With the win Saturday, Berenson moved to fourth on the all-time wins list with 800.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Dylan Larkin scored twice, Michael Downing had a goal and two assists, and Andrew Copp and Zach Hyman each had a goal and an assist to help Michigan coach Red Berenson earn his 800th win with a 7-5 victory against Minnesota on Saturday in front of 5,800 fans inside Yost Ice Arena.
Berenson became the fourth coach in Division I men's ice hockey to reach the 800-win mark, joining a club that includes current Boston College head coach Jerry York (975 wins), former Michigan State head coach Ron Mason (924 wins) and former Boston University head coach Jack Parker (897 wins).
The Wolverines scored the most goals in a game against Minnesota since a 7-4 win in a 1997 NCAA West Regional Semifinal contest and swept the Gophers in a weekend series for the first time since Nov. 8-9, 1991, at Yost.
Enough said. 800 wins (and counting). #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/VwgAExFVTs
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) January 11, 2015
Michigan took control of the game early on, scoring four unanswered goals after an early tally by the Gophers to take a three-goal lead, and the lead for good, into the first intermission.
After Minnesota's Travis Boyd scored at 7:19 with a shot high over the glove of Steve Racine (13 saves) to put Minnesota up 1-0, the Wolverines' fourth line responded to get Michigan's offense rolling.
Dexter Dancs flipped a high pass into the neutral zone to Travis Lynch, who chipped the puck past a stationary Minnesota defender for a 2-on-1. Lynch kept the puck and fired a wrist shot over the glove of Wilcox to tie the game at 12:48.
Michigan capitalized on its second man advantage of the period, as Hyman drew a holding penalty by controlling the puck behind the Minnesota net. On the ensuing power play, Copp took a pass from Downing at the circle and beat Wilcox with a high wrist shot at 14:18 to give Michigan a 2-1 lead.
In the final minute of the frame, the Wolverines tacked on two more goals. Hyman struck first, using a defenseman as a screen on a 1-on-1 rush up ice and beating Wilcox with a low wrist shot at 19:17.
Just 30 seconds later, JT Compher pounced on a rebound off a shot by Max Shuart and flipped a backhander into an open net at 19:47.
Minnesota responded in the opening minute of the second period, as Boyd notched his second goal of the game, beating his man for a shot from just outside the crease to make it 4-2.
Downing answered for Michigan, chasing Wilcox from the net with an unobstructed slap shot from the point that beat the Minnesota goaltender clean over the pad at 4:55. Nick Lehr replaced Wilcox in his first career appearance in net for Minnesota
The Gophers cut it back to a two-goal lead moments later as Seth Ambroz' shot from just inside the blue line deflected off the leg of Downing and past Racine at 5:09.
Zach Nagelvoort (15 saves) replaced an injured Racine in net at the 11:05 mark, and Michigan regained a three-goal lead shortly thereafter with Leon Bristedt in the penalty box for holding. Cristoval 'Boo' Nieves won a faceoff back to Larkin, who fired a long wrist shot off the skate of Minnesota's Ben Marshall past Lehr at 11:29.
In the final minute of the period, Minnesota again cut the Michigan lead back to two goals, as Connor Reilly was on the receiving end of a blind pass by Hudson Fasching through the slot for a tap-in goal at 19:07.
Larkin recorded his second goal of the night at 2:12 of the third period to push the Michigan margin back to three goals. Hyman passed forward to Larkin at the left circle, who beat Lehr with a low wrist shot to make it 7-4.
Larkin nearly had a hat trick later in the period, but his one-timer from the goal mouth at 13:42 was smothered by Lehr.
AJ Michaelson added a late goal for Minnesota at 17:52, but with Lehr out of the net in the final minutes, the Gophers did not get any closer, and the Wolverines poured out on the ice to celebrate Berenson's milestone win at the final buzzer.
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