Michigan Hockey Recap: Ethan Edwards saves the day in overtime over Minnesota

Senior defenseman Ethan Edwards ripped a one-timer to give the No. 12 Michigan Wolverines a crucial 3-2 victory over the No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers. Here’s what went down Friday night at Yost Ice Arena:

In a game that Michigan Hockey absolutely needed, it produced one of its strongest efforts of the season as the No. 12 Wolverines (17-12-2, 30 points Big Ten) defeated the No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (21-6-4, 39 points B1G) 3-2 in overtime Friday night.

Head coach Brandon Naurato cannot afford many slip-ups at this point in the season. His team is a borderline candidate for the NCAA Tournament and a sloppy final two weeks could see them on the outside looking in.

However, Friday was a pivotal step for the postseason hopefuls.

The first real threat of the game came via Michigan’s top line of Garrett Schifsky, TJ Hughes and Josh Eernisse. The trio generated a strong offensive zone possession before creating chaos in front of the Minnesota crease. Eernisse went to grab a flying puck but was a little too strong and batted it into the net.

The initial goal ruling was correctly overturned.

Minutes later, an error on the offensive blue line led to a Golden Gophers breakaway, but goaltender Cameron Korpi swatted it away with his glove. It was one of the few gaffes of what was otherwise a clean period.

Kienan Draper took a holding penalty, but the penalty kill — led by Mark Estapa’s forecheck hustle and Ethan Edwards’s neutral zone defending — was excellent. Korpi was comfortable between the pipes and routinely stopped shots with his glove.

Despite not scoring, the Wolverines started well on offense.

They did not overly rely on odd-man rushes or neutral zone mismatches. Instead, there was a strong emphasis on cycling the puck and using the defensemen to patrol the blue line. Luca Fantilli was particularly active, firing multiple shots through traffic.

Korpi underwent a scary moment early in the second period. He suffered a blow to the head as an oncoming Minnesota forward inadvertently swung their leg into Korpi’s mask. He stayed down for a few minutes as a breathless Yost Ice Arena watched in nail-biting silence.

The freshman goaltender would momentarily stay in the game.

A few minutes afterward, the Golden Gophers finally broke the ice. They had sustained pressure for a couple consecutive shifts and eventually, after working hard around the net, won a slot scrum and tucked a shot past Korpi.

Something must have been said to the trainers because Korpi was quickly replaced by Logan Stein.

Minnesota expectedly peppered Stein in his sudden relief appearance, but the graduate was more than up for the challenge. He was poised and did well to keep Michigan within a score.

With the second period winding down, the Golden Gophers appeared to have their second score. Stein was beaten through the five-hole from the low slot, but upon replay review, the play was deemed offsides.

What could have been a two-goal deficit quickly turned into a crowd-energizing, momentum-shifting call.

Immediately after the review, the Wolverines got going in the offensive zone. First, Tyler Duke ripped a shot from the high left circle. Then, some hard-nosed work in the dirty area by Hughes led to a goal for Schifsky.

As the PA announcer was still depicting Schifsky’s tally, Draper gave Michigan its first lead. Duke was once again involved with a shot from the point. This time it was redirected by an acrobatic Draper, who had to battle off a Golden Gopher and contort his body to make the play.

Coming out of the intermission, it was clear Minnesota wanted it more than the Wolverines. The Maize and Blue seemed content to sit back and try to sit on the one-goal advantage. The slowed pace and defense-first mentality was hanging on by a thread, before the Golden Gophers level the game.

There were less than 10 minutes left in regulation when Michigan was forced into a defensive zone faceoff. A tie-up off the draw sent the puck into the slot, Minnesota retrieved it and sniped the tying goal by Stein.

The teams continued this thrilling, back-and-forth contest with constant action in the final frame. It was fast, physical and demonstrated the determination of two teams trying to wrap up a strong regular season.

Fittingly, this one would require overtime.

It was in overtime the Wolverines finally had open ice to utilize their skill and speed. Hughes stayed busy as he drove toward the net from the corner and drew a trip in the process.

Now with a 4-on-3 advantage, Michigan had victory within its grasp. It won the opening draw and set up easily on the power play. Hughes, who continues to carry the offensive load, whipped an east-west pass to Edwards for a game-winning one-timer.

This was one of the most well-rounded nights from the Wolverines all season. Maybe because this is the final guaranteed series at Yost, but the team played with a certain calmness that has evaded them at times.

Even after the Korpi injury, the goaltending and backend were stout. The most impressive facet was a ferocious forecheck that not only extended offensive zone time but limited the Golden Gophers in transition.

There are still no guarantees for NCAA Tournament at-large bids, but this one should go a long way on Michigan’s resumé.