Michigan 1 - Dartmouth 1

Some games everything you touch turns to gold. This wasn't one of those games.

After allowing seven goals Friday, Dartmouth came out looking like a new team and took the lead just under three minutes into the game when Carl Hesler threw a puck on net from above the icing line. It was an impossible angle, but the puck hit a skate in front and crept by Steve Racine.

With sophomore Devin Buffalo in net making his first career start Dartmouth's energy level was noticeably higher and they sold out for sixty minutes to protect him.  With a lead the Big Green fell back into a 1-4 forecheck; they built a wall across the neutral zone forcing dump-ins and trapping skaters trying to carry the puck in.

When they did get the puck in-zone the Wolverines struggled mightily to combat Dartmouth's adjustments. The Big Green played a tight formation and cut off the diagonal passing Michigan sliced them apart with Friday. They allowed Michigan to run their offense from the points then collapsed around their net to block shots. Buffalo repaid his teammates by turning in an outstanding 37 save performance.

"I think they did their homework and certainly they got schooled yesterday and they realized what they had to do better." Berenson said postgame. "We couldn't get our shots through, we couldn't get our passes through and it was a different PK than we saw last night and we couldn't make the adjustment."

Michigan's offense was stagnant despite putting 38 shots on net. A night after scoring four power play goals Michigan went 0-for-4 with the man advantage. The Michigan forwards were careless with the puck and they tried too hard to make touch passes, playing right into the hands of the Dartmouth forecheckers who built their wall in the neural zone and swarmed the puck carrier to force turnovers.

If there was a bright spot it was Zach Nagelvoort who came on in relief after Steve Racine was injured, an injury Berenson called "lower body." Dartmouth didn't have too many quality chances but Big Green pushed hard at the end of the game and would have broken the tie if not for Nagelvoort's heroics.

Michigan will now enter Big Ten play hosting Wisconsin next week. They will have three non-conference games for the rest of the year; the GLI at Joe Louis and one game against Ferris State at Yost.