This weekend was not kind to the Michigan Wolverines hockey team (20-10-2, 12-9-1), as they went into the state of Ohio and came out winless. On Thursday night, the Wolverines and Buckeyes faced off in a disappointing 3-3 tie (Ohio State won shootout, game counts as a tie) in game one of the weekend series. In game two — the Faceoff on the Lake outdoor game — Ohio State managed to defeat Michigan in convincing fashion, handing the Michigan Wolverines their 10th loss of the season.
Now, with one weekend of regular-season hockey remaining, the Michigan Wolverines hockey team is looking for a crucial bounce-back series against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Michigan Wolverines Hockey Team Must Shake Off Poor Weekend
Yes, this weekend’s games were not what the Wolverines were looking for after seemingly turning a corner after their loss to Ohio State last month. Heading into the series, Michigan had won seven-straight, including an upset of No. 1 Minnesota, a sweep of No. 6 Penn State, a sweep of the Wisconsin Badgers, and a sweep of No. 15 Michigan State. It was a good reality check for a young Michigan Wolverines hockey team, though one that be dwelled upon this late in the season. The Wolverines are two weeks away from the Big Ten Tournament and more — one bad series cannot define this team.
The Good News For Michigan Hockey
If there is good news for the Michigan Wolverines hockey team, it is that their upcoming series is against Notre Dame. In years, past, the Fighting Irish have been one of the best programs in the Big Ten; in fact, a season ago Notre Dame swept Michigan 4-0 in the regular season before the Wolverines finally overcame their curse in the Big Ten Tournament.
This year, however, Notre Dame is the second-worst team in the conference. Thus far, the Fighting Irish are 14-14-4 overall and 9-10-3 in Big Ten play — to say it has been a rough year for the Irish would be an understatement. Need even more good news? The series will be the two teams’ second of the season, and is set to be played at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
This weekend will be massive for the Michigan Wolverines hockey team as we shift gears from the regular season to post-season play. Taking home a sweep in its final series of the season would be massive for this year’s Wolverines. After this weekend, all attention will shift in Ann Arbor to one thing: a Michigan National Championship.
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