Wisconsin HP-18: 5, Minnesota HP-18: 4
It was a battle border in the opening game of Day 2. Minnesota was called for an early couple penalties which led Wisconsin to a 5-on-3 powerplay opportunity. Jadon Motquin quickly capitalized on it to make it 1-0. Wisconsin continued to have opportunities down low around the net but wouldn’t score again until 1:44 of the first when Noah Wilson picked up a rebound from Nicholas Techel’s shot to make it 2-0 heading in to the first intermission.

Minnesota seized control of the majority of the second period. Elk River’s Jax Murray buried home a loose puck at 13:27 to bring the game within one. The game went back and forth until Wisconsin’s Brandon Connett lit up the board with a shot from just outside the crease for a 3-1 game. At 2:37, Minnesota’s Samuel Huff (Maple Grove) skated the puck down the right side into the Wisconsin zone. With a backhand pass he found a striding Cameron Buhl (South St. Paul) who hit the back of the net with the one-timer. Buhl added his second just 30 seconds later with the help of a Minnesota faceoff win and the game ended tied 3-3 after two.

The final frame saw both teams play evenly, exchanging puck control back and forth. At 7:20 Wisconsin again found themselves with a man advantage and Ian Malcolmson didn’t let the opportunity go to waste, pulling his team ahead, 4-3. Techel added another for Wiconsin at 2:37 to widen the gap to two. But Minnesota didn’t pull back. Grand Rapids’ Micah Miller took a pass from John Stampohar and slipped it to the corner to bring the game back within reach with just 17 seconds left to go. However it was too little too late, and Wisconsin held on for the win.

Michigan Seniors: 5, North Dakota: 3
North Dakota registered the first and last goals of the game, but Michigan got enough done in between to seal the deal. Rile Giauque got North Dakota on the board first with a greasy goal in the slot. Michigan then answered back with two in 25 seconds, Luke Cowan hammering the first one home and Reid Pietila getting easy put away with a great set-up from Nick Blankenburg.  JP Lafferty tallied one more for Michigan to end the period 3-1. The second period was a stalemate with neither team scoring. Andrew Froese put Michigan up three in the third, but this time North Dakota responded, Braden Costello with the geno. Logan Jenuwine brought Michigan on top by three once again, but Grant Johnson cut the lead with just 30 seconds remaining, resulting in the final 5-3 score.

Minnesota Seniors: 5, Wisconsin Seniors: 0
The seniors avenged the Minnesota HP-18’s earlier loss to Wisconsin by shutting out Wisconsin Seniors, 5-0. Despite the lopsided score, play was even and it took Minnesota until the final five minutes of the first period to tally a goal. St. Paul Academy’s Justin Jallen received a cross ice pass from Bemidji’s Nick Leitner and went glove-side for the goal at 4:47. Just 20 seconds later, Jack Johnson ripped one to the other corner to end the period with Minnesota ahead, 2-0.

Minnetonka’s Brendan Skarda was the lone scorer the entire second period, giving Minnesota a 3-0 lead heading in to the final frame. At 11:17 Johnson fed Burnsville’s Nolan Sawchuk who ripped it to the left corner for a 4-0 score. The game remained scoreless until 2:03 when Wisconsin failed to clear the zone and turned the puck over in front of the net. Duluth East’s Alex Spencer picked up the loose puck for an easy wrister to end the game with a final score of 5-0.

Michigan HP-18: 6, Massachusetts: 0
Michigan controlled the tempo and the puck from start to finish in Friday’s nightcap game. Six different scorers tallied goals en route to the shutout victory: Adam Pitters, Connor McGinnis, Samuel Spaedt, Michael McInerney, Kyle Gierman, and Zachary Sprys-Tellner.