A.J. Treais goal gives Michigan hockey a shootout win at Northern Michigan

Posted on Sun, Oct 23, 2011 : 12:15 a.m.

Junior forward A.J. Treais scored the only goal in a shootout to keep the Michigan hockey team from coming up empty-handed on its first road trip of the season.

Northern Michigan’s Mitch Jones scored on a rebound 59 seconds into the third period of Saturday night’s game at the Berry Events Center in Marquette to tie the game at 3-3.

That’s how the score remained. Michigan goaltender Shawn Hunwick stopped three Wildcats’ shootout attempts and Treais scored the winner in the Wolverines’ final attempt.

The game goes down as a 3-3 tie in the record books, with Michigan (4-1-1, 0-1-1-1) picking up two points in the CCHA standings for the 1-0 shootout win.

It’s the first shootout win in the history of the Michigan program, according to MGoBlue.com.

The Wolverines, who entered the weekend series as the No. 1-ranked team in the USCHO.com poll and lost 5-3 to the Wildcats on Friday night, were handed an opportunity to win Saturday’s game in overtime.

Northern Michigan’s Reed Seckel took a major “contact to the head” penalty in the final minute of regulation, giving Michigan a power play for the first 4:20 of the five-minute extra session.

The Wolverines managed just three shots on Northern goaltender Jared Coreau, who finished with 25 saves.

Michigan was 1-for-5 on power play opportunities, converting when Lindsay Sparks gave the Wolverines a 2-0 lead midway through the first period. Treais had opened the scoring three minutes earlier.

Tyler Gron scored on a pair of man-advantage chances in the second period for the No. 17-ranked Wildcats (4-1-1, 1-0-1-0). Michigan’s Kevin Lynch scored his first goal of the season with 59 seconds left in the second period for a 3-2 Wolverines lead.

Hunwick, who was ejected Friday night when the game was still a scoreless tie, returned to the net Saturday and made 23 saves.

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