"Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."
That was Michigan right wing Bill Muckalt referring to a hard-working, smaller Brown team that stuck with the talented Michigan hockey team for much of Friday night's game at Yost Ice Arena.
But as the weekend unfolded, it was the Wolverines who displayed both hard work and talent in defeating the Bears, 5-2, Friday, and 7-2, Saturday.
Michigan (6-1-1 CCHA, 11-1-1 overall) swept the weekend series thanks in part to gritty performances by left wings Matt Herr, who scored four goals on the weekend, and Dale Rominski.
Saturday, Michigan extended its home unbeaten streak to 20 games behind a pair of goals from both Herr and right wing Warren Luhning, and three assists from center Brendan Morrison.
The Wolverines, already up, 3-1, late in the second period put the Bears away when freshman center Andrew Merrick scored his first goal as a Wolverine.
After fighting off a few Bears and maintaining control of the puck against the boards in the Brown zone, Merrick finally broke free. Once he turned toward the net, there was nothing but daylight between him and the goal. Merrick skated in and slipped the puck past Brown goaltender Jeff Holowaty.
"Dale Rominski was yelling, 'Go! Go!'," Merrick said. "I just saw a little opening and just went to the net."
Midway through the third period, Michigan extended its lead to 7-1 in a span of 47 seconds.
With Brown on the power play, Michigan goaltender Gregg Malicke, making his first start of the season, played a puck off the boards to his left. Rominski picked it up and angled it off the boards for Herr, who scored as he was being taken down from behind.
Fourteen seconds later, Luhning scored Michigan's second shorthanded goal of the night. And 33 seconds after that, Luhning scored again giving Michigan a six-goal lead.
"It was an ass-whipping," Brown coach Bob Gaudet said.
Herr started the night's scoring three minutes into the first period. On the first power play of the game, Michigan center Brendan Morrison, skating in left of the Brown goal, crossed the puck in front of the net to Herr, who put it past Brown goaltender Jeff Holowaty.
Meanwhile, Michigan virtually shut down the Brown offensive attack. The Wolverines did not allow a shot on goal for the first 11:38 of the game and outshot Brown, 47-11, overall.
Later in the period, right wing Sean Ritchlin scored on wrap around extending Michigan's lead to 2-0.
Friday's game was a little bit more of a struggle for the Wolverines, who took the ice with a different look as Madden and senior Mike Legg did not dress for academic reasons. Madden played Saturday and Berenson said he expects Legg to play this coming weekend.
"When I see a report that I'm not pleased with academically - that's my decision," Berenson said. "It's nothing to do with their eligibility or anything else."
Brown hung close with the Wolverines for the majority of the game Friday, although the outcome of the game was never in any real doubt.
Midway through the third period with Michigan leading, 4-2, the Wolverines shut down Brown on a key power play, which resulted from Michigan junior Chris Fox's elbowing penalty.
Michigan's penalty-kill unit, including Rominski, blocked several Brown shots during that power play.
"(Rominski) showed some real heart out there," Berenson said. "It was like he was wounded, but he got up again and took another one."
Early in the first period, Herr scored the first goal of the game. Morrison, from back of the Brown net, sent a pass left of the post to Herr, who put it past Holowaty.
With just under four minutes remaining in the period, Brown left wing Damian Prescott knotted the score at one. After a sloppy pass from Michigan defender Harold Schock, the puck ended up on the stick of Prescott, who skated in alone and beat Michigan goaltender Marty Turco.
Herr put the Wolverines ahead for good with his second goal of the game early in the second period during a Michigan power play.
Following a Brown timeout late in the period, with Michigan leading, 3-1, Prescott, who scored three goals on the weekend, brought the Bears back within one with a power play goal of his own.
But Botterill and Morrison scored in the third period to put the game away.
WARREN ZINN/Daily
Michigan's Matt Herr earned CCHA Offensive Player of the Week honors with four goals in two games against Brown this weekend. Michigan swept the series.