeable game. He scored his first collegiate goal after receiving a nice pass from Jackson Hallum. Nick powered his was into the slot and beat Terness under the arm. Moldenhauer also made a few nice passes later to create some dangerous chances. After a quiet couple of weekends, the freshman is making a little noice.

-Dylan Duke scored the first goal of the game on a typical Duke drive to the net. He later found an open Gavin Brindley with very creative assist. Duke has always been a great net-front, garbage collector, but his newfound ability to create and dish can open some opportunities for different line combos. Duke’s passing is something to continue to examine.

-After scoring in the opening game of the season, Josh Eernisse tallied another couple goals on Friday night. While the goals were after the outcome was decided, seeing him hit the net a couple more times…with shots from distance this time…is something to note.

-Kienan Draper had a net-front deflection for a goal late in the third. He’s matched his goal total from last year. His next goal will set a career mark.

Defense Notes.

-While the defense didn’t give away many goals, they did give up a lot of chances from the House. Twenty-three in total is a bit high. OSU’s forecheck was strong, especially early on, hemming Michigan in their own zone and creating some turnovers. After a dodgy period or more, Michigan seemed to adjust and get the puck out a tad easier.

-Tyler Duke made his return and tallied a couple of assists. Seamus Casey also had a ho-hum two assist night as well. Michigan’s offensive defensemen certainly did well creating in the offensive zone.

-Steve Holtz had a bit of a rough first period, taking another goofy penalty in the offensive zone. He also hampered his goalie by laying on an OSU attacker, pushing him onto Jake Barczewski preceding the only Buckeye goal. In the third period, it looked like Michigan split up their pairings, trying to play Luca with Jacob Truscott. That is something to keep an eye on, going forward.

Michigan got five kills on Friday night (Bill Rapai)

SPECIAL TEAMS CHART

Power Play. After a slow first man advantage, Michigan’s second was dominant. The puck movement was tremendous, creating 2-3 Grade A chances. Finally, Dylan Duke made a sweet cross-crease pass to a wide open Gavin Brindley who finished into the open net. That was all Michigan needed on the power play. One interesting thing of note: it looked like the Wolverines ran the Overload on their second power play…which lead to all of the great chances. This will definitely be discussed on the Hockeycast, this week.

Penalty Kill. If the Power Play was good, then the Penalty Kill was great. Michigan killed the first two opportunities with ease, during the first period when the game was in doubt. Those two Buckeye chances only created one total shot. Ohio State did do better on their remaining three power plays, but could not score. Jake Barczewski was good (spoiler), and his teammates took away the center of the ice well for the most part. This is usually the least confident section of the breakdown writeup, but it was all smiles on Friday evening.

Rock Solid (Bill Rapai)

GOALTENDING CHART

Notes. Jake Barczewski started on Friday night and added yet another data point as to why it is his net. He looked very strong all night. After making a handful of solid saves in the first period, Matt Cassidy was able to beat him on a scrum in front. The main problem for Jake was Luca Fantilli pushed a Buckeye into the crease and Steve Holtz jumped on him, pushing him on top of Barczewski. After that, Jake was lights out. He was awesome on the penalty kill, getting across on a great cross-ice bomb. He also faced just a bunch of chances from the House, so it wasn’t just redirecting shots from the point. The best part about his game is his positional soundness…just always in the right spot. After a summer of uncertainty, it looks like Michigan has their goalie.

Not in transition, but Moldenhauer buried this shot (Bill Rapai)

ODD MAN RUSH CHART

Notes. Michigan did a good job limiting OMRs on Friday night. Ohio State broke through in the third with a 2v1, but Jake Barczewski continued his stellar evening with a nice pad save.

Michigan finally created a 2v1 early in the third thanks to a slipping Buckeye defenseman. Jackson Hallum slid the puck across to Moldenhauer, but the puck got through him.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Ohio State played Michigan tough for a little over a period. Then, the Wolverines made it clear who the better team is. If Michigan fancies themselves as a contender for the regular season title, tomorrow night’s points are a must. Splits at home against teams of a lesser caliber are a great way to take yourself out of the race early. If Michigan backs up tonight’s performance tomorrow night, that will erase some of the disappointment from the first couple of weekends.