Copp’s overtime goal pushes Michigan over Michigan Tech
By Jeremy Summitt –
ANN ARBOR – Andrew Copp’s overtime goal against Michigan Tech on Friday might take some time to set in. With Michigan’s back against the wall after surrendering a two-goal advantage late in the second period, Copp said he wasn’t sure what happened in regard to his goal.
With 1:34 remaining in the overtime session, Copp received a pass from senior captain Mac Bennett as he entered the offensive zone. Copp let the puck sit on his stick for a second before sniping one into the top corner. Time seemed to stop at Yost Ice Arena for just a second, as Copp watched his shot hit the twine and threw his hands in the air before the crowd could react to the Wolverines’ thrilling 3-2 victory.
“I was yelling at Mac to give me the puck on the wing there, and I just kind of pulled it back and shot it and it went in,” Copp said. “It was pretty cool.”
Junior forward Phil Di Giuseppe’s made it the Di Giuseppe show for two periods before Copp stole the spotlight. With a goal and an assist, Di Giuseppe recorded his third multi-point game of the season. Minutes after making a tough breakaway look easy, he rifled one off the crossbar that looked destined to hit twine.
“I just tried to keep it simple in the first,” Di Giuseppe said. “I think our line played really well in the first two periods and things happened.”
Midway through the first period, he juked right, held the puck on his stick to the left and slipped it right between the pads of sophomore Phoenix Copley for his third goal of the season.
Just 1:10 into the second period, Di Giuseppe added an assist on senior forward Luke Moffatt’s fourth goal of the year. Moffatt received the puck at the right circle and fired the puck off the near post to give Michigan the two-goal advantage.
But the Wolverines were forced to kill two consecutive penalties in the middle of the second period, including a 5-on-3 disadvantage for 19 seconds. Michigan had no problem erasing its first 5-on-3 deficit of the season, but just after the first penalty to freshman defenseman Michael Downing expired, Michigan Tech capitalized.
Junior forward Blake Pietila was able to net the first Huskies goal after deflecting sophomore forward Alex Petan’s backhand shot into the top corner, cutting the Wolverines’ lead in half.
“Those penalties, especially when you take them one on top of the other, that really hurts,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “But when you play enough in your own zone, you’re going to take penalties.”
In the final minutes of the second period, as Michigan found itself up one goal and playing with the man advantage, Michigan Tech sophomore C.J. Eick corralled a Wolverine turnover and darted forward on a breakaway. Eick fired one into the top corner as he reached the left circle to even things up at two goals apiece heading into the second intermission.
The Huskies garnered several quality chances in the third period that missed inches wide or forced freshman goaltender Zach Nagelvoort to make acrobatic saves. They kept Michigan in check until Copp got loose on the right wing and slammed the door on Michigan Tech’s comeback chances.
Nagelvoort made 34 total saves, earning his third win in four starts for the Wolverines since taking over for the injured sophomore Steve Racine. There was a possibility that Racine would return against the Huskies, but Berenson decided to keep him as the backup goaltender for another game as he nurses a groin injury sustained at New Hampshire on Oct. 18.
“I was glad (Racine) was feeling good enough to be the backup,” Berenson said. “If he had to go in, he felt he could go in.”
Berenson says he’ll make the decision on whether Racine or Nagelvoort will start in Saturday’s rematch with Michigan Tech by game time.