Michigan Hockey: 3 keys to beating Notre Dame in Big Ten Tournament

In the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals, Michigan hockey plays Notre Dame, and here are three keys to U-M advancing to the championship game

Just two short weeks ago, Michigan hockey got swept again by the Irish in the Big Ten Hockey regular-season finale.

The first series against Notre Dame back in November was a penalty-filled series and was a major factor in the outcome of the game. Michigan hockey outplayed Notre Dame for most of the series and probably should have won, but penalties changed that.

Furthermore, the most recent series was a little different. These were the first games back with the four Olympians and there were some chemistry issues between lines.

Notre Dame took advantage of that and used it to expose the Wolverines. Plus, it was the last regular-season series and senior night in South Bend. Nevertheless, the Irish were ready for this game and the Wolverines were not.

So going into a game that determines who goes to the Big Ten Hockey Championship, what does Michigan need to do to earn their first win against the Irish? Here are three things.

What Michigan needs to do differently from the last series to beat the Irish

Michigan is 0-4 against the Irish and Notre Dame is the only team in the Big Ten that Michigan has yet to beat this season. Why? Well, in the last series, it was quite messy. Passes weren’t connecting, and pucks were not going in. They were turning the puck over frequently, and their offense was getting exposed by Notre Dame. The Wolverines looked like a completely different team than what we had seen the weeks prior. Michigan must do something different than previous games so they can beat Notre Dame.

Split up the top scorers: With Brendan Brisson, Matty Beniers, Kent Johnson, and Owen Power returning to the team, Coach Pearson kept the three forwards together on one line to avoid messing with team chemistry as much as possible.

This caused a lot of unbalance between the lines. That line is extremely talented, but it overpowered the other three lines. He also paired Owen Power with Keaton Pehrson who is frequently a healthy scratch.

Yes, Mel Pearson made the “Safe choice,” but keeping three of our top scorers on one line and pairing one of the best defensemen with a player who does not get as much ice time was not as efficient as Pearson imagined.

Michigan Hockey performs best when the Wolverines split up their elite talent rather than sticking them all together.

Keep Notre Dame on their toes: It is clear that in the last series, the Irish came in ready to beat the Wolverines. They knew the tendencies of all of the Michigan players, as well as the game plan of the team. That Michigan game plan is able to beat nearly every Big Ten team, except for as we all know, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Wolverines must adjust to the much older, and very physical Notre Dame team and do something different with their game so they can catch the Irish off guard.

Michigan hockey has to attack in the zone with shots on goal. Notre Dame has an immensely talented defense who frequently blocks shots. They were able to hold the powerful Michigan offense to two goals that entire weekend.

Michigan needs to adjust and come into this game hungrier than ever. If they don’t, they lose their shot at a Big Ten title.

This is the perfect opportunity for Michigan to get their first win against the Irish this season, especially when it matters most. Michigan fans are eager to watch the Wolverines get a win and win the Big Ten Championship. Tickets for this game sold out virtually about 15 minutes after tickets went on sale.

Yost Ice Arena is going to be electric, and the team will feed off that energy. This isn’t just another game, Michigan must win.