After falling behind 3-0 Friday night, it was a role reversal Saturday. The Wolverines got the start they wanted; Boo Neives and Justin Selman came out flying early and set the tone jumping all over Wisconsin netting two goals in the first five minutes.
Then it just fell apart.
The Michigan blueline couldn't protect their goaltender and Wisconsin took full advantage of the holes they found in the d-zone coverage.
Overload power plays have given Berenson's teams fits for a few years now. Within ten minutes the Badgers had two power play goals to tie the game and after Justin Selman added his second to tie it again the Badgers would net the next three.
"I don't like giving up three goals at home and that would be six on the weekend. We gave up ten." Berenson remarked in the postgame." "We've got to face facts. We have to be better than that."
With Zach Nagelvoort pulled and Chad Catt in net the Wolverines mounted a serious rally to start the third period. Berenson had spoken highly of Tyler Motte the night before and Motte was again the catalyst netting his 9th goal of the year. JT Compher would net one three minutes later to tie the game 5-5.
For a brief moment it looked like the Wolverines would pull it out when Mike Downing ripped a point shot through a mass of bodies in front that broke the tie, but Wisconsin answered in familiar fashion with the Michigan blueline losing Matthew Freytag who found a spot right in front of Catt for an easy redirect of the puck.
The Wolverines managed to pick up the extra point in conference play by winning the shootout, but in the NCAA record books it officially ended in a tie.
Anyone who has watched the last four years of Michigan hockey can't be surprised how this series ended. When you rely on scoring five goals to win a game, you're going to end up in games with this result.
It seems insignificant at this moment but for a program that missed the postseason a year ago and the year before by one game, these are the games that the Wolverines have to come out on top of.