With the No. 7 Michigan hockey team up 3-0 on Michigan State late in the third period on Saturday, the victory — and series split — looked secure. Less than five minutes remained and the Wolverines had already given the 6,842 fans in attendance at Yost Ice Arena three goals to add to their traditional goal-count chant.

It was definitely icing on the cake, but freshman defenseman Mac Bennett gave the fans at Yost one more thing to cheer about.

Senior forward Scooter Vaughan passed from the top of the right circle to Bennett, who came from behind and rushed to the left faceoff dot. Bennett roofed the puck blocker-side for his first career goal, cementing the 4-0 win for Michigan.

Bennett was so overwhelmed that he even didn’t hear the Yost faithful erupt, but his teammates saved the puck for him. After the game, associate head coach Mel Pearson joked that Bennett should sleep with that puck — and show off his shot more often.

But his partner, junior defenseman Greg Pateryn, knew Bennett had the shot all along.

Pateryn had an inkling during the Wolverines’ morning skate that Bennett was going to catch fire on Saturday. According to both Pateryn and Bennett, the two were skating when Pateryn realized most of Bennett’s shots were finding the back of the net.

“Before the game, it was kind of funny, I told him ‘I think you got one today, you’re going to get one. I feel it,’ ” Pateryn said after practice on Monday. “And sure enough, he went down and joined the rush.”

Joining the rush is one area of Bennett's game he looks to improve on in the second half of the season. Although he needs to make sure to take care of his defensive responsibilities first, Bennett saw the outcome of being aggressive on the offensive end first-hand on Saturday.

“I want to see myself jump up in the play like (in that goal) little bit more often,” Bennett said. “I’m a lot more comfortable skating with the puck now than I was in the beginning of the season.”

Michigan (10-4-1-0 CCHA, 13-6-4 overall) carries eight defensemen on its current roster, and while only six see game-action each night, Michigan coach Red Berenson knows how tough it can be for the younger defenders to accumulate any sort of confidence.

“If you’re paired with one guy Friday and another guy Saturday (it can be difficult),” Pateryn said. “I’ve been paired with (freshman defender Kevin Clare and Bennett) a lot this year. (Clare) is a stay-at-home guy, and Mac is a run-and-gun guy, so its different to know when to stay back or go. But you just read off each other. Sometimes you just play with players that have different styles.”

But Bennett, who has played the majority of his games this season with Pateryn, can play on either defensive side. That flexibility gives Berenson different ways to use the freshman.

“I like (Bennett’s) skating,” Berenson said. “He carries the puck out of trouble. I like his passing. He definitely can join the rush. (His goal) was a classic example of something we practice everyday but we don’t see enough of it in games. I like what he’s giving to our team. I think every game he plays, he’s playing a little better.”

In a game where confidence is everything, Bennett is relishing his new-found offensive flair.

And Michigan will take any extra offense it can get, as the Wolverines face a home-and-home series with Ferris State this weekend — a team that ranks first in team defense, allowing an average of just 1.96 goals per game.