Michigan coach Red Berenson was not getting the productivity he wanted from senior center Mike Legg.
So last week, he swapped Legg and sophomore wing Greg Crozier to shake things up.
The combination of Legg, center John Madden and wing Warren Luhning gave Michigan the boost it needed this past weekend.
The results were immediate. Legg was on the ice when defenseman Bubba Berenzweig's first shot of the game flew past Notre Dame netminder Matt Eisler for a goal. Four minutes later, it was Legg who scored a goal of his own.
"I thought we had a number of players who played better than they had been," Berenson said. "We put Legg on that line with Madden and Luhning, and they scored the first two goals for us. That's a senior line, and they should be as good a line as we have."
The first two scores sparked a five-goal first period and gave Michigan the necessary cushion to coast home with a victory.
Including Saturday's game at Michigan State, the three seniors combined for two goals and five assists for the weekend.
A healthy squad?: Almost 100 percent healthy. Sophomore center Bobby Hayes' charley horse is the only injury on the squad, but even he is expected to practice today and his status will be day-to-day.
"We expect him back on the ice (today) for a full practice," Berenson said. "Outside of that, everybody's healthy."
Tick-tock, tick-tock: Inter-mission is usually a down time as far as penalties are concerned.
But in a season in which the Wolverines have accumulated more than their fair share of penalties, they took one more at the end of the first intermission on Saturday, giving the Spartans an unexpected man-advantage.
Just before the second period began, the Michigan bench received a delay-of-game penalty for coming out of the lockerroom late - according to referee Duke Shegos.
Michigan coach Red Berenson took some issue with the call.
"We have a little clock that we have in the lockerroom, and we're suppose to be out on the ice when that comes down to zero," Berenson said.
"We left the lockerroom when it had 20 seconds left on it," he said. "Maybe our clock wasn't the same as their clock, but (Shegos) said we were 15 seconds late, so we gave ourselves a minute cushion (before the third period), and maybe it takes that long to walk out to the arena."
Fortunately for the Wolverines, the Spartans did not convert on that two-minute power play.
"It didn't affect the game, fortunately, or I would be really disappointed," Berenson said.
losing streak: With Saturday's loss to Michigan State, the Wolverines are in danger of losing two consecutive games for the first time since February.
Last season, Lake Superior defeated the Wolverines twice in one weekend (Feb. 23 and 24).
Michigan had not lost since that weekend until Saturday's game.
"We have to put (the Michigan State game) behind us," Berenson said. "Hopefully we'll be a little better team this next weekend, not just because of the loss, but because of the time and the game experience.
Making his mark: Michigan defenseman Bubba Berenzweig wanted to prove himself. Not only to his coach, but to his family and friends as well.
When he scored on his first shot early in the first period against Notre Dame, he felt redeemed.
"I was real pumped up for the game," Berenzweig said. "Coach (Berenson) was on my case, telling me I needed to be ready for the beginning of every game. So I wanted to go out there and show I could do it early on."
Berenzweig, a native of Arlington Heights, Ill., had many friends at the Joyce Center, though they weren't all there to see him play.
"Part of my motivation was that I knew half of the guys on the Notre Dame team. A couple of them were from Illinois, and a couple of them I played with (in juniors). I had something to prove to them."
MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
Bill Muckalt and the Michigan hockey team crossed paths with the Spartans on Saturday, and the Wolverines' green-and-white rivals came away with a 5-4 victory. Michigan will jump right back into CCHA play when Ohio State and Bowling Green visit Ann Arbor this weekend for the Wolverines' first homestand.