Senior forward Carl Hagelin said after the Michigan ice hockey team's win over Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday that the fourth-ranked Wolverines played with more “desperation” than the night before. But coach Red Berenson opted to use the word “conviction.”

Semantics aside, the Wolverines bounced back from their dismal 4-2 loss on Friday night to rout the Mavericks, 6-1, on Saturday.

“Our team had to make a better commitment to this game, and I thought we did,” Berenson said following Saturday’s game. "We played with more passion and more emotion. We worked harder and we got more puck luck.”

Coming into the weekend, the Nebraska-Omaha offense averaged 5.5 goals a game, good for a first-place tie in the country. And on Friday night at Yost Ice Arena, the Mavericks’ offense certainly proved it was worthy of that top spot, as it dictated the tempo of the game all night long. Its forecheck was relentless, forcing turnovers in the Michigan end throughout the contest.

“You've got to take better care of the puck,” Berenson said. “You've got to play with a better sense of urgency. I thought they were the more determined team (on Friday). They were stronger and harder on the puck than we were, and that showed.”

Another key component for Nebraska-Omaha's potent offense was the cross-ice passes through the neutral zone that spread out the Wolverine defensemen. That allowed for the Mavericks to gain an easy entry in the zone and set up their attack.

Berenson mentioned that Nebraska-Omaha had the better scoring opportunities and the “more dangerous” shots on net as the Wolverines (2-0-0 CCHA, 3-1-2 overall) played “catch-up hockey all night,” giving up four goals before attempting to mount a comeback late in the third.

But Saturday was a complete role reversal, as the Michigan team that everyone expected to see this season salvaged a split with the Mavericks (2-0-0 WCHA, 5-1-0 overall).

Just eight seconds into the game, junior forward David Wohlberg rifled a wrist shot from the left end boards that caught goalie John Faulker off guard and found its way into the back of the net. The goal was the fastest in program history.

Following the quick tally, a new Michigan team seemed to surface — one that played a tighter checking game against Nebraska-Omaha’s prolific offensive attack.

“We didn't turn over the puck as much as last night, so they didn't get enough chances to win this game,” Hagelin said. “It comes down to us playing well from the get-go and winning battles.”

And while you could look at the amount of shots the Mavericks had (36) and say they certainly had their chances, that would be far from the truth. Many of their shots came from the perimeter of the offensive zone and were easily seen by senior goaltender Bryan Hogan.

With Michigan holding a 4-1 lead heading into the third period, any signs of a comeback from Nebraska-Omaha looked hopeless as senior forward Ben Winnett and junior winger Luke Glendening each added goals to seal the Mavericks’ fate.

In arguably its best all-around performance this season, a more energetic Wolverine squad displayed what has been a hallmark of Berenson-coached teams of years’ past: sound defensive hockey.

While playing with more fervor in the defensive end, coupled with sacrificing bodies to block shots, getting the puck cleanly out of the zone and backchecking with a purpose, the team returned to the Michigan of old.

“Now we know we can't just play with 90 percent of our talent. We need to show up and play 100 percent from the get-go like we did (Saturday),” Hagelin said.