Despite a late third period rally against No. 10 Nebraska-Omaha on Friday night, the No. 9 Michigan hockey team dropped a 4-2 contest at home. Friday’s loss marked the third straight game the Wolverines have lost to Nebraska-Omaha, dating back to a two-game sweep in Omaha last February.

The Mavericks (2-0-0 WCHA, 5-0-0 overall) feature an offense that’s tied for the nation's-best, averaging 5.5 goals per game but it was their freshmen that came up big Friday night.

Freshman left wing Ryan Walters scored his first goal of the season for Nebraska-Omaha with just over four minutes remaining in the first period. Walters made a pass on the net from behind the Michigan goal that bounced off Hunwick’s back and helmet before dropping behind the pipes.

And Michigan (2-0-0 CCHA, 2-1-2 overall) didn’t help its own cause. The Wolverines took eight minutes in penalties in the first period alone. On a power play just one minute into the second period, the Wolverines couldn’t convert and seconds after returning to full strength, Nebraska-Omaha slipped another one past Hunwick after a rebound for the two-goal advantage.

At the halfway mark of the game, penalties finally caught up to the Wolverines. The Mavericks scored their first power play goal of the night to go up three, as freshman center Brock Montpetit scored around an outstretched Hunwick. Nebraska Omaha didn’t let up there, though. With the shot differential at two in Michigan’s favor at the end of the period — 22 to 20 — the score wasn’t close.

The Mavericks caught the Wolverines out of position a number of times and capitalized on their mistakes. Nebraska-Omaha’s fourth goal came with four minutes remaining in the second, when Hunwick gave up a rebound and couldn’t get back into position quickly enough.

But the Wolverines found new life with six minutes remaining in the third period. Within a minute, sophomore right wing Kevin Lynch netted Michigan’s first goal of the night and junior left wing David Wolhberg backed it up with his third goal of the season. The late Wolverine rally cut the deficit to two with just under five minutes remaining in the third, but it was too little too late for Michigan.

Coming off an energized late rally and with senior netminder Bryan Hogan between the pipes, the Wolverines look to nab the equalizer in tomorrow night’s series finale.