Video: Wolverines Talk Shutout, Playoff Sweep Of Spartans
The Michigan hockey team is moving on to a Big Ten semifinal March 15 at Ohio State following a playoff sweep of rival Michigan State. The Wolverines blanked MSU 3-0 for the second straight night, sophomore goalie Strauss Mann earning his sixth shutout of the year as he lowered his goals against average to 1.85 and raised his save percentage to .939 on the season.
Freshman forward Johnny Beecher had a goal each night of the series while sophomore defenseman Nick Blankenburg contributed a pair of assists as U-M outscored Michigan State 6-0 in the two games at Yost Ice Arena.
Michigan's victories helped the team's NCAA tournament profile too, boosting the Maize and Blue to 14th in the Pairwise (the top 16 teams make the tournament unless a team outside the top 16 earns an automatic bid). A win over the 10th-ranked Buckeyes should lock U-M into NCAAs.